Classroom Management: Some Thoughts

 

“Teachers play various roles in a typical classroom, but surely one of the most important is that of classroom manager”, (Marzano, Marzano& Pickering, 2003)

Cini (2017) defines it as “Classroom management is the use of procedures and teaching techniques that promote a safe and efficient learning environment. "According to Cini (2017), there are seven areas of teacher responsibility in classroom management: Classroom Design, Rules, Discipline, Scheduling, Organization, Instructional Technique, and Communication

In this paper, I will be exploring 3 of the 7 areas given from the perspective of my own experience of teaching middle school Maths in schools. I will also be exploring the difficulties that a new teacher might face in mastering these, by going back to my own beginning years and projecting my experience.

In my opinion, the 3 most important areas (in any order)out of the 7 are:

Instructional technique

Mathematics is a subject that is heavily left brain oriented. A lot of students find the problem solving approach quite cumbersome. One needs to learn the art of “differentiated instruction”, (Promethean, 2019).

“Learn about each of your student's learning style”, (Cini, 2017, p.3). This is possible by loosening the structure of the classes in the middle school. Students in middle school are young adults and they need to have choice as well as structure. “Give students choice”, (Young, 2014, p.3) so they have the space to use their growing intelligence. Bring in teaching strategies that allow for choice, such as (a) choose a setting, group, solo or buddies; (b) design an art piece using geometric shapes and colour it as you wish; (c) work outside the class for 20 minutes and then come back to show the work; or (d) choose a topic to collect data and present it using a Histogram.

Structure keeps the students feel safe. Choice gives them the room to explore their individualities. This is what works well for students in the middle school, teenagers.

A “concern that new teachers commonly raise is a lack of guidance and resources for lesson and unit planning”, (Goodwin, 2012). The new teacher would need a lot of room for experimentation and failures in order to arrive at understanding of the same. Assistance from experienced teachers would be helpful for them.

Communication

“Communication is the most important aspect of classroom management”, (Cini, 2017, p.4). This is also the area that is all round, that is communication with students, parents, colleagues and management, all is required to be well settled.

I had great communication with students and progressively it got better. Then I realized it is not enough and I need to communicate with parents too. Then the circle got bigger and included colleagues. Finally, I realized the importance of communication with management. And at the end of this circle, I discovered the beauty of setting great communication systems with everyone. So if any one fails, the rest is there to cushion it. It is indispensable to learning and growing.

But as a new teacher I found it hard. For I was different from others and a brunt of criticism. If at that time, the seniors had spared me their judgments I may have learnt it faster. I think new teachers need a break from being criticized too soon. There is a lot that they have to learn and require the necessary space for the same. “New teachers often report difficult interactions with colleagues, ranging from "benign neglect" of administrators to lack of cooperation or even hostility from veteran teachers”, (Goodwin, 2012). They also need to learn to interact with parents better. Parents are an important team, yet some of them can be difficult. These are also sensitive relations for parents are clients for some schools.

Rules

We need to develop rules that “foster respect, caring and community” (Cini, 2017, p.1) feeling in the classroom. Middle school is the age of having their brain change dramatically. This is the age when with proper scaffolding, we can help them develop as adults who can find the difference between being assertive and being rebellious.

I believe that “the teacher needs to establish the behavioral and academic expectations for a class”, (Great Schools Partnership, 2014, p.1). One of the ways is to develop and sign a contract “to encourage structure and desirable behaviour” (Classroom Contract, n.d.) between the whole class, including the teacher and as a community to follow it. This would diffuse the authority of the teacher to some extent and bind everyone by the contract. This is especially helpful for teenagers who by nature question authority. A new teacher, fresh from college might find it hard to understand the nuances of teenager brain.

New teachers might not know about contract as a tool unless they have experienced them as students themselves. For, “many beginning teachers say their preservice programs did little to prepare them for the realities of classrooms, including dealing with unruly students” (Goodwin, 2012). They might resort to authority as the way to enforce rules on students. They will require practical knowledge and training in the use of the contracts.

I feel that while all 7 of the points given by Cini (2017) are important, if a teacher can begin with these 3, the rest can fall into place slowly. They require time and training to develop into a maturity that brings with it depth. Continuous teacher education with a safety net for teachers is the way forward. A lot of schools also bring in teacher education. Add to that a large safety net for the new teachers and you have a winning combination!

“School administrators should recognize that, like students, new teachers need scaffolded assistance”, (Goodwin, 2012)