Discipline in the Secondary Classroom: A Problem-by-Problem Survival Guide - Hardcover

Sprick, Randall S.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0876282486 ISBN 13: 9780876282489

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 1985

Synopsis

Proven solutions to 42 common school behavior problems and practical techniques for motivating and managing teens, including how to control talking back or swearing...incomplete assignments...fighting...cheating... smoking or drug use...violence or property destruction...failure to follow directions...and more.

About this title

About the Author

Randall S. Sprick, Ph.D. (University of Oregon) has been a classroom teacher of students with emotional and behavioral problems and has also worked with both elementary and secondary students in regular classrooms as a supervisor and educational consultant.

Dr. Sprick is currently director of Instructional Resources, a company that provides inservice development programs to school districts throughout the country. Each year he conducts workshops and classes for over 4,000 teachers and administrators, and much of his work involves helping teachers set up classrooms that encourage student responsibility and motivation, while dealing effectively with the various problems that arise.

From the Back Cover

For the secondary teacher, here is a remarkable new "survival guide" for solving all kinds of individual and group behavior problems in the 7-12 classroom, including procedures to help motivate even those students lacking the maturity or interest to appreciate the benefits of education or the joys of learning!

Organized into four sections for easy use, it provides both immediate steps for handling specific misbehaviors when they occur, and proven techniques for resolving long-practiced problems by gradually improving discipline policies and procedures.

Section I, Preparation and organization, shows how to implement a management plan that teachers students the behaviors needed to be successful in your classroom, and how to design a grading system that will actually serve as a motivational tool. Two features in this section, for example, are tips on conducting the first ten minutes of class and a five-step process for teaching students how to behave.

Section II, Self-Discipline and motivation, shows how to increase student responsibility and self-discipline by evaluating your interactions in the classroom and using goal-setting procedures to get students more concerned about their own behavior. Included, for example, are two reproducible forms for setting goals with student or class and three class-wide reinforcement systems for solving specific problems.

Section III, Consequences and misbehavior, shows how to use consequences for inappropriate behavior effectively in the classroom, and how to develop effective alternatives to sending students to the office. For example, this section includes guidelines for selecting consequences when misbehavior continues, plus specific recommendations for a comprehensive school-wide discipline policy.

Section IV, Troubleshooting specific problems, show how to respond effectively to 42 commonly encountered problems in the secondary classroom, from swearing, cheating, and fighting, to turning in sloppy work and failing to complete homework assignments. This section give you specific solutions for alleviating each problem as it arises, while working to motivate the "turned off" student and create a more productive classroom environment.

From the Inside Flap

This practical resource gives teachers techniques for dealing immediately with classroom behavior problems and developing more effective discipline policies and procedures over time. Included are dozens of useful management forms, letters, and record sheets, plus a quick and easy guide to solving 42 specific misbehaviors.

Improving discipline procedures
The first nine chapters provide step-by-step procedures for setting up classroom management system to teach even the most disruptive students to become more self-disciplined and cooperative. Here's just an overview of each chapter:

Beginning a New Semester gives you a seven-step planning process to help clarity your expectations for students and develop a clear, consistent discipline procedure right from the start...including a Student Information Form for students to work on when they first enter the classroom.

Effective Grading Systems describes the features o fan effective system and details procedures for designing one of your own...including a Weekly Record Sheet for recording performance each day and a chart showing Point Values and Criteria for Specific Performance Points.

Teacher-Student Interactions provides ways to evaluate and modify the interactions you are having with students...including a helpful Monitoring Form.

Goal Setting give you strategies for working with students to pinpoint specific goals and responsibilities to be achieved...including Goal-Setting Forms for students with specific behavior problems.

Class-wide Motivational Systems illustrates three reinforcement systems that help improve the behavior and motivation of all students and give you steps for implementing such a system in your own classroom...including a filled-in sample Weekly Record Sheet showing behavior needing improvement.

The High-risk students gives you steps for designing an individualized motivational system for a problem student...including a Daily Report Card and Behavioral Contract.

Punishment consequences exposes some common misconceptions about punishment and provides guidelines for using consequences effectively to reduce misbehavior.

Classroom consequences offers a variety of consequences and procedures you can use as alternatives to sending students to the office...including a Behavioral Improvement Form for cases when a verbal reprimand is not sufficient.

School-Wide Discipline Policies outlines features of a comprehensive school discipline policy...including an Office Referral Form, a Student Referral Record, and a Record of Teacher Referrals

Troubleshooting specific problems.

And the final section of this unique "survival guide" provides techniques for dealing with 42 commonly encountered problems in the secondary classroom...including a description of each problem, contributing factors, and problem solving steps.

Here you'll find ready-to-use plans for responding effectively to problems such as:

• Talking during lectures
• Forgetting to bring books to class
• Fighting
• Not completing homework
• Threatening to commit suicide
• Making wisecracks
• Feeling
• "Picked-on" by the teacher

The techniques in this section are designed to be immediately useful in the classroom, while the entire book may be used chapter-by-chapter for long-term improvement in student discipline and motivation.

Edition details

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Publication date: 1985
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0876282486
• ISBN 13: 9780876282489
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 248