CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT TIPS, DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
New Teacher Classroom Management Tips
Seclusion and Restraint Statutes, Regulations, Policies and Guidance States and Territories Summary
End Extreme school discipline policies
Blackboard Jungle 1955 Glenn Ford, Anne Francis, Louis Calhern, Vic Morrow and Sidney
Poitier debut. "Rock around the clock" de Bill Haley and the Comets.
It is typical for classrooms to be set up in rows, or lately, in groups of 3-4 tables (which allow for
easier cooperative learning). However, there are fundamental problems for each: by DR. SCOTT
MANDEL
PACOIMA MIDDLE SCHOOL
LOS ANGELES, CA mandel@pacificnet.net
- Unfair disciplinary measures, including the story of the child with the "black" shoes. Kelly Welch, an associate professor in sociology and criminal justice at Villanova University, said that zero-tolerance policies are often harsher in schools with large minority student populations. Suspension and expulsion, are so detrimental for student learning as well as future involvement in criminal justice.
- 10 Surprising Dress Code Violations That Got Kids Suspended. Minor breaches in dress code policy landed these students in the principal's office.
- In rows, studies have shown that the further back you go, the more discipline problems there are. The visual, aural and physical stimulation from the teacher is increasingly diminished as you move further back. This allows boredom to set in, and as a result, potential disruption.
- In groups, the opposite is true. Students are over stimulated--by the peers that are now not only next to him/her, but across the table! There is now MORE to distract the student, leaving it harder for the teacher to keep the student focused on any frontal instruction.
- An alternative is to arrange the chairs/tables into a three-sided "box"shape (|_|), (with an occasional second row if room demands). In this fashion, EVERY STUDENT IS IN THE FIRST ROW! The teacher can freely move around the room while talking, and therefore giving "personal"contact with each student. The result: greater attention and fewer discipline problems. Desks/tables can be moved into cooperative learning groups as needed usually within two-three minutes!
Fagging was a traditional educational
practice in British boarding private schools (nearly all "public schools" in the English sense)
and also many other boarding schools, whereby younger pupils were required to some extent to act as
personal
servants to the most senior boys. While domestic servants were common in family households, the custom
reflected household task distribution and taught pupils about service from both ends of the relationship.
Under school rules, fagging might entail harsh discipline and corporal punishment when those
were standard practices. The practice of personal fagging faded away during the 1970s
and
1980s, but to some degree has been maintained in former colonies or has been replaced by systems which
require junior boys to do tasks for the benefit of the general school community. In England, the word
"fag" became slang for a wearisome chore. It was also a punishment for younger children.
Corporal punishment is still allowed in 23 states. There are no state laws against spanking although 27 states have policies against the practice and this year Pennsylvania is becoming the 28th. Spanking in schools is currently allowed in 23 states. [1]
March 10, 2010 Groups aim again to reduce spanking in N.C. schools RALEIGH, N.C. Children's advocates in North Carolina who lost a political tussle over corporal punishment in the public schools last year are trying again this year by focusing on a spanking ban for children with disabilities. Action for Children North Carolina released on Wednesday a report showing corporal punishment was used more than 1,400 times in 26 school districts that still use it during the last school year. The group asked state legislators to pass a broad ban for children with physical, mental or similar challenges. They said there are better ways to deal with disruptive behavior. Districts have the option to use corporal punishment. In 2009, the state Senate rejected a bill that would have allowed adults to opt out their children in the districts that still use it.Allowed and Legal mostly in the south and midwest. In the South and Midwest, corporal punishment -- sanctioned, structured spanking of students by school administrators -- is largely embraced. As one moves closer to either the East or West Coast, state laws explicitly outlaw the practice.
Corporal Punishmentin US Schools
NY Since the practice was banned two
decades ago, all New York school districts have been required to submit to the state twice-a-year corporal
punishment reports. A review by the Associated Press, based on information obtained under the Freedom of
Information Law, found that only 243 out of the 832 school districts actually filed those reports at the
end
of last year. Some big-city school districts, especially in the urban north, abolished CP long before the
states in which they are situated. Thus, New York City first banned it in public schools in 1870, while in
New York State as a whole it was not discontinued until 1985.
Bright Road Trailer 1953
Example of Corporal punishment - RE: WHIP - taking a ruler and slapping the palms of the
students' hands; shown in the excellent movie staring Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte, called Bright Road 1953
(comments)
"It is no coincidence this movie was written by a seasoned School
Teacher.
What this award-winning story essentially does - in the unusual context of a Hollywood movie - is to
present
an "outside-the-box" approach to dealing with the disciplinary and behavioral problems of a
young
male school student. By tapping into and encouraging the talents and interests of young rambunctious C.T.,
school teacher Ms. Richards (played by Dorothy Dandridge), is able to show how superficially negative
classroom behavior can be evaluated and rechanneled to achieve positive results. Where the typical
reaction
to the student by school administrators would have been to issue non-rehabilitory disciplinary action or
suspension, the outside-the-box approach results in a "win-win" solution for all involved. Not a
bad lesson for our overcrowded and dysfunctional school and judical systems to learn some 50 years later
as
they both still routinely devour the C.T.'s of the world without a care to the horrendous cost-benefit
results of their actions.
Harry Belafonte (in his first film role) also stars as the supportive school Principal. In a poignant
scene
beautifully worked into the story, he premieres one of his original compositions, "Suzanne."
ADDRESSING DEGRADING TREATMENT
& ABUSIVE DISCIPLINE IN SCHOOLS 2007
A report by the National Economic and Social Rights Initiative (NESRI) shows that middle and high school
students in New York City and Los Angeles are frequently ignored and mistreated in their classrooms, and
subjected to harsh discipline policies that punish, exclude and criminalize students. The report uses a
human rights framework to document the use of suspensions, law enforcement and other punitive disciplinary
strategies that ignore students educational and emotional needs. Schools with the most repressive
policies
are overwhelmingly under-resourced, overcrowded and primarily attended by low-income students of color.
The
report calls on the Department of Education in New York City and the Los Angeles Unified School District
to
take a holistic approach to school climate and safety by reducing overcrowding, increasing resources for
teachers, and guaranteeing the participation of students and parents. Schools should view discipline and
the
teaching of behavioral skills as an essential part of education and prioritize counseling and mediation.
The
criminalization of discipline and use of police in schools must stop. Students interviewed reported that
they are mistreated, ignored and discouraged from learning in the classroom. Half stated that their
teachers sometimes or most of the time say things that humiliate or insult them, such as calling them
stupid
or ugly, or telling them they "belong in the ghetto." Schools impose excessive suspensions for
minor infractions, including being late to school, getting into arguments with students, or even giving a
teacher "a look," that add up to significant losses in learning. Two-thirds of students
reported
they never, rarely or only sometimes feel safe with the presence of police, while one-third felt
threatened,
many referring to the sight of loaded guns. Students reported that police have used excessive force,
including "slamming" students to the ground and spraying mace. Teachers reported that police
have
removed students from their classroom, sometimes humiliating them in front of the class. Teachers
complained
about losing the ability to provide input into disciplinary actions or exercise discretion to help
individual students with problems.
SHOCKS FROM THE SYSTEM
Although the New York State Department of Education bans corporal punishment, each year it uses taxpayer
money to send dozens of children with emotional or learning disabilities to schools that use physically
and
mentally abusive forms of behavior modification. These include electric shocks, seclusion and sleep and
food
deprivation. Because these punishments are euphemized as "aversive therapy," they have until
recently stayed under the departments radar. But this summer, the New York State Board of Regents decided
to
regulate the use of such measures. Thankfully, the proposed new rules, which the Regents are scheduled to
enact this week, ban aversive treatment after 2009. Unfortunately, however, for this school year and the
two
that follow, young New Yorkers who receive a "child specific exemption" will still be subject to
some of these therapies, and those who get this treatment now could continue to receive it after 2009.
This
is a mistake, writes author Maia Szalavitz. Aversive therapy for children should be banned immediately
here
in New York and nationwide. Though corporal punishment can sometimes produce compliance among unruly
children, history shows that regulators cannot prevent it from being applied dangerously and
inappropriately.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/07/opinion/nyregionopinions/07CIszalavitz.html
Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of Existing Literature. This report was
requested
by Congress and examines the incidence and prevalence of abuse, patterns of misconduct, and prevention
strategies. [source]
Preface - Full report download files PDF
(790K)
| Word (1M)
Antisocial Personality Disorder
What lurks within murderous minds?
The neural roots of murder
Who is Adrian Raine All about the work of Adrian Raine - Adrian Raine, D.Phil (York University, England, 1982) is Professor in Psychology, University of Southern California since 1987. His research interests include antisocial behavior (violence, crime, conduct disorder, psychopathy, delinquency), schizotypal personality disorder, alcoholism, brain imaging, psychophysiology, neuropsychology.
Archives of General Psychiatry
Brain
Difference Found in Antisocials
Front Part of the Brain in Antisocials Deficient
A 3-D MRI scan of the brain of one ofthe study subjects diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder.
The
prefrontal cortex is visible. (Adrian Raine)
Academic Press Daily InSCIght
Neural
Roots of Murder
Tall, independent toddlers more likely to become bullies When it
comes
to predicting which toddlers are the school-yard bullies of tomorrow, size does matter, according to a
study
in the August issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. "Three-year-olds -- male or female -- who
average just half an inch taller than their peers tend to be more aggressive than normal when they reach
age
11," says Adrian Raine, Ph.D., lead author of the study. The same is true of toddlers who are more
fearless and stimulation seeking than their peers, says Dr. Raine, a professor of psychology in the
University of Southern California's College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. Prior research has
consistently shown that the most aggressive children at age 11 are more likely than normal to become
violent
criminals as adults -- regardless of their height at age 11. "There appears to be a critical period
in
development -- sometime after age 3 but before age 11 -- when a child learns to use his physical advantage
to aggressive ends," says the USC researcher into biological factors that may predispose an
individual
to crime, particularly violent crime. "Parents of tall toddlers -- especially those who are very
stimulation seeking and fearless -- need to take extra care to drive home the message that there are a lot
better ways than physical force to get what you want in life."
Science Daily
Functional Families, Dysfunctional Brains
If Murder's Upbringing Provides Few Clues, Brain Dysfunction May Explain The Crime
Dysfunctional brains -- not dysfunctional families -- may explain some murders, especially when the
murderer
comes from a "good" home, according to research published in the current issue of the journal
Neuropsychiatry.
Children's Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati
http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/ Study links lead exposure to antisocial behavior The study is
published in Neurotoxicology and Teratology " Public release date: 28-Feb-2002 Contact: Jim
Feuer
jfeuer@chmcc.org 513-636-4656
The first comprehensive lead study to track children over a period of time found that both prenatal and
postnatal exposure to lead were associated with antisocial behavior in children and adolescents.
Adolescents
with the highest blood lead concentrations when they were first graders reported, on average, 4.5 more
delinquent acts in the previous 12 months compared to children with the lowest blood lead concentrations
as
first graders. It appears that the neurodevelopmental effects of this avoidable environmental diseases of
childhood may not be limited to declines in IQ or academic abilities. The researchers found that exposure
to
lead was associated with antisocial behavior, even after adjusting for other factors that could lead to
similar behavior. These included quality of home environment, low birth weight, parental intelligence and
social class. Surprisingly, the researchers found no gender differences in antisocial behavior. Girls were
just as likely as boys to be violent and to be institutionalized for their behavior."
Decision-making processes following damage to the prefrontal cortex Brain, Vol. 125, No. 3, 624-639,
March
2002 © 2002 Oxford University Press http://brain.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/125/3/624
Decision-making processes following damage to the prefrontal cortex
Facundo Manes*,1, Barbara Sahakian1, Luke Clark3, Robert Rogers4,3, Nagui Antoun2, Mike Aitken3 and Trevor
Robbins3
Correspondence to: Dr Barbara Sahakian, University of Cambridge Psychiatry Department, Addenbrooke's
Hospital, Box 189, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK E-mail: jenny.hall@addenbrookes.nhs.uk
*Present address: Cognitive Neurology Division, Department of Neurology, Raul Carrea Institute of
Neurological Research, Montañeses 2325 (1428), Buenos Aires, Argentina
Recent work has suggested an association between the orbitofrontal cortex in humans and practical
decision making. The aim of this study was to investigate the profile of cognitive deficits, with
particular emphasis on decision-making processes, following damage to different sectors of the human
prefrontal cortex. Patients with discrete orbitofrontal (OBF) lesions, dorsolateral (DL)
lesions,
dorsomedial (DM) lesions and large frontal lesions (Large) were compared with matched controls on three
different decision-making tasks: the Iowa Gambling Task and two recently developed tasks that attempt to
fractionate some of the cognitive components of the Iowa task. A comprehensive battery including the
assessment of recognition memory, working memory, planning ability and attentional set-shifting was also
administered. Whilst combined frontal patients were impaired on several of the tasks employed, distinct
profiles emerged for each patient group. In contrast to previous data, patients with focal OBF lesions
performed at control levels on the three decision-making tasks (and the executive tasks), but showed some
evidence of prolonged deliberation. DL patients showed pronounced impairment on working memory, planning,
attentional shifting and the Iowa Gambling Task. DM patients were impaired at the Iowa Gambling Task and
also at planning. The Large group displayed diffuse impairment, but were the only group to exhibit risky
decision making. Methodological differences from previous studies of OBF patient groups are discussed,
with
particular attention to lesion laterality, lesion size and psychiatric presentation. Ventral and dorsal
aspects of prefrontal cortex must interact in the maintenance of rational and 'non-risky' decision
making.
Social behavior among monkeys may be more nature than nurture
Public release
date: 3-Dec-2003 Contact: William Harms w-harms@uchicago.edu 773-702-8356 University of Chicago Medical
Center
"Similarities in Affiliation and Aggression Between Cross-Fostered Rhesus Macaque Females and Their
Biological Mothers," published in the current issue of Developmental Psychobiology. Dario
Maestripieri
An unusual experiment with monkeys who were switched between mothers shortly after birth has demonstrated
the importance of nature over nurture in behavior. Young monkeys reared by a mother other than their own
are
more likely to exhibit the aggressive or friendly behavior of their birth mothers rather than the behavior
of their foster mothers, a University of Chicago researcher has shown for the first time.
The discovery of inheritability of social behavior traits among non-human primates has important
implications for people as it reinforces other research that suggests that such characteristics as
sociability and impulsive aggressiveness among humans may have a genetic basis, said Dario Maestripieri,
Associate Professor in Human Development at the University. The work withm monkeys may help other
researchers understand the biological origins of characteristics that promote socialization among humans,
he
said. When Maestripieri looked at the behavior of the monkey offspring and their mothers over the span of
three years, he found that while the offspring's behavior mirrored the behavior of their biological
mothers, there was practically no similarity between the offspring and their foster mothers. "I was
surprised by what we found," Maestripieri said. Scholars have felt that social learning from the
mother
would play an important role in the development of female social behavior from early infancy. The study
shows that inherited behavioral predispositions are probably more important. "Using an innovative
design to disentangle the effects of 'nature' and 'nurture,' Maestripieri demonstrates
that
heredity has a surprisingly important impact on the behavioral dispositions of infant macaques. These
findings have important implications for understanding how evolution shapes behavior and temperament in
primates and humans," she added.
Seclusion and
Restraints States and Territories Summary
Summary Table of Seclusion and Restraint Statutes, Regulations, Policies and Guidance, by State and
Territories
About Seclusions and
Restraints
On May 19, 2009, the Education and Labor Committee in the U.S. House of
Representatives held a hearing to examine the abusive and potentially deadly misapplication of seclusion
and
restraint techniques in schools. Related to this hearing was the testimony issued on the same day by the
Government Accountability Office on “Seclusions and Restraints: Selected Cases of Death and Abuse at
Public
and Private Schools and Treatment Centers.”
The below table and accompanying document summarizes the state and territorial policies regarding seclusions and restraints that resulted from these discussions in order to share information that will help protect all students.