5. Learning Environment: the teacher fosters and manages a safe and inclusive learning environment that takes into account: physical, emotional and intellectual well-being.

5.4 Managing Student Behavior:

For students to be successful the teacher must first create a classroom environment that is safe for all students and that nurtures learning.  Good classroom management is a necessity for an effective classroom in which learning takes place. Classroom management is “the actions and strategies teachers use to solve the problem of order in classrooms” (Emmer and Stough, pg. 103) and is focused on what and how students “do” things in the classroom. For a classroom to run smoothly, students must be informed as to what is expected of them.  Expectations must be clear and precise. It is also beneficial for students to feel involved in the process, providing them with a sense of control in their classroom life.

 Recently, I was fortunate enough to observe a coworker’s classroom and was impressed with the discussion/management strategy I encountered there. The classroom was an eighth-grade Social Studies classroom studying the Constitution and people’s rights. Using the lesson topic of rights, the teacher allowed students to express their grievances and wants, as well as, propose changes to classroom expectations. For example, the students wanted the ability to keep their binders on their tables during class. The established class rule prohibited this. The teacher amended the class rule providing the students could show responsibility and not have their binders be distractions. The teacher provided clear and precise expectations of how and when binders are used in order for students to maintain their new right. The teacher in this regard gave the students a sense of voice and control in their classroom life.

Another inspired and creative use of classroom management was this teacher’s Samurai Wall. In establishing student expectations at the beginning of the year, this teacher used Samurai warriors and their code of honor as a basis of behaviors and respect expected in his classroom. The teacher created a Samurai Wall in which all student’s names were placed. Students then maintain their place on the wall with positive behavior. Multiple negative behaviors result in being removed from the wall. Students then must earn back their “honor” through positive actions. This method of classroom management both reinforces positive behaviors and requires the student to reflect on their actions.

In my own classroom, I can employ the same technique of discussing expectations and allowing students a voice. A regularly scheduled meeting for expectation management would also be beneficial. It would include both me expressing areas of my concern and my students expressing their thoughts and concerns. A guiding though in my future classroom management strategies is  just as students learn through trial and error so too do teachers. Teachers must be willing to try various strategies, make errors, and try again to find the strategies and techniques that work best for instruction and assessment in their classrooms.  Classroom dynamics are apt to change throughout the year, expectations need to be revisited, re-established and amended keeping in mind the needs of all students.

Reference

Emmer, E. T., & Stough, L. M. (2001). Classroom Management: A Critical Part of Educational Psychology, With Implications for Teacher Education. Educational Psychologist, 36(2), 103-112. doi:10.1207/s15326985ep3602_5