Classroom Management

by nykiki (student)

University Degree Education and Teaching

Introduction

Classroom is a place where students and teacher interact with eacher other simultaneously. As there may be a lot of activities going on in class, it is not surprising that not every student are behaving their best. However, identifying the possible causes that lead to the behaviour problems would help teachers in improving the situation.

The occurrence of students not paying attention in class is very commonly found in fact. There could be numerous reasons and factors that have contributed to this incident. To fully interpret the underlying factors, it is best to have in-depth knowledge of the characteristics of a classroom. In the analysis of this case, classroom management anf teaching strategy theories are applied.

Possible Causes

Lack of Attention

Given the size of the class, it is difficult for every student to get equal attention from the teacher. While the teacher is speaking to one or several students, others may receive less attention. In this case, though the teacher was speaking to the whole class, students who sat at the back were playing with each others. From the video clip, it seemed that the teacher was standing at the same spot. She stayed near the blackboard without moving at all. In this way, the physical distance between her and the students was long. This might create the idea for students that the teacher was showing less care for them and what they did at the back of the classroom would not be noticed by their teacher. When students think that they are not under the eyes of teachers, they would do their own things. Not only did this distance cause the alienation of those students, but it also lay a trap for teachers. As teachers would stand at the front of a class, they may tend to look more at the students who sit in the front and less at those who are at the back. As a result, these students would be isolated without teachers' deliberate intention.

2. Lack of Interest

Another possible factor is that the lesson itself was not able to arouse students' interest. As suggested by the students in the clip, they found the lesson boring and so they were playing games instead. Although this might be an excuse by the students, but it also could reflect the fact that whether the teacher was meeting the needs of the whole class. In this case, it might be possible that the teacher was not doing a good job in maximizing the interest of students in class. Hence, students had no relish for the lesson and they would entertain themselves with other things.

3. Simultaneity and Publicity of Classroom Events

The simultaneity of classroom events also worsen the problem. Different things happen at the same time in class. Yet, not many of the students were self disciplined. Not every student would be able to do what the teacher had asked, and sometimes the teacher could not handle all the crisis. As a result, students might show doubt and impatience while waiting for teacher's instructions. When their problems were not settled, the chance of having discipline problems would be higher.

In addition to the rapid pace of class events, the high visibility of individual's behaviour also has a part to play in raising the disturbance. Due to the exposedness of a classroom, every activity are done with no privacy in front of the whole class. In this case, when one of the student started playing games, the other students would know and might join them.

4. Unpredictable Classroom Events

Last but not least, the classroom events are unpredictable. A classroom can be seen as a miniature of the society, not everything goes smoothly. During a class, there could be ...

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4. Unpredictable Classroom Events

Last but not least, the classroom events are unpredictable. A classroom can be seen as a miniature of the society, not everything goes smoothly. During a class, there could be various interruptions. The factors of disturbance are multitudinous, ranging from internal and external disruptions. In this video, the students were playing with electronics. However, the teacher was not showing any signs of stopping the behaviour. This encouraged the students to continue with their own activity and pay no respect to the teacher. It created a vicious cycle for both the students and teacher.

Suggested Solutions

The scenario in this video is just a tip of the iceberg in real life learning environment. In oder to eliminate this kind of phenomenon, effective classroom management and teaching strategies should be applied. Classroom management refers to all the things teacher must do to foster student invovlement andd cooperation in classroom activities and to establish a productive working environment(Sanford, Emmer and Clements, 1983). A teacher who could demonstrate good classroom managment skills tend to be more successful(Brophy, 1994). The appropriate skills that could be put into practice in accordance to the context. Of the video are suggested below.

Getting the attention

Gaining attentiion of students os of the first priority. Although it is hard for teacher to address every single student, teacher should try to meet their needs by the end of the class. Leaving the students without answering them is not a good idea, as this will create bewilderment and mistrust. It is crucial for teacher to establish a good relationship with their students and to make sure each student have their focus on the lesson tasks.

In contrast, if some students are deliberately ignoring teacher's instruction during the lesson, the teacher has to get their attention immediately. It is unwise to continue instructing the class while some are doing their own business. In order to gain the attention, teacher could make verbal statements such as "All eyes on me." or non verbal signals like clapping hands. To redirect the unacceptable behaviour in this video, teacher should teach the students at the beginning of the school term, in how to respond to the signals above and stop their current activity. The earlier the rules are set, the better the discipline of the class shall exercise.

Motivating Students

Improving motivation for students to learn in class is a vital factor for teachers in managing the classroom. The process of getting students motivated is complicated and multidimensional. According to Burden, motivation "...involves intrinsic and extinsic motivation, along with the manipulation of a number of classroom variables such as tasks, evaluationm feedback, and expectations." (P. 27, 2004). Intrinsic need is the core in motivation, as it leaves a more durable impact in students' learning. In Mascow's hierarchy of needs(1971), it is believed that everyone would strive for success and glory. Hall, Lindzey and Campbell(1998) explained the model of hierarchy that "as needs are satisfied, new and higher needs emerge." (P. 449). In other words, students are more interested in challenging content in the subject, than knowledge that they have already gained, espeically without new infomation added. Hereby, teachers could meet students' intrinsic needs by helping them to set goals. The goal-reaching process provide the opportunity for students to satisfy their esteem needs and develope their independence in learning. They also will have the chance to display their good work in class publicly, which could address the self-actualization level of need.

As for extrinsic motivation, it is the belief that "individual motivation is propelled by environmental stimuli that reinforce behaviour(Canter &Canter, 1992; Skinner, 1978). Examples of extrinsic motivtion rewards include stickers, small presents, praise, etc. Teachers could use incetives as motivation by positive reinforcement. According to the theory of operant conditioning, positive reinforcement occurs whenever a reward is given after the repeated presense of the same stimulus and responce. Putting the theory into practice, students engagement in class could be cultivated by means of positive encouragement from teachers. In this case, if the teacher wanted the students to participate in the class instead of playing by themselves, he/she should award the students who peformed actively and praise their good work in front of the whole class. This would set the standard and model for students of the kind of behaviour that is accepted and encouraged in the classroom. In this way, it acts as a guildeline for all students to learn the classroom rule.

Handling various classroom events at the same time

As mentioned, different things may happen simutaneously in a classroom because of the number of participants inside it. It is essential for teachers to equip themselves with the ability to handle the hustle and bustle of the learning environment. First of all, when dealing with students who have commited discipline or behavioural problems before, teachers should avoid the usual lecturing and threatening methods. This is because these students have listened to the same content in the past and would not pay attention to the same words. The continuous scolding would leave students a sense of loathing. In other words, it is not effective if teachers are only nagging since it only creates a negative feeling for the students. Instead, teachers should adopt positive and encouraging approaches to care about the students' problems. Give the influence of traditional Chinese culture on the role of teachers, most students perceive that teachers are in a senior position. As a result, students may have the feeling that their own ideas and emotions are ignored by teachers who often give instructions and dominate the class. In this way, students may not think that the tachers have their best interest in heart. Yet, if the students believe that their teacher understand their situation, it would be easier to tackle the problem. Therefore, teachers can try talking to students in a way that they are both on the same side, not as an opposite force. This could show the love and care for students. In the long run, teacher should develop a close and happy relationship with these students. Although it is a challenging task, the outcome is promising. According to Brophy(1997), showing the care to students and letting them believe that it is the teachers' long term interest would make the student more willing to comply snd listen to teachers' instructions.

Familiarise with the classroom events

In this video, when the students are misbehaving, teacher should clarify the behaviour expectations and help students in performing acceptable ways. To deal with surface behaviour of students, teachers need to address them at once. There are techniques for teachers to manage surface behaviour of students, which are based on individual students' characters and needs(Fagen & Hill, 1977). They could first apply the proximity control, which they would walk near the students and signal the students' misbehaviour. This non-vebal action could express teacher's acknowledgement of the problem, and also leaves some space and respect for the students to repent and start anew.

To minimize students' disruptive behaviours, daily classroom routines should be well established. According to the analysis of effective classroom management by Marzano and Marzano(2003), it it true that with overlapping daily concerns addressed, classroom discipline situation will improve. Thousand, Villa and Nevin(2002) view the discipline management as a pyramid, with pevention as the foundation. They beleive that with the use of routine events and love and care from teachers, the intedependence of classroom participants would bring about the harmony of a class. In this case, the class teacher could have established the classroom rules and guidelines on the first day of school term. The rules could include that students have to be respecful to teachers and other students. They could not interrupt the lesson as well. It is important for the teacher to explain each regulation clearly and have everone agreed on the rule list. In this way, students have clear understanding of what is acceptable during the lesson. Also, they would know that if they are breaking one of the rules, they will get punishment for it.

Conclusion

A happy and healthy learning environment is ideal for both students and teachers. To achieve this, teachers have to equip themselves with effective classroom management and appropriate teaching strategies. In order to avoid discipline and behaviour problem in a classroom, teacher are required to develop a sense of proffesional efficacy and realize the potential learning ability of students. Yet, teachers should bear in mind that the best classroom management style is the one created by their own experience and the knowledge they have towards the class.

Appendix

Source: Youtube video clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOmvUiWw6Ww

Description of the Case Study

In a province in China, about 70 percent of the students were sleeping during a class. Some even played electronic games at the back of the classroom. When asked about why they had behaved so, the claimed that the lesson was boring and the teacher would not care either.

References

Charles, C. M.(2005). Elementary Classroom Management. Pearson Education Inc., Boston, USA.

Henley, Martin(2006). Classoom Management: A Proactive Approach. Pearson Education Inc., New Jersey, USA.

Randi, S.(2005). Best Classroom Management Practices for Reaching All Learners: What award-winning classroom teachers do. Corwin Press, California, USA.

Savage, M.(2009) Successful Classroom Management and discipline: Teaching self-contol and responsibility. Sage, California, USA.

Singh, Amarhit(2004). Classroom Management: A Reflective Perspective. Kanishka Publishers, Delhi, India.