The most important component

by Renee Owen | Feb 4, 2011 | Director's Blog

As you may know, Rainbow’s educational philosophy is wonderful.  But it takes much, much more than a great philosophy to have a great school.  What is that makes the difference between a classroom where kids REALLY learn, and one where they just do okay?  The answer is classroom management.  If you walk into a Rainbow Mountain classroom on any day, at any time, you should see children engaged in learning, or if in a transition from one activity to another, they transition smoothly and efficiently, with minimal time loss.  The atmosophere is one of cooperation and joy.  That’s because the teachers are masterful classroom managers.Â

Unfortunately, it is common for alternative schools to “throw out the baby with the bathwater” when it comes to behavior management.  Because they don’t want their students to be fettered by the rigid style control of the public schools, they forget that children still need — and, in fact, thrive — in an environment that is organized and has a clear underlying structure and rhythm to it.  Experienced, well-trained teachers know how to strike a balance.  Rainbow teachers are firm, yet kind.  They are structured, but not rigid.  They know how to manage in such a way that  disruptions are minimal, so every child  can make the most out of every day.Â

Various research in classroom management has revealed that in public schools there are so many behavioral disruptions, institutional disruptions (announcements, etc), and transition times, that students are only on task about 30% of the day!  By contrast, for anyone who has been involved at Rainbow Mountain for the past three years or has toured it recently, it’s clear that our students are making the most out of every minute!  For more research on classroom management: http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=BVM2ml2Q-QgC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=classroom+management+marzano&ots=GbtNbUMaRP&sig=hHGH3kEpWRZpRKhPE0LK-6ffEEI#v=onepage&q&f=false