Promoting Appropriate Behavior and Respect for Others within the Classroom - Essay Example

Promoting appropriate behavior and respect for others within the classroom Education is not a privilege it is a right and based on this concept, the public school system in advanced countries like USA follow the policy of providing free quality education to all their citizens regardless of the race, religion or ethnicity (Boukari & Goura, 2012). Classrooms are becoming exceedingly diverse these days mainly because of the influx of immigrants and also because of transiency. Under such circumstances creating a classroom community is one of the earliest responsibilities of a teacher (University of Wisconsin, 2009).

However, to create respect for diversities and build positive identities, the teacher should set some ground rules from the very first day such as treating classmates with respect, respecting their personal belongings, listening to the views of others and responding after sentence(s) are finished. The teacher can follow the positive reinforcement outlined by Skinner’s Behaviorist Theory. According to Skinner “behavior is a function of its consequences and the learner will repeat the desired behavior if a positive reinforcement (a pleasant consequence) follows the behavior” (Dunn, 2002, p. 1). Behavior which is reinforced is strengthened; keeping this in mind the teacher can introduce a behavior chart in which the student who behaves the best and is most polite and helpful will get a “shining star” or a “smiley face” against his/her name.

The students should also be warned of dire consequences if they exhibit inappropriate behavior towards their classmates or bully them. Similarly the teacher must herself use positive phrases when giving feedback and during error correcting. In order to instill respect for others, the teacher must ask the students to provide feedback for the others without mocking, ridiculing or passing personal remarks. The teacher must ensure that her students understand why it is important to respect each other (Gravells, 2012).

With the world becoming a global village, respect for others has become even more important and should be developed among children from a very young age. References Boukari, S., and Goura, T., 2012. Multicultural Education in American Public School: A Quest for Social Justice. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science 2 (3), pp. 23-33. Dunn, L., 2002. Theories of Learning. Learning and teaching Briefing Papers Series. [Online]. Available: [Accessed 02 April, 2014]. Gravells, A., 2012. Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector. 5th ed. London: Sage.

University of Wisconsin, 2009. Creating a Safe and Engaging Classroom Climate. [Online]. Available: [Accessed 02 April, 2014].