ENTRY 2: CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Description of Entry:
This entry slip includes several artifacts, the first of which is my Classroom Management Plan. This was a paper that I originally wrote for my Adolescent Development class, but revised significantly after my student teaching experience. In it, I describe my philosophy on classroom management, how it should look, and how I plan to implement it.
I have also included copies of student-completed behavior problem solving forms. These worksheets, which I developed, are assigned to students when they are having behavior problems in my class. On it, students are asked to explain what class expectation they did not follow, what the result of their action was, and what they can do to avoid displaying the same behavior again. Students are then to discuss their responses with me so that we can collaboratively make a plan to avoid future instances of misbehavior.
Finally, I have included a few artifacts from a class meeting I held during my student teaching. After several consecutive bad class sessions with my fourth period class, we had a long talk. I had the students brainstorm a list of all the things that they should be doing in class, our class expectations and procedures, and discuss why they were important. The next day, I gave them a copy of those rules and procedures, as well as a contract that asked them to follow those regulations. I have included both of these, as well as my reflections on the class meeting.
Program Goals and Targets:
I am demonstrating my understanding and use of classroom management (3B) by describing my philosophy of and techniques for classroom management. By helping students learn how to behave appropriately, I am providing learning opportunities for their intellectual, social, and emotional development, and therefore demonstrating my understanding of student learning and development (2A).
Reflection:
I believe that for most kids, misbehavior is a skill deficit and not an attitude problem. Some students do not know the socially acceptable way to behave. It is my responsibility to help them learn it. Students who know the correct behavior, but choose to misbehave anyway are making a choice. This is also a skill issue, because they must learn that there are appropriate and inappropriate times for certain behaviors, and that making the wrong choice will lead to unpleasant consequences. It is then my job to help them learn to make the correct choices.
How I go about teaching students correct behavior is much like how I go about teaching them math. I believe that a student must be a partner in the process, as teaching behavior should be a dialogue and not a lecture. This is why I use the Problem Solving Form for discipline problems. By answering questions, students realize what they did wrong and why it was wrong. They can then reflect on the situation and work with me to develop a plan on correcting their behavior. The idea of a dialogue does not stop at single student behavior problems. Because of the on-going problems I had with my fourth period class, I called for a class meeting so that we could discuss how math class should run. Afterwards, they came up with a list of expectations, and signed a contract agreeing to them.
There are many who would disagree with my two-way approach toward behavior problems, however. Torode (1976) stated that teachers who attempt to justify their disciplinary actions to students would be jeopardizing their control of the class. He argued that management would be more effective by issuing commands based on abstract principles, resulting in a demand for obedience regardless of the teacher’s personal opinions. This view is often shared with those that believe that teachers must avoid being seen as weak or soft. The research of Marsh et al. (1978) supported that belief as they found that “pupils are insulted by weakness on the part of those in authority who they expect to be strong” (p. 38). Torode’s domination strategy, as well as similar types, are the result of teachers wanting to control their students’ behavior. Denscombe (1985) stated that, “the real advantage of such domination strategies so far as the teachers are concerned, though, is that they combine an image of the ‘strong’ teacher with a firm and explicit structure to proceedings in class and, together, these prove to be mutually supporting factors in the quest for classroom control” (pp. 100-101).
While my management strategies focus on the teaching of correct behavior, these domination strategies “are geared towards eliminating any opportunity for pupils to question, challenge or threaten the authority vested in the teacher by the institution” (Denscombe, 1985, p. 99). While this may result in a quiet and orderly classroom, I believe that students should behave because they want to, not because of scare tactics. Students must not only know what the correct behaviors are, but also understand why they are important and follow them as a result. Then, there is no need for teachers to control their students.
The discussion above begs the question: what is my role as a math teacher in students’ lives? Traditionalists would argue that it is simply to teach students mathematics, not proper behavior. I would disagree. I believe that teachers have a moral obligation to help kids develop into good citizens who can contribute positively to our society. This includes helping students choose socially acceptable ways to behave, so that it lasts for the rest of their lives.
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