Train teachers in mixed-skill classrooms to manage conflict and evaluate both instructional practices and interpersonal tone¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 4 claims (4 for) · 1 study (1 associational), q3 · 1 of 1 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

As a policy implication, the article recommends that "Teachers charged with implementing higher order instructional strategies in mixed-skill classrooms should also receive training in how to manage conflict with students," and that evaluations should cover both classroom-level instructional practices and the interpersonal tone of individual interactions. Programs such as complex instruction in detracked classrooms are named as proven models for this balance.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Professional development in conflict management for teachers using higher order instruction in mixed-skill classrooms

Constraints¶

• The supporting evidence is observational and specific to elementary math; causality was not established

Target Learners¶

• Elementary school teachers in mixed-skill classrooms

Target Learning Goals¶

• Sustaining higher order instruction while maintaining supportive teacher–student relations

Claims¶

• Teacher–student conflict correlated negatively with math achievement, and closeness correlated positively in third grade [+W]
• Inference-based instruction and teacher–student conflict were more strongly associated with math achievement and growth for children with low early math skills (a three-way interaction in observational data) [+M]
• Low early skill children received more basic skills instruction and experienced more teacher conflict than their more skilled peers [+M]
• Low early skill children in high-inference classrooms with low teacher–student conflict showed higher math achievement and faster gains than low-skill peers in low-inference or high-conflict classrooms [+M]

Related Strategies¶

• Conflict De Escalation

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Crosnoe, R., Morrison, F., Burchinal, M., Pianta, R., Keating, D., Friedman, S. L., Clarke-Stewart, K. A., & the NICHD Early Child Care Research Network. (2010). Instruction, Teacher–Student Relations, and Math Achievement Trajectories in Elementary School. Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017762