Creating a Positive

Learning Environment

What Works in Schools

by Robert Marzano
Classroom management is one of 11 factors that
influence student achievement.

Well articulated rules and procedures

Disciplinary strategies that reinforce
appropriate behavior and provide consequences
Responding to inappropriate behaviors quickly
and assertively
Instills confidence and acceptance in students
Maintains emotional objectivity by staying calm
Aware of problems and potential problems

Do any of these look familiar?

Playing with objects

Tapping
Inappropriate noises
Ignoring the teacher
Passing notes
Leaning back in
chairs
Tattling
Teasing
Reading during
instruction
Whining/pouting

Eating/gum chewing
Sleeping/daydreami
ng
Talking
Complaining
Off task
Telling lies
Blurting out
Arguing with the
teacher
Swearing
cheating

These are all student behaviors that every

teacher encounters. Some are more easily
dealt with than others. Most of them can be
eliminated with a good management plan that
has rules and procedures in place.

Where it all begins

Developing positive
relationships with your students
can

Lessmean...
work engaging students.
Easier

classroom management.
Longer focus time.
Students will be willing to take risks.

How do you build relationships?

Seek first to understand the students point of

view. Listen and communicate.
Honor your students as human beings worthy of
respect.
Keep your promises.
Be kind and courteous. Caring is key.
Clarify your expectations.
Be loyal.
Be fair.
Be consistent.

Ways to Build Positive

Relationships

Greet everyone at the door

Calls on everyone equitably
Give specific praise
Listen attentively
Show personal interest in student activities
Provide individual help
Respect your students

How you communicate may

be critical.

Each person has their own unique way of

interpreting life and the world. It is formed from
experiences, genetic development, socialization,
and choices made. These realities act as
communication filters. These filters affect how you
say things and what you say. As groups form and

Did you know?

7% of communication is
composed of spoken words
38% tone of voice
55 % body language
Thomas Crane, The Heart of Coaching, FTA
Press, 2005

Primary Communication
Filters
Mental State -your frame of mind during the

communication (assumptions, intentions, hidden

agendas, beliefs, judgments)

Emotional State -heavily affected by the quality

of thinking process (insecurities, threats, stress,
fear, ego, unhealed wounds, joy, delight, etc.)

Current State of the Relationship the quality of

the relationship affects student performance and
success
Thomas Crane, The Heart of Coaching, FTA Press, 2005

You are the teacher, not a peer

or a friend.

Management
Is proactive
Anticipates skills
and work habits
Teaches students
to assume
responsibility

Discipline
Is reactive
Results from a
power struggle
Assumes
students will not
accept
responsibility

Teacher behaviors can impact

student behavior in a positive or
negative way?

Assumptions that teachers

make and biases they have
about students can actually
contribute to misbehavior.
Failure to meet individual
academic needs also impacts
behavior.
How a teacher responds to
misbehavior can impacts

Tips to Remember
Always

remain calm when dealing

with issues involving behavior.
Keep your emotions in check.
Never let them see you sweat
(or cry).

Key Management Skills of

Effective Teachers
Stronge, J.H. (2002) Qualities of effective teachers.
Alexandria, Va. ASCD.

Establish

rules, routines and

procedures
Maintain momentum and variety
Monitoring and responding to activity

Define the expected

behaviors and set limits.
Student input is critical
for by in.

Criteria for Rules

Clearly

stated so students know what

is expected
Reasonable- Can students follow
them?
Enforceable
Applicable to all situations
General- addresses several behaviors
Written positively

Appropriate behavior must

be systematically taught.
Do not assume students
know how to behave in
acceptable ways.

Teaching Appropriate Behavior

Goals: State the expected outcomes.

Rationale: State why you want your students to
behave this way.
Expected behaviors: Define how a model
student would behave
Demonstrate: The right way, the wrong way,
and almost- but- not- quite way
Provide Practice Opportunities

Adapted from Time to Teach, The Center for

Teacher Effectiveness, R. Dahlgren.

Consequences are interventions

to try and change behavior
Organized

in a hierarchy
Teach students that they have the
power of choice
Should fit the crime
Logical and fair
Applied immediately

Types of Consequences
Warning-

verbal (private)
Isolation (time out in a specific
location for a specific time)
Call parents

Office as a Consequence
DO

NOT USE unless

The infraction is so severe that it
puts the student or others in danger
(weapons, physical violence, threats,
bullying)
Once a student is in the office what
happens is out of your hands (you
may not like the outcome).

Define the method or

process for doing things

Routines empower students to

be more responsible for their
own behavior and learning
James Stronge, PhD.

Identify specific procedures for

General

classroom behavior
Beginning and end of the day
Transitions and interruptions
(entering/leaving room, bathrooms,
cafeteria, playground)
Use of materials
Group work
Seat work and teacher-led activities

Procedures must be
Taught
Modeled
Rehearsed

Rehearsed

Rehearsed

It takes seconds of rehearsal

To save minutes or hours of

instruction.

Organization
Helps students and teachers
Feel safe
Prepare students for the days activities
Learn more efficiently and effectively
Maximizes instructional time
Make clear and smooth transitions
Focus on teaching and learning
Limit distractions and interruptions
Have the physical space to learn

Teachers need to organize

Space
Time
Routines

and Tasks

Materials
Learning

Activities

The chief psychological

determinant of learning is

the social environment.

When students are

threatened or they
perceived they are
threatened, it impacts
behavior and student
achievement.

Real or Perceived Threats That

Cause Misbehavior
Intellectual

feel less

Threats- cause students

Smart.

Intellectual Threats

Taken from:
Cummings, C. Winning Strategies for Classroom Management. 2000. ASCD. Alexandria, Va.

Examples of Intellectual Threats:

Receiving unclear directions; not
understanding directions
Not being able to hear because of noise or
other factors
Being called on to answer a question
Public displays of grades (posted or
announced)
Feeling unable to complete an
assignment on time
Fear of reading aloud
Having to work in a group
Not having the required skills- feeling
intellectually inferior

Strategies to Eliminate:
Provide printed copies of direction;
number the steps; ask questions about
directions
Change seats away from distraction
Prompt students;
Allow students to determine what work
to display; refrain from giving grades
orally
Reduce number of items required or
number of items on a page
Ask for volunteer readers; make sure
oral reading for an audience is at the
independent level
Provide choice of working alone; teach
group skills
Teach required skills; set norms for
appropriate behavior (no insults allowed)

Real or Perceived Threats That

Cause Misbehavior
Emotional Threats- cause

students to feel less

Safe.

Emotional Threats
Examples of Emotional
Threats
Negative language, putdowns, bullying
Fear of being disciplined in
front of peers
Coping with family
difficulties (divorce,
illness)
Fear of looking different or
not fitting in
Difficulty making friends

Strategies to Eliminate:

Establish norms for

behavior; review Student
Handbook regularly
Discipline (and praise) in
private
Be empathic; seek outside
resources ( counselor)
Make positive comments
as appropriate; reinforce
inner rather than outer
qualities
Encourage, make
suggestions, assign tasks
that create opportunities
for students to work
together successfully
Taken from:
Cummings, C. Winning Strategies for Classroom Management.
2000. ASCD. Alexandria, Va.

Real or Perceived Threats That

Cause Misbehavior

Physical Threats cause

students to feel less

Safe.

Physical Threats
Examples:

Physical Threats
Being tired or not
feeling well
Fear of being pushed,
shoved, etc.
Fear of having personal
items stolen
Verbal threats
Fear of being caught up
in a fight

Strategies:

Refer to nurse as
appropriate; if done
often, contact home
Establish clear norms
for behavior in and
outside of classroom.
These may need the
involvement of others
(nurse, principal, asst.
principal, parent) for
more in-depth
intervention

Taken from:
Cummings, C. Winning Strategies for Classroom Management. 2000.
ASCD. Alexandria, Va.

Newport News Public

Schools is about
providing

Smart, Safe
Schools

Smart
Schools
have a standards-based
curriculum that provides all
students with high quality
learning activities.

Safe
Schools
nurture and encourage students to
challenge themselves in pursuit of
academic achievement. They are
places where adults and students
feel protected, valued, and
important.