In light of my School Experience (SE), I will be analysing, discussing and evaluating an aspect of classroom practice. The practice that I have chosen is ‘Behaviour Management’. Behaviour management plays a key role within the classroom and there are a number of techniques used by teachers on a day to day basis. I will look at these techniques in detail, analysing and evaluating them with the work of behaviour management authors and also taking into account my SE observations.
During my SE I was put into a Year 6 Class. Throughout the week the class was taught by 2 teachers who job shared. One was teacher was more vocal (Mrs. B), while the other used a lot more non-verbal cues/signals (Mrs. W).During my time at the school I was able to observe how the children reacted to the different style of behaviour management techniques used by each teacher. With the topic of behaviour management being so widespread, the scope of my written piece will actually be on the use of non-verbal gestures and the use of the voice, as I came across them on a daily basis.
Right the way through my SE, I saw the use of non-verbal gestures/communication being put into practice during lessons. The use of non-verbal instructions and signalled reminders can be highly effective in managing student behaviour. The non-verbal gestures can be used to gain silence, attention and also give out instructions. For example, when the Year 6 Class had finished an activity and needed to tidy up, the teacher (Mrs. W) gained their attention by raising her hand in the air. Within seconds the whole class knew they had be silent and put their own hand up to show they were ready and paying attention. Mrs W made sure that she remained silent and kept her hand in the air until ...
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...ly when they feel that the teacher's voice is patronising, 'shouty', monotone or weak’ (Hendy, 2009)
Both techniques if used effectively can help teachers manage the classroom behaviour. From all my readings and SE observation I can see that you cannot just rely on one form of communication, you need a balance of both. Over reliance on the use of the voice or nonverbal signals when trying to gain attention, can led to students being accustomed to the technique used consequently this leads to them not paying attention when they should be. But then again when trying to gain silence the same or an agreed upon signal/statement should be used as the pupils will be familiar with it and know how to react with it is being shown or said. All in all the both techniques have a place in the classroom but need to be used efficiently and effectively in appropriate situations.
We need to adapt our verbal communication accordingly to the different situations. Working on a learning activity it is important that the children are focused and that we deal with any distractions
Within the school system it is essential to demonstrate expected behaviour, values and attitudes to children and young people. In order to be able to effectively teach, pupils need to have good behaviour in school, and develop a positive attitude towards learning. There are many ways in which a school can help children and young people to know what the expected behaviour are, these can be through school- pupil agreements, behaviour policies and consistency throughout the school when dealing with issues of behaviour. Charlie Taylor, a head teacher of a special school, is the Governments Expert Advisor on behaviour issues in schools. After a behaviour summit with other head teachers from some of the most deprived schools, he published a checklist on the key principles for improving behaviour in schools.
I believe every student is entitled to a safe learning environment where they can reach their full potential academically and behaviorally. Students will reach their full potential in a positive learning environment. The positive learning environment will be established from the beginning of the year providing a lasting impact on the students academic, and behavior performance throughout the entire year. The positive learning environment will be a classroom setting, which allows students to feel welcomed, safe, and important on daily basis allowing learning to occur to its fullest potential. To ensure my students are in a positive learning environment there must be a behavior management plan clearly explaining the expectations I have for my students. Throughout my behavior management plan I will explain how I plan to implement expectations so students act accordingly. My behavior management plan will be individually tailored to my students allowing me to push them to their fullest potential to by taking into consideration each student’s behavior and personal needs.
In fact, it’s not easy to define non-verbal communication, because “experts disagree about whether count unintended action as nonverbal communication.” (http://maine.maine.edu/~zubrick/tren5.html, 28/4/2005) Non-verbal communication is deceptively important in how we express ourselves , and it plays a huge part in child’s development into
Currie (2007) states Effective Verbal Communication is important when building relationships with clients, customers, and the media (pg 1). Verbal communication is important along with listening skills so that communication between parties is clear. Verbal communication is accompanied by sign language called non verbal communication. This communication can be expressed in many ways: One can ask another “How are you today” Reply, “I’m okay” but the shrugging of the shoulders, squinting of eyes and lips closed tightly together gives another answer.
For my video paper I chose to do a Pixar movie called Finding Nemo. Although Pixar movies are more aimed for the younger generations, it is becoming more popular for these movies to be introduced in the classrooms. In our DeVito text it shows and explains all the different forms of communication that can be related back to Finding Nemo. Along with other Pixar movies, they all portray many different aspects of communication. Nonverbal communication is presented in the movie by using gestures/movement. Although cartoon characters are not actually real people in the movie, they are created by real people who have experienced nonverbal communication in their lives.
In this article titled, “Teaching Without Talking” by Jacqueline Hansen, it talks about how 90% of what people say and feel is through non-verbal action and not their words. Hansen talks about how children are taught both verbal and nonverbal communication through the people they are around, be it their teachers, parents, or other people that are present in their lives. Hansen says that on average American parents only talk to their children about 38 minutes each week and teachers might engage with a student for up to seven hours per weekday in that time they are sending innumerable verbal and nonverbal messages to students. Most student will believe more in what they see then hear if they
Classroom management is an important component of successful teaching. It is that teachers create and maintain appropriate behavior of students in classroom settings. (1…) Kessler (2012) mentions that “[s]tudies suggest that up to 51% of children may have a diagnosable mental health disorder, many of which involve severe impairment at home or school” (Kessler et al., 2012). Classroom management is defined as “ [c]lassroom management is the term educators use to describe methods of preventing misbehavior and dealing with it if it arises. In other words, it is the techniques teachers use to maintain control
Classroom management, involving all the strategies used by teachers in order to provide order in the classroom, can be regarded as an essential for effective teaching and learning. According to Davis (1981), “basic classroom management is just plain good sense. Yet, it can be as personal as your private lifestyle” (p.79). One of the biggest challenge teachers face day in and day out is dealing with behavior of children and young pupils in classroom. Therefore, the classroom practice of individual teachers would be the key aspect of improving the behavior of pupils in schools (Hart, 2010). One of the significant attribute of promise to teaching, especially in classroom behavior management, is teacher’s sense of efficacy. According to Woolfolk-Hoy (2000), development of self-efficacy is essential for producing effective, committed and ardent teachers, Moreover, teachers who are trained to be more effective in meeting both academic and non-academic student needs create a positive and successful classroom environment for all students (Alvares, 2007). The importance of self-efficacy in behavior management has been highlighted by Martin, linfoot, and stephenson (1999) who proposed that teacher’ responses to misbehavior may be mediated by their beliefs about their ability to deal with behavior, as well as their beliefs about the causes of student misbehavior.
As a teacher managing problem behavior in your classroom can be one of the most challenging tasks. Behavior problems can range from disruption of lessons to acts of violence against fellow students and teachers. Children’s emotional setbacks and life challenges can also contribute to behavior issues at school. A study done by the Justice Center and the Public Policy Research Institute found that six out of ten students suffered from an “emotional disturbance” and were expelled or suspended between seventh and twelfth grade (Firke, 2011). This same study showed that discipline varied greatly between schools. This report also revealed the urgent need for a more thoughtful technique in school discipline policies. In many cases teachers have exhausted their classroom management strategies without success. Behavior Modification is aimed at improving school and classroom behavior, and can give teachers additional tools to help them to deal proactively and effectively with behaviors that are disruptive to students and teachers in the classroom. When children are disruptive in the classroom it can cause a lot of problems for their classmates and their teacher. Yet, in the long run, it's the disruptive child themselves who is most impacted, on both a social and educational level (Epstein, Atkins, Cullinan, Kutash, & Weaver, 2008). Behavior modification techniques should be used in school, to change the negative behaviors, and increase the positive behaviors seen in these children.
Notably, the book Nonverbal Behavior in Interpersonal Relations expounds the significance of the essential nonverbal element of communication: “Generally, verbal messages express the literal content of messages, while nonverbal messages express the emotional meaning” (Richmond, McCroskey, & Hickson, III, 2008, p. 5). Equally important, knowledge of nonverbal communication is extremely advantageous, as it assists with improving conversation skills with others, including:
...n vary just the same as dialects of a language. Nonverbal communication has become part of life and should be utilized whenever possible. It adds emotion and feeling to the message being sent and also shows understanding and comprehension by the receiver.
As a teacher language is the most important tool in order to support student learning. The book Elementary Classroom Management by Kerry Williams discusses how language is an important tool to use “language can be a powerful vehicle for activating thought, and as teachers we need to be aware of the role it is playing” (ref pg. 196). The use of words and tone that the teacher uses to the students is significant in the behaviour of students. For example if a student is displaying
...tention to how people react to one another’s comments, guessing the relationship between the people and guessing how each feels about what is being said. This can inform individuals to better understand the use of body language when conversing with other people. It is also important to take into account individual differences. Different cultures use different non-verbal gestures. Frequently, when observing these gestures alone the observer can get the wrong impression, for instance, the listener can subconsciously cross their arms. This does not mean that they are bored or annoyed with the speaker; it can be a gesture that they are comfortable with. Viewing gestures as a whole will prevent these misunderstandings. Non-verbal gestures are not only physical, for example; the tone of voice addressing a child will be different from the way it is addressed to an adult.
As discussed throughout this paper we build our classroom management plans based on our past experiences, our knowledge, our professional learning and our very own personal reflection. The importance of our beliefs, values and our philosophy play a major role in our planning. I, personally have a strong desire to support students who are often labelled ‘troubled’ and ‘the naughty child’, I believe there are reasons behind why students misbehave and strive to do my best as an educator to engage students through positive reinforcements as discussed and continue to put in place preventive practices. Building our own positive learning framework is key to a successful classroom. Even throughout our ongoing experiences we may adapt to other methods, theories and even values according to our journey as a teacher. Even as teachers we will always be learning and continue to perfect our individual