If you've ever had a student look at you with sad, haunted eyes as you docked her grade for late work; agonized over whether to call home (about pretty much anything); or felt the quiet thrill of a struggling student thanking you for the postcard you wrote about his super quiz score—basically, if you're a teacher—Chapter 7 of Marzano's The Art and Science of Teaching may be the first one you hit.
Summary
This chapter asks, "What will I do to recognize adherence and lack of adherence to classroom procedures?" Chapter recommendations on consequences in the classroom seems to indicate that a mixed, balanced approach of positive and negative reinforcement is the most effective. Marzano suggests strategies for acknowledging both positive and negative behavior, such as involving the home, staying physically active and present within the classroom, or group contingency responses.
Stuck in My Head
Marzano mentions briefly in the book's introduction that the order of the chapters represents a "logical planning sequence" for the teacher in addressing her classroom needs (p. 7). I am captured—and comforted?—that this chapter comes in after 131 pages of healthy discussion of curriculum, academic goals setting, and student engagement—well over two-thirds of the book itself.
This chapter's message seems clear: while our diverse, difficult, and daily needs as a teacher may tempt us to spend a majority of our time planning out all the rules, regs, and consequences (and believe me, I've done this), this actually represents a backwards approach to classroom management. The more time we spend working on the quality of our academics, it seems to be saying, the less time we will need for pure, hands-on management of our students. Martin Haberman's observations of star teachers in poor urban schools emphasize this as well.
In other words, kids who are immersed in a self-chosen novel or engaged in a fabulous lab are kids who are probably not trying to text message under their desks.
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