Fall just so happens to be my favorite season; the chill in the air in the early morning, the leaves changing from green to a vibrant red and orange, the sweaters and scarves, and most of all Halloween. When I was growing up, my parents made a big deal out of Halloween. We had a massive Halloween party each year complete with a haunted hayride through my neighbor’s horse pasture. This season always feels nostalgic as I think back to the crackle of the bonfire, the smell of roasted (and sometimes burnt) marshmallows, and the strange odor that all Halloween masks have. My parents loved to scare the absolute bejeebers out of me; the entire month of October required me to constantly be on the lookout for a mannequin head in my closet or a fake severed hand in the refrigerator. One of our favorite family activities during Spooky Season was visiting haunted houses. Growing up in rural Oklahoma meant that we could find a makeshift haunted trail or haunted house down just about any gravel road, and these were, of course, the best kinds. With the cheap props and overly dramatic theatrics of amateur actors dressed up in homemade costumes drenched in fake blood, the scares and laughs were guaranteed. I have vivid memories of being closely followed by a creepy clown through the darkest of corridors only to find myself standing within inches of a vampire, or ghost, or some other horrifying being. This invasion of personal space was always startling and uncomfortable. Being in such close proximity to these nightmarish creatures sent my skin crawling and my eyes looking for an exit.
The actors in haunted houses often rely on proximity to scare their visitors, and while I don’t recommend scaring your students, proximity is also an effective classroom management tool. Proximity is “using one’s presence to discourage inappropriate behaviors” (Lampi, Fenty, and Beaunae 10). Basically, proximity requires teachers to be active in their classrooms, circulating around the room. The idea behind this strategy is that if a teacher is roaming about, students are more likely to stay on task and less likely to engage in disruptive behavior since they know the teacher is nearby. There are a few considerations that should be made when using this strategy, though. Proximity is not synonymous with hovering; teachers should avoid hovering over their students as this behavior can, like in a haunted house, make students feel uncomfortable. The purpose of proximity in the classroom is not to make students feel uncomfortable or intimidated. Rather, the purpose of proximity is for the teacher to demonstrate that they are available and engaged in the classroom. Below are a few strategies for using proximity as an effective classroom management strategy. These strategies are also outlined in the article “Making the Three Ps Easier: Praise, Proximity, and Precorrection,” written by Andrea Lampi, Nicole Fenty, and Cathrine Beaunae.
- Limit the amount of time spent seated at your teacher desk: In my experience, if I sit down at my desk, my students lose their sense of urgency. What I have communicated to my students by sitting at my desk is that the task they are engaged in is not important enough for me to be engaged with them; therefore, a sense of urgency is lost. By roaming around the room, I can encourage students and check in on those who may be experiencing a failure to start. Furthermore, I find that students are far more willing to stop me and ask questions when I am using proximity. My students are often hesitant to raise their hands or approach my desk when they have a question; they feel more comfortable stopping me mid-roam.
- Know your students: Proximity is most effective when you know which students you’re targeting and why you’re targeting them. For example, during my circulation around my room, I begin, typically, by making myself available to my students who are English learners (EL). If I have just given instructions and released the students to complete a task, I need to ensure that these students understand the instructions and can get started. I’ll first circulate, making sure that I spend a little extra time near my EL students. Since my students sit wherever they please, this means that I might create one big circle around all student groups and weave my way through the circle to check in on these students. Typically, they will have questions, so I will stop, kneel beside them, and help them begin the task. Once I have gotten all students started on the task, I’ll continue circulating. During this circulation, I might target my students who have trouble staying on task or my students who need one to two step instructions. Eventually, once I’ve targeted specific students, I will check in with each desk grouping, giving students the opportunity to ask questions. Sometimes, students just need affirmation that they are on the right track. Using proximity allows me to meet all of those needs. In contrast, if I were to sit down at my desk after giving instructions for a task, it is likely that my EL students would not come ask for help and would simply sit at their desk until the bell rang. It is also likely that students who need affirmation would sit in self-doubt. Proximity, as a strategy, is not aimlessly wandering around until the bell rings. Proximity should be intentional and purposeful.
- Pair proximity with other classroom management strategies: Proximity is effective because students know the teacher is actively engaged; they can’t “get away” with much when the teacher is roaming among them, paying close attention, and frequently checking in on their progress. So, while proximity can certainly be effective in isolation, it is even more effective when paired with other strategies such as withitness, overlap, and praise.
- Withitness is defined as “the ability to know what children are doing in the classroom” (Copeland 220). Many effective teachers have a gift for evaluating the energy in the classroom; they can sense when a disruption is going to occur. I didn’t begin to experience withitness until my fourth year in the classroom. I had built relationships with my students and begun to understand their patterns of behavior so well that I could anticipate their needs. Developing withitness is a process, so if you haven’t experienced this yet, don’t fret. My advice to you for developing a sense of withitness would be to observe your students. What do they do when they get frustrated? For some students, they put their heads on their desk. For others, they begin shifting in their seats or tapping their pencils on their desks. These are indicators to me that I need to move to that student. I might need to let that student know that I am there by gently placing my hand on the student’s back or by making a small noise that catches their attention. Using proximity and withitnes together helps you, as the teacher, redirect behavior in a quiet, nondisruptive way. Oftentimes, I don’t even need to say anything to the student; they understand my non-verbal communication. Sometimes, my proximity will prompt them to ask me a question which reengages them.
- Overlap is “the ability to attend separate issues simultaneously” (Copeland 220). Proximity and overlap can work together depending on where a teacher positions themselves in the classroom. For example, I can often stand in between two desk groupings and observe what struggles the students at those groupings are having. Then, I can simultaneously help each student by timing my instructions intentionally. I may tell a student to navigate to a certain webpage or find a certain page in their notebook. While that student is doing that, I can help a second student with a different task. Then, I can navigate back to the first student and proceed. Without using proximity, my ability to diagnose the individual problems and form solutions would be nearly impossible. I must first be near the students to observe the issue. Overlap creates the illusion of being in multiple places at one time. Instead of waiting on me to finish with one student, I can manage tasks simultaneously which means that I can help multiple students at the same time.
- Praise is the act of reinforcing desired behaviors by noticing and verbalizing those behaviors with compliments. Research has shown that teachers who do not praise students may “unintentionally increase inappropriate behaviors” (Lampi, Fenty, and Beaunae 9). Praise should be specific and include student names. For example, during my independent reading time, if I notice students are having trouble settling down, I will say, “Thank you _(insert student’s name)_ for having your book open and reading.” This praise encourages other students to do the same. Used in addition to proximity, this becomes a great tool for building relationships with your students. As I walk around the room, I might notice that a particular student is doing something well. Using proximity, I will position myself near that student and say something like, “Wow! I really appreciate that you are __(enter the behavior I want to highlight here)____.” Students who receive praise feel valued and noticed which benefits the teacher-student relationship. I could then continue circulating around the room and say aloud, “I noticed that _(insert student’s name)__ is doing a great job with _(specific behavior)_. Let me know if any of you need help with that.” This tells my students that I am paying close attention to their progress. It also encourages them to seek help if they are struggling with the task.
Proximity, like all other classroom management strategies, is not fail proof, but using proximity is a proactive approach to reducing the number of distractions or unwanted behaviors you experience in your classroom.
Exit Ticket:
How have you used proximity in your classroom? What struggles have you faced with proximity? What successes have you had with proximity? What other classroom management tools have you paired proximity with? Leave a comment below.
Sources:
Copeland, Willis D. “Classroom Management and Student Teachers’ Cognitive Abilities: A Relationship.” American Educational Research Journal, vol. 24, no. 2, [American Educational Research Association, Sage Publications, Inc.], 1987, pp. 219–36, https://doi.org/10.2307/1162892.
Lampi, Andrea R., et al. “Making the Three Ps Easier: Praise, Proximity, and Precorrection.” Beyond Behavior, vol. 15, no. 1, Council for Exceptional Children, 2005, pp. 8–12, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24011434.
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