Conflict Management at Miami Dade Public School

Are you a teacher, administrator, or school counselor struggling with discipline in your school? Do rules, power struggles, and stress invade your everyday life? In the classroom, does it seem like your needs do not matter? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then Curwin, Mendler, and Mendler’s classroom management book, “Discipline with Dignity: New Challenges, New Solutions” (2008), may be the tool for you.

Findings from a recent Ofsted report have shown that low-level disruption in the classroom is causing pupils to potentially lose up to one hour of learning each day, and that this may have a detrimental impact on their life chances (Ofsted, 2014). Difficulties managing behavior is a commonly reported source of stress and burnout among teachers, and is resulting in a substantial number leaving the profession within 5 years (Ford et al, 2012). Disruptive behaviour is not only stressful for teachers, but it can be unsettling for pupils, can hinder pupils enjoyment of school and can prevent pupils from fulfilling their potential (Gorard, 2010). Although there has never been a time when all pupils behaved well, all of the time (Viser, 2005), it is important that teachers have a good understanding of the challenges they may face in the classroom, and are equipped with effective strategies to help them manage classroom behaviour. After all, effective behaviour management and discipline in schools is a crucial to ensuring academic success and a positive and safe learning environment (Luisellia et al, 2005).

It is important for a teacher to challenge disruptive behaviour immediately and consistently. I feel by trying to make lessons enjoyable and providing work that helps students to achieve minimizes disruptive behaviour. The use of good communication by the teacher can also be a useful tool. This includes the use of the voice, phrasing, eye contact and body language. For example, using an assertive tone when making a request or physically positioning yourself near disruptive students.

Students all have their own personalities, which affects their actions within the classroom. Many times, a students’ behavior is caused by outside factors causing them to act out with disruptive behaviors and disciplinary issues. During these times, a teacher must have a behavior management approach to deter similar behaviors in the future. Many first time teachers are unable to handle dealing with the behaviors and leave their jobs making it all the more important to come up with an effective behavior management approach to curtail those worrisome behaviors before it gets to that point (Sugai, 2009). In an effort to thoroughly discuss an efficient behavior management approach, a common disciplinary problem within classroom and the foundation of the issue will be considered. A combination of approaches may be to needed to stop behavioral issues, such as providing motivation and establishing rules and procedures in a clear way will deter behavioral issues. Finally, an in-depth look at the steps needed in order to implement the approach into the classroom.

As principal of TWH, I feel it is vital to keep the urgency focused on academics. It is my belief that if we set students up for challenging and engaging classroom instruction, discipline issues will start to lessen. However, my teachers will feel supported and respected, and that will be communicated regularly to our students and school community. “…leaders treat others fairly, equitably, and with dignity and respect—and they establish the expectation that others in the school community act in a similar manner” (Murphy, 2006).

There are many problems that new teachers face in the classroom and many were unexpected to me and I was unprepared. Class sizes were large, classes were diverse and funding was scarce. The largest problem I encountered was finding solutions for dealing with misbehaved students. The Tough Kid was written to address these problems and guide new teachers in the classroom. The authors state the many problems of discipline and classroom management for new teachers and provide a guide or as they say “cookbook” for all teachers to follow. Most of the discipline issues are from the unpreparedness of the teacher. This was definitely a skill I did not have when I started the job as I wasn’t prepared for the forty-eight students that would be arrested over the course of the year. The chapters of this book show tactics, lessons, and practical information that gives you an opportunity to keep your students disciplined and engaged.

We also know that disruptive behavior interferes with overall classroom functioning and individual student academic achievement (Atkins, Hoagwood, Kutash, & Seidman, 2010), and effective classroom management can reduce disruptions and improve learning (Reid, Gonzalez, Nordness, Trout, & Epstein, 2004). There is growing evidence that implementing EBIs to promote positive student behaviors may reduce emotional exhaustion and similar constructs among educators (e.g., Ross, Romer, & Horner, 2012). However, much less is known about the driving factors behind this association, and whether the same effect occurs in urban schools, where higher levels of teacher stress and numerous organizational barriers are often reported (Shernoff et al., 2011). Organizational barriers (e.g., school leadership and teacher collegiality) are particularly significant due to their frequent association with teacher stress (Dorman, 2003). The current study advances understanding of stress and satisfaction among teachers in urban schools by examining predictors at three levels (individual, classroom, school-wide) and how training in and use of EBIs may impact them.

There are both general and special education teachers who have reported that they “aren't adequately trained to deal with the aggression, defiance, and sometimes even violence that they witness daily which seems to be increasing in children at younger ages (Ruef, Higgins, Glaeser, & Patnode, 2009). Teachers' lack of time planning, there being a high number of students in the room and only one or two teachers, and lack of administrative support to apply behavior changes in general have all been noted as problems related to

Keeping troublesome/disruptive behaviour dormant is not the ideal solution and although it has its short-term benefits, it may adversely affect the rapport between teacher and learners – not a good start. Abatement, enhancing or changing disruptive behaviour requires certain skills and so it is hoped that by addressing the pre-requisite, specifying an appropriate methodology, identification, and selection of appropriate techniques a logical flow to this section is established.

Lynne Kenney, the speaker in this educational seminar is a pronounced psychologist who works on educational techniques with teachers and parents to improve confidence, communication and collaboration within classrooms. According to Kenney, 68% of elementary teachers, 64% of middle teachers, and 53% of high school teachers report an increase of disruptive behavior in schools. Due to such percentages, time spent in classrooms in allocated to spending 50% of the time addressing behavioral issues rather than to learning. It is not simply the teachers who need to be productive for our student’s sake, but parents and educational administrations as well, such as principles and school district leaders. In fact, many teachers leave their profession just after three years, often due to a lack of administrations and difficulties with behavior in the classroom.

When educators became certified in LSCI, they expressed a positive attitude towards managing student conflict and indicated in focus groups that they felt more prepared to manage conflict in their classrooms (Forthun, McCombie, & Freado, 2009). LSCI can be infused into all tiers of School-wide Positive Behavior Intervention Supports. SPBIS when implemented with fidelity, led to a reduction of suspensions and discipline referrals, and associated gains in math and reading over a two-year period in New Hampshire public schools (Muscott, Mann, & LeBrun, 2008).

The actions of the Principal and Deputy principals at Rabboni Christian School form the basis of the overall mood for the school. If they consistently support teachers, fairly implement the discipline plan, and follow-through on disciplinary actions, then teachers will follow their lead. If they slack on discipline, it becomes apparent over time and misbehavior typically increases. Consistently following through on the action plan is the only way to truly foster discipline in our school. If a teacher ignores misbehavior in the classroom, it will increase. If administrators fail to support the teachers, they could easily lose control of the situation. CONCLUSION. Hand-in-hand with effective leadership and consistent follow-through, students must believe that teachers and administrators are fair in their disciplinary actions. While some extenuating circumstances require administrators to make adjustments for individual students, in general, students who misbehave should be treated

Classroom management is a popular topic in education. Teachers are always looking for ways to improve their classroom environment, or new ways to deal with problem behaviors. For every person who has ever worked with children, there is an idea, a theory, as to how to best meet children’s needs. Early theorists provide the basis for many current behavior management ideas, and often include a combination of ideas. Theorists such as Abraham Maslow, Rudolf Dreikurs, William Glasser, and Stanley Coppersmith offer insight into the behavior and motivations of children that help teachers design strategies to prevent disruption and provide a positive learning environment for all students.

A teacher must deal with disruptive classroom behavior throughout their career. To do so, they must not only develop their skills in handling these situations but also develop ethical standards for their classroom. These standards set forth by the teacher will help them deal with their students, those students’ parents, the school administrators and their community. There are numerous articles written that could help a teacher when researching any legal or ethical issues that may arise during their teaching career. This paper summarizes four

Classroom management and classroom discipline share a correlation with one another yet; they are uniquely different issues and should remain a separate focus of the teacher. (Cantor, 2006) Behavior and misbehavior also share a connection but represent different degrees of infraction. (Charles, 2008) This essay focuses on the differences and similarities of these topics and their relation to the classroom.