Classroom Management Modular 8 Discussion

Classroom Management

Modular 8 Discussion

How can teachers help students want to behave more responsibly? Apply elements of your newly devised personal system of discipline to your explanation. Discuss.

The critical aspect of this question is making students want to behave more responsibly: internally motivating students to behave responsibly is always more effective than using external motivation techniques, like punishments. A teacher can place stipulations regarding turning in assignments on time, or behaving with respect towards one another in a respectful fashion, but there is a limit to how effective punitive measures can be in monitoring student behavior. A teacher cannot keep an eye on students every moment of the school day.

Students need to feel involved in the process of creating rules for the classroom. Everyone knows that often students are more reluctant to read even a 'fun' book or do a 'fun' assignment like a craft as an assignment, versus choosing to do so on their own time. A student who rolls his or her eyes at reading in class may read the Harry Potter books independently, and enjoy them, simply because he or she chooses to do so by his or her own free will.

Talking about the rules of the classroom in a participatory fashion, asking questions like: "how can we make sure that everyone gets a chance to talk," and soliciting suggestions like "raising our hands," "not talking out of turn," "turning over the green card on our desk to mean that we want to speak" is more effective than simply telling students to raise their hands and not talk out of turn in a directive manner. It makes students feel as if they have more freedom and makes them feel personally responsible for upholding the rules of the classroom.

Extending some flexibility to students when choosing assignments is also helpful. Allowing students to choose between three books to read for an in-class assignment or to select from a variety of topics for research papers enables students to feel invested in the process of learning. Even when reprimanding students, stressing they always have a choice is essential: they can choose to do their homework, for example, four days a week and be rewarded by no homework for the weekend, or if they do not turn in their homework on time they do not get a reward of a free weekend, and a reduction in their grade because the paper is late.

Creating an environment where it is 'easier' to be responsible is also helpful. For example, writing down all assignments that are due on a dry erase board, so students are constantly confronted with the deadlines for various projects makes it harder for them to forget. Having differently colored folders for certain subjects, mandating that students keep their work areas clean, and listing daily rules on posters such as 'pick up after yourself' creates an atmosphere of duty and organization upon the student by making all of the elements of the environment support a responsible attitude.