Classroom Management
Classroom Organisation
School and Class Rules
It is very important that the students are aware of the rules in their classroom. I always discuss the rules and my expectations for students during our first meeting. This discussion is necessary so students understand why they are needed to create a learning environment that is safe, fair, and tidy. As well as this discussion, having a visual display of the rules assists students to know what following rules looks like. The visual display also assists me as the teacher, when students need reminders of expectations.
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I think it is also important for students to connect to the rules by allowing them to contribute through writing and illustrating. Having the rules written as an agreement is another way students can see the rules as expectations they are required to meet.
Student Work Displays
I believe that students need to feel connected to their classroom and see it as a community. One way that I create this connection for my student's is by displaying their work. During my first year teaching, I always created the displays for the students work. However, from my work as a casual relief teacher I have seen pre-made peg displays where the students put their own work up. I really like this idea, as it gives students more responsibility in how their classroom looks. It gives students a sense of achievement and gives them the opportunity to display their effort.
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I also believe student work displays are valuable to parents. They indicate to parents what students have been learning in the classroom, which opens a dialogue between parents, students and teachers.
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Award Walls
Some schools have "Students of the week" others have "Class awards" but essentially most schools have some form of weekly award to give students for working hard and achieving. I believe in displaying this achievement in the classroom, as it gives the student who has received the award further validation of their hard work. It is also beneficial to the other students in the class, as it gives them something to aspire to in their weekly learning.
Catastrophe Scale
The Catastrophe Scale is something I find particularly helpful for classroom management. Students frequently come to the teacher for guidance when an issue has occurred in the classroom. Issues could include pushing in lines or speaking rudely.
Classroom disruptions such as "dobbing" can distract the class from learning. The Catastrophe Scale can assist teachers with students, by giving students a tool to identify when they could attempt to handle an issue themselves. This builds their independence and resilience.
However, in extreme circumstances I would expect my students to come and alert me straight away. This means the Catastrophe Scale should be introduced to students in an activity where students add their own ideas and experiences to the scale. They then understand what issues require teacher response, and those that do not.
Daily Timetable
A strong sense of routine in needed for students in order for optimal learning to occur in the classroom. Using a daily timetable provides students with a schedule of their day, and eliminates any feelings of worry students may have about the 'unknown'. Having the timetable visually available allows students to see the order of events, and is essential for students with learning disabilities or disorders.
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Flexible Grouping Task Boards
My own experience in primary school of never being in the 'smart' group, created negative feelings towards reading and harmed my identity as a reader. I want my students to have positive experiences with reading. I believe that having level groups for all activities in reading, is unnecessary and leads to students have feelings of inadequacy.
The photograph to the left was taking on my final teaching round and reflected a way of organising reading which I support.
Students had "Must Do" activities, where they were expected to finish these activities by the end of the week. Students also had a selection of "Can Do" activities, where students could only do if they had finished one Must Do activity for the session. Students had the choice of what they could do for each session. However, for activities that were limited in numbers, the teacher would select the students. To keep students on task after every lesson the students were required to fill out a Reading Task Schedule displaying what they did in each session. At the end of the week the teacher would check to make sure all work had been completed.
I feel that this approach to the reading block, gave students choice in their learning. This lead to positive attitudes towards the reading block, and the student's identities as readers. However, it is important to note that this was a Grade 1/2 class, and would be too difficult to operate in a Prep class.
Students had "Must Do" activities, where they were expected to finish these activities by the end of the week. Students also had a selection of "Can Do" activities, where students could only do if they had finished one Must Do activity for the session. Students had the choice of what they could do for each session. However, for activities that were limited in numbers, the teacher would select the students. To keep students on task after every lesson the students were required to fill out a Reading Task Schedule displaying what they did in each session. At the end of the week the teacher would check to make sure all work had been completed.
I feel that this approach to the reading block, gave students choice in their learning. This lead to positive attitudes towards the reading block, and the student's identities as readers. However, it is important to note that this was a Grade 1/2 class, and would be too difficult to operate in a Prep class.
Class Library
A class library is an essential element to a classroom. There must be a strong presence of books in the classroom, so they are easily accessible for students. When selecting books for the class library, I would make sure I included a range of genres and levels. I would also make sure to update the library at least three times a term. I think that if the classroom space allows it, a comfortable reading corner is an inviting area for students to relax and quietly read. The reading corner could also be utilised for an area to conduct teacher reading groups. I am also very passionate about giving students access to multimodal books such as ebooks and audiobooks. As an initially disengaged reader in my primary years of schooling, audiobooks exposed me to rich vocabulary and interesting texts that I may not have been able to read independently. There are some amazing platforms for students to be able to access such books. I have experience using Scholastic Learning Zone and Scholastic Key Links. I am currently in the process of exploring the Overdrive as another platform to use in schools (2020). |
Subject Tubs or Student Tubs
In order for a classroom to be functional, everything must have its place. From my experience teaching, I have observed two different kinds of book organisation. The first all tubs are organised for each subject. The second the tubs are organised for each student. It really depends on the configuration of the room and the furniture available with how to organise student supplies. Based on my experience it is best in the Junior years to have communal supplies and subject boxes. In the middle and senior years students should learn to take more responsibility for their personal belongings.
Birthday Wall
For there to be a sense of community within a classroom, certain personal touches need to be made. I think displaying birthdays is a great way for teachers create a community atmosphere and a feeling of belonging for students. It gives a reminder to the teacher and students as to who's birthday is coming up.
Rosters
Labelled Equipment
As stated earlier I believe everything must have its place within the classroom. Having equipment labelled with a picture and text, makes access quick and easy for students, or other teachers using the space. Labels also assisted in pack up time efficiency.
Behaviour Management
A strong teacher-student relationship is the most beneficial behaviour management strategy there is, and is the main one I adopt in my classroom. Relationships take time to develop in a classroom, however to encourage their growth I always try to present a warm and happy image to my students. My experience as a casual relief teacher, has added to my belief in the necessity of displaying this image. Smiling, and positive body language indicates to my students I am genuine in my care and interest.
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“People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care”
― Theodore Roosevelt |
I believe that in developing a strong student-teacher relationship, the trust of the student is also earned. Trusting a teacher, is essential in order for students to feel comfortable to take risks in their learning, and in seeking advice.
As well as a strong-relationship and trust, students also need to be aware of classroom expectations. These go beyond classroom rules, and are how I expect my students to work when they are in my classroom.
A student in my classroom is expected to:
Along with this, students need to be held accountable for not following classroom expectations and rules. One way I hold my students accountable is by checking at the end of each lesson, how much work they have completed. If a student has failed to complete work, I try to find out why this happened. Was the student having difficulties with the task, or were they wasting time? If the latter, the student will be required to complete the work at another stage in the day. If the student continuously submits incomplete or poor standard work, the parents/guardians of the child will be alerted, and a meeting will take place.
Positive-reinforcement is a strategy I also use for managing student behaviour. In my experience the systems that require students to work collaboratively to attain rewards work better, and create a greater sense of community in the classroom. In my most recent workplace the school had house groups that were a good way of dividing students in the class. The benefit of having systems such as these is that it gives students something to strive for. As well as these systems, I also reward students verbally, by praising them for completing an instruction or task well as well as through weekly class awards.
I do not believe in negative-reinforcement such as taking away rewards. Instead I use corrective actions which explicitly indicate the desired behaviour. If a student continues to disrupt the class, I remove them from the group. My focus for every lesson is the learning of my students. Any behaviour which detracts from this focus needs to be removed quickly and efficiently, with minimum impact to the lesson.
As well as a strong-relationship and trust, students also need to be aware of classroom expectations. These go beyond classroom rules, and are how I expect my students to work when they are in my classroom.
A student in my classroom is expected to:
- Ask questions for clarification
- Change their minds and take risks in their learning
- Use their time efficiently
- Try their best.
Along with this, students need to be held accountable for not following classroom expectations and rules. One way I hold my students accountable is by checking at the end of each lesson, how much work they have completed. If a student has failed to complete work, I try to find out why this happened. Was the student having difficulties with the task, or were they wasting time? If the latter, the student will be required to complete the work at another stage in the day. If the student continuously submits incomplete or poor standard work, the parents/guardians of the child will be alerted, and a meeting will take place.
Positive-reinforcement is a strategy I also use for managing student behaviour. In my experience the systems that require students to work collaboratively to attain rewards work better, and create a greater sense of community in the classroom. In my most recent workplace the school had house groups that were a good way of dividing students in the class. The benefit of having systems such as these is that it gives students something to strive for. As well as these systems, I also reward students verbally, by praising them for completing an instruction or task well as well as through weekly class awards.
I do not believe in negative-reinforcement such as taking away rewards. Instead I use corrective actions which explicitly indicate the desired behaviour. If a student continues to disrupt the class, I remove them from the group. My focus for every lesson is the learning of my students. Any behaviour which detracts from this focus needs to be removed quickly and efficiently, with minimum impact to the lesson.