Classroom Management (Entry 5)

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        What makes an effective learning environment? Researchers, like Slavin, have come to the conclusion that classroom management plays a major role in how positive and productive a classroom can be. Slavin (2020) emphasizes that “students who are participating in well-structured activities that engage their interests, who are highly motivated to learn, and who are working on tasks that are challenging yet within their capabilities rarely pose any serious management problems” (p. 280). When students are on task and engaged, the management problems are at a minimum. In turn, this allows the learning that can take place to be limitless and long-term. I feel that for a classroom environment to be effective and productive, classroom management must be consistently built/improved upon and maintained. Teachers, like myself, need to possess discipline when approaching undesirable behaviors as well as become good classroom managers.

Concerning the context of my classroom, classroom management is essential for true learning to take place. Slavin (2020) notes that “...basic common sense planning and groundwork go a long way toward preventing discipline problems from ever developing” (p. 286). Therefore, in my classroom, I must set clear expectations, rules, and procedures at the beginning of the school year to prevent behavior issues from occurring. This upcoming school year I will be teaching 3rd grade writing/grammar as compared to Kindergarten this past school year. The age range, maturity levels, and expectations of these two groups of students differ significantly. So, I will need to reconstruct the expectations, rules, and procedures I currently have to better fit my 3rd graders.

For example, the procedures for my classroom this school year will look much different from my previous Kindergarten ones. In Kindergarten, my students were very dependent on me to sharpen their pencils, log them into their computers, and to give them opportunities to go to the bathroom, for instance. For my 3rd graders, they will be more independent in nature. I will need them to understand when it is appropriate to sharpen their own pencils, how they must individually login to their computers, and when they may ask to go to the bathroom. There are going to be far more independent-based procedures that I will need to teach and practice with these students. 

Furthermore, I have had ample experience with students in my class this past school year that have demonstrated serious behavior issues. To become a better teacher, I can be more equipped and knowledgeable about ways to prevent and address serious behavior problems. Slavin (2020) mentions that students who have poor family relationships, who have low academic performance, and who have attendance issues are more likely to display severe behavior problems (p. 301). I, as their teacher, need to possess exceptional knowledge, strategies, and tools to provide and use when these behaviors arise. I have learned several ways in which to go about combating these behaviors from this week’s chapter reading. I can begin the school year with “...simply creating [a] safe and prosocial classroom [environment where I can] openly [discuss] risky behaviors and ways to avoid them” with my students (p. 301). I feel that this would be a very effective route to take to ensure that severe behaviors are kept to an absolute minimum. 

After reading this week’s chapter, I do not have any additional questions as this reading efficiently covered all of the questions and concerns that I had. This chapter provided a great insight into what classroom management entails and even provided strategies and tools to use to keep one’s classroom manageable. 


References


Slavin, R. E. (2020). Educational Psychology: Theory and Practice (13th ed.). Pearson Education.

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