Addressing Aggression and Violence at School

  "Knowing what's right doesn't mean 

much unless you do what's right."

                                                                                             Theodore Roosevelt

Last week in class we talked about violence and aggression in school. I did a presentation with my partner Rebekah, and we talked about ways of preventing and addressing violence and aggression. Here is some of the information we presented:

3 Level Approach to Addressing Aggression and Violence:

Level I: Creating a Nonviolent School Environment

·      Create a trusting relationship

·      Provide an adequate curriculum

·      Insist on genuine and equal respect among students as well as faculty

·      Openly discuss safety issues

Level II: Intervening Early for Students at Risk

·      Could be academic and/or social failure

·      Approach must be tailored to students’ particular strengths and needs

·      Social skills training and involvement in school clubs and extracurricular activities may help

·      Encourage and reinforce productive behaviors

Level III: Providing Intensive Intervention for Students in Trouble

·      Some students may have a mental illness that interferes with their ability to think rationally and cope appropriately

·      Schools must work closely with mental health clinics, police and probation officers, and social services

Be on the lookout for early warning signs of violence

Early Warning Signs of Possible Violent Behavior

·      Social withdrawal

·      Excessive feelings of isolation, rejection, or persecution

·      Rapid decline in academic performance

·      Poor coping skills

·      Lack of anger control

·      Sense of superiority, self-centeredness, and lack of empathy

·      Lengthy grudges

·      Violent themes in drawings and written work

·      Intolerance of individual and group differences

·      History of violence, aggression, and other discipline problems

·      Association with violent peers

·      Inappropriate role models

·      Frequent alcohol or drug use

·      Inappropriate access to firearms

·      Threats of violence—This warning sign requires immediate action!

Tips For Preventing Student Aggression

• ·      Make it clear to students that aggressive behavior is unacceptable.
• ·      Try to identify when and where a student is aggressive.
• ·      Teach students conflict-resolution skills.
• ·      Have a student who is prone to aggression engage in activities that make aggressive behavior less likely.
• ·      Connect with the aggressive student.
• ·      Obtain in-school counseling for an aggressive student.

References

Dr. Ken Shore’s Classroom Problem Solver. “Preventing Student Aggression.” EducationWorld.com

Ormrod, J.E. Educational psychology: Developing Learners. 7^th Ed. Boston, MA: Pearson

As we researched, we found some valuable information. We also found valuable information by having a class discussion. We were able to discuss past experiences and encounters with violence and aggression. It was interesting to hear about and learn from other experiences. As a counselor for 4th and 5th graders, I myself have had some encounters with aggression. I think it is important to address this issue early on with any group that you are working with. Let them know that any type of aggression or violence will not be tolerated. It does not have to be physical to be hurtful. Aggression and violence can be psychological as well. At my job we had some incidents of bullying and name calling. We talked to everyone involved individually, and we also addressed the whole group about this issue. We made it known that bullying would not be tolerated. I believe that as a teacher or counselor it is important to always be on the lookout for any signs of aggression or violence. Listen to students and be someone that they can trust.

Motivation

"The starting point of all achievement is desire" -Napolean Hill 

Motivation is defined as a force that energizes, sustains, and directs behavior towards a goal. I believe that motivation is an extremely important aspect of teaching. One important question all teachers should ask is, "How do I get students to care?" This is important because if students care about what they are doing, they will be more likely to take pride in what they are doing. This means they will be less likely to slack off, and they will be motivated to do their best. If a student is not motivated to do well, it is the teacher's responsibility to try and motivate that student.

Something to consider might be to spark interest before motivation. For me, I am always motivated to learn and achieve if it is something that interests me. Also, teachers should explain why it is important to learn and achieve. A teacher should be a role model by displaying a good work ethic along with motivation to be a good teacher. Other resources might also be helpful when encouraging a student to do well. It is great to get students involved and make them feel important.

Common Core in Tennessee

About Tennessee Standards:
http://www.tncore.org/about_tn_standards.aspx


Common Core State Standards can be defined as "a set of clear college- and career-ready standards for kindergarten through 12th grade in English language arts/literacy and mathematics". This definition was developed by various educational professionals                                                               across the country.


Common Core is being used as a way to unite all 50 states educationally. It allows every state to follow the same academic standards creating equal learning opportunities for every student across the United States. I think that this is a great idea, but it is easier said than done. As of right now, states can choose to accept or reject the Common Core State Standards curriculum. Forty-five states have accepted the curriculum standards. This is great, but it still does not ensure that there will be uniformity among education in all 50 states. The remaining states could choose not to accept the curriculum. There are many pros to these common state standards, but implementing them will not be easy. I believe that they could be very successful if implemented properly.

My hope for these standards is that teachers keep up creativity and do not try to teach for the test. Teachers will be under a lot of pressure to teach specific things quickly and efficiently, but it is important to always keep in mind the students and their individual needs. I think that students are most productive in a fun and creative environment. Students need to stay interested in school, and motivating and encouraging students is one of the most important jobs of a teacher. I think that teachers need to meet the common core standards in the most fun and creative ways possible.

Assessing Students

Last week in education psychology, we discussed assessing students. Some people may ask, "What is the purpose of assessing students?" It is a good question to think about, and I know that I have asked this question before. One of the main reasons for assessments is to promote learning. I would like to think that I would still study as much if I knew I would never be tested over the material I was learning. I would probably continue to study subjects I am passionate about, but it would be really easy and tempting to slack off knowing there would be no assessment over what I learned. So in essence, assessing students is a way to motivate studying and learning. It is also a great way to measure progress and get valuable feedback about the learning progress. Most assessments help teachers and students. It can help teachers to evaluate their teaching and to know the best ways to teach students.


Characteristics of a good assessment:
R reliability- the assessment is repeatable
S standardization- the assessment and procedure are similar for all students
V validity- the assessment measures what it intends to measure
P practicality- the assessment is doable



Here is an example of an assessment that I would give in my classroom:
Each week we would have a list of spelling words. Each Monday, I would do a pretest to evaluate what each student knows and how much the students need to work on the words. This is an example of an informal, formative assessment. I would then give them the list of words to take home and study. Halfway through the week, there would be another authentic, informal assessment. We would do a fun activity or game involving the spelling words. At the end of the week would be the actual spelling test, and this would be a formal, summative, and traditional assessment.

I believe it is important to think about each and every student when giving any type of assessment. Many students get nervous when put under that kind of pressure. As I teacher, I am going to try and take the pressure off of assessments. I want every student to feel confident and prepared.