Classroom Management
'Kayla demonstrated an improvement in classroom management and organisation of tasks especially in packing up, instruction and organisation of groups to start tasks’- Karen Ellis, Mooroolbark College 2012.
A key part of teaching, is managing your classroom space in order to facilitate a safe and productive learning environment. I always ensure that I have planned and prepared lessons and resources and organised material in advance to ensure time is used effectively.
VIT-Professional Knowledge 3; Teachers know their students
3.5- Be aware of teaching and classroom management challenges and develop appropriate professional commitment responses to them.
The Classroom
I am still learning strategies to manage the students, materials, resources and physical space required in both Visual Arts and Humanities classrooms. Successful strategies I have incorporated and learnt through my experience include:
- Developing rapport and positve relationships to gain respect
- Separate ‘Materials’ table up the front for folios, paper and paint so I can monitor supplies
- Delegating students into pairs to reduce congestion when starting tasks
- Amount of pack up time depends on class and year level
- Ensure technology equipment is fully functioning and always have a back up plan
- Ensure task instructions are verbal, visual and written to support learning styles
- Have expectations that are constantly enforced and follow through with fair and consistent positive and negative consequences
- Varing tone and voice projection to gain students attention and stamp my authority
VIT- Professional Practice 5; Teachers create and maintain safe and challenging learning environments
5.4 Manage the materials, resources and physical space within the school to ensure a safe and challenging environment for learning.
'Developing a good rapport with students and communicating her expectations to the class' - Jenny Roberts, Mooroolbark College, 2012.
Behaviour
I see myself as a role model who makes every effort to act in a manner that is professional and corresponds with my expectations of my students themselves.
I have clear expectations of appropriate behaviour within my classroom and have collaboratively sat down with Year 7 students and developed ‘Ground Rules’. This process allowed students the opportunity to contribute to choices and decisions regarding their own and other peers behaviour. Through this technique we achieved:
- Shared understandings and agreed expectations of behaviour/actions
- Acceptance of responsibilities and rights
- Suitable consequences
- Cooperative problem solving
VIT-Professional Practice 5; Teachers create and maintain safe and challenging learning environments
5.1- Establish clear expectations of behaviour for a safe learning environment for all students, including learning environments utilised outside of school.
5.2- Model exemplary behaviour for cooperative learning and positive interactions with others.
This is still an area I want to practice and refine further. Student behaviour can sometimes be unpredictable however, as I am confronted with more scenarios I need to be able to enforce punitive and non punitive punishment to suit the individual and class.
This is a resource I acquired from a graduate teacher at a Highvale Seminar.
It provides prevention, intervention and postvention strategies to address classroom management issues depending on the situation.
This is a brainstorm on Behaviour Management I developed at a PD session help by Jenny Mackay.
This is a valuable resource I can refer too when I need new ideas and tips to address behaviour in my classroom.
I am keen to explore restorative practices to address behaviour, as I believe problem solving skills and mediation have a longer lasting effect on the individual during their education which will be a useful transferable skill once they reach the workplace.
'Classroom Management has definately improved from last round'- Jenny Roberts, Mooroolbark College, 2012.