Pre & Primary Teacher Training

Phase - 4

Classroom Management
An ideal classroom environment is where the students are free to explore and are willing to
learn because they want to, not because they are expected to. Students should be taught
what they consider important, but at the same time follow the standards. Students need to
be encouraged into becoming what they are capable of by offering choice and variety
instead of being bossed around to memorize mere facts. Life is all about the choices we
make daily and that is why it is important to include the non-coercive discipline in the
classroom.

Children learn through positive reactions from others and incentives to do their personal
best. Students must be given encouragement to complete a task and then rewarded so they
know they did it for a reason. Rewards must not be tangible every time. Simple praise or a
smile will satisfy too.

The breathing technique of Fred Jones has been very well accepted and well appreciated. It
helps in calming the mind before speaking nonsense or angry words. Physical proximity and
other body language, aids in gaining students' attention. Humans automatically have a
yearning for positive atmospheres.

It is believed that in order to implement an effective classroom management plan, both the
students and the teacher must work together in order to co-create effective discipline
solutions to correct behaviour. Kagan, Kyle, and Scott do just that with their Win-Win
Discipline plan. Both the students and the teacher work together to improve behaviour by
meeting the basic needs of life. By using this method students learn self-validation, self-
confidence, self-control, self-determination, self-direction, self-motivation, and how to self-
inform. Students first need a chance to evaluate their behavior before authority such as
the Principal or the parents are called.

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Responsibility within the classroom is a major key role which all students will learn. As
stated before, life is about choices, but all choices have consequences and we must learn to
take responsibility of the choices we make. Everyone makes mistakes and students should
realize that. Everyone must have some sort of incentive to want to do something. If
nothing comes out of it in the end, the task will be dreadful and may take longer to
complete. Students gain a sense of accomplishment when that specific duty is completed
and they feel that accomplishment as their reward.

Students should be treated with respect and dignity and expect them to return that value
and pass it on. Teachers should concentrate on creating an environment where everyone
listens to others. Humor and choices will be major in the classroom. It is important to
believe in the "leave it at the door" policy and continue to start fresh each day. If a child is
left with the impression that what he did on Monday will still affect him on Wednesday, he
will be more likely to give up. Curwin and Mendler say that students feel that it is better to
stop trying then to continuously fail, so they give up on school work. It is important not to
degrade any student of their dignity.

Creating a Learning Environment for Young Children

(Pre-primary Level Age group 2-5 years)

Effective preschool classrooms are places where children feel well cared for and safe. These
are places where children are valued as individuals and where their need for attention,
approval, and affection are supported. These are also places where children can be helped
to acquire a strong foundation in the knowledge and skills needed for school success.

o Young children need teachers who welcome all children to their classrooms,
including children from various cultures, children whose first language is not
English, and children who have disabilities.
o Young children need teachers who take time to work with them individually,
in small groups, and sometimes with the entire class—to help them develop

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 their cognitive and social skills, their language abilities, and their interest in
learning new things about the world.
o Young children need instruction to develop the thinking, language, and early
literacy skills needed for continued school success.
 Effective preschool teachers and child-care providers:
o Know when children can figure out new ideas and concepts on their own and
when it is important to explain things to them step-by-step.
o Encourage children to participate in classroom activities and to honour the
classroom rules.
o Listen to what the children say and expand upon their language, building
their vocabulary and background knowledge.
o Know when to teach directly, when to provide time for exploration and
discovery, when to practice skills, and when to encourage creativity.
o Plan activities that have a purpose and that challenge children.
o Know how to help children learn to work together and to resolve their
conflicts.
o Encourage children to respect each other’s time and personal belongings.
o Provide many opportunities for conversations between and among children
and with adults.
o Know how to establish and maintain order in a classroom but in a manner
that permits the children to learn how to participate in and enjoy learning.
o Arrange the classroom in a way that enhances their work with children and
how the children spend their time.

Communicating with Parents and Caregivers

As a teacher, you and the children’s parents and caregivers are partners in helping to get the
children ready for future school success. Good communication with parents and caregivers
can build support for and strengthen the important work that you are doing in the
classroom.
It is important for you to communicate with parents and caregivers because:

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• They will have a better understanding of how you are helping to prepare their children for
success in school.
• They will learn how well their children are progressing in developing the building blocks of
learning.
• They will learn ways in which they can help their children at home.
• You will have a better understanding of the backgrounds and experiences of the children.
• The children will see that the adults in their lives care about them and are interested in
their learning and development.

Classroom Arrangement
 Furniture should be arranged in a way so that it caters to the safety
measures.
 Classroom should be divided between recreation and work area.
 All seating arrangements should be comfortable and safe. Ideally a U or V
shaped seating arrangement works best for the students as well as teacher
movement.
 Classroom should have soft boards to display children’s work.
 All materials displayed should be at the children’s eye level.
 The classroom should have a library corner with picture/story books which
should be changed at regular intervals.

Sample Time-Table for one day (Pre Primary)

 9.15 to 9.30 Arrival / greeting and putting away bags

 9.30 to 10.20 Outdoor – free play with all equipment and toys –
jungle gym, slides, swings, merry-go-round, tricycles, bats
and balls, sand play and water play.
 Organized outdoor games. Exercises with jogging in circles –
songs for exercise (Science experiments; easel painting and
dramatization too may be carried out on some days – all
pertaining to the theme)

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  10.20 to 10.45 Introduction of the theme and concepts of color, shapes,
numbers and words all pertaining to the theme of the day.
 10.45 to 11.05 Snacks
 11.05 to 11.40 Indoor – Free-play with puzzles, blocks and other fine motor
activities – creative activities – science – library books.
 11.40 to 12.00 Story, science, rhymes and songs
 12.00 to 12.30 Departure

ALTERNATE TIME TABLE

(Pre Primary)
Duration of working days is 2 ½ to 3 hours per day for five working days. Thereshould be no
rigid timetable. The timetable, which is planned only to help theteacher to organize all the
activities through the day should be flexible.

Prayer10 minutes
Outdoor free-play and organized play 30 minutes
Specific activities related to the theme 20 minutes
Snacks break 20 minutes

Indoor free-play with toys 20 minutes

Readiness
Activity (mathematics/language/science) 20 minutes
Creative Activity 30 minutes
Story and action songs 30 minutes

Total 180 minutes a week

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Classroom management for Primary Level (Age group- 6-12 years)

It is important that teachers deploy effective organizational practices to hold the attention
of their students and maintain classroom control.

 Being Aware of School Policies

Being Aware of School Policies helps the teacher as she knows what exactly to expect
from her students, and the kind of discipline she can enforce in the classroom.
 Laying Rules
Before laying rules in the classroom, it is a good idea to discuss them with the
students to ensure that they understand each rule. It is important that the rule is kept short
and students understand the need for that rule. The rules most often involve paying
attention, respect for others, excessive noise, securing materials and completion of
homework assignments. Involve the students in rule formation.
 Setting Class Environment
A teacher needs to know the students by name. If she finds that difficult, she may
keep a list of names. Calling a student by his or her name not only renders greater class
control but also gives a sense of well-being to the student.
 Firm and Consistent Behavior
A teacher needs to be firm yet supportive and friendly with students. A firm teacher
can provide an environment where the students feel safe and secure.
Consistency in the behaviour is also important as students often get confused with
inconsistent behaviour.
 Create a bulletin board to display exceptionally good work.
Students love having work displayed publicly for parents and friends to view. This
may be done by covering a section of the wall with colored paper, surrounding paper with
a border, and placing a "phrase of praise" across the top.
 Develop small award certificates or badges to be awarded on a weekly basis.
A teacher needs to recognize the efforts made by the students. Recognition of
confident speakers, ready listeners, good writers, diligent workers, faithful friends with

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more than a pat on their back can instill confidence in the teacher as well as endeavour in
the students in the class.
 Praise
A teacher needs to praise his students in front of other teachers as well his peers.
Since students need consistent affirmation they need to be praised often.
Students should be encouraged to praise their peers for their good effort and qualities. This
reduces their tendency to make fun of each other. Praise should be genuine and sincere.
 Evaluation and Correction
Since the goal of teaching is the students' learning, mistakes may be marked and
students may be guided to improve performance by correcting errors. Teachers may use
motivational stickers freely, for the encouragement of students.

The Ideal Teacher!!!

Successful teachers need to be good learners. He/She needs to work on the abilities in order
to enhance his qualities. There are some basic things that a teacher needs to follow, which
make tremendous difference in managing a class.
The teacher needs to be respectful to the students at all times and be realistic about what
they are capable of doing. He or she should treat all pupils with equality. Good voice
projection is important. The pace, rate of delivery and clarity of speech should be such that
it is audible by all students. Nonverbal communication is important in classes where
students may not have all the skills they need to decipher verbal language. A teacher needs
to keep in mind some important points:

 Should be confident, optimistic, and warm and exhibit it.

 Explain difficult words and phrases with aid of nonverbal gestures.
 Make frequent eye contact with all students in the class.
 Be movable in the class and not remain planted in one place.
 Be aware of the culture and customs followed by the students.
 Dress up in conformity with the culture of the country.

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Classroom Atmosphere
Classrooms need to be a secure, comfortable and relaxed place in order to encourage
learning.

A teacher needs to
1. Be prepared, organized and take charge of the class.
2. Respect students and listen to them. Accept their vocabulary with errors.
3. Establish routines in the classroom for it fosters familiarity and security.
4. Make students responsible by assigning them tasks like cleaning the
blackboard, distributing books, sharpening pencils, collecting exercise books.
5. Motivate students to perform better, than engaging them in competition.

Negotiating Rules
It is important for the children to realize and accept responsibility for their
behaviour. Teachers can assist the students in correcting their behaviour and not be
judgmental. Yet to make their behaviour more effective, it is important that the children be
involved in the process of disciplining their behaviour.

In cases where students are breaking the discipline of the class, it is wiser to send
them on detention or have them out of the class with one or more worksheets. They need
to write or devise a plan on how they can change themselves so that they are allowed into
the class. Only when the teacher approves of this plan should they be allowed back inside
the class.

Respect Lesson
Everyone deserves to be respected and one cannot respect others unless one
respects oneself. Each person needs to feel good about him in order to get along well with
others. Yet there are days that do not move according to our wishes or rather against us.
Even on those days we have to maintain a balance, even if we are not feeling very good

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about ourselves, we need to treat people with respect. When you automatically treat
people with respect, you help everyone feel better about themselves.

How can I treat people with respect automatically?

1. Ignore them when they say or do something that hurts their feelings.
2. Don't argue or fight with someone who is obviously not feeling good about
him/herself.
3. Overlook it when someone is trying to tease you to get you mad.
4. Don't say things in anger, count till ten before speaking or don't say
anything until the anger has passed.
5. Don't say negative things. You have a right to your opinions, but you do not
have the right to express it.
6. Always try to think of everyone as doing the best they can-see everyone as
the best that they can be.
7. Put yourself in the other person's place and try to understand what their
point-of-view is.
8. Treat others as you would like to be treated.

Talking Lesson
Time is one of the most invaluable things we have. Since the amount of time in a
class is not sufficient to help to do all things planned, any disruption in the class is equal to
losing valuable time. That is not fair to the teacher, to the classmates or to oneself. A
student needs to understand that it is okay to talk

1 If I raise my hand and the teacher calls on me.

2. If talking is necessary to complete my assignment.
3. If it is free time and I have completed my assignments.

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But I know that I must not talk:
1. When the teacher is talking.
2. When a student is asking or answering a question.
3. When the teacher has instructed the class to be quiet.

When a student talks or disrupts the class, he/she is wasting valuable learning time. He
needs to understand that.

Pair and Group Work

Since a teacher has to deal with groups of students daily in order to make his teaching
effective, he needs study group dynamics of small group. In a class pupils come from
different socio-economic backgrounds. If the teacher is well equipped with the basic
knowledge of group dynamics, he can provide better guidance for adjustment.

The analysis of socio-metric studies shows the following patterns of relationship among the
members of a class of children who are 8 years and above.
1. Stars: there are pupils in the class whom majority of the students like. They
are called the STARS of the class.
2. Isolates: the members of the class are indifferent towards these pupils. The
isolates make no choice and receive no choice.
3. Rejected: Pupils whom no member of the class likes or wants to be
associated with these receive only rejections.
4. Mutual Pairs: there are students who mentioned each other. There is
reciprocal relationship among mutual pairs of students.

Helping the Isolates:

A teacher can help the isolates by
1. Selecting those students who do not show aversion and form a small group
with the isolates.

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 2. Setting a task for them in which they are likely to succeed, boosting their
confidence.
3. Praising success moderately.
4. Find out skills and hobbies that the isolates show interest in, promise help
and try developing them.
5. Discuss the problem of the isolates and help try solving them.

To improve emotional climate of the class, a teacher can do the following: -

1. Free discussion should be occasionally arranged. Suggestions should be
invited from students to improve upon the existing conditions.
2. Teacher is a model for the students and her behaviour should be impartial;
she should provide help to individual students who need it.
3. The teacher should help students to understand each other in formal and
informal meeting.
4. Teacher can use group counseling to improve the emotional climate of the
class.
5. Tours and visits can be organized to bring the students closer to each other.

Classroom Language
Teacher should encourage speaking in English as much as possible.It may involve use of
mime, acting, and puppets to get the meaning across. Since teacher is the only source of
English the children should have the opportunity to hear the teacher for the better part of
their time in class.

The teacher's language should be simple, natural and at the level of the students. It is
important that meaning is conveyed by the tone of voice and body language. Some useful
phrases should be taught as phrases and not as words or structures. The children are
interested to know when they are used and help them to communicate meaningfully not
only in the classroom but outside it too. For example: Good morning/afternoon, Goodbye,
Can I . . .,please, Sorry I don't know, Whose turn is it, It's my, Pass the. . . ., please etc.

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The sooner the learners learn simple, meaningful expressions in English, the easier it will be
for the students. Classroom language is an important tool in helping the children become
less dependent on the teacher and the book.

Classroom Layout
The classroom may have a thematic unit, like the ocean, changed randomly throughout the
year. The backgrounds should becolourful and bright, and students’ works will decorate the
classroom. The teacher’s desk can be placed at the back because the student will be less
intimidated going to the back of the room asking for help rather than the front of the room.
Technology is a growing part of our society, thus it would be beneficial to have a computer
centre, so that students can get used to technology and learn about its uses. The desks can
be arranged in groups rather than individuals because group work will be stressed. The
groups are set in a v-shaped pattern so this way the students will be able to see the
chalkboard in the front.

A possible classroom setup

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The Teacher
In education, a teacher is a person who educates others. A teacher who educates an
individual student may also be described as a personal tutor. The role of teacher is often
formal and ongoing, carried out by way of occupation or profession at a school or other
place of formal education.

The qualities of a teacher

 The teacher understands and believes that the children must be free to choose their
own occupations, just as they never be interrupted in their spontaneous activities.
 No work may be imposed --- no threats, no rewards, no punishments.
 The teacher must be quiet and passive, waiting patiently and almost withdrawing
herself from the scene, so as to efface her own personality and thus allow plenty of
room for the child’s spirit to expand.
 The teacher’s appearance is the first step to gaining the child’s confidence and
respect.
 The teacher should study her own movements to make them as gentle and graceful
as possible.
 The child of this age idolizes his mother. The teacher herself is the most vital part of
his world. The teacher’s first duty is therefore to watch over the environment and
this takes precedence over all the rest. The teacher’s influence is indirect, but unless
it is not well done there will be no effective and permanent results of any kind –
physical, intellectual or spiritual.
 Considering the environment, how the teacher shall behave towards the children.
o The teacher must motivate the children.
o The teacher must amuse the children ----- by telling them stories, have some
games and songs ----- using nursery rhymes and poetry.
o The teacher who has a gift for charming the children can have them do
various exercises which even if they have no great value educationally, are
useful in calming the little children.

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Everyone knows that a lively teacher attracts more, than a dull one, and so we can all try to
be one.
The do’s and don’ts
 Give students clear-cut directions for expected behaviour.
 Apply logical consequences rather than arbitrary punishment.
 Allow students a say in establishing rules and consequences.
 Let students assume responsibility for their own behavior and learning.
 Be firm. Let students know that you are a friend, but that you will not accept certain
behavior.
 Set limits from the beginning, but work toward developing a sense of responsibility.
 Teach students to impose limits on themselves.
 Close an incident quickly and revive positive feelings.
 Forgive and forget.
 Mean what you say, but make simple demands.
 Always distinguish between the deed and the doer.
 Treat students as social equals.
 Encourage students' efforts.

Don’ts
Don’t act in ways that reinforce mistaken goals.
Do not nag and scold.
Do not find fault with students.
Don’t threaten students.
Do not ask students to make promises.
Don’t always try and praise students' work and character.
Never point out how much better the student could do.
Never encourage comparison with others.
Do not have double standards--one for you and another for your students.

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Classroom management: Finding solutions to difficult situations
This is tricky as it speaks of "attitude." A student might belittle
the instructor or engage in a battle of the wills. This student
would need to be privately told that their attitude was
confrontational and asked how this might be resolved
1. Undermining the instructor’s authority

mutually.

"Be careful not to read most questions about content,

interpretation, or assignments as a challenge of authority.
Acting as if they are not, even when you suspect they are, can
convey a sense of confidence and control. Sometimes merely
assuring the student, while smiling, that you have indeed
reflected on this issue at length and that they too will
understand soon why the information or the assignment is
valuable diffuses the situation. You may even want to
encourage them to ask the question again at a later date if
necessary."

Camps are divided as to whether or not students should ask

for permission to leave for bathroom breaks or wait for a
2. Leaving class too frequently

break in the class. I don’t require my students to limit their

bathroom breaks or ask permission, however, this is
contentious for some faculty when breaks are taken too
frequently. You might privately ask the student if everything is
OK so that they know that you are concerned by their
behaviour. Don’t assume disrespect – it might be a bladder
infection or some other physical problem.

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 If this is a repeated problem, students need to know that their
3. "Spacing Out" or Sitting With non-verbal behaviour is perceived as disinterest. You might
ask them after class if they need a more comfortable seat.
Back to Instructor

Some students are extremely shy and it might take half of the
semester before they open up enough to make sustained eye
contact or face the instructor completely. Remember also that
sustained eye contact is a culturally dictated practice that
might not be feasible for some students.

Poor hygiene, too much perfume, or other strong odors can be

4. Poor hygiene (possible cultural

distracting or even nauseating to students. The cause for the

odor might be in bathing preferences. This can be a real
considerations)

problem for some faculty while others will never encounter

the dilemma. I suggest letting the offending student know that
in close quarters, some students have issues with strong smell.
It might be suggested that for the course (not their outside of
class lives) that the odor be masked in some way.

Verbal or physical threats are serious matters. They are

physical threats

discussed in detail by experts in the field in "Handling Crisis."

5. Verbal or

As a general rule consult professional experts for assistance

immediately.

If decided upon by class, consequences for breaking this policy

6. Disruption - Gum, Food

might range from the loss of participation points to the

offender having to present on a topic of interest to the class.
etc.

Teachers need to abide by this rule as well and allow for at

least one mistake per student as accidents do happen from
oversight. The idea here is to prevent habitual disruption from
gum popping etc.

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 This is common but manageable. Many students are excited
and talkative so it might be good to give them a few class
7. Monopolizing Discussions
periods to settle in. However, if it’s evident right away that this
is a trend, it’s best to ask them to stay after class. You might
approach them initially by saying that you are pleased with the
amount of enthusiasm they have for discussion but were
hoping that they have suggestions for getting the other class
members equally involved. The student will most likely get
your drift with minimal humiliation.

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 Sleeping in class is usually considered rude. Most faculty
believe it should not be tolerated and is best curbed up front
by waking a sleeping student and asking them to step outside
with you. Once there faculty often tell students that it’s best
for the rest of the class if they return when they are awake
enough to be an active participant. This occurs from time to
time and you obviously are the one to choose lenience or
punitive action. If it’s one of your more regularly involved
students, perhaps give them an option of an extra credit
research assignment they can bring to your next class period
covering the subject matter they missed while they were
sleeping.
8. Sleeping in class

An alternative approach is to assume that the student does

not feel well, was up most of the night with a sick child, or has
some other condition that results in sleepiness when still for
long periods of time. You might simply choose to wake the
student and ask them if they are feeling alright. To pull this off
you need to approach it with true concern for the student's
health and well being. Most of the time, students are so
embarrassed and so appreciative of your genuine concern that
they don't let it happen again.
Encourage students to actively participate, take notes (explain
that this is helpful to their learning as it stimulates memory in
the brain) and in particularly long classes break up the session
with activities or paired conversations about a topic to ensure
that students stay engaged. Students don't learn much from
listening, so remember that the more they "experience" the
learning process the more you are really teaching.

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 There should be clear parameters set around this issue up

9. Repeated Tardiness
front – either in your syllabus or in the class decided norms.
Stick to your guns on the policy.
It might be best to discuss this with students individually;
some are habitually late because they are dependent on bus
routes or other drivers for transportation to school.
We cannot force students to speak in class nor participate in
10. Refusal to Participate or Speak

group projects. This can be addressed and become a win-win

situation by either giving the student alternative options to
verbal participation (unless it’s a speech class) or simply
carefully coaxing some response out of them and praising
whatever minimal effort you receive from them. Remember,
some students are terrified to be in a class setting –especially
if there are round tables rather than desks – allowing for little
anonymity.
This behaviour should be curbed as soon as it occurs. It’s never
11. Sexual Innuendo,

comfortable to tell a student that they aren’t being

Flirting, or Other
Inappropriate
Suggestion

appropriate and if you are uncomfortable, a short, positive e-

mail or phone call might suffice. Your response should be not
judgmental and you might discuss it with your department
chair or faculty mentor before broaching it with your student.
In some cultures, students work together to produce
homework. It may come as a shock to these students that they
12. Sharing/Copying Work

cannot submit identical work. This may also come as a surprise

to couples, parent-child, siblings, or close friends. Be careful to
give thought to how you will handle this before you encounter
it and react as if it were intentional cheating. This can also
occur when the class does a great deal of group work. Make
sure you are clear about what is individual vs. group work in
your assignments.

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 Depending upon the class and the student’s prior knowledge

13. Plagiarism or Lying of what plagiarism entails, some faculty issue an automatic F
for the first instance, then expulsion from the class with a
report to the department chair and division dean on a second
instance. Most colleges have specific policies. Be sure to know
your institution policy before taking action.
Plagiarism should be outlined in your syllabus with a reference
for students to the college catalog for more information.
Give 2-minute chat times for groups or before class begins let
14. Too Much Chit Chat

them know that you have material to be covered and that

their talking isn’t helping you achieve your goals for the class.
You must also know that some students occasionally translate
a word or phrase to a tablemate who might not have as strong
an understanding of English, be patient and observant when
curbing this behavior.
The reality is that sometimes students just won’t like you. You
will find yourself in a conversation with yourself about why
15. Disrespectful Behavior

they don’t like you and treat you with disrespect. Animosity
will perpetuate itself so remember your role and look for a
way to positively invite the student to engage more deeply in
the class. Perhaps offer them a special task based on a self-
disclosed talent; for instance, a student whose hobby is
Origami (Japanese paper folding) might lead a lesson on the
art of following instructions.

To start the process of social consciousness:-

The development of social consciousness and empathy are addressed in several ways in the
preschool program. The first step is to help the child recognize and express his own feelings
and emotions. We start by looking at pictures of children expressing different emotions and
we help the children label what the people in the pictures might be feeling. Then, when we

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have a real situation where a child is dealing with strong emotions, we first try to tune-in to
the child's feelings and listen to them with empathy. Then we acknowledge what is causing
the emotion and we help the child label how they are feeling. Finally, we help the child find
a resolution for their need.

Another process we use to help the children develop a sense of social consciousness and
responsibility is implemented when one child hurts another. If a child deliberately hurts
another child then an appropriate discussion takes place about other means to settle a
problem. However, the offending child is never told they must apologize for their action.
Children are often not sorry for their action and if we insist they say "I'm sorry", we just
taught them to lie to get out of trouble. Saying "I'm sorry" is modeled by the adults and if a
child voluntarily says "I'm sorry" they are acknowledged for it, but they are never forced to
say it. What we do instead is to have the offending child stay with the injured child until
they are O.K. If an ice pack or band aid is needed then the offending child is the one who
gets it. Both children sit next to each other until the injured child feels better. When it's
preschoolers that are sitting, the offending child keeps checking to see if the other child is
feeling better. Neither child goes back to play until the injured child is O.K. To help develop a
sense of social responsibility, the same process is followed even if the injury was accidental.

Role Models
The first three years of a child's life are pivotal in building the capacity of empathy, or
planting the seeds of violence, according to research by Bruce Perry of the Baylor College of
Medicine. He found that a large determinant as to which way a child's moral development
will go is how he is treated by his primary caregivers. Considering that, we remain mindful of
how important our part is as a role model,we strive to always present respectful and
appropriate behavior around the children. We also know that it is confusing for a child to
have conflicting role models in their lives. Therefore, to help create consistency where all of
the primary adults in the child's life are presenting the same model, we require parents in
our program to attend our parenting workshops. At the parenting workshops current
methods of child rearing are explored as well as a time to share your successes and

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struggles at home and learn what we are doing at school. Through this sharing we hope to
find the best method to address specific situations with each child.

Problem Behavior Resolution

Atmosphere and Environment

The Pre-primary School embraces Montessori educational philosophy. It rests on the

fundamental idea that children have a natural curiosity and love for knowledge. The
educator’s task in the Pre-primary is to motivate these internal desires, supply the materials
for the child’s manipulation and discoveries, and assist the students for learning at their
own pace. Self-discipline is acquired through absorption in meaningful activities. The
teacher’s role is that of a directress. She is a keen observer of individual interest and needs,
of the progress of each child, and is trained to recognize the periods of readiness and
present the correct usage of the materials corresponding to the child’s abilities. Thus, the
school becomes an enabling and enjoyable environment.

On any typical day in a classroom, you will see children working independently, hammering,
spooning, sorting, washing dishes, painting and preparing snack. You will also observe small
groups receiving direct instruction in math manipulative, word work, literacy and social and
physical sciences. Such tasks stimulate the development of the child’s concentration,
coordination, coordination and work habits, which are skills required in later years to learn
how to read, write and calculate. In a Montessori classroom there is always a busy hum, due
to the many different activities that go on at the same time. There is a general atmosphere
of respect, for one’s self, others and the environment.
Each child has her own periods of interest and of readiness for learning. Montessori called
these periods "sensitive periods". The sensitive periods are phases of a child's life when one
specific skill or characteristic is more intense or dominant. The phases are different from
each other and its appearance will vary from one child to another. The Montessori Method
permits a child to use her "sensitive periods" by choosing work under close teacher
observation and guidance as needed.

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The directress will redirect the child who chooses materials that are above his abilities. This
is because failure is discouraging. The teacher will also encourage those children who are
hesitant, for the child should always be challenged to work at his utmost capacity.

On seeing a mistake, the teacher, if possible, will refrain from interfering, giving the child a
chance to find his own mistake by further use of the self-correcting materials. A new
presentation of the skill in need of reinforcement will be given at another time.
In a Montessori classroom there is always a busy hum due to the many different activities
that go on at the same time. Self-discipline is acquired through absorption in meaningful
activity. The busy child seldom misbehaves. The misbehaving child is led by the teacher to
choose work that will fully absorb his attention.
The Montessori program is purposefully structured from simple to complex. The younger
children will work with materials designed to prepare them for future work with the more
advance materials. The child of 3 will work with materials to develop his concentration,
coordination and working habits. These skills are necessary for reading, writing and
calculating.

The environment is carefully prepared. It is designed to put the children at ease, to allow
them freedom of choice and of movement. The materials are attractive, placed on low
shelves, at the child's level. The children also work on rugs on the floor, which is a natural
and comfortable position for them.
There is a general atmosphere of respect, for one's self, others and the environment.

Because of the individual levels of work and respect for each child's abilities, a non-
competitive atmosphere is fostered. Competition should only take place after the child has
gained enough confidence in his basic skills.

Children work at different paces and mature at different rates. The Montessori environment
does not hinder the more advanced nor pushes the slower. It nourishes the child's desire to

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learn, giving the child the freedom to develop at his/her own rate through the manipulation
of educating materials.

The basic goals of a Montessori classroom are to foster:

Independence
Concentration
A sense of order
A work cycle
Perceptual Motor Development
Oral Language
Foundations for written language and Mathematics
Children’s personalities develop through their relationship with their environment. Being
integrated in a group allows children to make contacts and find friends. Children need to
experience a community into which they can bring their own personality and in which they
can create changes.

Play is a very important element of learning. By learning to concentrate and develop staying
power in games, children create a solid foundation for later on in school as well. Subsequent
success in school partly depends on how intensively children are able to develop their
curiosity.

Our perspective is holistic. Children perceive their surroundings with all their senses.
Thinking, feeling, wanting and taking action are closely connected and influence each other.
Learning by doing, through experience and understanding, is essential.

The External Environment

As the environment in the class is structured and safe, similarly the external environment
has to be safe so that the children do not get injured. No sharp objects should be there and

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at the same time an adult always has to be there in order to keep an eye on the children.
The outer environment should be clean and free from dust.

Mixed Groups
Handling Mixed abilities in Class

Effective Learning
As a teacher, our aim is to reach all of our students. However, it is well known that every
student has a different way of learning, and learns and progresses at different speeds. Thus,
while some students may find the learning task very easy to deal with, others may find it
difficult to understand. Besides, learning also depends on what students have brought with
them into class. Since each comes from a different family, a different environment and/or a
different nation, the multi-cultural population of the classroom may be an obstacle for the
teachers in reaching the students, which eventually results in ineffective learning.
Moreover, although it is quite difficult for the teacher to know about each student and to
follow what each one does during the lessons even in small classes, it is important for
teachers to monitor each and every student and to reach their needs in a variety of ways to
achieve effective teaching.

Materials
Since most language textbooks are designed for an ideal homogeneous classroom
environment, teachers always have to deal with the problem that students react to the
textbook differently due to their individual differences. First of all, some students may find
the textbook boring and very hard, whereas some find it interesting or very easy. In
addition, as language teaching course materials are currently based on content-based or
theme-based syllabi, some students may find the topics dull, strange, or meaningless;
whereas others find it enjoyable, familiar or interesting. Therefore, it is usually necessary for
the teacher to evaluate and adapt the materials according to his/her class.

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Participation
Since the classroom is the first and only environment for many foreign language learners,
they should use this chance as much as possible. However, some of the students find it
difficult to speak in the target language for many reasons ranging from interest to
confidence, from age to knowledge. Other students, however, would like to express
everything they think or feel by using the new language. As a result, some students may
take many turns, while others do not speak for the entire lesson.

Interests
Interest problems may arise due to the differences among students in terms of their
attitude towards the subject matter and/or the teacher; their knowledge of language; and
their personality. For instance, some students may find lessons boring, as the topic has no
familiarity with their own life or their interests. Furthermore, some of the students may not
be interested in the lesson, unless they do get the chance to express their own ideas since
the teacher talks too much during the lesson or the other students take many turns. Hence,
teachers should be aware of the different interests of the students to organize and to
arrange activities accordingly.

Discipline
Often the quicker students finish the tasks given before the other students. As a result, they
may misbehave while waiting for the others to finish. The under achievers, on the other
hand, cannot finish the tasks as quickly as the strong ones and may lose their confidence
and/or show ill-disciplined behaviour for a variety of reasons related to that. Consequently,
mixed abilities may result in classroom management problems.

How to handle large classes and mixed groups in Montessori

Often a teacher has to handle large group of students in a class. The size of the class does
create problem to keep them under control as well as make them learn. Such situations
need adept teachers who can:

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  Control the class well, by her presence and personality.
 Be equipped to hold the attention of the class.
 Set achievable goals, and announce it to the class.
 Have fun yet pursue the lesson. Keep the learning environment relaxed.
 The students should be kept involved with their work.
 Children are always encouraged to give individual performances.
 An eye should be kept on the progress at the same time.

Activities for large groups:

Large groups can be well managed if activities are assigned to the children, which foster
group work as well as individual participation. These activities:
o Increases the vocabulary of the children.
o Creates a positive learning environment.
o Communicates better.
o Interaction and socializing increases.

Why We Use Mixed Age Groups in Montessori

When Maria Montessori began to develop the method of education that now bears her
name, she changed much about what currently passed as children’s education.

Tables and chairs were shrunk to child-size, children were given real tasks to do, and
observation (not testing) became the key to knowing how a child was progressing.
Another change that occurred was that children were grouped in multi-age classrooms,
rather than having one age per class.

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Generally, Montessori age groupings are as follows:
Infant Birth – 18 months

Toddler 18 months – 3 years

Pre school 3 years – 6 years

Lower Elementary 6 years – 9 years

Upper Elementary 9 years – 12 years

Middle School 12 years – 14 years

High School 15 years – 18 years

Because traditional schooling generally groups children of just one age together, mixed age
groups is a striking difference between Montessori and traditional educational programs.
There are pros and cons to the idea of mixed age groups, but I believe that the benefits
definitely outweigh any possible negatives.

What Do Mixed Age Groups Bring to Montessori?

1. Interaction: The mixed age group environment creates an atmosphere where children
learn to help and be helped by other children, because they interact consistently with
children whose age and abilities are varied. Children gain an appreciation for their
achievement and the accomplishments of others, and are naturally challenged by the
achievements of others.

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2. Learning from Each Other: Older children learn to be patient and tolerant, and serve as
role models and teachers for the younger children. When an older child teaches a younger
one, it reinforces previously learned concepts and is actually an aid in complete mastery of
concepts. Younger children learn about courtesy, manners, and conflict resolution by
watching the older children in the class.

3. Work at Child’s Own Pace: Because teachers do not have to set the instruction pace by a
whole group, each child is given the ability to learn at his or her own pace. This is a striking
difference from traditional education, where everyone turns to page 33 of the book and
stays there until every child understands the concept.

4. Community: By staying in a classroom for a three year period, children develop a strong
sense of community and stability, with 2/3 of a class returning every year. This community
aids the development of students as role models for one another.

5. Familiarity: Being in the same classroom year after year allows a teacher to truly learn
each individual child’s learning abilities, style, and developmental level to better be able to
set the learning agenda as well as build on strengths and work on weaknesses.

6. Home-schooling: Since home-schooling is naturally multi-aged, it’s a natural fit with the
structure of Montessori. Siblings have a built-in support community for education and play,
and benefit in the same ways that mixed age peers do as described above.

The advantages inherent in the use of mixed age groups.

 The mixed age groupings found within a Montessori classroom are conducive to a
successful inclusion experience.
 Mixed age groups necessitate a wide and complete range of materials within each
classroom which are used to meet the individual needs of children and not the
average need of the group.

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  This helps children with disabilities to fit in by allowing them to use developmentally
appropriate materials that their same age peers are also using.
 Mixed age groups contribute to the development of a caring community of learners
and set up the expectation of sometimes being a teacher for your friends.
 Additionally, children who are in mixed age classrooms stay with the same teacher
for several years in a row. In Montessori classrooms, primary children begin at age 2
& 1/2 - 3 and remain with the same teacher through their kindergarten year. This
means that their teacher has every opportunity to intimately understand
developmental levels, learning styles, and family support systems.
 For children with disabilities, this means there is no "starting over period" as the
regular education teacher learns about the child, the child's specific disability, and
any specialized knowledge (i.e., positioning/handling, use of a phonic ear, seizure
management, etc.).
 Mixed-age groups also contribute to the moral development of the child, as students
are taught to respect others, be sensitive to their different needs, and to collaborate
in a helpful in classes.
 Children are helpful and cooperative by nature, and the Montessori environment
supports and encourages that wonderful aspect of every child’s personality.

How to Cope with the Problems

1. In order to solve the problems of mixed ability, teaching should appeal to all senses, all
learning styles and all intelligences. Moreover, it should be based on a meaningful context
for all learners. To exemplify, visuals are always useful for all age and proficiency levels, so
even using colored chalk or board markers attracts learners’ attention to the teaching point.
Hence, teachers can make use of visuals to grab students' attention and to motivate them
because even the most passive learners are often interested in realia and/or colorful and
interesting posters.

2. It is advisable to have contingency plans for the early finishers in case they finish the tasks
earlier. This contingency plan might be an extra exercise, a handout or a reading passage.

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Recently, some of the textbooks have been prepared considering the mixed ability classes
and include contingency activities in teacher’s books. Nevertheless, teachers are the ones
who should/could know which contingency plan works better after which activity in their
class.

3. All students do not need to carry out an entire in-class activity. While every student
should do certain parts, only some of the students (slower ones or early finishers) do all of it
(Ur 1996, 306). In relation to that, the tests could include optional questions: While every
student completes some parts of the test, some other parts may have options from which
the students choose. Furthermore, different tasks can be given to different learners
according to their language progress or interest, or optional tasks can be prepared from
which students choose.

4. Open-ended tasks or questions (such as writing a letter, an ending of a story/book/film,

or a response to a picture) have a variety of possible correct answers instead of a single
answer. These tasks allow each learner to perform at his/her own level. Some of the
students may be good at understanding but might be weak in expressing themselves orally
or in written work; thus, open-ended tasks give them the chance to express themselves
without trying to find the one and the only correct answer.

5. It is important for teachers to give students the opportunity to express their ideas,
feelings and experiences, though they may lack confidence or enough language knowledge.
By personalizing the tasks, all students can participate voluntarily. Knowing students’
personalities helps the teacher to prepare and adapt materials easily in order to make them
interesting or relevant to students, which adds variety to the classroom environment and
establishes a positive atmosphere.

6. Students love games, competitions and dramatization and these are ways of ensuring
their interest in the lesson. Regardless of the differences among the students in terms of

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language level and learning styles, they are motivated to use the target language while they
are playing a game or participating in a completion.

7. Group/pair work activities are useful not only for the teacher to observe students but
also for the students to cooperate and to learn from each other. When a strong student
works with under achievers, the student can be a source of language/knowledge in the
group. The teacher, on the other hand, may form groups of weaker and stronger students
separated from each other, and she can give different tasks to these groups. So the stronger
and quicker students work with more complicated tasks, whereas the under achievers deal
with a simpler task or work with the teacher as a group member.

8. Extra homework always helps teachers of mixed ability classes. However, considering the
level and the interests of the students, extra work should be of something that the students
would enjoy doing. Therefore, a good way of dealing with mixed ability may be individual
and team projects. In addition, students would be more enthusiastic to work in such
projects if they can choose their topic such as preparing a poster on their favorite sports,

9. Portfolios are another efficient way of dealing with mixed ability groups. Teachers may
ask students to keep all the things they have done during the term including the extra work
depending on their ability or needs. As a result, not only the teacher but also each student
has a record of his/her progress during the term. This record also shows the needs of the
student for further progress.
10. It is also useful for students to study in self-access centres, where they can visit in their
free times to study alone, with a peer or a tutor. The main aim of self-access centers is that
students decide on what they want to study. While the students can find appropriate
materials such as extra exercises, they can also make use of cassettes, videos and/or books
to improve their language.

Teacher has to know what type of personality they are dealing with in order to handle
problematic children diplomatically. According to experts there are three types of children

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who act out unreasonably. Listed below are these three types and some tips to deal with
them properly.

The purposeful child: This is the really wild child, who knows that by acting unruly he will
get attention, and he will keep it up until he does get attention.

The stressed child: This is the child who acts wild to compensate for stressors he is feeling
in his life, and knows no other way to vent. This child may be having family situations at
home, doing badly in school, or just needs to know that someone cares.

The spur of the moment child: This child will usually only act up when he is around certain
groups of other kids or has had too much sugar in class. This type of child will usually be on
good behavior with only occasional outbursts.

What Doesn't Work

Losing your temper: This is exactly the type of response that most misbehaved children
know they can get from you. By getting angry, you can't help but place every ounce of your
attention on that child. You are cornered. Instead, remember from Scripture, "A fool gives
full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control." (Proverbs 29:11)
What Works
 Set classroom rules, explain them to the class, and keep them posted where children
can easily see them. Explain the consequences for breaking any of the rules, and
stick to those consequences.
 One of the best scenarios would be to remove the child from the room, and have
another staff member be available to give this child a one-on-one Bible lesson;
perhaps a Sunday School Superintendent.
 Assign tasks to children. By redirecting a child's behavior to an assigned task, you are
giving him a responsibility and showing that he is part of the class and can be a
positive influence.

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  Talk to the child's parent(s). There is no reason to just "muddle" through a class or
event because it is only a few hours one day a week. You could be missing some key
information that his parent(s) can give you as to why his behavior is unbalanced.
 Give your wild child some out-of-class attention. Send him a card or postcard to let
him know that you are praying for him this week. Tell him that you look forward to
seeing him in class next week. This will really help build up his self-esteem, which he
may be lacking .individuality

One solution to this problem is to abandon lockstep teaching (1) for at least parts of the
lesson, so that the teacher can work intensively with a sub-group of the class while the
others work autonomously. This, of course means that suitable materials for autonomous
study need to be available. These can be in any format, but if computers are available in the
classroom, the easiest solution is undoubtedly the use of on-line materials.

The most radical way of using the materials would be to make them the sole basis of the
lessons. Each student would spend the lesson working through a course at his/her own level
while the teacher circulated – monitoring and giving individual help, explanation and
practice as necessary. With some groups, containing students of widely differing levels, this
may well be the best solution. But with others, where the difference is not too extreme, it’s
also possible to incorporate the autonomous work into the regular class lessons.

Let’s take the example of a mixed level group containing students from upper-elementary to
mid-intermediate levels. The next area to be covered in the syllabus is the present perfect
for past to present events – for example, I’ve lived here for ten years. For the upper-
elementary students this is completely new. They’re going to need not only a full
presentation but also a lot of controlled practice before they can go on to using the
structure. For the mid-intermediate students however, the lesson is only revision and
consolidation.

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Here is a possible outline for the lesson:

 Stage One
The lesson starts with a warm-up activity consolidating the simple past, which all
students have met previously.

 Stage Two
The class then divides. The elementary and intermediate students, who need
assistance and who the teacher thinks need a full structured presentation, remain
with the teacher while the stronger intermediate students work autonomously on a
second simple past consolidation activity – maybe a short listening or reading
activity.

 Stage Three
After the teacher has completed the presentation, the class comes back together
and completes a receptive practice activity which asks them to distinguish between
the two verb forms – for instance the first activity mentioned in the article Receptive
Practice Activities. This has the aim of checking whether all the students understand
the use of the form. If the teacher finds that any of the higher level students in fact
don’t, s/he can ask the lower level students to explain. This a) checks that the
students who heard the presentation really understand, and b) aids motivation: one
of the problems of a mixed ability group is that it is always the same; weaker or
lower level students who “don’t know/can’t do”. This activity gives them the chance
to be the ones who do know.

 Stage Four
The class then splits again. These stronger students go back to the computer (or
other materials) and work on consolidation activities for the present perfect at their
own level. These may be grammar practice activities, a listening consolidation, or

35
 whatever the teacher thinks the students need. Meanwhile the lower level students
remain with the teacher for some controlled practice work.

 Stage Five
The groups then swap. The stronger students meet the teacher for some semi-
controlled or freer practice, while the under achievers work autonomously at their
own level – which may or may not mean working on the same activities that the
stronger students did in stage four.

 Stage Six
The group comes back into lockstep and works on a final activity in which either
 a) students are paired high/low level with the stronger student having a more
demanding role
 b) students are again paired high/low and work on an activity in which the strong
students help the weaker students or
 c) Students are paired high/high, low/low and work on an activity at their own level.

This constant switching between lockstep and ability group work has various advantages

a) Most importantly, the lockstep allows the students to develop a single group identity and
collaborative working dynamic. However, this will only happen if the lockstep stages are
productive and non-threatening for everyone. The split group stages ensure that when the
students do come together they are all able to work on an activity which is the correct level
of challenge for all members of the group. No-one needs to feel they’re wasting time
waiting for the others or that they are “out of their depth” in comparison to other members
of the group.

b) The lesson format also has the practical advantage, if you are using on-line courses, that
you don’t need an enormous number of computers. Only half the group will be at the
computers at any one time - if they work in pairs that means that three computers would be
sufficient for a group of twelve.

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Administration
School Administration
Administrative policies indicate in broad general terms the beliefs of the district and
direction in which the superintendent wishes the district to move. They are philosophical
statements, which establish the direction for future discretionary action. Policy statements
provide the framework for administrators; teachers, students, parents and communities
follow in their day-to-day application of education.

Administrative regulations provide clarification of key words and concepts in a policy.

Regulations indicate what action is required. They may contain detailed statements
indicating who does what, how, when and in what sequence.

Definitions:
 Board means the board of trustees.
 Assistant superintendent means the head of a department or the person the
assistant superintendent has designated to act for the assistant superintendent.
 District means the District under whose jurisdiction the school comes.
 Parent means the biological or adoptive parent, the legal guardian, or the
independent student.
 Principal means a teacher designated as a principal or acting principal under the
School Act or a person the principal has designated to act for the principal.
 School means a structured learning environment through which the School offers an
education to a student.
 Student means an individual who is enrolled in a school or is required under Section
8 of the School Act to attend school.
 Superintendent is the chief executive officer of the board and the chief education
officer of the district. Superintendent may mean the person the superintendent has
designated to act for the superintendent.
 Teacher means an individual who holds a certificate of qualifications as a teacher
issued under the School Act.

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  Each school is headed by one Headmaster/Headmistress. The head of an institution
is solely responsible for institutional planning and management. He or she decides
how to use the available resources and how to initiate steps to mobilize the
resources. He or she involves the teachers, parents, other associations etc. towards
the achievement of qualitative education for young generations.

Responsibility of Heads of the Institutions:

1. Supervising the teachers
2. Maintaining attendance of teachers and records
3. Reviewing the notes of lessons
4. Sanctioning of leave to teachers
5. Preparation of statement for claiming pay for teachers.
6. Conducting District Level examination
(Quarterly-Sep, Half yearly-December, Annually-Mar/Apr)

Tentative Working Pattern of a School

School Type Working days a year Working Hours
Elementary Middle School 220 days 9.30 am – 4.30 pm
High and Higher Secondary 200 days 8.30 am – 5.00 pm

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