The Effect of Classroom Management Techniques

Classroom Management 42

Running head: CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT AND THE GIFTED LEARNER

The Effect of Classroom Management Techniques

on the Motivation and Success of the Gifted Learner

Lindsey E. Brooks

3 April 2006

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of ECI 635

Instructor: Martha Maurno, M.S. ED

Old Dominion University

Norfolk, Virginia

Chapter One: Purpose of Study

Introduction

In school systems, there are many types of students with differentiated needs for success in the classroom. Among these types are gifted students. Though there is not one concrete definition of “gifted learners,” most definitions agree that gifted children have different educational needs, thanks to their unique intellectual development (K, 2006a). Even within this group, students thrive in various environments—some need structure and organization to allow them to thrive within their boundaries, others are stifled by this type of environment. There are students who are intrinsically motivated, and those that are content with coasting along. The challenge for the teacher of gifted children is to create an atmosphere where all students can thrive.

In teaching any group of students, classroom management is a priority for teachers. Classroom management allows for the hierarchy of the classroom to be noted and followed, classroom rules and objectives to be met, and the teacher’s goals for learning to be successes. Teachers must take into consideration each student and create an atmosphere where all can be successful. This atmosphere includes any routines that the class will follow, as well as expectations of how class work will be done and presented to the teacher for assessment. Many times, a balance must be met in order to facilitate this success, due to the different levels of motivation and aptitude in one classroom.

A common myth about teaching gifted learners is that classroom management is not as great an issue as in regular education classrooms. It is believed that because the students have a high academic ability, they do not have discipline issues as often, and the teacher does not have to consider classroom management techniques as important as challenging the students with rigor. While keeping gifted students challenged is an issue, a teacher of the gifted must also consider classroom management as equally important. Establishing rules, routines and balance is important in any classroom, and creating a stable environment in a gifted classroom is as important as in any other. For instance, how much freedom will the students be able to have? Typically, grades are a determining factor in the amount of privileges students have, but in the gifted classroom where the majority of students are thriving academically, it is important to find something else that will motivate the students to stay well behaved. Coming up with creative ways to keep students on task is often difficult for the teacher of gifted students.

Another issue of classroom management in the gifted classroom is how to motivate the smaller population of unmotivated gifted learners. Typically, this population is in the minority, but can have a great affect on the rest of the classroom. Does a teacher slow the pace of the class to attempt to keep the unmotivated learners on task, or does the teacher move forward and hope that the unmotivated learner keeps up. Is time taken away from the class to encourage these students to keep up and pay attention, or ignore the student and hope that something sinks in while the student is staring off into space? These are the classroom management issues that teachers in the gifted classroom often must deal with, and the balance is not easily discovered.

Background

Classroom management is the first thing that new teachers are told to master—establishing the preferred management style in the first few weeks of school guarantees a smoother year with regards to both rapport between students and teachers, and discipline issues within the classroom. Teachers are told to establish their rules and expectations early so that the students will know how they are expected to behave in the classroom. Another aspect of classroom management is how day to day activities will occur in the classroom. Will the students be expected to take notes in a certain way? Will work be turned in at a certain time? How are the students accountable for their work and, thus, their success in the classroom? Will the class be structured in its schedule, or flow differently from lesson to lesson depending on the objectives? These are aspects of the classroom that a teacher must revisit each year, drawing on the successes and failures of years past and others experiences.

These routines and practices can be difficult for any teacher to master, but it can be a greater challenge when teaching special types of students. For instance, if the class is a collaborative one, a teacher must figure out how to manage many different levels of students in one time period. It is the teacher’s job to provide the best opportunity for all students to learn and succeed. When teaching gifted children, teachers must take into account the different characteristics of these students as well. “Many educators have become well-versed in modifying the regular classroom curriculum to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Educators are not as experienced, however, in meeting the instructional needs of high-ability students” (McGrail, 1998, ¶ 1). These high-ability students can be a challenge because of the range of motivation within a single group of students. These students can be hyper-motivated—going beyond expectations with every assignment in order to keep up with expectations, or, to the other extreme, unmotivated to succeed for reasons such as they “may lack self-efficacy, goal-directedness, or self-regulation skills (Siegle & McCoach, 2001); other low achievers may suffer from either obvious or hidden disabilities. Still others may underachieve in response to inappropriate educational conditions or environments” (Reis & McCoach, 2002, p.113).

Many strategies for classroom management including structure and organization have been introduced and implemented throughout the history of teaching. These strategies have developed throughout the years as school systems, politics, teachers and the students themselves, have changed, thus requiring teachers to adapt to the current environment. Many of these techniques have also been proven to help unmotivated children feel security in a classroom and be able to succeed where they would not have in an unstructured environment. It has been assumed, however, that if a student is found to be gifted, they would not need these same techniques because of a natural ability for academics and success. However, as research on gifted classrooms has increased, it has become evident that there are unmotivated students within this group as well, and more studies have been done on how to motivate this type of learner.

Statement of the Problem

In the regular education classroom, it has been proven that routine and structure allow for students to thrive and be successful. Once students become acclimated to the routine, they can focus more on learning and less on how things should flow in the classroom. Does this same thing apply for the gifted classroom? While certain students will thrive in any situation, do structure and organization help the unmotivated, or under motivated, gifted learner? Are there strategies that have been implemented in the regular education classroom that can help the unmotivated gifted learner, while not stifling the inherently motivated gifted learner in the same classroom?

Purpose of the Study

Though there has been much research into why gifted students lack motivation in certain areas, and there have been suggestions on how to motivate the students, not much research has been done on specific classroom management strategies. As Reis and McCoach (2000) say in their conclusion, “Educators must explore the various reasons for high ability students’ underachievement if they hope to help combat underachievement” (p. 125). While exploring these reasons, educators must also provide opportunities within their classroom management for these students to thrive and succeed where they may not have in a different environment.

Classroom management strategies such as structure and organization tools for the students have been proven to be successful in the regular education classroom. However, there is little to no research on if these same strategies would be effective in the gifted classroom, or if these techniques would stifle or hold back high ability students. By implementing certain techniques in the gifted classroom, one could see if they helped the underachiever stay on task and succeed, or if the motivation was still an issue. Also, by comparing the success of a classroom with such modifications to a classroom where no such structure was implemented, it would be evident if the strategies were successes with the class as a whole, not just with the unmotivated learners. The findings of this research would aid teachers of gifted students in creating an environment where all ranges of motivation would be given the same opportunity for success.

Research Questions

1.  Is structure needed in the gifted classroom to ensure success?

2.  Are there specific classroom management techniques that should be used in the gifted classroom to encourage academic success?

3.  Are students who have been labeled “gifted” expected to succeed in the classroom whether they are motivated to do so or not, simply because of their intelligence level?

4.  Is there a relationship between a gifted student’s learning style (Gardner) and success in the classroom?

The following questions related to structure and organization will be explored in this research:

5.  Do structure and organization help gifted learners achieve success in the classroom?

6.  Does a notebook organizational system increase motivation levels?

7.  Does a notebook organizational system increase test scores in math?

8.  Is a binder notebook organizational system more effective than a spiral bound notebook organizational system?

9.  Does structured note-taking affect math test scores?

The following questions related to testing and achievement will be explored in this research:

10.  Are teacher generated math test scores improved when organization is enforced in the classroom?

11.  Are math achievement test scores (Virginia SOL) improved when organization is enforced in the classroom?

12.  Are quarter and semester grades improved when organization is enforced in the classroom?

The following questions related to motivation will be explored in this research:

13.  Do structure and organization help the unmotivated gifted learner achieve success in the classroom?

14.  Is there a relationship between extrinsic motivation and the success of the unmotivated gifted learner?

15.  Is there a relationship between students’ own expectations of their success and their level of motivation?

16.  Is there a relationship between students’ future education goals and motivation?

17.  Is there a relationship between birth order and motivation?

18.  Is there a relationship between the success of siblings and motivation?

The following questions related to lifestyle will be explored in this research:

19.  Is there a relationship between the amount of time a student spends on the computer and motivation and success in the classroom?

20.  Is there a relationship between the amount of time a student spends reading and motivation and success in the classroom?

21.  Is there a relationship between the amount of television a student views and motivation and success in the classroom?

22.  Is there a relationship between the amount of time a student spends playing video games and motivation and success in the classroom?

23.  Is there a relationship between the amount of student participation in school clubs and motivation and success in the classroom?

24.  Is there a relationship between parental involvement in academics and motivation and success in the classroom?

Null Hypotheses

1.  There is no relationship between success in the gifted classroom due and structure.

2.  There is no relationship between academic success and specific classroom management techniques.

3.  No assumptions are made about academic success due to a student’s intelligence level.

4.  There is no relationship between a gifted student’s learning style (Gardner) and success in the classroom.

5.  There is no correlation between structure and organization and success in the classroom for the gifted learner.

6.  There is no relationship between a notebook organizational system and motivation levels.

7.  There is no relationship between a notebook organizational system and test scores in math.

8.  There is no difference in a binder notebook organizational system and a spiral bound notebook organizational system.

9.  There is no relationship between structured note-taking and math test scores.

10.  Teacher generated math test scores are not affected by organization in the classroom.

11.  Math achievement test scores (Virginia SOL) are not affected by organization in the classroom.

12.  Quarter and semester grades are not affected by organization in the classroom.

13.  There is no correlation between the success in the classroom of unmotivated gifted learners and structure and organization.

14.  There is no relationship between the success of the unmotivated gifted learner and extrinsic motivation.

15.  There is no relationship between students’ own expectations of their success and their level of motivation.

16.  There is no relationship between students’ future education goals and motivation.

17.  There is no relationship between birth order and motivation.

18.  There is no relationship between the success of siblings and motivation.

19.  There is no relationship between the amount of time a student spends on the computer and motivation and success in the classroom.

20.  There is no relationship between the amount of time a student spends reading and motivation and success in the classroom.

21.  There is no relationship between the amounts of television a student views and motivation and success in the classroom.

22.  There is no relationship between the amount of time a student spends playing video games and motivation and success in the classroom.

23.  There is no relationship between the amount of student participation in school clubs and motivation and success in the classroom

24.  There is no relationship between parental involvement in academics and motivation and success in the classroom.

Definition of Terms

1.  Acceleration: A strategy which is used when a student demonstrates competencies, knowledges, abilities, and/or skills which exceed that which is outlined in the planned course or text for his/her chronological or grade placement level. This can be determined by advanced work demonstrated in the classroom and pre or diagnostic tests in the skill areas (PAGE, 2004).