The Importance of Classroom Management - Literature review Example

Running Head: THE IMPORTANCE OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Name: Institution: Date: The Importance of Classroom Management Introduction The term classroom management is often used by teachers and instructors to refer to the act of supervising their students. This is in an effort to ensure that any stressful situation in the classroom which might interfere with the process of learning and teaching for both the students and the teacher are avoided. Classroom management also ensures that students receive their lessons effectively (Curington, 1999). The effective management of the classroom will make certain that stress levels in a classroom situation are minimized for both teachers and students and that students gain the right knowledge and the right materials as well as a calm environment in which they can learn. Instructors and teachers play numerous roles in a school environment and most importantly in the classroom. Among the most important of the roles that teachers play in a classroom is that of managing classrooms. Successful teaching and learning cannot take place in an environment full of chaos and disorder in this case a poorly managed environment or classroom. If scholars are unruly and impertinent, it creates an environment of disorder. Students therefore find it hard to learn or learn very little in such an environment and teachers too find it hard to teach. Either way, both students and teacher experience distress (Curington, 1999). On the other hand, well managed classrooms are the exact opposite as they offer a surrounding inside of which learning and teaching processes can take place successfully. Well managed classrooms are however not achieved out of the “blues” (Emmer & Stough, 2001). They require hard work and effort to achieve and at the center of creating a well managed classroom is the teacher. This paper will discuss the importance of classroom management both for the teacher and the student in a classroom environment. Importance of Classroom Management Effective Classroom management takes time and effort to achieve. It also requires meticulousness and vigilant preparation but its significance surpasses the effort and time that is put in to it. Once a smooth running classroom is achieved, a teacher will spend less time disciplining students and will be able to channel any extra time in to activities that are beneficial to the students such as extra teaching as well as having beneficial interactions with the students. In a classroom situation, there are measures and customs which must be established for the effective management of a classroom. Measures or rather procedures are those activities that “the teacher wants done” while customs or routine in other words are things that “the students do automatically” without being told to do them. These two are not rules. They are simply a manner of doing things that pertain to classroom management (Curington, 1999). They are not written guidelines either but they are universal. For instance, the manner in which a teacher starts his/her lessons, for instance by “putting a starter activity on the blackboard” is something that students learn and expect to happen every day (Hattie, 2009). The students therefore learn the custom of getting into the class every day, getting out their books and pens and completing the starter activity. This is because they already know what is expected of them. Once manners and customs or rather “procedures and routines” are established, it is easier for both teacher and students to get to work quickly without requiring further orders and this saves time both for the teacher and the students. Instead of getting into class and sitting to wait for their teacher, the students begin learning on their own the moment they sit down. This also gives the teacher time to carry out other duties such as taking attendance by means of a seating chart. Classroom management therefore saves time and creates time for performing other activities (Curington, 1999). Once the students finish with their starter activities, they will know what to move on to since the teacher will post the activities of the day in the exact same place every day therefore avoiding confusion. A teacher who efficiently manages his/her classroom tells his/her students what they will learn throughout their semester on the first day of a new unit depending on the level of students. In the process he/she demonstrates what he/she wants or expects of them, and helps them practice the skills that will be crucial in teaching that unit (Curington, 1999). He/she will also test them after practicing with them. The purpose of these tests is not to catch the students making mistakes but to build their confidence in tests (Hattie, 2009). It is not a strange thing to find students who have a fear for test in ineffectively managed classrooms because in those, the word test is a bad word. Classroom management therefore fosters and builds the confidence of students in what they have learned as well as that of the teacher in what his/her students can do and achieve (Curington, 1999). Ineffective teachers impact negatively on the students with time in terms of accomplishments. On the other hand teachers, who are capable of practicing effective “classroom management skills”, who have fostered effective methods of communicating with their students and who are practical, are the sole main significant feature in the process of student growth (Marzano, et al, 2003). According to Marzano et al, students in classes that are taught by teachers who are considered to be highly effective are capable of achieving 52 percentile points in their subjects annually while their counterparts in classes taught by teachers who are considered to be least effective are only able to achieve a meager 14 percentile points annually (Marzano, et al, 2003). Some researchers have projected a rather dramatic gain of about 6 percentile points with maturation from least effective teachers to most effective teachers annually (Hattie, 2009). Least effective teachers therefore add very little to the growth of their students’ ability and understanding. A well managed classroom therefore creates a suitable environment where students can gain confidence and mature. Teachers have the right strategies and skills that they use in their practice. For a teacher to be effective, he/she must be able to utilize them to achieve success in their teaching. In an effectively managed classroom, the teacher is able to know the right time to apply these strategies such as “homework, questions or advance organizers and so on” (Marzano, et al, 2003). In addition to this, the teacher will also be able to know when he/she can use these strategies and be able to identify which ones should be used on which students and at what level since students display different learning abilities, as well as identify the precise content that should be applied in specific cases (Marzano, et al, 2003). Different lessons require different approaches too and in a well managed classroom a teacher is able to identify which approaches best suit his/her students and therefore achieve results. In an effectively managed classroom, a teacher is also able to recognize and express an appropriate progression and speed in the application of content. This means that instead of relying solely on the provisions of the ministry of education or the district or whatever education governing body determines education matters or whatever is in the textbook, the teacher will be able to consider the personal and communal needs of his/her students. In an effectively managed classroom, the teacher is also able to identify the content that needs intense emphasis and the most appropriate way of presenting it so that the students can understand and be at ease with it. An effectively managed classroom therefore encourages order and achievement of desirable results for both teacher and students (Marzano, et al, 2003). Effective teaching strategy and high-quality classroom program of study design otherwise known as curriculum design can only be achieved if they are built on the strong basis of classroom management (Marzano, et al, 2003). According to Marzano et al, “effective classroom management has been recognized as a crucial element in effective teaching. If a teacher cannot obtain students' cooperation and involve them in instructional activities, it is unlikely that effective teaching will take place ... In addition, poor management wastes class time, reduces students' time on task and detracts from the quality of the learning environment” (Marzano, et al, 2003, pg. 13). A teacher who is capable of systematizing his/her classroom and control the activities of his or her students will be able to achieve constructive outcomes in terms of performance both for him / her and the students as well. Although classroom management on its own cannot be able to give an assurance of success, it creates and environmental background in which effective teaching can take place. In return, highly effectual teaching will be able to lessen if not abolish behavioral difficulties in classroom settings (Emmer & Stough, 2001). Research has also evidenced to the fact that classroom management capabilities momentously persuade the perseverance of new teachers to remain in the teaching career (Ingersoll & Smith, 2003). Teachers who are not well versed in classroom management often find it difficult to cope with and handle students and are therefore rendered ineffective. Teachers often leave the teaching profession due to inability to manage classrooms (Ingersoll & Smith, 2003). Conclusion It is clear from the above that teachers can have a major impact on their students’ achievement if they can manage classrooms effectively. It is also clear that of all the roles that a teacher performs, - choosing strategies of teaching, curriculum designing and classroom management, classroom management is debatably the basis of them all. Research on the topic has been able to illustrate this. References Curington, L. (1999). Importance of Classroom Management. Retrieved June 2, 2012, from eHow mom: http://www.ehow.com/about_6653161_role-soft-skills-effective-teaching.htm Emmer, T., & Stough, M. (2001). Classroom Management: A critical part of educational psychology, with implications for teacher education. Educational Psychologist , 100-112. Hattie, J. (2009). Visible Learning: A Synthesis of over 800Meta-Analyses relating to Achievement. New York: Routledge. Ingersoll, M., & Smith, M. (2003). The wrong solution to the teacher shortage. Educational Leadership, 60 (8) , 28-35. Marzano, R., Marzano, J., & Pickering, D. (2003). Classroom management that works : research-based strategies for every teacher. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Read More