Effective Instruction and Classroom Management

     There are many different theories and pedagogy that schools follow as it pertains to behavior and classroom discipline.  Learning about the thinking that influences that pedagogy is extremely beneficial.  In my own experiences in the classroom I have seen many different methods implemented.  Some teachers choose to be incredibly strict or shockingly lenient, but I think as a whole we are all trying to reach a middle ground that allows us to maintain order in the classroom while still trying to impart a level of fun.  In reading this week's materials I learned a lot about who I am and the teacher that I’d like to become.  What science and strategy will go into becoming a teacher that students respect, feel loved by, and can listen to and grow from so that they will succeed, not only in my class, but also throughout their educational career and life.

     Anita Woolfolk’s chapter on behavioral views of learning has made me realize that we condition the students in our classroom to behave in a certain way.  We condition kids to sit and read quietly for a block of time, we condition our students to know that certain signals and words will require a certain action, such as raising your hand to get your teacher’s attention or a stern glare at a talkative student during a test means to stop talking.  In those scenarios our nonverbal cues illicit the behaviors that we want to continue.  In reading about operant conditioning, I now understand that certain cues that we give our students will also elicit the behaviors that we do not want.  If we are known to laugh at untimely jokes from our students during our teaching, we can expect untimely jokes while we’re teaching.  If we always send the disruptive student out of the classroom, we could be telling our kids that if you want to get out of a big test, they should cause a major disruption right before you pass them out. 

     I think that another major factor to successful classroom management is effective instruction delivery.  Working in preschool for a year really allowed me to work on giving clear and concise directions to students.  Preschoolers do exactly what you tell them to do, almost exactly how you’ve said it.  The small details can be just as important as your major objective.  I learned that it was much more effective to give instructions in steps. For example, I might tell students that they were going to cut out circles  and leave all of their scraps on the table until I ring the bell.  I would go on to tell them that the ‘garbage collector,’ would come by each table after we were done.   This prevented twenty four year olds from walking around the classroom looking for the garbage can,  and all of the behaviors that would have come as the consequence of saying, “cut out circles.”  I believe that giving clear, step-by-step instructions, are important for any grade that you teach.  I would rather prevent the behaviors that come along with students being  unclear, then correct and redirect multiple kids after instructions have been given.

     Effective classroom management is critical to the academic success of students.  I have seen kids suffer tremendously academically because the teacher was overwhelmed with disruptive behaviors in the classroom.  I think that many times when teachers are overwhelmed they will forget the strategies and revert to what is instinctual, which is perhaps frustration and yelling. I want to have firm grasp on all of the best practices that teachers use so that my classroom has a culture of respect for one another, where there is no yelling at each other, from student or teacher.

Classroom Management: Cueing, Positive Practice, Effective Instruction HOW-NOT VIDEO A
Classroom Management: Cueing, Positive Practice, Effective Instruction HOW-TO VIDEO A

Classroom Management: Effective Instruction Delivery  HOW_NOT VIDEO B
Classroom Management: Effective Instruction Delivery HOW TO VIDEO B