Managing classroom Challenge - Assignment Example

Psychology Managing room Challenge The teachers might come across numerous challenges within the educational process. Among them, there is a problem of class management, forming the proper attitude towards the teacher him/herself and the subject learned in students. Usually, this issue is especially relevant for classes with children from poor families, but, however it poses difficulties even for classes where children don’t come from low-income families (Wexler, 2014). Lack of discipline or children’s willingness to learn might have a negative impact on general academic performance and learning outcomes in the whole class and lead to underachievement as well as unfavorable results of teaching.

Thus, organization of the educational process with consideration of students’ peculiarities and behaviors is of great importance.To my thinking, one of the key instructional strategies to be applied in class, especially on primary educational stages, is reinforcing effort and providing recognition. Applying this strategy is helpful in turning students into “independent, strategic learners” (Alberta Learning, 2002); moreover, it can help to influence the class without harsh methods and sanctions, preventing such necessity beforehand.

However, I suppose it should be combined with such elements as establishing good relations between the teacher and the students. As the relationships between a teacher and students might affect the latters’ willingness to learn and comply with the rules (Gregory & Ripski, 2008), it is important to develop implement an instructional strategy (probably, any of them) based on this point. Successful answers are to be rewarded properly (Haberkorn), as well as bad behavior and performance should have proper response on the part of the teacher.

The strategy of reinforcing effort is based on behaviorist learning theories and helps develop the understanding of relations between efforts and achievements (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). As behaviorist approach is repeated through the demonstration of the cause-effect relations between efforts and rewards, students develop right attitudes and beliefs about learning. As a possible option, the teacher could encourage students to track their efforts and achievement on the spreadsheets, assessing both in some scores.

If children see the direct relation between efforts (that are, in fact, a display of their behavior) and rewards for them, the stimuli will lead their behavior in the right direction. The teacher can use various types of rewards as motivation, however, abstract reward is more efficient than tangible one (Fries-Gaither, 2010). Praise is a good tool in applying the discussed strategy, but it must be used effectively, so that the learner understands importance not only of an achievement, but efforts, too.

“The learner will repeat the desired behaviour if positive reinforcement (a pleasant consequence) follows the behavior” (Dunn, 2000).This strategy is directly connected with the behaviorist theories of learning that revolve around operant conditioning. Within the framework of behaviorism as a learning theory, the emphasis is laid on importance of nurture and learned behavior. According to behaviorists, individual differences are the result of different types of reinforcement (Bergin, 2011).

The learner is initially passive, absorbing the models of behavior he/she is taught and responding to stimuli. Either positive or negative reinforcement act like the factors increasing the probability of behavior’s repetition, whereas punishment decreases it. Effort reinforcement instructional strategy is one of the applications of behaviorism in teaching, as it implements this theory in class activity: a student will surely prepare for lessons and answer correctly, if a praise follows, and he/she is likely to avoid missing classes for no particular reason or cone unprepared as these behaviors are followed by punishment.

The use of this strategy is highly effective and widely practiced, because it is a core instructional strategy related to teaching: it draws connections and relations between the students’ performance and the impact produced on them by the teacher. Moreover, effort reinforcement is the primary appropriate strategy to be applied to handle the challenge of class management and make students comply with the rules. References:Alberta Learning. (2002) Instructional Strategies. Retrieved November 8, 2014 from: https://education.alberta.ca/media/352984/is.

pdfBergin, C. C., Bergin, D. A. Child and Adolescent Development in Your Classroom. -Wadsworth Publishing Company, 2011.Dunn, L. (2000) Theories of Learning. Retrieved November 8, 2014 from: http://www.brookes.ac.uk/services/ocsld/resources/theories.htmlFries-Gaither, J. (2010) Effort, Praise, and Achievement: What Research Says to the Elementary Teacher. Retrieved November 8, 2014 from: http://beyondpenguins.ehe.osu.edu/issue/polar-explorers/effort-praise-and-achievement-what-research-says-to-the-elementary-teacherGregory A.

, Ripski M. (2008). Adolescent Trust in Teachers: Implications for Behavior in the High School Classroom. School Psychology Review, 37(3), 337-353. http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.orgHaberkorn, J. Cognitivist and Behaviorist Teachers. Retrieved November 8, 2014 from: http://lrs.ed.uiuc.edu/students/jhaberkorn/edpsy399ol/l11q4.htmlPitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007) Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.Wexler, Natalie. (2014) “The challenge of classroom management”, The Washington Post.

Retrieved November 8, 2014 from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/all-opinions-are-local/wp/2014/01/11/the-challenge-of-classroom-management/