Durlak, A. J., Dymnicki, B. A., Taylor, D. R., Weissberg, P. R., & Schellinger, B. K. (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: a meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1), 405-432. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrarywiley.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1467-8624

In this paper, the researchers undertook a meta-analysis of school-based programs teaching social and emotional learning to students in order to assess the effectiveness of these initiatives on a range of behavioural, academic and emotional outcomes. Ultimately, they found that, on average across all of the studies included in the analysis, social and emotional learning programs improved students’ social-emotional competencies, attitudes towards themselves and their surrounding school community, tendencies towards pro-social behaviour, avoidance of conduct issues, and achievement in measured academic standards, and that the most impactful programs were led by regular classroom teachers. In addition to sharing the research methodology and discussing the results in depth, the paper also outlines the broader ideas behind social and emotional learning programs. This paper is useful for my inquiry because it gives background information that I need to discuss social and emotional behavioural management strategies, and provides rigorous research to show that social and emotional learning programs are beneficial for students, regardless of the particular demographics of a school. Although the paper does not specifically address the theme of classroom management that I am structuring my inquiry around, it shows that social and emotional learning can lead to student outcomes that are useful for maintaining a focused, orderly, and supportive classroom community, which are all the intended outcomes of management strategies as well. Therefore, it shows that social and emotional learning is a fruitful field to explore in terms of classroom management. However, all of the studies the paper draws on come from the United States, and thus may not be fully transferable to the Canadian context. The paper also does not provide information about how a teacher may go about implementing these social and emotional learning strategies in their classroom, or what specific forms of activities or programs are most useful.

 

Norris, A. J. (2003). Looking at classroom management through a social and emotional learning lens. Theory Into Practice, 42(4), 313- 318. Retrieved from http://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/doi/abs/10.1207/s15430421tip4204_8

In this paper, Norris traces the broad ideas behind social and emotional learning before showing how it can aid positive management and create strong relationships in the classroom. She then explains how she and her fellow staff members used these ideas to promote a healthy environment in her own intermediate school. Throughout her discussion, Norris strives to demonstrate that social and emotional learning provides a strong direction for a teacher hoping to help foster emotional development and build a welcoming and well-managed community for all of their students. Because this paper explicitly addresses the issue of classroom management through the lens of positive pro-social strategies instead of disciplinary measures, it is highly relevant for my inquiry project. Through incorporating research that asserts the classroom environment is integral to maintaining proper organization, this paper can help me to show that tying social and emotional and relationship-based strategies to classroom management is a useful approach. This paper also outlines specific strategies and activities that can form a strong part of the social and emotional learning strategy and so will help me tie the research to real-world teaching practice. Finally, Norris provides an extensive checklist of the key skills that can be developed through social and emotional learning, and so will help me to both gain a greater understanding of the ideas behind social and emotional learning and to apply these ideas to strategies I locate in other sources. On the other hand, although it points to research demonstrating the efficacy of social and emotional learning strategies, it does not engage with these sources in depth, and so I will need to locate further research to back up these claims. The paper is also written from an American context, and therefore, some of the ideas, especially as pertains ties to the curriculum, may not fully transfer over to a Canadian situation.

 

Nash, R. (2009). The Active Teacher: Practical Strategies for Maximizing Teacher Effectiveness.   Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

In this book, Ron Nash, an education professional, demonstrates how teachers can maximize their effectiveness without expending more effort or time by fostering active student engagement and setting clear expectations from the beginning of a school year, in the areas of classroom climate, learning, feedback, and assessment. Throughout the book, case studies, thorough analysis backed up by experience and research, and specific suggestions are provided to illustrate the concepts. For the purposes of my inquiry, Chapters 1, 2 and 3, which outline the importance of establishing clear classroom procedures, developing strong relationships with students, parents and staff, and developing one’s own personal emotional capabilities, are most relevant. Tying these three chapters together, I will be able to use them to demonstrate that relationship-based teaching and positive pro-active strategies can create the foundation for strong management practices. Moving beyond looking at relationships between students and teachers in isolation or overlooking the need for teachers to center their own well-being, this book demonstrates how a switch to relationship-based classroom management can be established while maintaining a reasonable workload and streamlining challenges, and thus make this framework more accessible to the day-to-day teaching profession.  These chapters, and the book as a whole, also provide practical and detailed strategies that can be readily applied to real-world situations written in easy-to-understand language, and so will be useful to provide an alternative prospective to more technical sources I will be using in my inquiry. In contrast, the research used in the book is sometimes decontextualized, and so some of the strategies do not appear to be tested by others. Additionally, while the ideas discussed appear simple and useful, some of the challenges faced in modern classrooms, such as disconnection of busy parents from the classroom community, are not accounted for and therefore some of the strategies may need to be adapted for diverse classrooms.

 

Marzano, J. R., Marzano, S. J., & Pickering, J. D. (2003). Classroom Management that Works: Research-Based Strategies for Every Teacher. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

In this book, the authors assert that the development of classroom management skills is the foundation of effective teaching. Using evidence from the meta-analysis that they conducted, Marzano, Marzano and Pickering found that the most essential aspects of classroom management are establishing clear rules and procedures, implementing disciplinary interventions, creating positive teacher-student relationships, and fostering a healthy mental state, and so they explore how these aspects can be implemented in the classroom throughout the chapters, using findings from their meta-analysis, research conducted by other scholars, case studies and outlines for specific action steps to take. For the purposes of my inquiry, Chapter 4, which explores the dimension of teacher-student relationships, Chapter 5, which discusses the teacher’s own mental set, and Chapter 6, which looks at how students can get involved in the management process, are most useful. I will be able to use the statistical evidence provided in this book to demonstrate that relationship-based teaching, bringing positivity to the classroom environment and fostering emotional competence in students are necessary features for developing a strong management strategy. In addition, the research included to back up all of the suggestions for teaching practice can be useful in not only establishing the validity of the points taken from this book, but also in extending an evidence-based approach to suggestions found in more informal resources. Finally, the relationship chapter specifically addresses the needs of students with behavioural and academic challenges and so can be applied to classrooms with diverse needs, such as my practicum class. However, because this book is written from a non-Canadian context and was published fourteen years ago, some of the language and suggestions included seem outdated and not in line with inquiry-based approaches, such as suggesting that including students’ in the management process is an onerous undertaking, and thus may require modification or contextualization if used in my inquiry.

 

Schwartz, K. (2016). I Wish My Teacher Knew: How One Question Can Change Everything for Our Kids. Boston, MA: Da Capo Lifelong Books.

In this book, third grade teacher Kyle Schwartz, uses her famous ‘I Wish My Teacher Knew…’ exercise as a jumping off point to explore the issues faced by students in contemporary America and how a caring teacher can help to navigate students through these challenges. Throughout, Schwartz uses the teaching experiences of herself and others to show that these issues, such as mobility, grief, poverty, and trauma, while large and systemic, can be impacted through the creation of a supportive classroom community and an unwavering belief and commitment to students. Although this book does not explicitly pertain to my inquiry question around classroom management, because many of the children who seem most difficult to control in a school environment are often facing large challenges outside of the classroom, it can help me find ways to use relationship-based strategies with these most vulnerable students, as well as the class as a whole, to prevent management issues before they arise. Each issue discussed in the book is contextualized on a societal level which helps demonstrate how fostering strong relationships instead of resorting first to more punitive measures can impact students beyond the boundaries of the school. The language used is also easy to connect to, and the suggestions included are clear and thoroughly explained, which makes the connections between the book and real-world settings easier to navigate. However, the book is not research based, and so other sources that are more scholarly in tone will have to be used to back up the assertions raised. The discussion also centers on an American context, and so the societal issues, while relevant for Canada, cannot simply be translated to this new context and not all of the discussions will apply. For example, the section on military families is less pertinent in Vancouver than in America.