Keep CALM and Teach
Empowering K-12 Learners With Positive Classroom Management Routines
- Victoria Lentfer - University of Nebraska, Omaha, USA
A Joint Publication With AMLE
Corwin Teaching Essentials
Classroom Management & Student Behavior | Student Behavior | Student Engagement & Motivation
What do you say when . . .
More than ever before, students are coming to school with social, emotional, and behavioral issues that could have a negative impact on their learning. What’s more, the pressure on teachers for their students to perform well on high-stakes testing can take the focus away from addressing behavioral issues. Luckily, there’s a practical solution for managing behavior in the classroom. Get to know the CALM method—an actionable, clear, and easy to remember framework for redirecting student behavior.
CALM stands for Communication, Accountability, Leadership, and Motivation. It is an inclusive approach to behavior focused on building relationships, community, behavior skills, and academic achievement. The CALM framework provides teachers with successful behavior strategies that will create a comfortable, safe, respectful, and encouraging learning environment for students and teachers alike. Whether you’re new to teaching, working with at-risk students, or you’ve been working in the profession for years but want a fresh approach, this book will provide you with
- Strategies to inspire a CALM classroom
- Positive ways to redirect inappropriate behavior
- Practical scripts to answer the question "What do I say when _______ happens?"
- Step-by-step guides, checklists, and templates for ensuring a productive, engaging classroom community
Developing classroom management skills and techniques that work can be extremely challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. Keep CALM with proactive strategies for creating a culture of respect, accountability, and a strong sense of community!
Free resources
Keep CALM and Teach Activity: Visualize Your Ideal Classroom
In this complimentary activity from Keep CALM and Teach, teachers can engage in the first step toward having a CALM classroom: visualizing their ideal classroom.
"Victoria Lentfer is the 21st century Madeline Hunter! Dr. Lentfer's CALM approach makes so much sense. This book should be required reading for all first year teachers who often struggle with classroom management. Finally a step-by-step approach that helps to diffuse classroom disruptions while allowing teachers to teach and students to learn. Classrooms can become kind and caring learning environments that have high expectations and respect all students."
“CALM Classroom Management is critical to teaching success. The author has ‘been there, done that’ when it comes to learning from mistakes, digging into the research, engaging in reflection and becoming a continuous learner in the area of classroom management. This book applies a practical, no-nonsense and experience based approach which includes research-based case-studies and activities to help teachers and administrators be successful.”
“Dr. Lentfer's book on classroom management reaches a broad audience. Her philosophy of CALM (Communication, Accountability, Leadership and Motivation) allows educators to see and relate practical strategies teachers can implement tomorrow.”
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“CALM management is a simple, yet effective way for teachers to establish a positive learning environment. Teachers are able to establish a respectful classroom by using the proactive methods in the CALM management program. This step-by-step approach empowers students through choices and accountability. This a must read for new teachers!”
“Dr. Lentfer’s CALM Management Program is the answer to every teacher’s biggest wish; to have a classroom environment where every single student can experience success. She provides simple, clear, and proven techniques for classroom management, with examples from real classrooms, at every level of schooling. Every teacher needs a copy of this book, new and veteran alike!”
“Everyone is seeking the one answer regarding classroom management, the truth is, there is no one perfect answer. However, staying CALM, building relationships, using humor, and setting realistic expectations can help you as an educator. This book explores how critical it is to be proactive and thoughtful in your classroom management. Next time things get so crazy in your classroom that you want to set your hair on fire- remember stay calm, wigs are expensive!”
“Filled with actionable and adaptable strategies for all grade levels, this text is a comprehensive guide for establishing a classroom environment where all students can thrive. ?A valuable and explicit resource for teachers new to the profession; as well as, career educators wishing to reset their classroom management process and procedures.”
“This is a great how-to book that provides excellent strategies and tools to create a smooth functioning classroom leading to increased instructional time and student learning. For the novice teacher, it offers many procedures that can be easily implemented into a classroom management framework. For the experienced teacher, it provides ideas that can be applied, adapted, and integrated into their existing classroom management model. This is a valuable resource for all teachers in PreK- 12 school settings.”
“Vicki has outlined a logical roadmap to not only address behavior, but change the narrative regarding classroom management to reflect a shift in mindset that replaces irrational responses with positive choices that are effective in keeping the focus on student learning.”
“If I had this book my first year of teaching, I would have floundered less and my students would have learned more! Dr. Lentfer does a thorough job of breaking down classroom management. The book is full of concrete examples for elementary, middle school, and high school teachers, thoroughly explaining the steps to establishing the learning environment that typically takes teachers years to achieve.”
