Proximity & Mobility
Think about what you know to be true of students. Does something happen to them when they walk through your classroom door? Do they suddenly become attentive, eager learners simply because they are supposed to? No. Students attend because they are "encouraged" to do so. How are they encouraged? The answer to this question is found in the number of feet between you and your students.
Working the Crowd
Walk. Walk around your classroom as your students work. Walk when giving direct instruction and you notice little Sally in the back chatting with Katie. Use your body to your advantage! It is the cheapest method of crowd control. Think about it...your presence alone is often enough to cause students to attend. And you haven't said a word! Walk to change the zones of proximity (below) and to save your sanity.
Zones of Proximity
Picture courtesy of Fred Jones
- Red Zone: as illustrated by the picture, the red zone is the area around the teacher extending approximately 8 feet. Students in this zone are very attentive because they know they cannot get away with goofing-off.
- Yellow Zone: Students in this zone are approximately 14 feet from the teacher. They are slightly less engaged, as the chances of being caught have decreased. However, the teacher can still reach them quickly, so they are cautious.
- Green Zone: Look at the two students pictured in the green zone. All bets are off in this zone, as students are seated far away from the teacher and can easily engage in disruptive behavior. The teacher has to put forth a lot of effort in order to reach them and dealing with the situation becomes expensive (Jones, 2007).
Jones' Three Rules of Movement
- Constantly change the zones of proximity so that no one student is in the green zone for very long.
- Stimulate the brain to attend by constantly changing everyone's visual field.
- Use movement as a camouflage for dealing with disruptive students (Jones, 2007).
Spiritual Support
"Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you." Psalm 143:8b (NIV)
This verse is speaks to the fact that we need direction in our lives. Without it, we are tend to flounder through live in confused circles. The same could be said of the uniformed teacher. Without knowing how to manage his/her classroom, the teacher will "travel" ineffectively. Just as the Christian can place his/her trust in the Lord, the teacher can place his/her trust in these proven methods.
This verse is speaks to the fact that we need direction in our lives. Without it, we are tend to flounder through live in confused circles. The same could be said of the uniformed teacher. Without knowing how to manage his/her classroom, the teacher will "travel" ineffectively. Just as the Christian can place his/her trust in the Lord, the teacher can place his/her trust in these proven methods.