Professional Studies - Becoming A Teacher. Both confidence and behaviour management skills are vital within the classroom, as with lack of confidence, a teacher is not able to establish control of the classroom, which then creates a negative decline with

University Degree Education and Teaching

BECOMING A TEACHER

ALEXANDER CAUNT

STUDENT NO: 1101347

Becoming a Teacher

Within this assignment I will be focusing upon two particular topics that after careful observation and investigation, I and my fellow observers feel that I need to improve and strengthen in order to better my teaching skills, as well as push myself further towards the ultimate goal of becoming a good teacher. The two main areas of which I will be looking at are two vital characteristics and skills that every teacher needs. Both confidence and behaviour management skills are vital within the classroom, as with lack of confidence, a teacher is not able to establish control of the classroom, which then creates a negative decline within the standard of teaching. It also then leads to poor behaviour management, which without strict guidelines and discipline, the whole classroom would simply fall apart due to a lack of teacher control. These two topics are QTS Standards, of which all 33 must be achieved in order to gain QTS.

Confidence is something that every teacher throughout the world must possess. Without a large amount of confidence within themselves, or at least, the act of confidence, no teacher would be able to provide their class of children with the strong, effective teaching of which they are all entitled too. Q7 of the QTS Standards states that a teacher must be able to, reflect and improve, by identifying professional issues and identify early professional development in the context of induction. I feel as though both of these are challenges that I face as I have a lack of confidence when it comes to talking too and taking part within large groups of children, be it children or adults.

“One of the keys to effective teaching and establishing relationships with others is to take responsibility for a curriculum area, requiring Liason with other teachers to ensure correct delivery of the subject” (Cole, (2005), p. 119)

Whilst I will happily stand there and deliver a lesson, I feel due to nerves and lack of self confidence in my abilities to deliver the information, that the quality of delivery and information is then affected, which doesn’t benefit the children of which are receiving it.

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After my first observation, I was told that I needed to develop my teacher confidence and presence in order to deliver a really good lesson to a small group of children. I was also told to work on my modelling skills. I was marked down for holding the board towards me, as I didn’t have confidence in the fact that I could write on the board clearly whilst holding it facing towards the children. I knew confidence and teacher presence would have been a large issue of which I faced whilst trying to teach and whilst writing up my follow up lesson plan, I accounted for that fact when considering the task that we would have to do. The modelling I planned to be very interactive and creative, something that could I could easily show directly to them, and I planned to get the children involved within the task themselves, which helped to ease the pressure and spotlight off of myself slightly.

“Creative success cannot be measured in traditional forms; it comes over time, as confidence, trust and opportunities evolve” (Boys & Spink, (2008), p.43)

I took advice given to me by my university tutor, which was to simply pretend that I held the confidence needed in order to get the children to respond to my teaching methods, and it worked. Pretending that I had the presence and self-belief that I lacked last time made a difference in how engaged the children were with the task, as well as how I delivered the task.

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs categorises eight different basic human needs in which we all need to fulfil to move forward and achieve. According to Maslow,

“An individual is ready to act upon the growth needs if and only if the deficiency needs are met.” (Huitt, (2007)

In order to succeed within the field of teaching, as well as gain more confidence along my teaching journey, it was vital that I realised that I needed to look at the concept behind Maslow’s concept of self-actualisation. After researching this, I discovered that Maslow felt that self-actualised people had concerns about personal growth, both within themselves and outside themselves, in social and formal situations. Another element from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs that applied to myself be the elements of esteem which were having worries regarding being able to achieve, be competent, gain approval and recognition. I soon realised that these were qualities of which I lacked, so therefore decided to set my main target throughout my teaching practice to that of developing confidence and teacher presence, not just in front of the children/parents/teachers, but also within myself. Thought pretending I had the confidence that I lacked within my second group session helped to engage the children, I was still aware that it was all a front, whereas actually having that self-belief and confidence within yourself would be something that would help my teaching go from strength to strength.

Behaviour Management is one of the most vital skills in which a teacher is able to possess, as without control of the children, and sometimes adults, within the room, they will never be able to deliver effective teaching. Every teacher has their own preferred style and techniques which are unique to them when it comes to getting their pupils to behave, with some being a lot more effective than others. Many behaviour techniques and strategies undertaken by teachers are effective in the short term, such as shouting. Shouting immediately grabs the attention of the child and points out that whatever they may be doing is wrong. It may also shame them for a short amount of time, as well as potentially making them feel victimised by the teacher, which is something that children within a classroom should not feel.

Firstly, bad behaviour should be discouraged by the classroom teacher, and instead, positive behaviour and attitude should be modelled by the classroom teacher themselves.

“Be animated and enthusiastic. Show your child how happy you are with them!” (BBB Autism, (2002)

My downfall regarding behaviour management was that I wasn’t always quick enough to make sure everyone was on task all the time, which is song that really needs to be dealt with in order to properly engage the children within their work.

“The first rule of any classroom is not to allow misdemeanour to go unnoticed. If teacher let the small things go, the big things will arrive twice as fast and be twice as hard to eradicate” (Davies, (2006), p. 130)

I developed my second lesson plan with the previous quote in mind, and when it came to actually taking the group and delivering the lesson, I made sure I was casting a watchful eye over all the children within my group. Doing this allowed me to pinpoint and nip any bad behaviour in the bud before it blossomed into something more extravagant, which would have then been harder to control. Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs also relates to behaviour management, as some children may be behaving in certain ways in order to fulfil certain needs, such as the need for attention and recognition, and they may feel that the only way to gain that much needed attention is to behave badly and disrupt the lesson in any way they see suitable. Also, if a teacher is able to develop the ability to create a strong relationship with their pupils, their pupils will be more open towards their teaching methods, as well as be more likely to behave for them in order not to upset the relationship.

“Children quickly sort which teachers can manage which classes, which teach well, which are fair and considerate, and which above all, care” (Rogers, (2000), p.23)

After receiving feedback from my first observation, it brought to light areas within my teaching that needed developing, tweaking and strengthening. Writing my follow up lesson plan for the second maths session I undertook with my group was a lot easier that the first was initially, as I was able to iron out the creases of my last, and base the plan around the points and areas that I needed to improve within. Whilst they areas that I am in most need of developing will take time, effort and determination to achieve, I feel as though I will be able to achieve them, and then in turn, the Q Standards that accompany them. Confidence and behaviour management within the classroom are vital elements of a great teacher, and in order to achieve these two attributes and skills, I need to believe in myself that I can achieve, and then in turn, become the great teacher that I’ve always wanted to be.

Bibliography

Cole (2005). Professional Values and Practice; Meeting the Standards. 3rd ed. London: David Fulton Publishers. p119.
Boys & Spink (2008). Primary Curriculum; Teaching the Core Subjects. London: Continuum. p43.
Huitt. (2007). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Available: http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/conation/maslow.html. Last accessed 11th December 2011.
BBB Autism. (2002). Behaviour Management Strategies To Use Every Day. Available: http://www.bbbautism.com/behavior_management_strategies.htm. Last accessed 11th December 2011.
Davies (2006). The Essential Guide to Teaching. Great Britain: Pearson Longman. P130.
Rogers (2000). Classroom Behaviour. Great Britain: Paul Chapman Publishing. p23.