Customer Reviews

Setting Limits in the Classroom, Revised: How to Move Beyond the Dance of Discipline in Today's Classrooms

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In college and throughout my student teaching, I felt strong in my classroom management. Then I started substitute teaching in urban schools, and I found myself at a loss and not understanding what I was doing wrong. Then an assistant principal handed me this book. This book saved me! This book has practical advice and skills you can begin applying the very next day. The advice makes sense and it works! I wish I would have read this book in college. They should teach a college class using these methods! Without classroom management, how can we actually teach? Read this book. Of all the books I had to read for college, this has proved the most valuable in the practical "real" world of teaching.

Robert MacKenzie is an educational psychologist who has specialized in handling school-related discipline problems. This is his third book. It is the best book that I have seen relating to what parents and teachers can do to help youngsters learn how to behave well. Among its best parts: "detoxifying" "bad" kids into "aggressive learners" (those who challenge limits constantly), and "disobedient" kids into "kids who learn by testing and experience."

This book is appropriate for all teachers, school administrators who have site responsibility, and perhaps for central administrators who need help building a coherent system-wide set of policies on discipline. This book also will assist parents in handling their children's school-related discipline issues, such as homework.

The theoretical bases of this book are partly tough love (say what you mean, mean what you say, and do not say it meanly), natural consequences (if a child makes an error, let them experience the natural consequences, a la Dreikurs), and logical consequences (to defuse power struggles). The heart of the book is setting limits with kids and shortening down the time from discussion to action (from warning to consequence). There is no "cute" theory or exhortations to love the children more.

MacKenzie sees teachers as integral to the guidance process, as more capable in helping children than the administrators or guidance counselors, who may be more distant from the problem and the child. Thus, this book may leave teachers and parents feeling "empowered."

I was left with one question: In MacKenzie's view, when are youngsters expected to develop personal responsibility to "buy into" their own self-discipline and not have any problems in school?

I live abroad teaching English; I love the lifestyle but I have to deal with culture gaps as well as communication barriers in my classroom, often without any communication between me and the school's administration or the students' parents.... Discipline is often a big problem for me.

I believe this book is 100% correct and very helpful. In the two weeks since I read and implemented the ideas I've learned in it, the behavior in my classes (especially the youngest kids) has improved so much. I was burning out fast, and now I'm beginning to enjoy my job again.

My situation is different than normal teachers, with its own challenges and advantages. An EFL teacher like me will have to be a little creative using these techniques because communicating with the kids is much more challenging. But it can be done.

The book briefly mentioned having a system of rewards such as "PAT" or "Preferred Activity Time." Here is my one disagreement with the book, and it is a small one: this is one of the most effective methods of classroom management I know of.

A second criticism, and another small one, is that the book assumes you basically know how to teach; for instance, if you want younger children to behave well you have to keep them busy and entertained. That is part of classroom management, but the author of this book evidently considers it basic teaching skills and outside the scope of her book.

Harry Wong's book, "The First Days of School," is a little broader in scope than this book, and although it doesn't deal with classroom management nearly as thoroughly, I recommend it along with this book to any struggling teacher, EFL or not.

I was a newly out of college substitute teacher when I picked up this book. It is amazingly easy to read with many examples. I love how the book breaks down different type of behavior techniques into 3 major categories. This enables every reader to find the ground they stand on before using the book's suggestions for properly handling behavior problems. The most important piece of information I received was to make sure my action messages were consistent with my verbal messages--everybody seems to funk up in this area.

Honestly, who would have thought it would be so simple--even for a meek pacifist--to break from your old habits, even if you're in the midyear. GET THIS BOOK. You will not want to put it down because all of the information is logical, not difficult to follow, and it DOES make an immediate difference. Behavior management is all in your words and actions and this book helps you to make sure your sending the right messages, consistently.

I teach in an inner city (New York City) school and work with some of the "strong willed, 10%" type students mentioned on the back cover of the book. I don't know what kind of kids the author is referring to but they are not like the ones I work with.

His ideas can not be implemented in New York, it would be called "Corporal Punishment" So 90% of the book is worthless. He also assumes that if you punish a student they will go along with the punishment, my students would just say no and walk out of the room. They would not cooperate and let me implement the punishment. I found most of the book worthless in terms of working with the so called "bad" kids. For the so called "good" kids is ideas make I lot of sense. But for the good kids you don't need this book because they are not a problem.

This book might be OK for a first year teacher who needs a starting place, but that is all.

He suggests parental contact, in general this is a good idea, but what do you do when the parent says "I don't what to do, he won't listen to me" this is not addressed in the book. His bad students all have good, loving parents with fantastic parenting skills, I do not have "bad kids" like that.

Great advice for those who educate or parent. Lent the book to an X-principal who uses it for teaching parenting skills. As a substitute teacher this is the book I was looking for.

I struggled with classroom management as I switched tracks from pre-school/K to 4th and 5th grade. My first year of teaching was rough because i did not set enough expecations in the beginning of the year. by april they were wearing me out after only an hour!

this year, determined to start fresh, i used many of the techiniques in this book. mostly i love that you don't have to "trick" the kids into acting appropriately. i was so resistant to gold stars and the like. really stating what you mean, being clear, and having an clearly-stated consequence has worked well so far this year. even kids coming into my room from another class know that i mean business. (without being mean)

i higly recommend this book for anyone who needs to get the kids to stop walking all over you!

I love teaching but was seriously wondering if I was cut out for it until I read this book. The classroom management problems were overpowering. Reading this book has changed me into the type of teacher that I wanted to be, and knew I could be. The time that I spent managing the classroom is now spent teaching. There are so few books out there that truly address the problems that we deal with at the secondary level, and these methods work! However, my only criticism with the book is that it assumes that we are going to get at least some parental support, and does not address the problems of lack of support, or worse yet, when the parents are the problem. Also, I wish he would make two separate books, one for elementary and one for secondary.

I am a teacher with 10 years of experience in both general ed and special ed classrooms. My passion is working with behaviorally challenged students. After many years of experience, I found this book and was fascinated. Here it is- all the 'tricks of the trade' for keeping the classroom under control stated in easy-to-understand language with tons of examples. I was so impressed by it that I bought copies for fellow teachers who I knew were having problems. One teacher read the whole book over the weekend and began using it the next week. What a difference! The class that previously was throwing things at each other, talking during instruction, etc. was now on-task and excited about learning! (Yes, this is a true story!)

This program is basically a simplification of everything that I had to learn over a number of years about how to work with difficult students. But, don't get me wrong this is for ALL students and does not require any point charts or complicated systems. It is simple, easy to follow, and costs the teacher nothing! Any teacher who follows this program will have no problems with behavior - guaranteed!

I bought this book because other reviewers felt so strongly positive about it. I wondered if it would be another general book on class control. The author gives specific examples and solutions for both elementary and secondary. I hate it when a book is written with only one age group in mind. After I finished it, I loaned it to a fellow teacher and now it is making the rounds at my school.
Thanks for some specific rules that I can follow! IT WORKS!