The role of interaction in classroom management, slide prepared for PhD course "classroom interaction in foreign language classes"

1. THE ROLE OF
INTERACTION IN
CLASSROOM
MANAGEMENT
KÜBRA OKUMUŞ
ENGLISH LANGUAGETEACHING,
ATATURK UNİVERSITY

2. Key terms: interaction / classroom management
Interaction is the collaborative exchange of thoughts,
feelings, or ideas between two or more people, resulting
in a reciprocal effect on each other.
" Telling is not teaching;
listening is not learning.”
“Teaching is listening, learning
is talking.”

3. What is classroom
management?
• Creating a safe, inclusive environment for all
students
• Building strong, positive relationships with
students
• Understanding the unique adolescent body and
mindset
• Understanding the multi-cultural and individual
differences within a classroom
• Promoting a love for learning and success
• Presenting engaging instruction
• Consistent and fair discipline
• Well-practiced routines
• Stating simple and clear expectations for rules
• Staging appropriate interventions
What classroom management
is NOT...
• Telling students what to do to make your life
easier
• Unengaging
• Teaching lessons in the style you want to teach
because it's easiest for you
• A power struggle between teacher/student
• Overlooking of adolescent needs
• Inconsistent discipline or overlooking of
problems
• Classroom favoritism
• Unplanned
• Full of numerous, illogical, overbearing rules and
consequences

4. What is effective classroom management?
• It involves effective teaching, an engaging teacher-student relationship and
practical strategies.
• For an effective classroom management, students need to «perceive school
as a good place to be», which is accomplished through effective teaching
and positive teacher-student relationship.

5. Relationship between teacher-student interaction
and classroom management
• The quality of teacher-student relationship is the keystone for all aspects of
classroom management. ( Marzano & Marzano, 2003)
• Teacher-student attachment is inherit in the learning process and teachers
should leverage it to accomplish learning and discipline goals. It is important
to be proactive in this attachment and it is teacher’s responsibility for
building relationship. (Jones, 2007)
• If you solve the relationship problem, you solve the misbehavior problem.
(Gordon, 2003)

6. • “If a teacher has a good relationship with students, then students will more
readily accept the rules and procedures and the disciplinary actions that
follow their violations.”
• The more teachers demonstrated relationship-building responses, children’s
externalizing problems were reduced as part of a reciprocal relationship»
(Helker & Ray, 2009).
• Teachers who foster an engaging positive teacher-student relationship
report reduced stress and student misbehavior. (Conley, nd.)

7. Two key interaction skills in classroom
management
• Empathic listening- is the skill of recognizing children’s feelings and
conveying understanding and acceptance to them. It allows the child to stay
calm enough to solve the problem.
• Limit setting – is using a specific and succinct model of responding to
misbehavior without sacrificing the relationship.
Three steps: set the limit, give a warning and enforce the consequences.

8. Specific teacher behaviors that characterize
effective student-teacher relationship
• Exhibiting appropriate level of dominance
• Exhibiting appropriate level of cooperation
• Being aware of high-needs students

9. Appropriate Level of Dominance
• Dominance is the teacher’s ability to provide clear purpose and strong
guidance regarding both academics and student behavior.
• Teachers can exhibit appropriate dominance by establishing clear behavior
expectations and learning goals and by exhibiting assertive behavior.

10. Establish clear expectations and consequences
Teachers can establish clear expectations for behavior in two ways: by
establishing clear rules and procedures and by providing consequences for
student behavior. Some strategies that can be used to achieve this:
• Using a wide variety of verbal and physical reactions and cues
• Cuing the class about expected behaviors through prearranged signals
• Providing tangible recognition of appropriate behavior
• Employing group contingency policies
• Employing home contingency techniques

11. Establishing clear learning goals
Appropriate level of dominance can be also showed by providing clarity about
the content and expectations of an upcoming instructional unit. In order to
achive this, some strategies include:
• Establishing and communicating learning goals at the beginning of a unit of
instruction
• Providing feedback on those goals
• Continually and systematically revisiting the goals
• Providing summative feedback regarding the goals

12. Exhibiting assertive behavior
Assertive behavior is the ability to stand up for one’s legitimate rights in ways
that make it less likely that others will ignore or circumvent them. Teachers
display assertive behavior when they
• Use assertive body language
• Use of an appropriate tone of voice
• Persist until students respond with the appropriate behavior

13. Appropriate Level of Cooperation
• Appropriate level of coopeartion can be fostered some strategies such as
providing flexible learning goals, taking a personal interest in students and
using equitable and positive classroom behaviors.

14. Providing flexible learning goals
• Giving students the opportunity to set their own objectives at the beginning
of a unit or asking students what they would like to learn conveys a sense of
cooperation. Giving students choice, in addition to increasing their
understanding of the topic, conveys the message that the teacher cares
about and tries to accommodate students' interests.

15. Taking a personal interest in students
Teachers can
• Talk informally with students before, during, and after class about their interests.
• Greet students outside of school—for instance, at extracurricular events or at the store.
• Single out a few students each day in the lunchroom and talk with them.
• Be aware of and comment on important events in students' lives, such as participation in
sports, drama, or other extracurricular activities.
• Compliment students on important achievements in and outside of school.
• Meet students at the door as they come into class; greet each one by name.

16. Using equitable and positive classroom
behaviors
Teachers can
• Make eye contact with each student.Teachers can make eye contact by scanning the entire
room as they speak and by freely moving about all sections of the room.
• Deliberately move toward and stand close to each student during the class period. Make
sure that the seating arrangement allows the teacher and students clear and easy ways to
move around the room.
• Attribute the ownership of ideas to the students who initiated them. For instance, in a
discussion a teacher might say, “Cecilia just added to Aida's idea by saying that . . . .”
• Allow and encourage all students to participate in class discussions and interactions. Make
sure to call on students who do not commonly participate, not just those who respond most
frequently.
• Provide appropriate wait time for all students to respond to questions, regardless of their
past performance or your perception of their abilities.
•

18. Awareness of High-Needs Students
• Classroom teachers meet daily with a broad cross-section of students. In
general, 12–22 percent of all students in school suffer from mental,
emotional, or behavioral disorders, and relatively few receive mental health
services.The Association of School Counselors notes that 18 percent of
students have special needs and require extraordinary interventions and
treatments that go beyond the typical resources available to the classroom.

19. Category Definitions & Source Characteristics Suggestions
Passive
Behavior that avoids the
domination of others or the pain
of negative experiences.The child
attempts to protect self from
criticism, ridicule, or rejection,
possibly reacting to abuse and
neglect.Can have a biochemical
basis, such as anxiety.
Fear of relationships: Avoids
connection with others, is shy,
doesn't initiate conversations,
attempts to be invisible.
Fear of failure: Gives up easily, is
convinced he or she can't succeed,
is easily frustrated, uses negative
self-talk.
Provide safe adult and peer
interactions and protection from
aggressive people. Provide
assertiveness and positive self-talk
training. Reward small successes
quickly.Withhold criticism.
Aggressive
Behavior that overpowers,
dominates, harms, or controls
others without regard for their
well-being.The child has often
taken aggressive people as role
models. Has had minimal or
ineffective limits set on behavior.
Is possibly reacting to abuse and
neglect.Condition may have a
biochemical basis, such as
depression.
Hostile: Rages, threatens, or
intimidates others. Can be verbally
or physically abusive to people,
animals, or objects.
Oppositional: Does opposite of
what is asked. Demands that
others agree or give in. Resists
verbally or nonverbally.
Covert: Appears to agree but then
does the opposite of what is
asked. Often acts innocent while
setting up problems for others.
Describe the student's behavior
clearly. Contract with the student to
reward corrected behavior and set up
consequences for uncorrected
behavior. Be consistent and provide
immediate rewards and
consequences. Encourage and
acknowledge extracurricular activities
in and out of school. Give student
responsibilities to help teacher or
other students to foster successful
experiences.

20. Attention
Problems
Behavior that demonstrates either motor
or attentional difficulties resulting from a
neurological disorder.The child's
symptoms may be exacerbated by family
or social stressors or biochemical
conditions, such as anxiety, depression,
or bipolar disorders.
Hyperactive: Has difficulty with
motor control, both physically and
verbally. Fidgets, leaves seat
frequently, interrupts, talks
excessively.
Inattentive: Has difficulty staying
focused and following through on
projects. Has difficulty with listening,
remembering, and organizing.
Contract with the student to
manage behaviors.Teach basic
concentration, study, and thinking
skills. Separate student in a quiet
work area. Help the student list
each step of a task. Reward
successes; assign a peer tutor.
Perfectionist
Behavior that is geared toward avoiding
the embarrassment and assumed shame
of making mistakes.The child fears what
will happen if errors are discovered. Has
unrealistically high expectations of self.
Has possibly received criticism or lack of
acceptance while making mistakes
during the process of learning.
Tends to focus too much on the small
details of projects. Will avoid projects
if unsure of outcome. Focuses on
results and not relationships. Is self-
critical.
Ask the student to make mistakes
on purpose, then show
acceptance. Have the student
tutor other students.
Socially
inept
Behavior that is based on the
misinterpretation of nonverbal signals of
others.The child misunderstands facial
expressions and body language. Hasn't
received adequate training in these areas
and has poor role modeling.
Attempts to make friends but is inept
and unsuccessful. Is forced to be
alone. Is often teased for unusual
behavior, appearance, or lack of social
skills.
Teach the student to keep the
appropriate physical distance from
others.Teach the meaning of facial
expressions, such as anger and
hurt. Make suggestions regarding
hygiene, dress, mannerisms, and
posture.

21. Effect ofT-S relationship on S-S relationship
• Not only is the student-teacher relationship important in and of itself, characteristics of this
relationship may contribute to the child’s ability to build relationships with peers. Howes et
al. (1994) conducted a longitudinal study that examined three aspects of the student-
teacher relationship linked to peer relationships: emotional security, dependency, and
socialization. The results of this study indicated that emotional security and teacher-child
socialization predicted aspects of social relationships with peers. It was found that
emotional security with a first teacher provided a child with a positive orientation to peer
relationships, and socialization experiences helped the child shape particular behaviors
with peers.

22. • Birch and Ladd (1998) studied the link between children’s interpersonal behaviors and the
teacher -child relationship and the features of the teacher-child relationship that affect
children’s behavior. Birch and Ladd concluded that children who exhibited asocial behavior
early in kindergarten were perceived as being dependent by their kindergarten and first-
grade teachers. This dependency may lead to relational difficulty because teachers perceive
withdrawn children as needing more supervision or guidance. Birch and Ladd (1998) further
concluded that conflict in kindergarten children’s teacher-child relationships was associated
with a decline in children’s pro- social behavior over time. Additionally, a child’s
demonstration of less pro- social behavior may negatively affect a child’s ability to develop
and maintain positive relationships with others, including peers, thus perpetuating a cycle of
behavioral and relational difficulties

23. Teacher/Student Relationship
.The following list includes many options for building
the teacher/student relationships:
• Give respect to get respect.
• Listen to the students.
• Involve them in class decision making; that is, give
voice and choice; have a class suggestion box.
• Communicate positive expectations.
• Let enthusiasm for teaching shine through.
• Greet students by name.
• Show interest in their interests.
• Remember information about students’ lives
outside of school.
• Chat with students outside of class.
• Celebrate accomplishments.
• Eat lunch with students.
• Recognize students’ birthdays.
• Keep lines of communication open.
• Use a collaborative discipline style.
• Look for and comment on students’ strengths; use
affirmations.
• Send positive messages to students.
• Model kind behavior.
• Be helpful.
• Attend student events.
• Have one-on-one time with the students.
• Focus on successes of all students.
• Display student work; let them choose which work is
to be displayed.
• Accept individual differences, and value student
diversity.

24. A final question:
What is your own formula for
an effective classroom
management? And where
does interaction stand in this
formula?

25. REFERENCES
• Birch, S. H., & Ladd, G.W. (1998). Children’s interpersonal behaviors and the teacherchild relationship. Developmental
Psychology, 34, 934-946.
• Conley, C. (nd).The influence of play therapy on classroom management. Retrieved from
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IN5DdasKjgpAO&usg=AFQjCNGEmi_-dmu9HdcC7yX-NvMql9Ou4Q&bvm=bv.87611401,d.d2s
• Gordon,T. (2003). Teacher effectiveness training:The program proven to help teachers bring out the best in students of all
ages. NewYork:Three Rivers Press.
• Heijnen-Maathuis, E. (nd). Effective teaching and classroom management is about whole child-and whole school
development for knowledge, skills and human values. Retrieved from
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• Helker,W. P., & Ray, D. C. (2009). Impact of child teacher relationship training on teachers’ and aides’ use of
relationship-building skills and the effects on student classroom behavior. InternationalJournal of PlayTherapy, 18, 70-
73.
• Howes, C., Hamilton, C. E., & Matheson,C. C. (1994). Children’s relationship with peers: Differential associations with
aspects of the teacher-child relationship.Child Development, 65, 253-263.
• Jones, F. (2007). Tools for teaching: discipline, instruction, motivation. CA: Fredric H. Jones & Associates, Inc.
• Kottman,T. (2011). PlayTherapy: Basics and Beyond. USA:Wiley Publishers.
• Marzano, R. J. & Marzano, J. S. (2003).The key to classroom management. Educational Leadership, 61 (1), 6-13.

26. THANKS FORYOUR PARTICIPATION