An Interpersonal Approach to Classroom Management: Strategies for Improving Student Engagement

Presenting the psychology behind the best-managed classrooms

Like having a hidden camera in other teachers′ classrooms, An Interpersonal Approach to Classroom Management engages you from the start by contrasting how two teachers respond differently to common situations. The authors expertly bridge the gap between educational psychology and peer and student-teacher management from the perspectives of student engagement, classroom relationships, and teacher self regulation. Both current and prospective teachers will find helpful tools for engaging difficult students, managing challenging relationships, and handling conflict. Key topics include:

• Student behavioral, relational, and cognitive engagement in the learning process
• Classroom structures that contribute to student engagement
• The contribution of peer relationships to positive and negative behavior management
• Strategies that help children learn to manage their own behavior
• Connecting with students who are culturally and linguistically diverse

This practitioner-friendly guide takes you on an enlightening journey that will help you manage by design rather than by default. The results―improved relationships and enhanced learning―will not just make a difference; they will make all the difference.

Dr. Heather A. Davis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Counselor Education at North Carolina State University. Trained as an educational psychologist, her teaching interests surround helping pre-service and practicing teachers use theories of development to meet their students′ needs. For the last ten years, she has worked collaboratively with school districts throughout Georgia, Ohio, and North Carolina to understand the nature of teacher-student relationships and what it means to create schools that fully engage students in the learning process.

http://www4.ncsu.edu/~hadavis2/index.html

Dr. Jessica Summers is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies at the University of Arizona. She previously served on the faculty of the University of Missouri-Columbia. Also trained as an Educational Psychologist, Dr. Summers′ scholarship focuses on understanding the role of motivation and social relationships in learning and achievement, specifically how social context (as both processes and phenomena) affects students′ motivation to learn, and how this contributes to students′ overall success as learners. She currently serves on the editorial boards of Contemporary Educational Psychology, The Elementary School Journal, the Journal of Experimental Education, and the American Educational Research Journal.

Lauren Miller is a Nationally Board Certified 1^st grade teacher at Durham Academy in Durham, NC. She holds a Masters degree in Developmental Supervision from the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Counselor Education at North Carolina State University. She has taught at public and private elementary schools in Durham, North Carolina, has supervised student teachers, and has conducted research on effective models for training supervisors and for teacher professional development.