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| Classroom
Behavior Management
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Many factors influence study process. Physical environment
is extremely important for successful study process. Classroom
layout influences study process as well as some other characteristics
of the classroom. Classroom layout assumes right arrangement
of the working space and includes the arrangement of desks
and boards. Physical environment of the classroom can be a
big help for the teacher. It can also be a source of problems
if not used properly. Additional materials also play an important
role in the physical environment of the classroom. Additional
visionary aides can become good help for teacher as they attract
pupils’ attention and create necessary atmosphere in
the classroom. As states Frank Garcia, a teacher with many
years of teaching experience: "Basic bulletin boards
are not enough. I believe in a very colorful classroom with
posters, functional bulletin boards, and other 'interesting'
items to enhance the environment, such as a small refrigerator,
TV, and a stereo system with a CD player" (Johnston,
1998, p.4). Each teacher can realize his own approach to the
study process while organizing a physical environment of the
classroom. Latest research proves that things which surround
people influence their emotional state and mental processes.
This is very true for study process. Right organizing of physical
environment in the classroom can have positive influence on
study process. I believe that classroom environment should
reflect learner-centered approach. Everything in the classroom
should be organized for the pupils to feel safe and comfortable
in the classroom. This way comfort and safety should be the
main requirements for the classroom layout. Creative approach
is another important component of good classroom layout. Bright
and colorful details help students to feel interested and
motivated while they are in the classroom. “Thoughts,
emotions, imagination, predisposition, and physiology operate
concurrently and interactively as the entire system interacts
and exchanges information with its environment” (Caine
& Caine, 1997, p. 104).
2. Rules and procedures are another important component of
study process. They are designed in order to fulfill the goals
of the education and to provide safety for learners and teachers.
Well-designed these rules and regulations must become a basis
of teacher’s success. Discipline in the classroom is
an important issue which influences the entire study process.
Norms and rules of discipline should be defined by the teacher
during the first lessons. Students should strictly follow
these rules. Persistence and just attitude of the teacher
can finally persuade pupils that discipline is a necessary
part of study process. Rules, procedures and regulations applied
for each study situation should be determined by the goals
of education. All rules and norms will be useless if they
do not serve to one and ultimate purpose – optimize
study process and help teachers and pupils reach their common
goals. Regular attendance of the classes and timely arriving
in the classroom should be the basis of study process. If
there are no special conditions teachers should strictly insists
that their pupils should be present at all lessons and that
they come in the classroom in time. Grading system is another
component of the study process. Managing the work of absent
students is another important component of classroom management.
First of all it’s necessary to set up rules in advance
and to inform the students about the tasks they should accomplish
even if they miss classes. The teacher should have a number
of written assignments for all lessons, which can most effectively
replace classroom activities. Checking up these assignments
can be accompanied with oral check of students knowledge.
Measurement and evaluation are necessary components of the
study process as they provide necessary feedback and give
teacher an idea about the level of mastering the subject and
create motivation for students Measurement consists of collection
of the information about the level of knowledge and skills
students acquired during the definite period and this period
can be different. Evaluation comes after measuring and implies
making judgments about the degree of students’ knowledge
and his or her learning level. Measurement can be presented
in several kinds of activities. First of all activities can
be divided into two major groups – oral and written.
Only combination of both, oral and written measurement activities
must be applied to evaluate students work. Measurement can
also be performed in the form of tests, exams, exercise, writing
papers, solving problems, answering questions and presentations.
I think that all types of activities must be applied in order
to get a holistic picture of student’s level. We should
use different types of activities because of several reasons.
First of all, when students get used to one definite type
of activity, they will probably center on it and this can
have bad consequences for other types of activities. From
the other side, it’s scientifically proved that different
students perform better in different types of assessments
because of their born abilities. Only using all types of measurement
activities we can be sure that we get a real picture of students
learning level.
3.Student responsibility is a necessary condition of learning
process. Only this way internal motivation, which makes study
process affective, can be achieved. While planning the classroom
activities and home works teachers should keep in mind that
old way of learning – teacher centered learning- where
most part of the work was done by the teacher and pupils’
role was passive is not in use any more. Nowadays it’s
common to stress on the necessity of pupils active role in
the process of studying and the teacher should give them this
opportunity. Such change provides pupils involvement into
the activities and makes them less dependent. This method
can be used teaching any subjects. English, graphics, system
control, food, textiles, resistant materials, Mathematics
are learnt much better if the teacher uses different learning
styles during the lessons. An example of using such a type
of learning style is a request to pupils to make their own
exercise to illustrate the new material and then to accomplish
it. Using the old methods, the teacher would give the exercise
for pupils but using the new method the teacher asks the pupils
to invent such an exercise themselves. If the material is
too difficult for the pupils’ level the teacher can
ask to prepare the exercise for younger pupils as to present
the new material for the first time. This method greatly increases
motivation, pupils’ self-esteem (which also deals directly
with motivation). This method changes the teachers’
role in the studying process, makes the teacher more a conductor
than the first violin in the orchestra. The teacher becomes
an observer and assistant in the process of education and
pupils get active role and can define the direction of this
process. Such an approach needs more planning from the teacher
and investigative approach when planning the lessons and can
be difficult in the beginning but all these counterparts will
be compensated by high results and deep pupils’ involvement.
Homework is a form of independent practice. Homework plays
an important role in the learning process. It’s main
aim is to consolidate skills and knowledge received in the
classroom. In addition accomplishing homework helps to increase
the students’ responsibility, get additional information
and develop skills of independent work. Positive effect homework
of the learning process can be neglected if it is not done
properly. Constant repetition creates the best opportunity
for the successful comprehension of the new material. Well-organized
process of home learning creates good opportunities for this
constant repetition. While accomplishing homework students
learn to overcome difficulties and obstacles, learn to count
on their own abilities and thus they learn to be independent.
Students become more attentive in the classroom knowing they
will have to make familiar tasks in home alone. Homework is
an important element of the learning process but it should
correspond to the number of basic requirements in order to
be effective and to fulfill its function in the best way.
One of the main requirements to the homework is regularity.
Homework should become a habit for the students in order to
make them used to work independently. Homework should also
be fixed according to the students’ age, their knowledge
level and subject learnt. It should not consume too much time
and should not require more than two hours to accomplish it.
4. Classroom behavior is one of the most important parts of
the study process. Good behavior of the students is a basis
of effective study process. The choice of teaching methods
determines student’s behavior. Teachers should choose
techniques and strategies which would enable them to control
pupils’ behavior. Specialists state that classroom behavior
is usually formed on the early stages of learning process.
Most of the pupils need to receive distinct and exact instructions
from their teachers. Usually students do not know all requirements
of new teachers that is why they will feel more confident
and responsible if their teachers explain them all the requirements
from the very beginning of their interaction. A code of conduct
consists of rules and regulation which helps the teacher to
distinguish behavioral norms in the classroom. That is why
it is so important to form right behavior patterns in the
beginning of the study process.
Pupils with emotional and behavioral difficulties may cause
the most serious problems in the classroom. These pupils usually
require more supervision and support. Understanding inner
driving motives which cause behavioral difficulties is important
for dealing with them. Treating each pupil as an individual
and personality is important while defining the strategies
of dealing with deviant behavior. Different classes and groups
of pupils may require different approaches and methods when
dealing with them. It is also necessary to remember that pupils
are very sensitive to behavior of authority figures, such
as teachers. This way if the teacher follows norms and regulations
pupils are more likely to join him or her. Praise and punishment
is another mighty weapon which can influence pupils’
behavior. Modern pedagogical science more and more turns to
the system based on reward and praise. Positive motivation
and reinforcement help pupils to realize what teacher requires
from them.
Inappropriate behavior in the classroom often becomes a source
of problems for both, teachers and students. Different methods
should be used in the case when students experience behavior
problems which interfere with the study process. For example,
a pupil who bothers his classmates wants to attract attention
of other people to his personality. This can be explained
by the lack of self-confidence. He or she does not feel that
other people appreciate him and treat him like an interesting
personality and turns to disruptive behavior in order to get
this attention by any means. Lack of motivation is another
problem which often become the reason of bad classroom behavior.
Motivation is usually defined as an inner move, which helps
people to do things. Motivation can increase productivity
level in several times and making people motivated is one
of the most important skills of a good learner and developed
personality. Lack of motivation may also depend on the lack
of self-esteem From the behavior description we can set primary
goals of dealing with demonstrative behavior and lack of motivation.
These goals are: developing of adequate self-esteem; raising
of motivation; learning to control his behavior.
5. It is necessary to emphasize the important role of motivation
in the process of education. More and more methodologies try
to find factors and reasons which influence the process of
educations and make it effective. Increasing interest and
participation of the government in the studying process and
social order which demand good professionals put high requirements
for teacher and teaching process. It is necessary for the
teachers to control the learning agenda and at the same time
bring their personal experiences to the educational process
to inspire children and to make their motivation stronger.
Factors which influence pupil’s motivation and personal
commitment are studied by many scholars and are available
now for the teachers who want to increase their professional
level and to make the educational process more effective for
both – pupils and teachers.
Pupils achieve better results in friendly and supportive surrounding.
This surrounding has a positive influence on the motivation.
It was proved that using different learning styles has a direct
influence on the pupil motivation.
All the pupils have different types of perception of the reality.
Some learn better thought doing and touching things, others
through listening and others looking at the things. These
are three main types of perception – kinesthetic (includes
pupils who learn better by doing things), auditory (who learn
better through listening) and visual (perceive the visual
information best of all) learners. It’s absolutely necessary
to use different learning styles in order to involve all three
types in the studying process and to provide harmonious development
of all the pupils and let them achieve better results during
the studying process.
Newest researches prove that taking into account the born
pupils abilities can increase the level of their perception
in several times and make the educational process pleasant
and more effective for both – pupils and their teachers.
The learning process should be organized so that the teacher
could use different learning styles in order to underline
the uniqueness of each individual. Leaning styles oriented
to kinesthetic learner, auditory learners and visual learners
should be used in order to achieve this goal.
Learning though the learning styles preferred by each individual
provides higher motivation which logically leads to the improvements
of learning results and exam results.
References
Linn, R., and Gronlund, N. (2000). Measurement and assessment
in teaching (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice
Hall.
Johnston, C.A., (1998). Let Me Learn. Corwin Press Inc., California,
p. 4.
Kephart, N.C.(1971) The Slow Learner in the Classroom. Charles
Merrill, Columbus, OH.
Sternberg, R. (1988). The Triarchic Mind: A New Theory of
Intelligence. NY: Viking Press.
Cooper, Harris; Lindsay, James J; & Nye, Barbara. (2000).
Homework in the home: How student, family, and parenting-style
differences relate to the homework process. Contemporary Educational
Psychology, 25, 464-487.
Eisenberg, M. B. & Berkowitz, R. E. (1990). Information
problem solving: The Big Six Skills approach to library and
information skills instruction. Norwood, NJ: Ablex. Ablex
Publishing Corporation.
Epstein, J. L., Salinas, K. C., & Jackson, V. E. (1995)
Manual for Teachers: Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork
(TIPS) Language Arts, Science/Health, and Math Interactive
Homework in the Middle Grades and Prototype Activities for
TIPS Language Arts, Science/Health, and Math for Grades 6,7,
and 8.
Caine, Renate Nummela & Caine, Geoffrey (1997). Education
on the Edge of Possibility, Association for Supervision &
Curriculum Deve.
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