Content Management

Summary

Definition -needs anchor

Checklist - needs anchor

Application/Examples - needs anchor 

Note.  The Definition and Checklist sections below contain original material as well as material adapted from Schoolwide and Classroom Management:  The Reflective Educator-Leader, by L.A. Froyen and A.M. Iverson, 1999, Upper Saddle River, N.J.:  Prentice-Hall, pp. 128-137, 152-176.   Copyright 1999 by Prentice-Hall.

Definition

"Content management occurs when teachers manage space, materials, equipment, the movement of people, and lessons that are part of a curriculum or program of studies" (Froyen & Iverson, 1999, p. 128).

Checklist of Observable Behaviors

Instructional management skills:

___1. Movement management  

  1. Avoidance of jerkiness: thrusts, dangles, flip-flop, truncations
  2. Avoidance of slowdowns: task and behavior overdwelling, actone overdwelling, prop overdwelling, fragmentation

___2. Group focus

  1. Management of group format
  2. Management of the degree of accountability
  3. Management of attention

___3. Avoidance of satiation

  1. Progress
  2. Variety
  3. Challenge

Sequencing and integration of additional instructional activities:

___4. Management of daily review sessions

___5. Management of daily preview sessions

___6. Management of lectures/presentation sessions

___7. Management of individual/group in-class work:

  1. Presentation of assignments
  2. Monitoring of performance
  3. Selection of assignments
  4. Evaluation of assignments

___8. Management of individual/group work during a field trip

___9. Management of homework

___10. Management of discussion sessions

___11. Management of projects and problem-solving sessions

Dealing with instruction-related discipline problems:

___12. Off-task behavior

___13. Talking without permission (during lectures)

___14. Talking without permission (during class)

___15. Failure to raise hand

___16. Poor listening and failure to follow verbal directions

___17. Late or incomplete assignments

___18. Tardiness or absenteeism

___19. Failure to be motivated/doing nothing

___20. Cheating

___21. Test anxiety

References

         Boboc, M. (2000). [Content management in the classroom]. Unpublished raw data.

          Froyen, L. A., & Iverson, A. M. (1999). Schoolwide and classroom management:  The reflective educator-leader (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall

Applications/Examples

 

Content Management

Definition

“Content management occurs when teachers manage space, materials,

equipment, the movement of people, and lessons that are part of a curriculum or program of studies” (Froyen & Iverson, 1999, p. 128).

Examples

Teacher:  Kimberly Bradshaw

Grade:  Pre-Kindergarten

Kimberly Bradshaw demonstrates content management by beginning the day by leading her students in a very short hand routine.  The hand movements focus the students’ attention on the teacher and signal that it is time for a learning activity.  Then, before going on a field trip, Bradshaw tells the students about the activities they will do for the day.  Her management of a daily preview session helps prepare her students for the experiences they will have.  This also demonstrates Bradshaw’s content management. 

Teacher:  Kathleen Alexander

Grade:  3

Kathleen Alexander’s mathematics students are studying graphs and graphing.  The students will be collecting information about the number of different colored candies in a bag of M& Ms.  During the course of the lesson, the students work in partners in the school’s computer lab to develop a graph.  Alexander circulates around the room and monitors students as they work cooperatively on the computer.  She helps them through the process of interpreting and graphing their data.  Alexander’s management of in-class group work demonstrates her content management.

Teacher:  Terri Vennerberg

Grade:  3

In her Habitats activity, Terri Vennerberg manages group work by creating a signaling system that enables her to help her students more efficiently.  She manages the movement of people by having her students place a red cup on their desk if their group has a question and is in need of assistance.  A blue cup means that there are no problems.  By managing the lesson, space, materials, and the movement of people, Vennerberg demonstrates content management.     

Teacher: Patty Bounous

Grade: 7-8

Patti Bounous’ students use heart-rate monitors and Digi-Walkers to monitor their performance during aerobic exercise.  After the students have exercised, Bounous asks them to recall how they can use monitors and Digi-Walkers to find specific information, such as their average heart rates, and the amount of time they kept their heart rates in the target zone.  The teacher demonstrates content management as she manages the review session.

Teacher:  Julie McLaughlin

Grade:  9

In her Ocean Exhibits activity, Julie McLaughlin’s ninth grade students divide into small groups and present ocean exhibits they have created to a group of elementary students.  She describes the nature and content of the learning activity in which the high school and elementary students will participate, tells the students how long they will stay at each exhibit, and gives them clear instructions on how to move from one exhibit to the next.  By directing the students’ rotations to different exhibits, McLaughlin manages space and the movement of people while using class time efficiently.

References

Froyen, L. A., & Iverson, A. M. (1999). Schoolwide and classroom management:  

The reflective educator-leader (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.