Classroom Management Styles
Classroom routines and procedures are essential in early and primary schools. They are considerably needed for ensuring that transitions run smoothly and preventing chaos. Hence, the teacher should think carefully about routines and procedures, and establish clear classroom schedules and rules charts that maintain behaviors to ensure that she have smooth transitions throughout the day.
This is classroom schedule of KG 2 from last teaching practice school. It provides the routine of the whole day (8:00-12:00). It shows the required subjects/activities with determined time.
This kind of schedules help the teacher to keep the routine followed orderly and organized. Moreover, it is very helpful in managing transitions. It provides a clear idea about what they are going to do next.
In addition, it helps the teacher to prevent misbehavior by using pictures that illustrate the required behavior in the activity. Thus, this might be supportive to make students act accordingly. In addition, when someone misbehaves the teacher can ask him to behave as what he sees in the pictures (set in the carpet/group).
Further benefit of this schedule, it can be useful for learning time by asking the students what is the time of this subject/activity. The time is provided in different clocks types: digital clock and analog clock, so they can learn different types of clocks.
The possible challenges of this schedule are: there are some words are represented only in English language. Some students need to know the words in both English and Arabic in order to understand them. Also, the teacher needs to teach the students how to read time using analog clocks because some children find difficulty in reading this type correctly.
There are some needed modifications in order to improve it and make it suitable for different students’ needs such as: make the font size bigger for those who cannot see it clearly. Also, make it portable in order to carry it anywhere in the classroom.
This is one of the best ways of classroom behavioral management system. It is effective way to ensure that students take an active role in maintaining the classroom. Giving jobs among students will ensure that everyone is participating to be responsible and will help prevent misbehaviors over the classroom. It suits older grades of primary level from grade 3 and above. Posting the list of classroom jobs with moveable student names, as shown in the Classroom Jobs board, will clarify which student is responsible for which job.
This strategy helps the teacher to keep the classroom managed and organized. Moreover, it is very helpful in managing behavioral issues by giving the students the opportunity to have a particular responsibility. Thus, it will keep the students engaged all the time. In general, many students misbehave because they need some attention from others, so students jobs system is the best way to use their energy in a benefit way and make them feel like they play valuable roles in classroom community.
Furthermore, this strategy benefits the teacher to focus in her own work and facilitate learning. Also, it allows the teacher to free herself and use her time and attention during class more effectively instead of chasing misbehaviors
In addition, student jobs offer leadership opportunities through reinforcing the values of responsibility and community service in an immediate, authentic way. Hence, this method will teach students about responsibility.
There are some difficulties that would be faced with applying this way in the classroom. The teacher needs to provide time for them to actually do their jobs, as well as occasional reminders, check-ins, and praise about how they are doing. She also needs to rotate a variety of jobs among students to make sure that everyone is sharing these responsibilities and will help avoid jealousy over coveted jobs.
Possible variations or adaptations of this behavioral management system can be in making it more efficient in older grades like middle and high schools. Jobs should involve authority and responsibility, and provide a purpose for the entire classroom. If jobs are just physical work, it doesn’t really benefit them. Thus, the teacher can use some kinds of jobs that give up a great deal of authority and make the student to be a receiver of knowledge and a giver of help in the learning enviornment.