At issue: classroom management and safety, an annotated bibliography

Community College Enterprise, The, Spring 2008 by Pricer, Wayne F

In the wake of the horrific shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, many colleges and universities have begun to reexamine and reevaluate classroom management strategies and practices. Several institutions have taken additional steps to try to deal with the issue of physical safety in the classroom. The following annotated bibliography identifies several classroom management strategies and best practices. The article also contains webliographies of resources relating to classroom management strategies, student incivility and physical safety. In addition, web addresses are provided to several faculty teaching manuals and tutorials which offer practical advice in dealing with classroom management. The resources in this annotated bibliography have been collected as sources of information to help educators deal with current critical issues.

Articles Relating to Classroom Management Strategies:

Bond, Nathan. "Questioning Strategies that Minimize Classroom Management Problems." Kappa Delta Pi Record. Fall 2007, vol. 44, no. 1, pp 18- 21.

The author encourages the use of questioning strategies as a means to minimize behavior problems. The author presents twelve questioning techniques to employ.

Downs, Judy. "Dealing with Hostile and Oppositional Students." College Teaching. 1992, vol. 40, no. 3, pp-106-109.

The article offers strategies on how to deal with hostile and oppositional students. Included is a definition of hostile behavior. Factors which can contribute to such behavior are discussed. Strategies are offered to deal with hostile and or oppositional behavior.

Dunton, Jim. "The Four Bs of Classroom Management. (Achieving a Distraction Free Learning Environment.)" Techniques. Jan. 1998 vol. 73, no. 1, pp 32-34.

The author outlines the four Bs of classroom management: a) being organized b) being positive and brief with classroom rules c) being interested in your students and d) believing in your students.

Holton, Susan. "After the Eruption: Managing Conflict in the Classroom." New Directions for Teaching and Learning. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, Spring 1999, no. 77, pp 59-68.

The article offers advice on analyzing a classroom conflict or problem. Identifying the problem b) identifying a possible solution to the problem or conflict and c) implementing a solution to the problem or conflict.

Layne, Lois. "Strategies for Dealing with Difficult Behavior." New Directions for Teaching and Learning. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, Spring 1999, no. 77, pp 45-57.

The article offers strategies for dealing with difficult behavior including a) clearly describing and identifying the problem behavior, b) understanding the reason for the behavior, and c) modifying behavior (the student's, your own, or both.)

Meyers, Steven. "Strategies to Prevent and Reduce Conflict in College Classrooms." College Teaching. Summer 2003, vol. 51, no. 3, pp 94-98.

Several coping strategies and techniques to deal with conflict in the classroom are presented. The strategies include: a) establish a shared set of goals and adopt a common course agenda, b) establish learning communities in classes, and c) acknowledge students' feelings and communicate empathy through reflection.

Reed, Rosalind. "Strategies for Dealing with Troublesome Behaviors in the Classroom," National Teaching and Learning Forum. Oct. 1997, vol.6, no. 6. http://www.ntlf.com/html/pi/9710/strat.htm

Strategies are offered for dealing with such topics as: talking and inattention, unpreparedness, lateness and inattendance, challenges to authority, overt hostility, requests for special considerations, sexual innuendo and harassment. More than 25 troublesome behaviors are discussed.

Articles Relating to Classroom Management and Incivility:

Alexander-Snow, Mia. "Dynamics of Gender, Ethnicity and Race in Understanding Classroom Incivility." New Directions /or Teaching and Learning. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, Fall 2004, no. 99, pp 21-31.

The article discusses the influence of race, sex and ethnicity as factors which contribute to classroom incivility. The author examines classroom incivility from a multicultural perspective. She emphasizes the use of the teacher's immediacy skills in order to create a classroom environment that empowers students and fosters students' feelings of self worth.

Baldwin, Roger. "Academic Civility Begins in the Classroom." Essays on Teaching Excellence: Towards the Best in the Academy. http://faculty.valenciacc.edu/development2/curriculumSecure/ lifemap/V9N8.HTM

The article discusses sources of incivility, civility as a core value. Promoting civility in the classroom is also discussed by developing a statement of values and goals, drafting ground rules, selecting appropriate instructional strategies. They may include: the use of debates, role playing, case studies and critiquing negative models of behavior.

Boice, Robert. "Classroom Incivilities." Research in Higher Education. 1996, v37, no. 4, pp. 453485.

A ground breaking study on incivilities. The article identifies and counts perceived incivilities committed by faculty as well as students and investigates the relationships between them.