Classroom Organization and Management

Departmental policies and procedures1. Needed to have consistency

2. Need to create a handbook and a handout

Setting the tone

• First few days are critical

• How do you review rules and procedure?– State the rule– Explain why the rule is important– Explain the consequences of breaking the

rule– Provide an example of what a rule infraction

looks like

First week of class

Day 1 – Distribute handbooks and provide handouts (two copies) – one to sign/return and one to keep. Go over policies, assign students to squads

Day 2 – Locker room day: Take attendance using squad formation; record names of those who returned contracts; assign lockers and have students practice opening locks

First Week of Class (Cont.)

Day 3 – First day to dress; assemble in squad formation for attendance; collect rest of handouts

Policies and Procedures – parents sign

• Indicates that they understand policies and procedures

• Provides a parental signature to later compare with excuse notes

PE Student Handbook may contain

• Department philosophy

• PE objectives

• Registration procedures and course offerings

• Policies concerning uniforms, dressing, showers, locker rooms, and laundering uniforms

PE Student Handbook may contain (Cont.)

• Policies for medical excuses, safety, accidents, and first aid

• Physical education standards

• Activities offered in the program

• Grading standards and policies

• Policies for making up absences

PE Student Handbook may contain (Cont.)

• Physical fitness appraisals• Policies concerning student leaders• Extra-class activities• Emergency contact information for the

school• Invitation to meet with parents about

concerns; including school phone number and/or email address

Uniforms

• Students should change into clothing that allows active, comfortable, and safe participation– Sometimes do NOT need to change clothes,

shoes may be enough

• When establishing a dress procedure, think about differences – size, disability, religion

Uniforms

• Really need several options for uniforms

• Uniforms should be marked with student’s name

• Uniforms should be laundered

• Teachers should dress appropriately and distinctive so they can be spotted easily.

Excuses from Activity

• KNOW the physical disabilities of your students!!!

• Medical excuses – should be cleared through the school nurse; keep the excuses; after 3-4 days require a doctor’s note or contact the parent

• You MUST honor the parent or doctors notes• Students should not return until the doctor says

so.

Non-medical excuses

• When a student does not dress for several days, look for the cause behind this behavior:– 1) physical – stomachaches, headaches,

menstrual cramps– 2) moral or religious – uniforms not

conservative enough– 3) defiance of authority

Encourage participation

1. Make classes so exciting that students want to be there

2. Set an example of appropriate dress

3. Exhibit a genuine desire to understand and help students resolve self-consciousness about their bodies and performance skill

4. Refuse to punish students who fail to dress out.

Encourage participation

• Have “loaner uniforms”• If they have minor ailments, encourage

them to participate to the best of their abilities

• Do not allow students who are not dressed to participate in activities or to sit on the sidelines where they are nuisances

Encourage participation

• Send students who are ill, idle, or disturbing to an appropriate place

• If they remain, they should have something to do – a written report, answer questions on an article,

• Students who fail to participate in PE should NOT be rewarded by being allowed to socialize with others.

Dressing as a grade

• NO – dressing is a management issue, not an academic one.

• If students fail to dress, they will usually fail to do well on written, fitness, and skills tests, etc.

Locker Room Policies

• Make the locker room appealing – well lighted, adequate mirrors, electrical outlets, CLEAN, free of odor

Locker Room Policies

• At the beginning of the year, explain:1. Traffic patterns to ensure safety2. Use of lockers (small for individuals and long

during class)3. Lost and found for locks, uniforms, etc.4. Procedures for showering5. Policies for locker clean out, laundering

uniforms, protecting valuables, and keeping lockers locked

Locker Room Policies

• Check the locker room regularly for clothing and towels left out and open lockers

• Someone should supervise the locker room each hour.

• Locker rooms should be locked when not supervised

Locker Room Policies - Liabilities

• Floors are often wet• Horseplay MUST be prevented• Prohibit ANY glass containers in the room• You must have clear rules that are posted outlining

behavior expectations• You must warn of all risks, enforce rules, lock the

locker room, provide adequate time for dressing, quiet them down before dismissing them.

• Must ACTIVELY supervise• Insist that the custodians keep locker rooms clean

Locks and Lockers

• Built-in lockers are less hassle, but can be opened with a knife

• Combination is better than a key as students lose keys

• Best if school owns the locks, so teacher has access

• MUST be organized to know who has which locker, which lock, and combination

Locks and Lockers

• A piece of tape on locker with the student’s name and locker number can help prevent the students putting the wrong lock on the wrong locker

Lockers

• Gym uniforms can he stored in small lockers and street clothes placed in long lockers.

• Assign lockers in HORIZONTAL rows by class periods. This spreads the students out

• Assign lowest rows to youngest students

Towels

• Will students rent or bring their own?

• If rented – school must keep tract of who took one and it was returned. Who will launder?

Showers

• May NOT use showering as a basis for grades

• Never require showers if students have been largely inactive – archery.

• Allow 10-15 minutes for showers – will need longer if swimming

Managing the teaching environment

• Inspect facilities and equipment before class

• Arrange equipment before class begins – use student helpers.

• Adequate teaching stations should be available for all instructors

• Are you prepared for bad weather?• Need ways to transport equipment easily

Management time

• Management time contains little, if any, instruction and learning

• This is when most problems occur• ALT-PE - management time is: students

changing clothing, roll call, announcements, housekeeping tasks, getting out or putting equipment away, lining up for dismissal, when students are disciplined, fire drills, waiting in lines

Routines decrease management time

1. Handling equipment and written assignments

2. Distribute and collect equipment

3. Starting class

4. Taking attendance – squads, lines, check-in, oral roll call. . .

Getting Students’ Attention and Giving Directions

• Two main types of directions:– Stop where you are and listen– Stop and come in to the center

Do NOT use the same signal for both

How will you stop your students?

Gaining attention

• Use a whistle sparingly – but use with authority – bring yours to class next time

• When outside, use a visual as well as an auditory signal

• If your school has a universal sign for quiet, use it

• Use your “gym voice” and drink lots of water to protect voice – a PA system is really better

Gaining attention

• Do not yell all the time -students tune you out. Best to talk softly, yet loud enough to be heard. Best if you have them around you and a wall behind them.

• Teach students what you expect when the attention signal is given.

Giving Directions

• Develop a listening area – in center of activity best

• Tell them whether to sit or stand, what to do with equipment, how they are to behave – hands on knees, not talking, etc.

Giving Directions

1. If class is large, have students come in a semi-circle or randomly clustered around you rather than in a long line

2. If outdoors, the teacher faces the sun3. Have students face AWAY from

distractions – if sun is also a factor, better to face the sun and have back to distraction

Giving Directions

4. Easier to be heard if you face a wall as it will trap the sound

5. Students should sit so they can see you. They behave better and you can see them all.

6. Directions can be posters or demonstrations

Giving Directions

7. Give complete instructions – the situation, performance, and criteria.

8. Avoid automatically repeating instructions – they will learn to tune you out the first time through

9. Do not ask if they have questions – ask them specific questions about various procedures for the task

Finishing an Activity or Class Ideas

• Summarize the main ideas of the lesson with a short statement and explain what the students will be expected to realize as an outcome.

• Ask the students questions in which responses summarize the lesson.

• Assign one or two students to listen carefully and then summarize for everyone

Finishing an Activity or Class Ideas (Cont.)

• Use a worksheet to help students summarize information

• Have several students take turns telling what they learned in the lesson

• Present a real-life situation that could be resolved by using lesson ideas

Finishing an Activity or Class Ideas (Cont.)

• If you have more time:– Give an oral or written quiz– Use instructional games to test the

information taught– Have the students write or tell what the main

idea is– Divide the class into small groups. Each

group could act out the lesson

Class formations

• Circles and semi-circles

• Lines and columns

• Extended formations – number off and 1s take 5 steps forward; 2s take 4 steps forward, etc.

• Partners or small groups

Routines

• Rest room• Getting water• Routines for emergencies

– Fire drill

– Serious injuries

– Intruder

– Fights

Complete an accident report whenever there is an injury

Organizing Groups and Teams

• Count off

• Choosing teams – stand behind the captain of your choice

• Assigned before class and posted

• Random assignment

Supervision

• Teacher needs vision and movement– Back to the wall and move along the edges of

the class– NEVER leave students unsupervised– Be sure all students are accounted for – take

grade book with you for firedrills.

Adapting to Interruptions

• When classes are shortened:– Change the activity you are teaching– Give a lesson on strategies or rules– Perform an evaluation -skill or written test

• When classes are small, use this as individual instruction time

• Or teach a lead-up game using the skills they have already learned

New Students

• Video tape your opening day comments. Let new students see this – burning a DVD is great

• Have a student mentor buddy up with the new student

• If possible, put the new student’s locker near the mentor

Record Keeping

• Attendance

• Achievement– Class records– Individual permanent record cards

Health and medical records

Equipment and locker records