PREVENTION AND PRODUCTIVITY: EFFECTIVE CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS AND PROCEDURES IN A SECONDARY PUBLIC SCHOOL BANDROOM

LORENZO T NEAL

UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX

INTRODUCTION

When asked what is a major problem that many teacher face in their classrooms and many will tell you that classroom discipline is the answer. Perhaps an even more precise answer would be preventing classroom misbehavior. Both students and teachers are typically involved in the process of classroom discipline either as positive or negative participants. Within the middle school bandroom, there are often many rules and procedures that are implemented to teach and reinforce a positive classroom environment. C.M. Charles, in his book Building Classroom Discipline, defines misbehavior as “any behavior that through intent or thoughtlessness interferes with classroom instruction, threatens or intimidates others, or oversteps society’s standards of moral, ethical and legal behavior (Charles, 2005, chapter 16, page 7). The average teacher spends more time reacting to rather than preventing behaviors that lead to classroom disruption. Establishing clear routines of entry, clear expectations of behavior and proper exit routines have proven to be major preventative strategies in a middle school bandroom.

Establishing Clear Routines of Entry

Classroom discipline begins with entering the classroom. The teacher is partially responsible for establishing the vanguard of proper classroom behavior through professional appearance and construct. The teacher should be clean dressed and shaven (if male) with an inviting look awaiting students as they approach the classroom. Charles suggests that teachers should engage in a means-end element to preventative discipline. This element states that the teacher can remove potential causes of misbehavior before the student enters the classroom. One element used in the author’s middle school classroom is the development of daily classroom routines for classroom entry. Students are required to present themselves before the teacher with proper dress code and identification. Dress code includes wearing proper shirts and pants, making sure that all shirts are tucked into the pants, make sure that there are the correct socks and shoe and in some cases, ensuring that the hair is properly combed, braided and kept. Students must present themselves before the teacher with proper identification showing. Students who do not meet this requirement are not permitted to enter class until this is taken care of. Students must enter the classroom quietly and respectfully. Upon entering the bandroom, the students are permitted to get water and use the in-class restroom if time permits. They enter the bandroom and proceed to the instrument storage room to get their instruments, stands and music. The entire process of entering the classroom properly begins at the sounding of the bell ending the last class period. If managed properly, students receive five minutes to complete the entire entry process. The failure to enter the school bandroom properly counts as a tardy against the student. When students are routinely prepared to enter the classroom properly, the teaching process becomes smoother and more palpable for all involved.

Establishing Clear Expectations of Behavior

Many schools have policies reminiscent of the older school days of no talking in class, no chewing gum and no passing notes to fellow classmates. It would be correct to state that all teachers should maintain high expectations for student behavior during the teaching and learning experience. The secondary bandroom is no different. Because of unique classroom arrangement, many bandrooms require limited amounts of noise throughout the teaching period. Noises such as tuning an instrument, buzzing on mouthpieces, and the dreaded beating of drumsticks are expected to be heard throughout the period. Students must be instructed on how to go about doing these things without being a distraction to other students in the class. The teacher, having greeted each student at the classroom door upon entry, pays attention to all necessary entry policies and procedures and at the same time establishes the tone of the learning period by giving individual attention to each student therefore minimizing any potential outburst of misbehavior. Students get their stands, music and instruments together and wait for further instructions from the teacher. The daily activities and objectives are posted in a highly visible space in the classroom where students and teachers have access. The teacher states the written objectives and activities and allows a student either by selection or voluntary tor estate the objectives and activities for the entire class. Each class period begins with a general instrument warm-up routine lasting about four to five minutes. Each student gets the opportunity to tune their instrument and review any exercises from the prior class period. The primary indicator that the class period has begun is when the teacher steps in front of the classroom with conducting baton in hand and taps the conductor stand. This motion indicates to the students that all talking, moving, and anything else must come to a close. During the teaching time, students are expected to be attentive, respectful, and alert at all times. Students perform the assigned tasks listed with the supervision and assistance of the teacher. The teacher spends time listening and monitoring each student and section while playing music during the class period. When the teacher is working with an entire instrument section, students in the other sections should quietly play or hum their part without being too much of a distraction to the student or teacher. Time is given during each learning period by the teacher for peer teaching, reteaching, and special instruction.

Students needing to use the restroom, use a hand signal taught them during the first week of class. Students who disrupt class with minor infractions such as talking out of turn or too loud, playing in class, or being a distraction to the entire class, are reprimanded through the use of physical exercise. This is largely due in part because the band classroom is designed to enhance the extra-curricular band program. Since most of the extra-curricular activities are largely physical in nature during the fall and early spring semesters including football games and parades, students are expected to engage in physical training and activity. Students are also given behavior reflection essays to write which serves as a consequence. This also serves as a means of disciplinary management and prevention. Major infractions such as fighting, willful disobedience, profanity, and disregard for student safety, harassment, and vandalism are dealt with quickly and effectively following the school wide policy for student discipline. Students are sent to the school adjustment center (also known as In School Suspension Center) as an intervention before being referred to the school discipline official. When teacher expectations for student behavior doing class are clearly articulated and routinely implemented students will rise to the occasion and exceed the expectations.

Establishing Clear Exit Procedures

Clear procedures for exiting the classroom should be established during the first week of school. These procedures should explain what is expected of students before and after the bell rings to signal the end f the class period. In the author’s secondary bandroom, students are expected to share in the responsibility of learning from opening bell to closing bell. A period of five minutes before the closing bell is allotted to allow students to breakdown the classroom. Students assist in placing all stands in the proper areas, placing music in the proper cabinets and placing instruments in their respective storage areas. Any paper or trash on the floor is expected to be picked up by the students and placed in the trash areas. Upon completion of any other assigned tasks, students line up at the door and await the bell. The students are taught during the first week of school that the bell does not dismiss the class, but the teacher dismisses the class. Students are again examined by the by the teacher for proper dress code adherence and are released from class in a quiet and orderly fashion.

Conclusion

Preventing classroom misbehavior is an ongoing task for educators across the curriculum continuum. Establishing clear and concise classroom policies, procedures and consequences for misbehavior can be an effective way of preventing classroom misbehavior and creating a productive classroom environment. Moving from a classroom policy of reaction to prevention enables a teacher to fully and more effectively impact a student’s learning for a class period and a lifetime.

REFERENCES

Charles, C.M. (2005). Building Classroom Discipline. [University of Phoenix Custom Edition e-Text]. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon. Retrieved July 25, 2008, from University of Phoenix, rEsource, VTE-ED 578 Classroom Management Web site.