Reflective Commentary
Classroom management is one of the most important elements of the school programme. The students spend most of their time in classroom and likewise most of the work a school undertakes is done in the classrooms. The environment of classrooms has a great influence on the many-sided development of the personality of the student. The better the classroom management, the better the performance of the students. There is no doubt that the standard of management of the classrooms determine the standard of the school. Managing classroom activities is a very important aspect of the overall classroom management. During my final ten-week practicum, I was put to test this skill almost every day. My mentor teachers were very supportive and they offered me help whenever I needed them, to manage the classroom activities during my lessons. Over the period of my practicum I learned many valuable tips in terms of managing classroom activities. Some of them are as follows:
a) Keep everything ready to start class-work.
b) Ensure the work area is safe and free of any hazards.
c) Be sure you get the attention of every member of the class.
d) Set guidelines for expected behaviour in the classroom.
e) Use a variety of teaching aids.
f) Word questions clearly so that the students know what you are expecting them.
g) Teach the whole class and not a few students sitting in the front.
h) Put questions to inattentive students also.
i) Allow reasonable time to the students to answer your questions.
j) Provide opportunities for all students to participate in the activities.
k) Make sure the activities are well structured. Keep the students busy.
l) Make the instructions simple and clear.
m) Check for understanding of instructions.
n) Do follow-ups during the activities.
o) Use positive reinforcements.
p) Conclude the activity with appropriate feedback.
q) Ensure the working area is cleared after the end of activity.
Managing Challenging Behaviour is another key component of Classroom Management. In every classroom, practically we do come across at least 2-3 students who invariably tend to demonstrate extreme challenging behaviour. Usually the teachers come across situations where students are disruptive, talkative, frequently call out, unresponsive to instructions, disrespectful etc. When dealing with challenging behaviours it is important to focus on the behaviour and not the student. This indicates to the student that she/he is accepted in the classroom but the behaviour is not. Haim Ginnot spoke of the crucial consequences of teachers’ actions which have the power to affect children’s lives for better or worse. Being able to open, or close, the minds and hearts of children is a responsibility for all teachers to reflect upon. Building positive relationships with students is at the heart of effective behaviour management. During my practicum I had to deal with challenging behaviours almost every day. Interesting fact is that these were the same students who were repeatedly involved in demonstrating such behaviour. With the support of my mentor teachers I did get some success in building positive relationships with these students; however, I have a long way to go.
Situation
As mentioned earlier during my final practicum, for most of the sessions I was managing a cohort of two Year 5 classes (a total of 55 students) along with my two mentor teachers and an Education Assistant. Majority of my students were respectful and most of the time, they all were well behaved. During my lessons I did come across students who would find it difficult to stay focused and hence sometimes could cause disruption. An example is calling out without raising hands or waiting for their respective turn was a normal practice and thus I had to constantly remind students to use appropriate manners and wait for their turn. To resolve these issues, I had to plan my lessons in a structured manner to make sure students were engaged and were not getting bored. There was one student, ‘W.C’ in my class who on many occasions demonstrated very challenging behaviour. For example, not following instructions, challenging teacher’s authority, calling inappropriate names to teacher and exhibiting inappropriate gestures towards teacher. Unfortunately, this student came from a broken family (being raised by his aunty). W.C was an attention seeking child and he was also responsible for distracting other students during lessons and class activities etc.
Action
My mentor teacher had developed a special ‘Behaviour Management Plan’ for this student. As per the plan W.C was supposed to earn a tick by demonstrating good behaviour for every session from the teacher. In case W.C failed to get a tick for any particular session due to any behavioural issues would then be recorded and latter discussed in the weekly meeting with W.C’s aunt. However, in case W.C did manage to score all ticks for all sessions then he was entitled for a prize. The prize was funded by the school. As advised by my mentor teacher, I tried my best to keep W.C motivated during lessons. On many occasions whenever he tried to throw tantrums to get attention, I had to completely ignore him by not making any eye contact or by not talking to him especially when I was taking a lesson. I also attempted to counsel him on numerous occasions, and sometimes he did respond in a positive manner. As per the general behaviour management plan which was in place: Ist warning – student’s name on the white board, 2nd warning – tick next to the name, 3rd warning – student to write one hundred demons (words) during lunch time. For any serious misbehaviour the student would be straight sent to deputy principal’s office.
Outcome
I found that on the whole, once the students had lost lunch time writing the one hundred demons (words) they would usually not repeat the unacceptable behaviour, however there were a few odd students who simply could not help themselves from getting into trouble, I mean they would on and off demonstrate inappropriate or unacceptable behaviour and face consequences. Regarding W.C, I must say that I did get some success on a few occasions but mostly he continued to demonstrate challenging behaviour and I would seek advice from my mentor teacher. I must say that I need more experience when it comes to dealing with students who exhibit extremely challenging behaviour. In terms of rewarding good behaviour, as a class policy the students were divided into groups as per their seating arrangement, and teachers would allot points for the groups for following class rules, demonstrating good behaviour, for active participation during lessons etc. At the end of every week the highest scoring group of students would be then given a prize (that was funded by the school.)
Action Plan
As quoted by Libby Jackson-Barrett (Murdoch University), Classroom management techniques do not come out of a recipe book – they develop over time through experience and upon reflection; this is very much true in my case also. I am aware that I need to constantly work towards improving my skills in both managing classroom activities and also managing challenging behaviour. I feel that working on prevention, rather than cure, is where I need to be aiming at. Building positive relationships with all students is very pivotal for effective classroom management. Although this can be a very daunting task, however it will certainly be fruitful in the long term. Some of the ways I have been practicing to build positive relationships with my students are by meeting and greeting them when they enter the classroom in the morning, by listening to their stories about themselves, by treating each and every one with respect, by giving them responsibilities and by looking ways to constantly motivate them. Having open discussions in the class about behaviour management and involving students in setting class rules during week 1 of Term 1, I believe can be very effective. I am also working on learning new strategies to reward my students and also to set boundaries in which students can feel safe, successful and achieve.
Documentation of Evidence
Classroom management is one of the most important elements of the school programme. The students spend most of their time in classroom and likewise most of the work a school undertakes is done in the classrooms. The environment of classrooms has a great influence on the many-sided development of the personality of the student. The better the classroom management, the better the performance of the students. There is no doubt that the standard of management of the classrooms determine the standard of the school. Managing classroom activities is a very important aspect of the overall classroom management. During my final ten-week practicum, I was put to test this skill almost every day. My mentor teachers were very supportive and they offered me help whenever I needed them, to manage the classroom activities during my lessons. Over the period of my practicum I learned many valuable tips in terms of managing classroom activities. Some of them are as follows:
a) Keep everything ready to start class-work.
b) Ensure the work area is safe and free of any hazards.
c) Be sure you get the attention of every member of the class.
d) Set guidelines for expected behaviour in the classroom.
e) Use a variety of teaching aids.
f) Word questions clearly so that the students know what you are expecting them.
g) Teach the whole class and not a few students sitting in the front.
h) Put questions to inattentive students also.
i) Allow reasonable time to the students to answer your questions.
j) Provide opportunities for all students to participate in the activities.
k) Make sure the activities are well structured. Keep the students busy.
l) Make the instructions simple and clear.
m) Check for understanding of instructions.
n) Do follow-ups during the activities.
o) Use positive reinforcements.
p) Conclude the activity with appropriate feedback.
q) Ensure the working area is cleared after the end of activity.
Managing Challenging Behaviour is another key component of Classroom Management. In every classroom, practically we do come across at least 2-3 students who invariably tend to demonstrate extreme challenging behaviour. Usually the teachers come across situations where students are disruptive, talkative, frequently call out, unresponsive to instructions, disrespectful etc. When dealing with challenging behaviours it is important to focus on the behaviour and not the student. This indicates to the student that she/he is accepted in the classroom but the behaviour is not. Haim Ginnot spoke of the crucial consequences of teachers’ actions which have the power to affect children’s lives for better or worse. Being able to open, or close, the minds and hearts of children is a responsibility for all teachers to reflect upon. Building positive relationships with students is at the heart of effective behaviour management. During my practicum I had to deal with challenging behaviours almost every day. Interesting fact is that these were the same students who were repeatedly involved in demonstrating such behaviour. With the support of my mentor teachers I did get some success in building positive relationships with these students; however, I have a long way to go.
Situation
As mentioned earlier during my final practicum, for most of the sessions I was managing a cohort of two Year 5 classes (a total of 55 students) along with my two mentor teachers and an Education Assistant. Majority of my students were respectful and most of the time, they all were well behaved. During my lessons I did come across students who would find it difficult to stay focused and hence sometimes could cause disruption. An example is calling out without raising hands or waiting for their respective turn was a normal practice and thus I had to constantly remind students to use appropriate manners and wait for their turn. To resolve these issues, I had to plan my lessons in a structured manner to make sure students were engaged and were not getting bored. There was one student, ‘W.C’ in my class who on many occasions demonstrated very challenging behaviour. For example, not following instructions, challenging teacher’s authority, calling inappropriate names to teacher and exhibiting inappropriate gestures towards teacher. Unfortunately, this student came from a broken family (being raised by his aunty). W.C was an attention seeking child and he was also responsible for distracting other students during lessons and class activities etc.
Action
My mentor teacher had developed a special ‘Behaviour Management Plan’ for this student. As per the plan W.C was supposed to earn a tick by demonstrating good behaviour for every session from the teacher. In case W.C failed to get a tick for any particular session due to any behavioural issues would then be recorded and latter discussed in the weekly meeting with W.C’s aunt. However, in case W.C did manage to score all ticks for all sessions then he was entitled for a prize. The prize was funded by the school. As advised by my mentor teacher, I tried my best to keep W.C motivated during lessons. On many occasions whenever he tried to throw tantrums to get attention, I had to completely ignore him by not making any eye contact or by not talking to him especially when I was taking a lesson. I also attempted to counsel him on numerous occasions, and sometimes he did respond in a positive manner. As per the general behaviour management plan which was in place: Ist warning – student’s name on the white board, 2nd warning – tick next to the name, 3rd warning – student to write one hundred demons (words) during lunch time. For any serious misbehaviour the student would be straight sent to deputy principal’s office.
Outcome
I found that on the whole, once the students had lost lunch time writing the one hundred demons (words) they would usually not repeat the unacceptable behaviour, however there were a few odd students who simply could not help themselves from getting into trouble, I mean they would on and off demonstrate inappropriate or unacceptable behaviour and face consequences. Regarding W.C, I must say that I did get some success on a few occasions but mostly he continued to demonstrate challenging behaviour and I would seek advice from my mentor teacher. I must say that I need more experience when it comes to dealing with students who exhibit extremely challenging behaviour. In terms of rewarding good behaviour, as a class policy the students were divided into groups as per their seating arrangement, and teachers would allot points for the groups for following class rules, demonstrating good behaviour, for active participation during lessons etc. At the end of every week the highest scoring group of students would be then given a prize (that was funded by the school.)
Action Plan
As quoted by Libby Jackson-Barrett (Murdoch University), Classroom management techniques do not come out of a recipe book – they develop over time through experience and upon reflection; this is very much true in my case also. I am aware that I need to constantly work towards improving my skills in both managing classroom activities and also managing challenging behaviour. I feel that working on prevention, rather than cure, is where I need to be aiming at. Building positive relationships with all students is very pivotal for effective classroom management. Although this can be a very daunting task, however it will certainly be fruitful in the long term. Some of the ways I have been practicing to build positive relationships with my students are by meeting and greeting them when they enter the classroom in the morning, by listening to their stories about themselves, by treating each and every one with respect, by giving them responsibilities and by looking ways to constantly motivate them. Having open discussions in the class about behaviour management and involving students in setting class rules during week 1 of Term 1, I believe can be very effective. I am also working on learning new strategies to reward my students and also to set boundaries in which students can feel safe, successful and achieve.
Documentation of Evidence
A Hundred Demons (spelling words)
consequence for students - to be written during lunch time
consequence for students - to be written during lunch time