Category: Classroom Management

As a teacher I am supposed to be accurate when I present or teach students. Students trust that their teachers are knowledgeable and always take what they are taught as it is taught. A teacher should make sure the class is lively by interacting with students. Further, the teacher has a duty of ensuring every student is actively involved in the lesson by asking questions.

As a teacher, I know I have to conduct myself in a way that makes the lesson exciting for the students. Teachers are urged to show students a good example by way of how they conduct themselves in class. If the teacher is disciplined, the students are likely to follow suit. Discipline begins with dressing or general smartness. As a teacher, I am expected to be smart and presentable.

My students will have to meet a number of behavior goals. All students will have to be attentive in class, to contribute in class; the students will have to raise their hands or politely bring me to their attention, the students will always complete and send in assignments in time or face penalties and finally, I will encourage the students to be free and assertive at all times especially when it comes to participation in mandatory team work.

To facilitate effective learning, proper class room conditions are very important. The first thing I will look into is the sitting arrangement. The sitting arrangement has to encourage all students’ participation in class activities. Often students form cliques that are likely to increase indiscipline.

The sitting arrangement has to allow for each students comfort but also detract them or break alliances that may detract learning. Apart from sitting arrangements, I would focus on resource availability e.g. books and other aids. Depending on level or type of class, different learning aid materials that would facilitate effective learning.

I will help the students to behave appropriately by setting down ground rules. The ground rules will be based on clarified expectations between me as a teacher and the students. The ground rules will be in line with the stated student behavior goals stated above. Apart from well stipulated ground rules, I will often talk to students and discuss virtues as an antidote to failure. I am sure that this kind of guiding and counseling will help students focus on what really matters.

Student’s behaving wrongly is unavoidable. Often teachers have to intervene to correct deviant behaviors among students. While changing a student’s behavior, a teacher has to involve the student actively i.e. the student has to be made aware of issue at hand and actively involved in ways of altering any given habit, behavior or attitude that is detrimental.

This kind of approach enables the student or pupil to become accountable to themselves or responsible for their own behavior. Behavior change achieved in this way is sustainable and long term. In extreme cases i.e. students who are totally uncooperative, some form of negative reinforcement techniques will be employed. For example, students who always do not complete their assignments on time will receive a penalty in terms of reduced marks.

This class room management plan will be introduced to the students in a formal meeting. In the meeting, the students will be asked to state their expectations. Through ensuing discussions, we shall set ground rules that are acceptable to the students but in tandem with stipulated behavior expectations. Issues to do with required resources, sitting arrangements and penalties for misconduct will be discussed. The main objective is to ensure the students appreciate the classroom management plan and its related rules and regulations.

Dealing with children is always a difficult task, especially when they have behavior disorders. What is most surprising is that problematic behaviors are mostly exhibited by them during the classes, where they are either influenced by a number of other students observing their pranks or are simply trying to disrupt the class. Either of these being the reason, it is getting more and more complicated for educators to establish discipline in class because most modern children do not react to the mere raising of their voice.

The majority of educators at the United States schools have recently started using time-out rooms as one of the ways to calm down the troublemakers. There exists an idea that time-out rooms are essential to the smooth running of any special education program. This is hard to argue with this idea, but only under the condition that the room is properly designed, safe, and is not abused by the educators; this should be a place where a child would learn to manage their behavior in a way that would be beneficial even for parents.

To begin with, time-out rooms should be indeed used by the educators as a means of calming down the students who misbehave. This, however, should not spread over the students who failed to do their homework or cannot understand the subject of the class, for this is often the case that educators punish the students for this.

The time out room should be used only when the atmosphere in the class is uncontrollable because of the misconduct of one or two students who are too loud, who display their disrespect to the instructor, or who start fighting or quarreling; all other instances can be dealt with in other ways. Around three decades ago, time-out rooms were also used in schools, and their initial function was to leave the child in silence, freeing them from the outside stimulants. This is the only function a time-out room should have, and only then will it help to bring positive behavior changes in students.

Apart from being absolutely safe, a time-out room should be designed in a way that would not make the child feel punished or segregated. Instead, the student should treat it as a place where they can focus on the reasons for the misconduct. Sometimes the reason does not lie on the surface. Most educators make children compile plans of their future behavior. It is one of the alternatives, though a simple drawing may sometimes be more effective.

A drawing is like an essay for a psychologist who, if present at school, can find out the reasons for the child’s misconduct. Moreover, it is more likely to calm down the child. In general, the room should have a reinforced window from which an observer can watch the child, and the fixtures should be high above; there should also be no plugs and electrical outlets. (Rainwater, 2005) Most of the educators ask the students to pull everything out from their pockets for the child not to hurt themself in case of an emotional crisis. It seems, however, that the primary task of the educator is not to let this crisis begin.

Lastly, a time-out room should change the child’s behavior not only at school but at home as well. This will help to handle all the possible conflicts with parents who often object to their children’s exposure to time-spending in this room. To prevent any possible incidents, the child, while in the time-out room, should be watched over incessantly, and the room should not be locked in any way. In case of offering a child to draw or to compile a plan, somebody should stay with them in the room.

If the child is a regular visitor of the room, then the reasons for the misbehavior should be carefully explored and discussed with parents because the cause may be in family relations. To avoid conflicts with parents, they should be notified about their child’s placing into the room and the reasons for doing that. In addition, permission for placing the child into the time-out room in case of misbehavior should be obtained from the parents at the beginning of every school year.

In sum, time-out rooms can be helpful in the course of the education program, but only when they are properly used and designed in a safe way. At this, the parents should always know when their child is placed in the time-out room. Spending time in this room should not be a punishment but a therapy that would help a child understand the reasons for their misconduct. One of the ways to do this is to offer the child to draw and then to analyze the drawing from a psychological perspective.

Violent punishment and simply locking the child in the time-out room will never mend their behavior. Tolerance and understanding, in their turn, will help to create a favorable atmosphere in the classroom and bring positive changes to a child’s behavior at home.

References

Rainwater, D. (2005). How to Manage a Behavior Classroom: The Beginner’s Guide to Teaching the Emotionally Disabled and the Oppositional Defiant Child. Wyoming: Don and Kellie Rainwater.

The prominent recognition to clever and gifted children contains established segments of its primary frame and joins it with the awareness and selected executions from a discrepancy of origins. The Integrative Education Model uses different information from different fields of science as psychology, physics, and the neurosciences. This system allowing two-way transfer of information entails the student’s thoughts, sensations, feelings and instinctive knowledge. As the pattern brought out from the theoretical sphere to the purely practical one, seven key elements became evident. Whereas segments of the Integrative Education Model can be employed efficaciously without all parts in place, the most efficient usage will comprise all seven.

I have chosen for analysis the segment of the empowering language and behavior because it seems to be very essential if not the basic one. The language the teacher applies to students whether small children or teenagers is very important, it has to contain not only encouragement remarks but also words of support, approval, sympathy if required.

Not all students and teachers understand the importance of being polite and respectful. The motion from more conventional teacher-directed classroom schemes involves another presentation of knowledge, which would compose a more efficient classroom coordination operation. This motion consists in making students act more actively, participate in the teaching-learning progress. Whereas the existing views on the most appropriate type of coordination operation may seem the best for classroom activities in which precept is originally directed by the teacher, efficiently organizing classroom surroundings in which students participate playing a crucial role in the process of learning, rather than addressees of teacher’s precepts, will demand removal from teacher pliability model of cooperation (Jennings 78).

The students who were interviewed for the book by Todd E. Jennings expressed “a profound sense of isolation in their academic and social experiences on an American high school campus” (Jennings 122), so they made some suggestions to improve the relationships between the students. This issue concerns not only foreigners or students lacking language fluency, disabled persons, or people with defective mental power, but also gifted people who are not sure about their possibilities and need some encouragement and approval. Dealing with gifted children is even more complicated, than with gifted adults, because children are more liable to other people’s opinions, and heading for the wrong destination can cause diverse psychological problems. “Empowering language becomes an important part of classroom communication between teachers, between student and teacher, and between students. Students who are given opportunities to work in an environment in which empowering language is valued become more responsible, more motivated, and exhibit a positive self-concept” (Clark 242-244). Teachers who teach gifted children take the risks entailed in creativity, made possible the highest spheres of cognitive manufacture. This component of the Integrative Education Model improves all periods and stages of the student’s world.

The Integrative Education Model is the most appropriate type of classroom management for gifted children because it involves students and teachers in polite conversations, encouragement and approval of each other. Parents of gifted children should know about this method of education and try to use it at home and in extra-curriculum activities. The child has to feel the support of both teachers and parents, otherwise, he/she can withdraw into him/herself, and the problem would be about getting the child out of his/her shell, not about the development of the talent.

Works Cited

Jennings, E. Todd. (1997). Restructuring for integrative education: multiple perspectives, multiple contexts. Critical studies in education and culture series. Greenwood Publishing Group.

Integrative Education. Putting the pieces together in a working model. (2000). Web.

Abstract

Behaviour management refers to the ability of an individual to influence the actions of another. In a classroom setting, the teacher is capable of regulating the behaviour of the students. The teacher should be able to identify problematic behaviours among their students. In addition to identifying the problems, the instructor should be able to determine the cause.

Consequently, they should highlight the ‘setting’ events and antecedents that lead to the occurrence of a particular problematic behaviour among students. It is the only way through which the teacher can reduce the occurrence of such acts. Once the problem and its causes are identified, the teacher should formulate an effective behaviour support plan.

In this paper, the author analysed the conduct of Jack, a student at New England School of Excellence. The school is based in New South Wales, Australia. Jack is reported to exhibit negative behaviours. A support plan is developed to help the teacher handle this student.

Behaviour Management

Teachers are charged with the responsibility of guiding students in school. As such, they play an important role in the development of the learners. In light of this, teachers should pay attention to the behaviour of the students (Newcomer & Lewis, 2004, p.173). They should be able to pinpoint problematic individuals and come up with effective and efficient behaviour support plans to help them change positively.

As a teacher, one must understand why students behave in a certain way. It is important to note that the conduct of learners can be a result of three major factors. It can result from physiological reasons, which vary from one individual to the other based on their temperament (Newcomer & Lewis, 2004, p.173).

Secondly, the behaviour of a student can emanate from their social background. In this case, the individual will tend to behave in a manner that is perceived as acceptable within their community. Lastly, behaviour can be affected by immediate happenings within the school setting. A teacher should be able to assess the behavioural needs of each and every student in their classroom.

To positively impact on problematic students, teachers must have the skills required to develop behaviour support plans (Wehby, Lane & Falk, 2003, p.196). In this paper, the author seeks to use Jack’s incident report to formulate an effective behaviour support plan.

The student is from New England School of Excellence in New South Wales, Australia. The author will carry out an antecedent-behaviour-consequence analysis. The summary statement will then be formulated. Competing behaviour diagrams will also be prepared. Lastly, the author will use the diagrams to come up with a functional behaviour support plan.

Antecedent-Behaviour-Consequence Analysis

To positively change the behaviour of a student, the teacher must be able to trace the cause of their problematic conduct (Dunlap, 2006, p.59). To better understand the conduct of the students, the contextual behaviour framework is used. The model states that human behaviour is contextual.

It is influenced by the environment (Dunlap, 2006, p.60). For this reason, behaviour should be interpreted in relation to environmental factors. To achieve this, it is important to analyse acts in terms of what they are and the context within which they occur. For a teacher to come up with an effective behaviour support plan, they must have a good understanding of the student’s environment.

The most important element that influences the behaviour of a learner in class is the school environment. Some of these significant aspects include the institution’s rules and the relations that occur between peers (National Centre for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance [NCEE], 2008, p.7). Specific aspects that may influence student behaviour in class at primary school level include the curriculum and the set of instructions governing them.

It is important to note that some instructions and certain elements of the curriculum may put unnecessary pressure on the learners. The probability to repeat a given act is determined by the course of action taken following the exhibition of this behaviour by a student. The teacher should create an environment that discourages problematic behaviours in a classroom setting.

The environmental conditions that exist following a given conduct by the learner are referred to as consequences. In this case, the treatment that Jack is subjected to is the consequence. There is a close relationship between consequences and the probability of the behaviour occurring. In some cases, the likelihood of the act increases following a particular consequence.

Such a scenario is referred to as reinforce (Dunlap et al., 2006, p.36). On the other hand, consequences that decrease the probability of a particular behaviour are referred to as punishers. To come up with an effective support plan, a teacher should identify consequences that maintain the likelihood of positive behaviour while lowering negative acts. The form of interaction between behaviour and its consequence is referred to as functional relationship.

To formulate a functional behaviour support plan, a teacher must also recognise the actions that prompt the negative conduct exhibited by the student. For example, in the case of Jack’s incident report, the lunch break is the event that seems to bring about his negative behaviour. His teacher indicates that his conduct in class throughout the day is agreeable until after lunch break.

The event that comes just before the ‘occurrence’ is referred to as an antecedent. The negative behaviour triggered in this case is non-compliance to the New England School of Excellence’s rules and regulations (Dunlap et al., 2006, p.33). Usually, reports of negative conduct are made in a behaviour incident report form. In this case, Jack fails to return to class even after the bell to signal the end of the lunch break rings.

Instead, he is left outside playing as other students return to class. He also refuses to resume work. When a fellow classmate is sent to notify him that class time has commenced, Jack fails to comply and continues playing. He also destroys the school property. According to his behaviour incident report, the teacher found him throwing water on the floor and walls of the school bathrooms.

He goes ahead to stick toilet paper on the wet walls. According to the report, Jack goes ahead to throw items at the teacher, something that indicates lack of respect. In addition, the boy makes inappropriate gestures with the use of his hands, which is considered by the teacher as rude.

There is a close relationship between antecedent, behaviour, and consequence. The attempt to explore the link is referred to as antecedent-behaviour-consequence analysis. In efforts to develop an effective behaviour support plan for a student, a teacher must identify the three elements. They must also make the connection between the three in order to formulate effective collective measures (NCEE, 2008, p.8).

The teacher should mainly deal with antecedents (Conroy, Dunlap, Clarke & Alter, 2005, p.162). For example, the teacher should try to change the routine of the students during lunch break. Instead of allowing the learners to play individually, the teacher may encourage them to participate in groups. As such, the probabilities of Jack being left behind as the students return to class will be lowered.

In this case, Jack’s negative behaviour will have been eliminated. It is also important for appropriate consequences to be formulated. Jack should be offered some form of punishment for lack of discipline. For instance, he should be denied the chance to play outside after lunch. As such, he will learn to appreciate and respect the time limits put in place by the school administration with regards to lunch breaks.

Summary Statement

A summary statement resembles a hypothesis. It is used to describe the problematic behaviour and its context. A complete summary statement has four major parts. They include the setting event, the antecedent (also commonly referred to as the trigger), the problematic behaviour, and consequences (Sugai, Lewis-Palmer & Hagan-Burke, 2000, p.153).

A number of summary statements can be formulated using the information contained in Jack’s behaviour incident report form. Some are highlighted below:

1. Long lunch breaks offer Jack playing time, which makes him fail to return to class once the bell rings. The situation attracts punishment from the school administration. To this end, Jack is denied the opportunity to play after meals.
2. Discouraging playing as a group makes Jack stay alone during lunch breaks. As a result, he is late for class, a situation that makes the school introduce a playing session for the entire class immediately after meals.

Competing Behaviour Diagrams

The diagrams play a vital role in the formulation of behaviour support plans. They contain all the components of the summary statement and several additions. Some of the items added to the competing diagrams include replacing the problematic situation with desired behaviour. The act is viewed as the desired objective in the quest for behavioural change by the teacher (NCEE, 2008, p.44).

Competing diagrams also replace the undesired conduct with the alternative behaviour. The consequences of the student’s conduct are also outlined in the diagrams (refer to appendices 1 and 2 for Jack’s competing behaviour diagram).

How Competing Behaviour Diagrams can be used to develop a Behaviour Support Plan

Behaviour support plans are developed from the available competing behaviour diagram. Formulation of the plan involves four major steps. They include definition of the problem, analysis of the issue, development of a behaviour support plan, and monitoring of progress (Sugai et al., 2000, p.153). The steps are discussed below:

Definition of Problem. The principles of behavioural support plans require teachers to ascertain the existence of a problematic conduct that needs to be changed. The challenging behaviour identified must be proved beyond any reasonable doubt to be contrary to the laid down guidelines (Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2004, p.104).

In the behavioural incident report provided, it is evident that the teacher has identified a number of problematic acts. They include non-compliance, refusing to work, destroying school property, throwing items, and making inappropriate gestures. As such, there is need for a behaviour support plan.

Analysis of Problem.In this stage, it is important to consider the functions and events related to the problematic behaviour. Going by Jack’s behaviour incident report form, it is clear that the function of the problematic conduct is lack of punctuality in class after the bell signalling the end of the lunch break rings.

The behaviour is found to come about as a result of such events as long breaks, which give him free time to play. The problem also comes about as a result of failure to encourage the whole class to play as a group. As a result, Jack often plays alone in the school bathrooms, increasing his chances of losing track of time.

Development of a Behaviour Support Plan.Coming up with a support plan involves formulation of strategies that will help to change behaviour. The teacher can achieve this by proposing the replacement of the problematic behaviour with the desired or alternative act (Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2004, p.103).

With regards to Jack’s incident report form, the teacher can address the problem of lack of punctuality by putting in place two desired replacement behaviours (Kern, Ringdahl, Hilt & Sterling-Turner, 2001, p.219). The two involve instructing Jack to show up on time at the bottom of the stairs once the bell signifying the end of the lunch break rings. The other entails having him play together with other students during the break to ensure that he stays together with his classmates.

Alternatively, Jack can stay close to his classmates even when playing alone (Dunlap, 2006, p.59). As such, he will be able to follow them closely. Consequently, he will avoid being late for class after lunch break. He should also respond respectfully when the teacher sends someone to fetch him.

The development of a behaviour support plan also involves the determination of consequences. In the case of Jack, the teacher will come up with either reinforcing or maintaining consequences. To begin with, Jack’s punctuality will make him more independent. His confrontations with the school administration will also reduce. Failure to change will result in the introduction of maintaining consequences, such as forwarding the matter to the principal.

Monitoring of Progress.After the teacher has come up with a behaviour support plan for Jack, the next task involves monitoring the progress made. The teacher has to determine whether the support plan is successful or not.

If the strategy is deemed to be ineffective, the instructor should return to the problem analysis stage to try and solve it once more (Bricker, Davis & Squires, 2004, p.134). If the plan was effective, the teacher should move on to solve another problematic behaviour on the same student or another.

The steps involved in the formulation of a behaviour support plan are indicated in the figure below:

Figure 1: Formulating a behaviour support plan

Conclusion

Teachers play the role of providing guidance to students as they pursue their education. To enhance learning within the classroom setting, the instructors should deal with problematic behaviour that may affect the learning process. To effectively address these challenging situations, the teacher should possess the knowledge and skills needed to come up with a behaviour support plan.

The plan is used to anticipate and address negative behaviours among learners. In this regard, the teacher must be able to identify the various components of a problematic conduct. The components include the function, setting event, antecedent, desired behaviour, alternative conduct, as well as reinforcing and maintaining consequences associated with a particular behaviour.

During the formulation of a behaviour support plan, a number of steps must be followed. The stages include definition of the issue, problem analysis, development of behaviour support plan, and monitoring of progress.

References

Bricker, D., Davis, M., & Squires, J. (2004). Mental health screening in young children. Infants & Young Children, 17(2), 129-144.

Conroy, M., Dunlap, G., Clarke, S., & Alter, P. (2005). A descriptive analysis of positive behavioural intervention research with young children with challenging behaviour. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 25(3), 157-166.

Dunlap, G. (2006). The applied behaviour analytic heritage of PBS: A dynamic model of action-oriented research. Journal of Positive Behaviour Interventions, 8(1), 58-60.

Dunlap, G., Strain, P., Fox, L., Carta, J., Conroy, M., Smith, B.,…Sowell, C. (2007). Prevention and intervention with young children’s challenging behaviour: Perspectives regarding current knowledge. Behavioural Disorders, 32(1), 29-45.

Kern, L., Ringdahl, J., Hilt, A., & Sterling-Turner, H. (2001). Linking self-management procedures to functional analysis results. Behavioural Disorders, 26(3), 214-226.

National Centre for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. (2008). Reducing behaviour problems in the elementary school classroom. Web.

Newcomer, L., & Lewis, T. (2004). Functional behavioural assessment: An investigation of assessment reliability and effectiveness of function-based interventions. Journal of Emotional and Behavioural Disorders, 12(3), 168-181.

Sugai, G., Lewis-Palmer, T., & Hagan-Burke, S. (2000). Overview of the functional behavioural assessment process. Exceptionality, 8(3), 149-160.

Webster-Stratton, C., & Reid, M. (2004). Strengthening social and emotional competence in young children: The foundation for early school readiness and success: Incredible years classroom social skills and problem-solving curriculum. Infants and Young Children, 17(2), 96-113.

Wehby, J., Lane, K., & Falk, K. (2003). Academic instruction for students with emotional and behavioural disorders. Journal of Emotional and Behavioural Disorders, 11(4), 194-197.

Appendix

Appendix 1: Competing Behaviour Diagram 1 for Jack’s Assessment

Appendix 2: Competing Behaviour Diagram 2 for Jack’s Assessment

Managing a classroom comprise an application of numerous classroom management strategies. Thus, management is a broad term used to imply, assisting, refereeing, administering, and disciplining of students academically. Due to different student backgrounds, their behavior varies greatly.

Classroom management strategies are policies that discourage unruly students from interfering with learning processes. For example, students are not supposed to have dangerous weapons in school or class, break classrooms nor be eligible to drug abuse. The paper examines five strategies, which are beneficial in creating a smooth learning environment. (Rodriguez, (n.d), Para. 1-3).

Perhaps a question to ask oneself is why students will not follow the said classroom rules and regulations. Kids will behave in a strange manner like it or not. However, teachers must stop this habit. A good teacher is the one who has the interest of students at heart. They should instruct students that their main purpose of students being in school is to learn and not to involve disruptive activities.

All classroom management strategies evolve around teachers. Only teachers have an audacity of commanding sanity in classrooms. The first strategy that teachers cam use to manage classrooms effectively, is by involving students through verbal communication. This creates familiarity between students and teachers.

If a teacher sees students in the laboratory or on the field playing and talks to them about the activity, they are doing, these students will have respect to the teacher both inside and outside classroom. Moreover, teachers ought to congratulate students whenever they do nice things. By doing so, students will have a positive mentality about a certain teacher’s concern and care towards them.

The second strategy to apply in management a classroom is to distribute period time in doing various classroom activities. The main reason for doing this is to make the lesson move cordially. Teachers should use a teacher-student questions approach at one point while on the other hand; a teacher can make students either stand or move in front of the class near a black wall or black board as a way of discouraging boredom. (Hayden, 2009, Para. 2-11).

Some student can find it boring when, a teacher lectures the whole period without any engagement. Instead, teachers should introduce hand activities in classrooms so that students do not become disruptive. Practical activities become effervescent to students who are otherwise disruptive when bored.

The fourth classroom management strategy is using a mind caning strategy. When some students engage in unsettling activities like talking, moving chairs, or stabbing, the teacher should abruptly pick these students to answer a deliberate question. At times, the teacher should approach these students and stand by their side while watching their moves. They will become shy, realize their mistakes and desist from it then engage themselves effectively into learning. (Rodriguez, (n.d), Para. 7-25).

Lastly, teachers can order some unruly students to match out of the classroom at least once for a while. This happens when disruptive students cannot stop their habit even after using all of the above strategies.

Some experienced tutors have suggested that, teachers should take these students to the field or in a hall and ask them to list their problems. Through this mechanism, students might list other external factors, which make them to be unruly in classrooms. Consequently, the teacher can develop a new mechanism to handle the student.

In conclusion, guidance and counseling can be a solution to extremely defiant students. Sometimes teachers can send these students to the school administration for further disciplinary actions. However, cases like this should be minimal so that other students do not become fearful of teachers. Overall, students will always be disrupting in classrooms unless they are fully engaged in doing mind-occupying activities.

Reference List

Hayden, K. (2009). Top Five Management Strategies-They Really Work. Web.

Rodriguez, L. (n.d). Classroom Management. Web.

The purpose of this literature review is to synthesize various works used during this course to explore the aspects of classroom management and its most recent techniques. The paper focuses on several studies concerning such subjects as classroom management from the perspective of teachers, its limitations and benefits, learning through play as a classroom management strategy, innovative methods of game-based teaching.

Teachers’ Perspective on Classroom Management

Young and experienced teachers all around the world are trying to work out the best strategies helping to establish order and discipline in the class. Different cultures have various approaches towards this task (Koh & Shin, 2014), yet all educators agree that working in a harmonious classroom is the key to staying in the field and avoiding professional burnout (Dicke, Parker, Marsh, Kunter, Schmeck, & Leutner, 2014). The perspectives of younger and older teachers differ. For example, novice teachers focus mostly on discipline maintenance. At the same time, experienced educators pay more attention to teaching, which can be explained by the level of professionalism and better management skills obtained over years of practice (Unal & Unal, 2012; Wolff, Bogert, Jarodska, & Boshuizen, 2015). In contemporary American schools, educators have to deal with a high level of cultural diversity, which complicates the teaching process making it multi-focused.

Taking class composition into consideration is highly important for the success of management of the class (Hochweber, Hosenfeld & Klieme, 2014), where an educator is to provide positive student-teacher relationships and capitalize on human resources making cultural backgrounds a part of the learning process (Jones, Jones & Vermette, 2013). This way, implementing culturally responsive positive behavior interventions will directly affect the academic success of the learners (Cramer, & Bennett, 2015). There is a variety of classroom management techniques. Some of them were formed by the educators of the past. Some are inflicted by the modern rapid development of contemporary society. As a result, teachers today often feel frustrated as to which strategies to employ to achieve the best results in their particular classrooms.

Managing a Class

Among the first classroom management techniques applied by the educators, there is an activity break technique (McMullen, Kulinna & Cothran, 2014), which eventually got extended into a full-time teaching method known as play-based teaching (Fisher, Hirsh-Pasek, Newcombe & Golinkoff, 2013). This kind of teaching is especially efficient for learners of all ages due to being student-centered. Teaching through play is much more productive and successful compared to standard academically concentrated educational programs. Good classroom management has to rely on several aspects such as cultural and ethnic factors (Cramer & Bennett, 2015), background, economic status of the families of the students, and their health conditions and peculiarities (Schlein, Taft & Tucker-Blackwell, 2013). A couple of centuries ago, the main way to maintain discipline in the classroom was through physical punishments. This was viewed as an effective way to cope with children’s adventurous and mischievous nature that often goes out of control.

Today, such suppressive methods are still applied in some cultures (Koh & Shin, 2014). Still, the American educators prefer to redirect the energy of their students or provide a productive and harmless way out for it during the activity breaks or games (Cutter-Mackenzie, & Edwards, 2013; McMullen, Kulinna & Cothran, 2014). Employing games and play-based teaching is often a successful way to mediate children’s energy and to create active, yet properly supervised activities. At the same time, using these techniques as a part of classroom management strategy teachers must be aware that they are equally able to help children with behavioral disorders to function harmoniously and collaborate (Schlein, Taft & Tucker-Blackwell, 2013), but also to create behavioral problems for the regular students (Bulotsky-Shearer, Bell, Romero & Carter, 2013).

Play and Creative Practice as Classroom Management Techniques

Play is not only a very useful and highly effective activity for the development of children; it is also a natural behavior for them. Observation of animals and wildlife makes it clear that young offspring of non-human species frequently engage in play with each other or with the surrounding objects. Kittens may play with shiny candy wrappings. Puppies like to bite and carry sticks in their mouth, baby animals of all species wrestle with each other, climb rocks and trees, run around for hours. This is a demonstration of a natural design of a young mind craving knowledge and new experiences. Engaging in play, human children instinctively start to acquire important information. Play is viewed as a highly efficient teaching method due to its universal character (Cutter-Mackenzie & Edwards, 2013) and its ability to integrate social interactions into the process of learning (Bulotsky-Shearer, Bell, Romero & Carter, 2013). Besides, play and creative practice are rather flexible activities and can easily be modified to fulfill the needs of each classroom with any ethnic, social, and cultural composition (Cramer & Bennett, 2015; Schlein, Taft & Tucker-Blackwell, 2013; Hochweber, Hosenfeld & Klieme, 2014).

Play helps to provide active and effective learning without creating too many limitations for the students and accessing the children’s learning abilities in their natural state. One more valuable feature of the play is its suitability for almost any subject. Play-based learning can be effectively implemented in math, geometry, environmental studies, languages, literature, and art (Fisher, Hirsh-Pasek, Newcombe & Golinkoff, 2013; Cutter-Mackenzie & Edwards, 2013). Supervision is a crucial aspect of play-based teaching. An educator is to organize and direct the learners to provide effective activities. Disciplinary rules are necessary since both teachers and students view them as highly important measures helping to maximize the efficiency of learning (Gest, Madill, Zadzora, Miller & Rodkin, 2014).

Digital Gaming and Class Management

The contemporary world is known for its high connectivity and rapid technological development. Modern technologies penetrate all spheres of human life, such as communication, economics, business, leisure, and entertainment. The field of education also becomes more and more influenced by technological progress. Some of the most popular examples of such influences are digitalized learning, online assignments, websites of educational affiliations providing communication between teachers and students, and virtual libraries. While educational facilities of higher levels such as colleges and universities may maintain distanced education all the time and provide virtual class management, school education is still based on in-class activities. Yet, modern class management still includes a variety of innovative teaching methods such as flipped or half-flipped classroom, and implementation of online games (Westermann, 2014; Blunt, 2009).

The use of digital games can be viewed as a type of play-based teaching. Besides, it shares one of the most important qualities of play-based teaching, as it is suitable for a variety of subjects and also can be implemented to manage diverse classrooms where the individual approach is required (Fisher, Hirsh-Pasek, Newcombe & Golinkoff, 2013; Cramer & Bennett, 2015). Today, there is a huge variety of digital games designed for learners of all ages studying different subjects, which is convenient for educators of all specialties. However, a special kind of class management is required to maintain order it a class practicing innovative learning methods.

Summary and Directions for Additional Research

To sum up, the research focused on class management strategies and activities covers several important subjects such as teachers’ approach towards class management, the efficiency of different methods of management, older and newer strategies. At the same time, computer-enhanced education is getting more and more popular, so the further research is likely to focus on such aspects as the management of flipped classrooms, coping with isolation among students, providing online collaboration and communication in the virtual classrooms, limitations of distanced education and helping the learners manage their online schedule without losing interest in learning. As to online gaming, the literature used for this paper did not include the description of management techniques concerning inflexibility of games with a fixed number of scenarios, or the rules and measures of implementation of gaming during the learning process concerning the abuse and underuse of this method.

Conclusion

Class management is a complex issue consisting of multiple aspects and layers. Aggressive disciplinary measures are highly unpopular in American schools. Instead, educators employ preventive management. This means that the energy and adventurous nature of the learners needs to be handled professionally and directed positively. Play, creative practice, and digital gaming are good ways to engage the students in peaceful and active learning. This is why these methods are viewed as effective classroom management strategies. Besides, they are innovative and fit perfectly into the modern surroundings and environments of the learners.

References

Blunt, R. (2009). Do serious games work? Results from three studies. eLearn Magazine. Web.

Bulotsky-Shearer, R. J., Bell, E. R., Romero S. L. & Carter, T. M. (2013). Identifying mechanisms through which preschool problem behavior influences academic outcomes: What is the mediating role of negative peer play interactions? Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders 22(4), 199-213.

Cramer, E. D. & Bennett, K. D. (2015). Implementing culturally responsive positive behavior interventions and supports in middle school classrooms. Middle School Journal, 46(3), 18-24.

Cutter-Mackenzie, A. & Edwards, S. (2013). Toward a model for early childhood environmental education: Foregrounding, developing, and connecting knowledge through play-based Learning. The Journal of Environmental Education, 44(3), 195–213.

Dicke, T., Parker, P. D., Marsh, H. W., Kunter, M., Schmeck, A. & Leutner, D. (2014). Self-efficacy in classroom management, classroom disturbances, and emotional exhaustion: A moderated mediation analysis of teacher candidates. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106(2), 569-583.

Fisher, K. R., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Newcombe, N. & Golinkoff, R. (2013). Taking shape: Supporting preschoolers’ acquisition of geometric knowledge through guided play. Child Development 84(6), 1872-1878.

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Hochweber, J., Hosenfeld, I. & Klieme, E. (2014). Classroom composition, classroom management, and the relationship between student attributes and grades. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106(1), 289-300.

Jones, K. A., Jones, J. L. & Vermette, P. J. (2013). Exploring the complexity of classroom management: 8 components of managing a highly productive, safe, and respectful urban environment. American Secondary Education, 41(3), 21-33.

Koh, M. & Shin, S. (2014). A Comparative study of elementary teachers’ beliefs and strategies on classroom and behavior management in the USA and Korean school systems. International Journal of Progressive Education, 10(3), 18-33.

McMullen, J., Kulinna, P. & Cothran, D. (2014). Physical activity opportunities during the school day: Classroom teachers’ perceptions of using activity breaks in the classroom. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 33(4), 511-527.

Schlein, C., Taft, R. & Tucker-Blackwell, V. (2013). Teachers’ experiences with classroom management and children diagnosed with emotional behavioral disorder. Curriculum & Teaching Dialogue, 15(1/2), 133-146.

Unal, Z & Unal, A. (2012). The impact of years of teaching experience on the classroom management approaches of elementary school teachers, International Journal of Instruction, 5(2), 41-60.

Westermann, E. B. (2014). A half-flipped classroom or an alternative approach?: Primary sources and blended learning. Educational Research Quarterly 38(2), 43-57.

Wolff, C., Bogert, N., Jarodska, H. & Boshuizen, H. P. A. (2015). Keeping an eye on learning: Differences between expert and novice teachers’ representations of classroom management events. Journal of Teacher Education, 66(1), 68-85.

Introduction

The Emperor’s Club (2002) is a movie drama telling the story of the life of a teacher, William Hundert. The plot is based on the short story The Palace Thief written by Ethan Canin. The events in the Emperor’s Club follow Hundert, who works at Saint Benedict’s boarding school for boys. The tightly-controlled life of the Classics teacher is filled with routine, but all goes out of hand when Sedgewick Bell, a son of a US Senator, enters his classroom. The moral opposition between the teacher and his student eventually develops in a close relationship. However, this relationship leads to Hundert making a mistake, which he regrets for the rest of his career.

The movie can provide an insight into the world of teaching to understand what the profession entails. Not only does one have to be prepared for lessons and know the subject brilliantly, dedication and passion are also imperative. By using the examples from the Emperor’s Club, this assignment will explore the use of different teaching strategies that the main character used in his teaching. These strategies will include behavior management, the engagement of students, and the level of power the protagonist utilizes in his position. These observed behavior management styles will be linked to the following three theories: J. Kounin’s Instructional Management, W. Glasser’s Choice Theory, and Quality Schools, and B. Rogers’ Positive Behaviour Leadership. In his teaching, Hundert implements a range of approaches to adapt to the context of the classroom, which means that his style is mixed.

Observed Behaviour Management Strategies and Techniques

Schoolwide positive behavior support (SWPBS) can be witnessed in the boarding school’s rules and practices. It is an efficient system that seeks to improve academic performance, promote safety, and decrease problem behaviors (Kincaid et al. 174). This can be seen when Hundert makes evening rounds in the dormitories of the boys, ensuring that everyone is following the guidelines for getting to sleep by 9 o’clock and appropriate discipline is being followed.

In the early scenes, Hundert encounters a student walking across the grass, rather than a path, causing them to accidentally collide. Hundert uses this opportunity to use cognitive-behavioral intervention as a preventive measure for behavior problems. Students are taught to problem solve with an understanding of how to deal with any dysfunctions and emotional challenges. It is critical to help students to develop self-management of any negative behavior (Smith and Daunic 72). Hundert uses this approach with the student by using the incident as an example to teach correct behavior while encouraging further compliance through motivational words.

Hundert practices family-school collaboration to achieve positive behavior support when he meets with Bell’s father, addressing the student’s behavior. It is an appropriate method of behavior management as all relevant stakeholders should be actively involved in the educational and disciplinary process. Parent involvement can significantly influence the behavior patterns of children. However, there is a significant risk of unintended negative consequences or a difference of perception between teacher and parent (Minke and Anderson 182). The family involvement had a positive impact at first on Bell’s behavior but inherently did not change the underlying issue of his character since the father refused to allow Hundert to intervene outside the educational process.

Teacher Power

In one of the first-class sessions, Mr. Hundert jokingly declares, “Tyranny is what we have in this classroom, and it works” (The Emperor’s Club). The boarding school is inherently based on a structure where educators and administrators maintain responsibility for the students. This gave teachers more power than they would have in a traditional school setting. Furthermore, Mr. Hundert served as a class supervisor for the group, overlooking their out-of-class activities. The staff set the rules, punishments, and curriculum for the boys which they were obliged to follow with the fear of expulsion.

Meanwhile, the students maintain an indirect power through the influence of their parents. The school’s endowment and popularity directly depend upon the participation of families. Throughout the movie, the influence of parents that are powerful figures in the community is discussed. Particularly in the example of the primary antagonist, Bell, who can leverage his father’s position as a Senator to escape harsh punishment for atrocious behavior.

Teacher communication directly impacts student engagement due to the inherent influence on emotions in the classroom. If there is a lack of communication competence and clarity in verbal interaction, students report shame, boredom, and hopelessness. Meanwhile, a positive approach reflects enjoyment and hope. This is due to the emotional response theory which affects the learning process and classroom interactions (Mazer et al. 15). Mr. Hundert sought to establish a positive environment in the classroom by practicing clear communication with the students, honesty, and encouraging debate. Students were aware of expectations in the classroom and could also communicate with Mr. Hundert on a personal level, both inside and outside the classroom. Despite, the power dynamic favoring the instructor, the communication approach remained a tool that established a level of equity and balance to some extent which positively influenced the students.

Types of teacher power and approaches have been found to directly correlate with student empowerment, emotion, and behavior. The coercive power which seeks to punish and control the students is demotivational and lowers self-competency. However, the film protagonist displayed instances of legitimate power which presents the teacher’s authority to the students as a societal role, giving the right to direct students, but not force them. Such instructors are described as strict and upright, but displaying high charisma, moral character, and even pleasant personality. Additionally, Mr. Hundert displayed instances of referent power, which is the student’s positive regard for and identification with the teacher, establishing a personal connection. Furthermore, reward power was evident which seeks to empower the students as they receive affirmation and support from the instructor that led to improved self-perception and performance (Diaz et al. 8).

As an instructor, Mr. Hundert was greatly respected and revered by his students, as suggested by the film’s plot in the events of the past and present-day when they have grown up. Mr. Hundert displayed character and attitude that established authority, but it was not misused and rarely punished students. Instead, he utilized it to create teachable moments for all students, including Bell, when mistakes were made. The theory of Congruent Communication is implemented in the classroom, as Mr. Hundert greatly encourages student autonomy and awareness of their actions. This is evident particularly in the moral guidance, as Hundert utilizes history to promote character development in the boys, building self-discipline and positive decision-making capabilities. During the first lesson, he provides an example of Shutruk Nahunte, who despite his great ambition and conquests failed to be remembered by history because of his lack of contributions. From the initial stages, this provides a powerful influence and encouragement for the boys who realize that they must be meaningful and contributing members of the community and history to be recognized, rather than getting caught up in the hubris of ambition like Bell.

Alignment of Theorists

Mr. Hundert utilizes a mixed style of teaching discipline in classroom management and interaction with students. Therefore, he integrates the personality and methods from various styles of classroom leadership to demonstrate a hybrid approach to achieve students’ best interests and fulfill their learning needs. It is important to note that the following theoretical models are all focused on promoting student autonomy, self-discipline, and responsibility for behavior. Mr. Hundert’s approach of promoting moral character growth in a non-forceful manner fits within the theories that emphasize encouragement and teaching by example.

Jacob Kounin’s Instructional Management theory states that is managed through effective lesson planning techniques which ensure continuity and smoothness of the lesson, leaving students no time or interest for misbehavior. Instructional management can consist of consistent daily structure and routines, allocation of material, and control of seating charts. This approach is strongly dependent on teacher efficacy and willingness to try different instructional approaches. It ultimately sets the atmosphere in the classroom which influences student behavior stressors. The instructional momentum is a characteristic of well-planned lessons and little off-task behavior (Martin et al. 547). According to Kounin, the group management approach outlined by theory allows to program for individual differences and creates a flow of instruction and classroom environment that helps certain students (Emmer and Stough 104).

These classroom management techniques can be seen in Mr. Hurbert’s approach that attempts to diversify a relatively dull subject of history in his lesson plans to promote engagement. Students participate in activities such as dressing in togas or reading parts from a play to recreate historical events. Meanwhile, Mr. Hurbert uses this lesson management to impart personal lessons upon difficult students such as Bell, when assigning him a vital role in the play reading activity that stipulates an important debate and critical thought on morality. For the most part, Hurbert is successful in utilizing this theoretical approach. However, misbehavior on behalf of Bell persists despite any attempts for his inclusion. Nevertheless, Hundert believes that “however much we stumble, it is a teacher’s burden to always hope that with learning a boy’s character might be changed, and so the destiny of a man” (The Emperor’s Club).

Choice Theory and Quality Schools developed by William Glasser focuses on instructors and schools meeting the needs of students so they can succeed. Instruction is aimed at encouraging the students and providing the tools for academic achievement. The high quality of education must inherently promote student self-efficacy which is a complex cognitive process that impacts individual choices and behavior. Therefore, Glasser’s Choice Theory is meant for students to understand personal behaviors and the impact on others, practicing internal control and responsibility. Meanwhile, teachers are lead managers that should cooperate rather than be the authority and offer encouragement instead of punishment. This helps to form relationships based on mutual trust and respect (Motaghedifard et al. 47).

Mr. Hundert greatly utilizes this approach in his instruction, emphasizing the importance of morality and consequence within an individual’s choice. He attempts to bestow this theme upon his students through the use of historical and literary examples. When the boys are caught after sneaking out, Mr. Hundert states that the code of the academy should be followed as it represents their honor and dignity as students, impacting both theirs and the school’s reputation. Therefore, he can highlight the impact of their behavior and communicate with them as fellow gentlemen with a similar code of honor, which impacts the student’s understanding of individual self-efficacy.

Bill Rogers’ Positive Behaviour Leadership theory is defined by the teacher serving as the primary and facilitative role model for ethical behavior in the classroom. The system is based on principles of shared rights and responsibilities as well as clear communication of expectations. Disruptive students are assisted in learning better behaviors and encouraged to observe how changes can benefit them. Discipline encourages empowerment and accountability for actions but avoids direct punishment. The tone of the classroom should remain positive and consistent, as preventative strategies can be used to manage behavior. Conflict resolution and individual contact with the student are encouraged (Arthur-Kelly et al. 23).

This theoretical approach is pragmatic regarding school behavior management, which Mr. Hundert utilizes to his advantage. He creates an atmosphere of accountability that respects the rights of all students to learning and safety. Those that violate such measures face the consequences. Hundert creates a culture and tone in the school based on a certain behavioral agreement and seeks to use appropriate interventions with Bell such as personal meetings and attempts at preventive strategies. Meanwhile, Hundert displays dignity and patients that serve as a model for the students, empowering them to shared responsibility and commitment to learning.

Conclusion

The Emperor’s Club is an empowering educational and coming-of-age film that demonstrates the positive aspects as well as challenges of the instruction process. Mr. Hundert is an experienced teacher and honorable man that has a profound impact on the education and character formation of his students. He utilizes strategies that include behavior management, the engagement of students, and power influence. Furthermore, he competently encompasses theories of instructional management, choice theory, and positive behavior leadership in the educational process.

Works Cited

Arthur-Kelly, Michael et al. Classroom Management: Creating Positive Learning Environments. Thompson Learning, 2006.

Diaz, Abel, et al. “The Influence of Teacher Power on English Language Learners Self-Perceptions of Learner Empowerment.” College Teaching, vol. 64, no. 4, July 2016, pp. 158–167., Web.

Emmer, Edmund T., and Laura M. Stough. “Classroom Management: A Critical Part of Educational Psychology, With Implications for Teacher Education.” Educational Psychologist, vol. 36, no. 2, 2001, pp. 103–112., Web.

Kincaid, Don, et al. “Identifying Barriers and Facilitators in Implementing Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support.” Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 174-184.

Martin, Nancy K., et al. “Teacher Efficacy in Student Engagement, Instructional Management, Student Stressors, and Burnout: A Theoretical Model Using in-Class Variables to Predict Teachers Intent-to-Leave.” Teaching and Teacher Education, vol. 28, no. 4, 2012, pp. 546–559., Web.

Mazer, Joseph P., et al. “The Dark Side of Emotion in the Classroom: Emotional Processes as Mediators of Teacher Communication Behaviors and Student Negative Emotions.” Communication Education, vol. 63, no. 3, Aug. 2014, pp. 149–168., Web.

Minke, Kathleen M., and Kellie J. Anderson. “Family–School Collaboration and Positive Behavior Support.” Journal of Positive Behaviour Intentions, vol. 7, no. 3, 2005, pp. 181-185. Web.

Motaghedifard, Mahshad, et al. “Effectiveness of Quality Education Based on Glassers Choice Theory on the Students Academic Self-Efficacy.” European Journal of Psychology and Educational Studies, vol. 2, no. 2, 2015, p. 43., Web.

Smith, Stephen W., and Ann P. Daunic. “Research on Preventing Behavior Problems Using a Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention: Preliminary Findings, Challenges, and Future Directions. Behavioral Disorders, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 72-76.

The Emperor’s Club. Directed by Michael Hoffman. Performances by Kevin Kline, Universal Pictures, 2002.

It goes without saying that teachers play an immeasurably essential role in students’ lives. They have an opportunity to establish a supportive community that helps classroom management and create a positive atmosphere based on mutual trust, clear expectations, and clear routines (Rapp and Arndt, p. 206). However, teachers frequently face communication challenges determined by cultural, environmental, and personal peculiarities of students and teachers themselves, as well. Specific behavioral patterns common for people from one cultural background may be interpreted incorrectly by the representatives of another culture. For instance, Arabic or Italian students who frequently speak in a loud voice or use gestures in everyday speech may be regarded by a teacher as aggressive or irritated. In turn, the teacher’s communication style may insignificantly affect students’ productivity and concentration in case they are familiar with a different level of discourse. In addition, students may have sensory sensitivities or a different perception of personal space and boundaries that should be considered by all participants of the educational process.

In order to establish appropriate classroom management and create a healthy atmosphere on the basis of mutual trust, respect, and understanding, a teacher should use certain strategies. The modeling of practices that a teacher would like to see and the teaching of character may be regarded as the most essential strategies that help to minimize cultural and individual differences. The modeling of practices implies the building of the students’ characters by a teacher through his or her example (Rapp and Arndt, p. 211). In other words, if a teacher wants students to treat each other with respect and understanding, he or she should primarily respect them. If a teacher listens attentively to a speaking person, deals with minor inconveniencies graciously, and takes responsibilities, students will subsequently adopt the same behavioral patterns in the classroom. The strategy of self-monitoring is closely connected with the modeling of practices and may be applied for the teaching process as well. Students are giving an opportunity to monitor and control their actions and words in order to reduce disruptive behavior and increase positive performance.

Regardless of permanent debates related to the public schools’ role in character education, a specific strategy that focuses on the development of character traits is highly significant for students. Classroom management emphasizes six character traits that “teach the fundamental principles of being a good citizen and student” – respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, trustworthiness, and citizenship (Rapp and Arndt, p. 212). As a matter of fact, each trait is essential for membership in the school community and good citizenship (Rapp and Arndt, p. 212). In general, helping students to develop necessary skills of mutual respect, care, and fairness may be regarded as a highly considerable part of the teaching process.

In addition, it is essential for any competent teacher to create the classroom’s climate that does not tolerate bullying in all forms. Teaching aims to support all students regardless of their gender, ethnicity, physical and mental peculiarities, and socioeconomic status. At the same time, a teacher should understand and find an approach to a bully as a supportive environment implicates caring as well. There are a substantial number of extensive resources dedicated to the reduction of bullying at school that may be helpful for teachers. The purpose of the teaching process is to explain to students that they should be treated equally and accepted with all strengths and weaknesses.

Work Cited

Rapp, Whitney H., and Karina L. Arndt. Teaching Everyone: An Introduction to Inclusive Education. Eurospan, 2012.

The Most Appealing Ideas Expressed by the Author

The book titled “Best Classroom Management Practices for Reaching All Learners” was written by Randi Stone and presents a selection of multiple useful and very important practices for the successful classroom management. One of the best ideas of the author was to create a very comprehensible and easy to navigate outlay of the book. I enjoyed reading it due to the ease of the material presentation.

Each chapter of the book is dedicated to a specific technique and begins with a vivid story of an educator facing challenges and addressing them with the help of a described classroom management strategy. Further, at the end of the chapter, the tips are provided for the readers to make sense of the material, memorize it better, and notice the key points. Each of the techniques can be named as an outstanding idea.

In my personal opinion, chapter three contained the most appealing strategy that provided guidance as to the successful work with the challenging students. I believe that this aspect of an educator’s daily practice is one of the most important because successful teaching and learning are impossible in a classroom that lack discipline and focused atmosphere. Besides, any classroom has at least one student who disrupts the working process and prevents the other learners from grasping the material.

It is critical for a teacher to be able to address the unwanted behaviors of the student and establish the desired order in the classroom in order to facilitate productive work and successful learning for the benefit of the children. The strategies for classroom management and work with the challenging students are outlined in a very clear manner and present a list of tips that can be easily applied by an educator.

The Implications of the Ideas in the Book

For me, as an educator, the book by Stone is a pure treasure because it does not only provide theories as to work with various types of classrooms, but offers practical guidance and advice illustrating it with the help of stories from the experiences of the practicing teachers. That way, the strategies are easy to use for any reader. The implication of the ideas in the book is that a teacher facing challenges related to classroom management may consult the book by Stone looking for answers and help and find useful tips that can be easily adjusted to the particular kinds of setting and classrooms. In other words, the book by Stone is a collection of great ideas helping the teachers improve their relationships with the students right away and establish discipline.

Due to this book, classroom management, an issue that has been faced by thousands of teachers worldwide, is made easy to address. The author makes the techniques very easy to access and covers the most common problems of the educators of all sorts. As a result, the book is made universal, applicable to many situations, and suitable for most teachers and classrooms. The book implies that today, classroom management is no longer a challenge because the experience of generations of teachers has served to create a set of helpful practice and strategies for a purpose to eliminate the most common issues of the educators working with children.

The Ideas of the Author That I Challenge

All in all, the book by Stone is extremely valuable as a guidebook of a teacher regardless of the length of their professional experience and the depth of their knowledge. The materials and tips presented in the book are versatile and aimed at addressing very different situations related to classroom management.

However, there is a particular technique that it would like to challenge. To be more precise, the technique comes from the first chapter of the book and relies on the use of artificial currency to monetize the interactions carried out in class. One the one hand, this strategy educated children about money, improves their math skills, and the ability to manage their budget. On the other hand, this strategy may be seen as a very pragmatic way to disseminate capitalism in its wrong and dangerous forms because the children may begin engaging in corruption and bribery and associate money with the activities and concepts that cannot and should not be sold (such as friendships and mutual help and support).

Differently put, I see that the strategy involving class bucks can be rather helpful for decision making, critical thinking, and problem-solving. However, it is also a potential gate towards dangerous practices that children should not be learning and getting used to at such young age. I believe that this idea should be restricted and regulated by the teacher in a variety of ways in order to protect the children from the harmful side of money and capitalist interactions. Compared to all the other practices described in the book, this one seems particularly challenging in terms of supervision and monitoring.

The movie viewed was Creating an Environment for Learning.

Observation and Description

Group characteristic

The group under consideration consists of ten students comprising; six girls and four boys. While in the group discussion session, the emphasized group has one girl and three boys. Considering the ethnicity of the class; it consists of all blacks inclusive of the teacher. This clearly shows that the class consists of one racial group, which seems necessarily of African-American ethnicity.

It can be made out that the students are in their sixteen to nineteen years, and this constitutes a remarkably focused and attentive group. This is evidenced by the conduct of the learners in the classroom. The group can also be termed as cooperative and respectful, orchestrated by the friendly nature of the teacher. Through the vibrancy of Madam Smith, the group opens up during the course of learning and contributes progressively towards the topic under consideration. The approximate grade levels to be considered are grades seven and eight ascertained by the mode of learning upheld in the course of learning.

Delivery of Instructions

Various instances can be pointed out where Madam Smith instructs her class towards achieving set objectives. Initially, the teacher directs her students on what to do as part of the classwork regarding the topic, like “give reasons why…” then she interacts with the students during the discussion session. Madam Smith seeks more emphasis on issues like… “form of protest,” this eventually outlines clearly the instructional channel she uses to expound on the topic and level of thinking.

The advantage of including instructions in the process of learning is that it initiates a guided channel to follow and evaluate the intended achievements (Slavin, 2006). Thereby, the result is the achievement of the set goals in the course of teaching.

Analysis, Exploration, and Listening

Student-Teacher Interactions

Madam Smith demonstrates passionately how the interaction between the teacher and the student should fare. She also takes time to listen to the students’ ideas and views, identifying their weaknesses for guidance. Madam Smith sits with the students and discusses from the same context. This helps the students adjust well with the topic of study and familiarize themselves with the directives and requirements in the coursework.

The Tone of Student-Teacher Interactions

The teacher-student interaction is critical in ascertaining the dedication a teacher has in ensuring the students get the content. Madam Smith goes to the extent of engaging students in their group discussions and helping them present their views perfectly. A clear example is when she tells Natalie, “…I will stand with you… we can read together.” The interaction ensures confidence in the class-leading to the free sharing of individual ideas with the whole class. An outstanding example is the use of her body language; she ascertains that body language is particularly crucial during the teaching process. She states that “my body language is very welcoming.”

Student Engagement with Lesson

The students’ engagement is high and results in greater achievements for the whole group. Madam Smith engages students in an interactive learning process. The students express their views also seek clarification where necessary. Therefore, the students uphold the concepts positively and comprehend them with regard to what they perceive in their surroundings.

Setting Expectations

Madam Smith sets highly effective expectations for the students’ performance by involving them in giving ideas concerning the topic of study. The teacher effectively sets her teaching concepts in line with what the students will understand. For example, when she introduces the topic of protests, she gives students time to express their views on it.

The teacher sets a comfortable mood in the class to attract attention in class. For example, “my body language is very welcoming,” through the establishment of a friendly nature, the interaction is promoted. By involving them in giving ideas concerning the topic of study, the teacher’s expectations help in improving the student’s performance.

Connections to Other Effective Teaching Practices

Instructional Purpose

Class management is not a complete process without the inclusion of assessment practices. Through the instructions set, Madam Smith achieves a guided learning approach and positively influences the achievements of the students that are realized in their academic achievements. Madam Smith indulges the student into a consultative approach of delivery, and they get to give their ideas concerning the topic of study.

Madam Smith clearly outlines the guidelines in the learning process; for example, outlining how the topic under consideration would be elaborated. “Give reasons why? Tell me why you would say so?” Instructions in the course of teaching ascertain how effective the delivery of concepts is. For example, Madam Smith instructs students to come up with personal presentations concerning the topic under study. This helps the teacher ascertain how well the concepts are upheld by the students.

Evaluation

Effectiveness of Teaching Style

The teaching style employed in the video is highly effective in the sense that Madam Smith assesses the understanding of the student. Further, the students feel part of the teaching and learning process, thus own it. Further, the eventual results of the teaching style are perfect and realizable when applied elsewhere. The setup of the movie presents an unusually close teacher to students with a class consisting of vibrant and respectful students. According to Jones and Jones (2004), classroom management incorporates effective plans resulting in proper and viable teaching styles. On critical analysis of Madam Smith’s class, it is imperative to note that through the guided learning process, the students are able to uphold the context of the topic and contribute towards the same.

Impact of Student-Teacher Interactions

The interaction between the student and the teacher plays a critical role in the teaching process. Apart from the reason for ensuring that the students comprehend the concepts, the teacher is interested in ensuring that all students are part of the guided learning process. The teacher plays a critical role in influencing the extent of understanding the concept by the student.

The reaction of the students towards the learning process solely depends on the teacher and how he/she conducts the classroom (Slavin, 2006). Through the interactions, the teacher identifies strong points, as well as weak areas for corrections. On the other hand, the discussions going on in class clearly brings out the perfect interaction between the teacher and the students.

Expectations and Performance

Madam’s Smith expectation of developing a comfortable learning environment and highlighting the students’ work contributed to a large extent in impacting positively, as well as influencing the student performance.

The teacher relates well with the students, and they describe her as calm and welcoming. The positive attitude of the teacher and the interest towards the students enhance the students’ comprehension of the concepts taught. Through the way of structuring the classroom situation and showing interest to the students and mode of communication, a positive relationship is established. This culminates in improving the performance of the students and heightening the expectations.

Explanation of the Thinking Process

The movie Creating an Environment for Learning establishes that effective learning managers establish positive learning relationships with their students. Teachers have the obligation of offering guidance in teaching; this would result in perfect ways of alleviating mistakes in the whole process (Jones and Jones, 2004). The expectation of teachers to maintain their presence in the classroom and monitor their students helps them develop and maintain their leadership roles (Slavin, 2006). This results in a perfect leader molded by an individual who understands and appreciates the young student. Having a developing mind, the students are in a position to embrace every concept presented to them.

The process of understanding the video and completing this evaluation had been a critical one but an inspirational process. With the well versed and enacted scenes of the video creating an Environment for Learning, the critical thinking was not only entailing incorporation of knowledge but also understanding the process of guided learning.

Recommendations for an alternative teaching approach

With a more vibrant and inclusive learning process, students will take part in teaching the rest of the class on concepts they have understood in class or during personal learning. This would improve the level of evaluation and guidance to the students. The result is a student well prepared to tackle both academic and intellectual aspects of life. On the same note, there is a greater need to encourage mentorship among the student from the teachers. This will help the student embrace the learning process knowing what the future holds for them.

There is also a crucial need for proper guidance and noble mentorship from the teachers in order for students to uphold and embrace workable and achievable approaches in their learning processes. This can be seen to culminate in perfect excellence through the effort made by the teacher and student.

Grade Level/Subject Area

Students in their middle and higher grades are well versed in the contents taught in their classrooms. They are expected to comprehend and internalize what they learn even prior to the introduction of the context. With a guided learning process, they are expected to participate and acquire more knowledge. According to Slavin (2006), an effective teacher ought to give maximum attention to the students hence, deliver and realize any set teaching goals.

My expectation is geared towards teaching grades 7 and 8; in the subject of History. The setting of the class entails a discussion with the students; they are to give their views concerning an account of events in the past. This will give rise to a learning process that will entail the participation of the student body with my guidance to achieve the set lesson goals.

It is critical to note that, with a strong desire for a class that will achieve the best, a manageable class is effective. The effectiveness of having a sizeable class comes in with proper assessment and control of the class. As a teacher, one is able to manage and assess the students effectively. According to Jones and Jones (2004), a manageable class is very crucial in assessing the group; in the process of erudition, and at the same time give relevant guidance with the time stipulated for the lesson.

A lesson has given time, and for a teacher to be able to assess every student, he/she must be highly effective and tactical in the management of the class within the lesson time. This occurs through the interactions and interventions made by the teacher in the course of teaching. The above concept clearly gives a perfect consideration of a manageable class and its implications with regard to teaching and achieving the concepts targeted.

The achievements of the students are greatly influenced by the set expectations by a teacher. The above context clearly outlines the grade level and subject to teach in the future and, at the same time, highlight the importance of having a manageable class. The expectations of a teacher ought to reflect at influencing the achievements of the student. In other words, the expectations should be self-fulfilling and predict probable changes in student achievements. The following section outlines five expectations of the teacher and their influence on the performance of the students.

Expectations

Every teacher has various expectations entrenched in the management process of the class. The student, on the other hand, is expected to entirely take part in the learning process to acquire the concept being taught. These are crucial in setting standards, as well as the level of goals to be achieved and result in influencing the student’s academic achievements.

Planning and Behaviour

The major expectation of a teacher while planning is to realize an effective teaching process. The students are expected to follow the sets rules by the teacher during the learning process. Behaviour is an aspect of life, and educations per se have a vital role in shaping it and culminate in excellent student achievements (Jones and Jones, 2004). By following the set rules, students become accountable for the learning process.

Consequently, the students are expected to grow and develop self emotional attributes regarding their wellbeing not only in academics but also pertaining to their social life (Slavin, 2006). Lastly, through planning and behavior, a positive relationship between teacher and students is established. The student has the right to relate well with the teacher as he/she acts as their role model in school.

Effective teaching and concept delivery

The students are expected to acquire the best pertaining to any particular lesson in class. As a future teacher, expectations are high that the students will comprehend the concepts delivered to them accordingly. This will be made possible by the teacher’s level of commitment to the teaching process and eventual student’s effort in putting to task the concepts towards his or her achievements. The correlation that intertwines the expectations of the teacher and students’ achievement is due to the accuracy of the teaching methods employed by the teacher.

With respect to concept delivery, the teacher comes up with expectations taking into consideration the student’s capability to acquire them and reciprocate by improving the performance. The student expects to obtain the best from the teacher, and this is achieved from the way the teacher presents the learning process. The student is expected to uphold the concept taught and improve on the overall achievement resulting from the effective learning process.

Guidance and responsibility

Through the principle of guidance, the students are expected to be responsible and follow any instructions given out. By initiating the process of learning together, the student gains presentation skills and understand the concepts via the creation of a sense of awareness by the teacher. This is a great achievement for both parties as the results are felt by the outside community through service to the community.

The realization of self emotional attributes establishes a positive student-teacher relationship, which culminates into the application to life outside school as the students get the courage to face the public, having gained confidence through interactions with the teacher (Slavin, 2006).

Assessment and Critical Thinking

Schooling of higher aged levels ought to foster critical thinking skills among the students. Students are made to think critically by the teacher through the principle of sound assessment. This is achieved by structuring a lesson for success through proper classroom management and upholding students’ diversity. Further, through the asking of questions, the students are engaged in critical thinking that results in profound achievements.

The well being of the students is enhanced by initiating a sound classroom management plan; this result in the perfect assessment of the student’s progress, as well as their overall well being. In the creation of high expectations, the assessment process should allow for students to demonstrate an understanding of the concept rather than simply upholding the facts.

Teaching and Individual Student Engagement

The engagement of the teacher with students individually promotes the proper use of concepts taught. The students achieve prevalent positive consequences inherent to their contentment, which results from accomplishment, good grades, social consent, and recognition.

The student is expected to connect classwork and how to improve their examination grades through the guidelines and directions given by the teacher. This is achieved by showing interest and the way the teacher communicates with the students. The students, thereby, acquire a sense of appreciating the teacher’s inclusion in their classwork, which results in a teacher-student relationship that is friendly; thereby, the students can approach the teacher for more conceptual clarification.

Conclusion

Classroom management entails a well-reserved process by the teacher that sees to it that he/she achieves the set goals of imparting knowledge to the student. From the video, Creating an Environment for Learning, Madam Smith clearly expresses the procedure and achievements made during the creation of an environment for learning. Notably, the students get the chance to express themselves, and further, through questions, they are able to extend their thinking. The students are expected to participate and acquire conceptual knowledge from the teacher. The teacher has the first-hand influence to come up with perfect management of the class and eventually to influence the overall performance of students.

REFERENCES

Jones, V., & Jones, L. (2004). Comprehensive Classroom Management. Boston: Pearson Education.

Slavin, R. E. (2006). Educational psychology: Theory and practice, 8^th ed. Boston: Pearson Education.