Assuming the Best

Author: Smith, R., Lambert, M.
Publisher: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
Publication Date: 2008, Sept.
Journal: Educational Leadership
Journal Volume: (66)1
Pages: 16-21
Full text available online at: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/sept08/vol66/num01/Assuming_the_Best.aspx

Abstract (written by WestEd)

Classroom management workshop leader Rick Smith and veteran teacher and mentor Mary Lambert prescribe five simple strategies for classroom management based on the assumption that students “want to be here, want to participate, and specifically, want to learn good behavior.” The authors assert that students expect teachers to teach them good behavior and that they break classroom rules in order to test their teacher’s ability and commitment to deliver on this expectation. It is the responsibility of teachers, who possess greater impulse control than their charges, to enforce the rules and thereby create a sense of safety and structure. If a teacher believes that students want to learn and participate, be positive, be cared for, and be treated compassionately, she will be able to interact with students in a firm yet cooperative manner and keep herself from burning out.

The five concrete steps that teachers can take are the following:

1. Use Volume, Tone, and Posture: Communicate to students what is expected.
   
2. Implement the Two-by-Ten Strategy: Talk with a difficult student about a personal topic for two minutes for 10 days in a row.
   
3. Break Things into Steps: Use kinesthetic language and practice with the students.
   
4. Use Behavior Rubrics: Utilize these rubrics for lining up, settling down to learn, getting ready for dismissal, etc.
   
5. Use Visuals: Use visuals to communicate expectations for getting materials on the desk before the bell rings, putting supplies away, etc. Examples of visuals are linked to the article.