Personal Practical Philosophy of Classroom Management - Literature review Example

Running Head: STUDENT BEHAVIOUR AND LEARNING Personal Practical Philosophy of Classroom Management Introduction As a teacher, my personal practical philosophy of classroom management is influenced by theories and models as indicated by different education scholars and the real-life experiences of everyday teaching. My philosophy is pegged on the need to adopt a classroom management philosophy that is practical and effective towards the attainment of identified learning outcomes by students. Before delving into the philosophies of classroom management, it is important to understand what the concept really is. According to Moore and Hansen (2012), classroom management “is the process of organising and conducting the business of the classroom” (p. 53). Notably, classroom control goes beyond sustaining order in a class through teacher control; it also involves creating and sustaining a safe and orderly classroom environment which enables the teacher and the students to accomplish specific educational goals. This paper describes my personal classroom management philosophy and explains the five ‘pillars’ that support it. The paper then concludes by noting that true to Savage and Savage’s (2009, p. 3) sentiments, managing the classroom and exercising control is key to effective teaching and learning. My Personal Classroom Management Philosophy My personal philosophy goes beyond creating a safe and orderly classroom to creating learning spaces where each student feels comfortable and valued. The philosophy is informed by ideas from Moore and Hansen (2012), who indicate that once the psychological needs of students are met, they “are motivated by the need to be physically and emotionally safe, loved and accepted, admired and respected and personally fulfilled” (p. 57). Creating a safe and orderly classroom is a teacher’s first priority because as Jones and Jones (2001, p. 248) note, effective teachers take it upon themselves to organise their classroom in the knowledge that organisation will prevent disruptive behaviour. I have taken Jones and Jones’s (2001, p. 248) advice seriously, and at the start of every term, I introduce myself to the classrooms I will be teaching, interact with the students with an aim of understanding them, and explain to the students the rationales I have set for my classes. Jones and Jones (2001, p. 148) indicate that such interactions and laying the ground rules early enough establish the teacher’s credibility, and “reduce the students’ tendencies to continue to test the teacher throughout the year”. Overall, I have identified five pillars which help me in effectively managing the classroom environment. Pillar 1: Forming and Sustaining Good Student-Teacher Relationships According to Pirola-Merlo (2003, p. 37), some factors that influence how students behave in the classroom are within the realm of the teacher’s control. However, teachers must also be cognisant that how they relate with the students affects the latter’s behaviour. In my philosophy, I strive to relate fairly and without bias with all students. None of my students receive preferential treatment, or is ‘picked on’ more than the others. By doing so, I ensure that every student perceives himself/herself as equal, relevant and valuable to me. I also do not reward misbehaviour, but neither do I criticise a student in front of others because as Pirola-Merlo (2003, p. 51) indicates, the extra attention given to a misbehaving child when the teacher lectures him/her in front of others can be an indirect reinforcement of bad behaviour. I also strive to ensure that I am strict on certain issues which I find appropriate or inappropriate in class. Consequently, I avoid escalation traps, which Pirola-Merlo (2003, p. 51) describes as the teacher changing position based on a student’s persistence. The disadvantage of escalation traps is that they create the impression that a teacher’s answer is not definitive and can easily be changed if students are persistent enough. As a result therefore, students get the last word, hence ‘displacing’ the teacher’s role as the decision-maker in the classroom setting. I also strive to create relationships that recognise and/or reward desirable behaviour. Effectively, the foregoing creates incentives for my students to behave appropriately. My relationship with the students also includes giving them instructions which are understandable, clear, brief, well-timed, and well-communicated. When dealing with students as a group, I try to avoid singling out any child (whether for correction or approval) because it may create feelings of being left out for one or several students. In my relationships with students, I respond to specific behaviour and stick to Pirola-Merlo’s (2003, p. 52) advice that such responses should be immediate, consistent and decisive. I try to adhere to equality, justice and freedom because as Gathercoal (2001, p.1) indicates, these are constitutional rights that every student is entitled to have, and which every educator has an obligation to uphold. As a personal philosophy, I do not issue threats that I cannot carry out; I do not punish my students in anger; I intervene early when I notice problematic behaviour; I do not punish my students publicly; and I always keep an eye on secondary behaviour which the students use to distract me from administering punishment. In my relationships with students, I have also taken note of Pirola-Merlo’s (2003, pp. 53-54) ideas and as a result, I do not issue emotional messages to my students by either: lecturing, comparing, blaming, putting them down, inducing guilt, or making discriminatory, sarcastic or martyrdom remarks and/or statements. Research has shown that emotional statements and/or remarks made by teachers targeting specific students usually elicit negative feelings and effects on the students. Perhaps the most critical element of my relationship with students is intended to model positive behaviours and attitudes. As Pirola-Merlo (2003, p. 54) notes, “children learn by watching what the teacher and other children do”. Based on this, I always strive to model fairness, neatness and all other positive behaviours and attitudes that I intend to pass on to my students. Pillar 2: Embracing and Accepting Diversity in the Classroom Diversity refers to differences in culture, gender, and learning abilities in the school set-up (Moore & Hansen, 2012, p. 40). As Pagliaro (2011, p. 3) notes, the 21st century classrooms “are increasingly in social, emotional, cultural, and academic diversity”. Powell (2001, p. 231) indicates that diversity in classroom management is seen in the developmental readiness for school instruction among students, their religion, biography, family life, race, ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic class among other differentials. In the past, teachers expected students to adjust to the curriculum regardless of their different learning abilities and/or needs. Nowadays however, the teacher has an obligation to adjust “the curriculum to address student differences” (Moore & Hansen, 2012, p. 40). In relation to classroom management, Powell (2001, p. 255) indicates that although there is no acceptable definition of a culturally responsive class management approach, teachers need to learn to negotiate an academic and cultural space with the children they teach. In my own practice, I have done the foregoing by interacting with my students, understanding their worldviews and their academic abilities, and making sure they understand me as well. As advised by Chan (2004, para. 2), I have also addressed diversity explicitly in the classroom in order to underscore its importance. Additionally, I have dealt with cultural stereotypes, communication differences, and/or language barriers on a case to case basis. Powell (2001, p. 255) further indicates that managing diversity in a classroom requires the teacher to shape his/her instruction to prevailing cultural values and practices as evident in the student population. This however requires that all cultures represented in a classroom mingle and resultantly, the emerging values and practices shape the classroom instruction adopted by the teacher. Powell (2001, p. 255) further underscores the importance of a caring attitude by the teacher. In relation to the foregoing, I have purposed to go the call of duty to caring about my student’s lives. When I understand my students better, I am able to use behavioural and instructional approaches in managing my classrooms with the need to be culturally sensitive in mind. Pillar 3: Producing Well-Organised Lessons The third pillar in my classroom management philosophy involves producing well-organised lessons. Notably, and as indicated by Scrivener (2012, p. 1), well-organised lessons are a product of careful “planning, supervision and evaluation”. The first step of planning usually involves looking ahead, taking stock of the available resources, understanding my learners, and determining how to organise the lesson. The next step usually involves developing a lesson plan, which acts as a teacher’s map. Usually, the lesson plan includes different lesson stages and timing, instructions, prompts, and instructions. The importance of a lesson plan is to guide the teacher towards keeping all students interested in learning (Marzano, Marzano & Pickering, 2003, p. 17). As Long and Frye (1985, p. 3) indicate, “effective teachers can prevent some discipline problems by keeping students interested in learning through the use of exciting classroom materials and activities”. Supervision is the second vital component of a well-organised lesson (Scrivener, 2012, p.6). Before any lesson, I think about the physical space of the classroom and ensure that all students are able to hear and see everything that I use in class. I also envision any movements in classroom and determine whether anything needs to be moved or changed before or during the lesson. I also think of the resources needed in the classroom and make decisions on how well to organise and manage them during the lesson. As Scrivener (2012, p. 6) indicates, effective management of resources by the teacher gives learners the confidence that the teacher knows exactly what he/she needs and when he/she needs it. Additionally, effective management of resources by teachers creates the impression of organisation and this models good behaviour for the students. Supervision also involves making decisions regarding the learning environment especially during class activities. It involves deciding how to pair or organise students in groups for effective learning. Some of the things that teachers have to consider when deciding on the patterns of interaction include group dynamics. The foregoing involves deciding which students work together in pairs or groups, and which students may not work well if paired or put in the same group. Another aspect of supervision is identified by Scrivener (2012, p. 6) as “teacher’s skill in giving instructions”. In my case, I strive to ensure that my instructions are clear, timely and unambiguous. Scrivener (2012, p. 6) argues that effective instructions by the teacher should ensure that students understand everything that the teacher intended for them to understand. Flexibility is also a key element in effective supervision in the classroom as this enables the teacher to move away or cut out some stages in the lesson plan in order to respond to issues raised by the students. Finally, I have learnt to use my voice and body to manage my classroom and there are times when I will vary the tone of my voice and/or use specific gestures to demand for keen listening from my students. According to Scrivener (2012) teachers need to develop “a repertoire of gestures that learners will recognise and understand and be aware of the effect of their physical position in the classroom” (p. 7). Additionally, the manner in which the teacher moves around the classroom has an effect on classroom management. In my teaching experience, I have found that standing for too long in one classroom position gives the students sitting farthest from me the impression that I cannot see or hear them. As such, I try varying my position from time to time in order to make my position felt by all students in the classroom. Evaluation is the third aspect of a well-organised lesson, and as indicated by Scrivener (2012, p. 7), it involves the teacher reviewing what they have done and the results therefore. Based on the foregoing, one is able to decide how better to plan the next lesson. In my case, I have found evaluation as a reflective purpose where I go back to the original lesson plan, identify what has worked well, and identify what needs improvement. The evaluation also involves assessing the students’ patterns of interaction, the classroom environment and resource management, the effectiveness of instruction used, body language, and the ability or lack thereof to stick to the lesson plan. Pillar 4: Effective Management of Student Behaviour In my experience as a teacher, I have discovered that problematic behaviour from one student can destabilise the entire lesson for the whole class. In this fourth pillar of my philosophy, I am guided by Moore and Hansen (2012), who argue that teachers need to be “fair, firm and consistent with students. They must monitor their classrooms and apply consequences for misbehaviour” (p. 74). The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) (2011) has an instructional job aid, which indicates that teachers have a major influence on student behaviour. The first ‘place’ of influence relates to course preparation. Here, the tutor needs to include “the right amount of subject matter material for the course length” (p. 2). This ensures that the lesson time is utilised optimally thus creating fewer opportunities for problem behaviour by students. In addition, the teacher needs to treat all students fairly, avoid overloading them, state learning outcomes for each course, gather all resources necessary for a lesson, and be fully prepared for the lesson (Oliver, Wehby & Daniel, 2011, p. 7). In addition to this, I find that offering student support is an integral part of managing student behaviour. For example, I ensure that my students know when to find me in the office, and I always make sure that I am in the office at stated times. Additionally, I have always upheld equality and fairness when dealing with my students. Finally, I am easy-going, compassionate and strict at the same time. These traits make me easily accessible to the students, but also give me the authority to guide, challenge and/or punish them when their behaviours demand so. I am however aware that as the adult professional in the classroom setting, I set the tone for the lesson through my behaviour. For example, I make it a habit to arrive in class punctually, start the lesson in good time and end in good time too. I also ensure that I stand or sit where every student can see and hear me and where I can see and hear all the students. Other behaviours that are part of my philosophy, and which help in managing student behaviour include respecting students and promoting respect among them. I explain the course outline and learning outcomes at the beginning of the course, I introduce the course and communicate expectations, and perhaps most significantly, I negotiate acceptable classroom behaviour and ground rules with my students. Pillar 5: A Warm Physical Learning Environment Young (n.d, para. 1) indicates that the classroom is “home away from home”. I could not agree more especially since students spend a lot of time in the classroom. Shalaway (n.d., para. 5) also advises that the physical layout of a classroom should be a reflection of a teacher’s teaching style. A teacher who sets up individual learning stations for example, may be targeting to use an individualised, self-paced mode of teaching. I have made it my own philosophy to make my classrooms functional and attractive by striving to attain seating and room arrangements that are made in consideration of the instructional and students’ needs. Apart from the physical space, I also strive to attain a psychologically ‘warm’ environment by filling the classroom with positive messages (i.e. as long as they do not clutter the message boards and/or walls). McFarland-McDaniel (2012, para. 6) indicates that positive messages are a good way of ensuring that the physical space reminds students that they are destined for greatness. Posters are also a good way of establishing expected behaviours (e.g. demanding for tolerance and respect for each other and the teacher) (McLaughlin, n.d., para. 7). Conclusion As illustrated in this paper, my personal philosophy on classroom management is anchored on five pillars namely: forming and sustaining good teacher-student relationships; embracing and accepting diversity in the classroom; producing well-organised lessons; effective management of student behaviour; and a warm physical learning environment. This is an all-round philosophy that arguably caters for different aspects of the classroom management. As a result, I have found that I am able to attain set learning objectives to the benefit of my students and consequently, I have found out that managing the classroom and exercising control is essential to effective teaching and learning. References British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). (2011). Managing student behaviour. Retrieved from http://www.bcit.ca/files/idc/pdf/ja_studentbehaviour.pdf Chan, E. (2004). Embracing cultural diversity and enhancing students’ learning environment. CDTLink, 8(3). Retrieved from http://www.cdtl.nus.edu.sg/link/nov2004/le.htm Gathercoal, F. (2001). Judicious discipline, 6th Edition. San Francisco: Caddo Gap Press. Jones, V.F., & Jones, L.S. (2001). ‘Developing standards for classroom behaviour’, In VF Jones and L.S. Jones (Eds.), Comprehensive classroom management: Creating communities of support and solving problems (pp. 247-287). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Long & Frye (1985). Making it till Friday: A guide to successful classroom management. Princeton: Princeton Book Company. Marzano, R.J., Marzano, J.S., & Pickering, D.J. (2003). Classroom management that works. St. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. McFarland-McDaniels, M. (2012). Children respond to a positive learning environment. Bright Hub Education. Retrieved from http://www.brighthubeducation.com/classroom-management/13907-creating-a-positive-learning-environment/ McLaughlin, J. (n.d.). Creating a positive classroom environment. University of Michigan. Retrieved from http://sitemaker.umich.edu/mclaughlin_portfolio/creating_a_positive_classroom_environment Moore, K.D., &Hansen, J. (2012). Effective strategies for teaching in K-8 classrooms. London: SAGE. Oliver, R., Wehby, J., & Daniel, J. (2011). Teacher classroom management practices: Effects on disruptive or aggressive student behaviour. Campbell Systematic Reviews, 4, 1-55. DOI: 10.4073/csr.2011.4 Pagliaro, M. (2011). Educator or bully?: Managing the 21st century classroom. Lanham, Maryland: R&L Education. Pirola-Merlo, S. (2003). Relationship management in the primary school classroom: Strategies in the legal and social context. Frenchs Forest: Prentice Hall. Powell, R. (2001). ‘Diversity and management: the case of Estacado High School’, In R.R. Powell, J. McLaughlin, T.V. Savage & S. Zehm (Eds.), Classroom management: perspectives on the social curriculum. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall Inc. Savage, T.V., & Savage, M.K. (2009). Successful classroom management and discipline: Teaching self-control and responsibility. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Scrivene, J. (2012). Classroom management techniques. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Shalaway, L. (n.d.). Classroom organisation: The physical environment. Retrieved from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/classroom-organization-physical-environment. Young, D. (n.d.). Classroom environment: The basics. Learn NC. Retrieved 5 August 2014, from http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/734 Read More