Classroom Management Practise

Education has always become a central issue in our nation and communities
regardless of the different ethnics that we have. The communities place high
hopes in the teachers in ensuring the success of the young generations. Thus,
teachers have to do their best in all aspects of their teaching so that the pupils
will be able to learn effectively. Classroom management is one of the aspects
that should be taken into a serious consideration by the teachers. Classroom
management can be defined as the various methods and strategies used by
teachers in order to provide a conducive learning environment which later will
ensure the success of the pupils learning.
The term classroom management is used to describe how teachers manage their
classroom and the pupils so that stressful situations can be avoided; and the
pupils are learning topics and subjects effectively. Classroom management will
differ from one teacher to another. This is because different teachers have
different personalities, teaching styles and preparedness. Teachers have to be
prepared before going into the classroom, have to motivate pupils, to provide
effective discipline routines and to make pupils feel comfortable.
There are many effective strategies that can be used to manage a classroom.
ne of the strategies is to carefully prepare the lesson before entering the
classroom. The teacher has to master the content and knows what he!she is
going to teach during the lesson. The teacher should also think of the lesson
stages so that the lesson would flow smoothly from the beginning until the end. "f
the teacher fails to prepare, the pupils could detect his!her weakness and this will
allow them to disrupt and cause behavioural problems while the teacher is
planning the lesson. Thus, teachers should be prepared beforehand in order to
avoid any problems in the classroom.
" applied the theory of "nstructional #anagement by $acob %ounin in my
teaching. &eid '())*+ underscored that the basis of the model is for teacher to be
organi,ed, prepared, and use proactive behavioral management combined with
high student involvement with the goal of leading to a more effective classroom
while minimi,ing disruptive behavior. -ccording to .avis '()/0+, &ipple Effect
refers to the situation in which when one pupils1 behavior is corrected, it often
influences another student1s behavior nearby. There were two pupils who talked
to each other while the other pupils was answering my 2uestion. " called those
two pupils to come to the front of the class and asked them the meanings of the
words. " used the pupils as an e3amples to prevent other pupils from repeating
the same incorrect behaviour while " was teaching them.
-part from that, at the beginning of the year, the teacher can teach the pupils
about the behaviours that are e3pected from them in the classroom. The teacher
can create classroom rules and ask pupils for their agreement. This strategy will
ensure that the pupils know how to behave in the classroom. The teacher needs
to remind the pupils about the rules from time to time so that they are aware of
their classroom rules. The teacher can apply the responsive classroom approach
as the classroom management strategy. "n this approach, the pupils are
encouraged to be active in academic choice making. This includes assisting the
teacher in creating classroom rules. The pupils involvement helps to reduce the
need for classroom discipline and pupils will no longer be passive in the
classroom. " have practised this during my lesson and it really help me to face
the pupils as they also confident to learn something new from me. " need to be
confident in e3ecuting the rules because only confident teachers will gain respect
from the pupils. 4y being confident, " can terminate unnecessary conversations,
off5topic discussions and disruptive behaviour. This in turn will help the teacher to
manage the pupils easily and behavioural problems could be reduced.
-nother strategy in classroom management is to make sure that the pupils feel
safe in an environment which motivates them to achieve. This is the time when
classroom discipline plays its role as it creates safe environment for both pupils
and the teacher. The teacher can deliver effective lesson while the pupils are
able to receive 2uality education without any distractions from their peers. The
teacher can adopt a method called developmental approach which was designed
by #arilyn 6atson and her colleagues. The strategies in this discipline method
include indirect control, reminders and social behaviour teaching.
"ndirect control re2uires " need the pupils focus. " can also teach social
behaviour from time to time whenever a conflict or confusion occurs in the
classroom. This method can be used to overcome fidgeting pupils who are
unable sit still in the classroom. " need to teach the proper sitting style and to
make them aware of their fidgeting. " can also create a behaviour modification
chart and then praise the pupils for their improved behaviour.to arrange the
classroom environment in a way that encourages pupils to remain focused. 7lus,
8reminders involve using facial and hand gestures to redirect.
"n addition, there is a harsher type of discipline to cater the aggressive pupils.
These pupils tend to have personality conflicts with their classmates and might
lash out when frustrated. The teacher can try to identify their body language and
verbal tones before they react physically and to respond to their actions calmly.
9owever, the teacher can also adopt a harsher type of discipline such as time
out, detention or withdrawing privileges. 6atson stated that this method is a form
of power assertion and to emphasise to the pupils that education is important for
their success in the future.
#oreover, " need to engage the pupils with the lesson. This is to determine
whether the classroom is well5managed or vice versa. " had to ensure that all
pupils are engaged with their tasks by moving around and checking if the pupils
are doing the task. " also need to ask 2uestions fre2uently to the pupils in order
to check on their understanding of the topic taught. The pupils have to be
checked from time to time whether or not they are paying attention when the
teacher is teaching. These strategies are crucial for the teacher to e3ecute in
order to have a well5managed classroom.
"n addition, there are another three factors in ensuring effective classroom
management. :mith and ;aslene '/***+ stated that the learner control system,
the involvement of learners and the academic development of learners are the
factors linked to effective classroom practice. The learner control system involves
using rewards, praise and appreciation as replacement of punishment or ill words
as the conse2uence of misbehaviour. The involvement of learners is important
because pupils need to be given a position of responsibility to run educational
activities, be it in the classroom or outside of the classroom. The academic
development of the learners means the e3istence of effective schools, positive
use of homework, clear academic goals and effective teachers will help to
develop the pupils learning. "n short, if the teacher were able to apply all the
methods stated by :mith and ;aslene, then the classroom management will not
become a major problem to the teacher.
" implemented effective techni2ue in managing the classroom through the reward
system. " praised the pupils with the words such as very good when they
succeeded to give the accurate answers to my 2uestions. :antrock '()/)+
highlighted that the application of encouraging and supportive words is crucial as
this can be a sort of motivation for them to participate in teaching and learning
activities. 9owever, if the pupils answered the 2uestions wrongly, " still award
them with praise or constructive replies like < "t is a =ice try>? and <Thank you for
trying>?. These type of positive reinforcement are definitely vital to avoid reducing
their self5esteem or confidence in giving responses to the teachers 2uestions.
" noticed that a few pupils have made noise during the lesson. The used of oral
instruction in dealing with the problem by uttering the sentence of lend me your
ears in louder voice when pupils were talking during the lesson. " kept repeated
the same direction when the pupils continued to make noise. The rationale of
teacher in using such method was to attract the attention of the pupils to the
teaching and learning activity. This action is also taken by the teacher to
overcome the inappropriate behaviour which can cause disruption to the teaching
and learning process of other pupils in the classroom.
Therefore, " would like to suggest one way to handle this problem more
efficiently. 7levin '()/(+ mentioned that teacher may use visual reminder of noise
levels such as coloured cards or traffic lights or a noise level meter to reduce the
niose in classroom. 6hen green is up the noise level in the room is fine. range
can be used by the teacher as the warning that indicates the level is too high and
needs to drop immediately. "f it does not drop after an agreed time, red card
finally goes up. "f the cards is shown as red, teacher ought to stop the activity.
Then, take a minute off break and insist on silent working for five minutes.
-part from that, there is a suggestion of using more interesting way to teach the
contents of the lesson to the pupils. The common techni2ue used by the teacher
such as 2uestion and answer session and copying the sentences in the e3ercise
books may cause boredom to pupils as many teachers have done these in their
teachings. 4lodget '()))+ concluded that songs and activities can be used either
to introduce new material or reinforce previously learned material. The very
young children such @ear Two pupils undeniably need more ama,ing teaching
materials which can stimulate their interests to learn second language more
easily and effectively. pportunities to cooperate in singing games, action songs,
and movement to music are the early childhood active learning precursors to
thinking, problem5solving, and memory 'Carlton, ()/(+.
#oreover, " included peer guidance in my teaching. The aim of implementing this
method in teaching @ear ( English in E:; classroom is to assist weaker pupils in
responding correctly to the teacher1s 2uestions. Aor e3ample, " asked the
meaning of the words like smash to one of the pupils in the class. 9e was unable
to find the accurate answer for that 2uestion. " then asked the pupil with higher
level of proficiency to go that weak pupil1 place and whispered the correct answer
to him. The pupil then needed to repeat the answer to the class. lsen '()//+
concluded that peer education has a strong emphasis on personal development
and can be particularly effective in allowing low achieving pupils to fully
participate and succeed in a wider range of educational activities.
"n conclusion, " need to applied relevant theories to manage my classroom
effectively. These refer to the theories of instructional management by $acob
%ounin and assertive tactics by ;ee Canter and #arlene Canter. 4oth theories
were used by me as an alternative to address classroom1s disciplines through
instruction with appropriate behavior taught in a routine and systematic manner.