In my experience as a student and student teacher, I have seen many variations of classroom management; some that worked very well, others that weren’t overly effective. First off, I have seen some excellent examples of classroom management as a student. I have had teachers that knew how to handle their classroom like a pro right off the get go. These teachers were always firm and they made that clear from the beginning. They would start the year by being a tough disciplinarian which made it very clear to us students that there was no messing around with this teacher. As the year progressed, the teacher might lighten up a bit and start becoming more of a friend to the students. I found that this provided a mutual respect between us students and the teacher. We were still aware that the teacher was in charge, but we weren’t afraid to have some fun in the classroom as well. In my opinion, this is when optimal learning can take place. I found that these teachers had a real knack for making the lessons engaging. I believe this is because they would let the students do a lot of the work. There weren’t many occurrences of us just sitting in our desks listening to our teacher talk for an endless period of time. Instead, they would describe the lesson quickly and efficiently, then allow us to take part in the activity. These teachers used the 80/20 approach (students doing 80% of the work while the teacher did 20%). In cases of witnessing classroom management strategies that don’t work so well include the opposite types of teachers. These teachers are the ones that really liked to talk at the front of the classroom. It feels like they stand there for hours while we just listen and try our best to take in the information like a sponge. However, that never worked for me and it still doesn’t to this day. I can only sit there for so long before I start to feel myself drifting off. I’ve talked with other classmates in my Cohort and a lot of them feel the same way. We discuss and compare past teachers and how their teaching styles were. From most of the conversations that I’ve had, we have come to a mutual decision that the 80/20 approach is much more effective. Students cannot just sit there and listen while being expected to have an optimal learning experience. In my experience, I have seen opposite sides of classroom management in the classroom. I have witnessed one type of teacher be very laid back and calm. This teacher tends to stand at the front of the classroom a little too long which causes the students to become restless and unwilling to listen anymore. The students in this teacher’s classroom tend to run the show and this does not always provide for a great learning environment. I have had classmates in the past become so frustrated when the teacher will drag on the instructions until a student will pipe up and say, “Can we just do something already!” I’m not pretending to be an experienced teacher or anything, but to me, this is a huge red flag. On the flip side, I have seen teachers with the opposite approach. This type of teacher is the authority figure in the classroom and that is very clear. The teacher is very demanding of the students and expects the upmost respect at all times. Sometimes this is effective and the students behave very well; other times, some of the students just want to get a rise out of their teacher so they will try to egg the teacher on until they cannot take it anymore and ultimately creates a poor reaction. Finding the happy medium between those two classroom management styles that I just talked about would be ideal for myself. I feel that the students do need an authority figure that they know is the leader of the classroom. On the other side, they need a friend and to know that I will always care for them no matter what the circumstance. One classroom management strategy that I plan to bring with me into the classroom is the 80/20 approach. I don’t want my students to get so bored of my voice that they literally call out, “Can we just do something already!” I want them to believe that when I speak to the class, it is always of importance because of the 80/20 concept. My goal is to have independent students that use most of the school day to do their work, while I provide instructions and help when necessary.
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AuthorHi there, my name is Tyler Armstrong. I am a Child & Youth Care Worker and I am studying at VIU to become an Elementary Teacher. Archives
September 2018
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