EDN568- Strategies for effective learning and teaching

Assignment 1: Classroom Management Plan Project

By: Nika Roshan Hesari

31591963
EDN568- Assignment 1 Nika Roshan Hesari- 31591963

Part A- Review of classroom management strategies used in the classroom

at your placement school.

Classroom context:

My placement is at Huntingdale Primary school. I have been placed in a third-grade

classroom and my mentor has more than 30 years of teaching experience. The classroom
consists of twenty-two students from diverse backgrounds with different stages of
development and learning abilities. Often some students have to go to another class due to
their learning difficulty in order to get one on one help. All students are well organised and
respectful towards their teacher and other students. This is due to the firm classroom
management strategies that are put in place by the teacher to create a safe and productive
classroom.

Strategies used to prevent inappropriate behaviour in class:

It is a lot easier and preferable to prevent inappropriate behaviour than to deal with it after it
has occurred. The following strategies are used in order to reduce inappropriate behaviours in
the classrooms.
One of the main strategies that I have noticed in my classroom is specific classroom rules
that have been set in place by the teacher. Unless the students are not aware that their
misbehaviour will have adverse consequences, they will continue their action. Putting a firm
behavioural expectation at the beginning of the class will help students to understand what is
expected of them. This will help them stay out of trouble. This strategy along with classroom
reward system can strengthen the students performance. This helps the students to realise
that their good behaviour will be recognised and praised. This is a good strategy for
competitive students and can give attention to those ones that are always seeking
compliment. While this is an effective strategy, we still need to be careful not to overdo this
as students might think they should always receive a reward for their good behaviour. Rather
it should be something that they are expected to do every day (Marzano, 2003).
Another strategy that is used in my classroom for preventing inappropriate behaviour is to
have brain break activities. This is a very effective and useful strategy as it helps students to
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release their energy, excitement or anger through these activities. These activities could
consist of singing songs, watching a video or even playing a game. This will help students to
stay engaged and interested, while also catering for different learning styles.

Strategies used to respond to inappropriate behaviours in class:

Once the misbehaviour has occurred, it is important for the teacher to respond to it in an
appropriate manner. One of the strategies that my mentor uses is that she always separates the
behaviour from the student him/herself. This will allow the student to understand this is the
result of the choices they have made rather than something personal to them. This will help
students to feel safe and allow room for improvement. Another strategy used in the classroom
was humour; often the teacher would respond to students comments or lack of motivation
with humoristic comments. As a result, students would continue their work and build a
stronger relationship with their teacher. Other strategy that is observed in my classroom is to
always stay calm and respond to the incident in an appropriate tone. This will reduce the
students anger and defensive language and will also help the teacher have more control over
the situation without getting emotionally involved (Marzano, 2003). Some low-key
techniques were also witnessed in my classroom, such as giving the look and waiting for
the student to finish what they are doing. The other examples are giving signals, changing the
tone of voice or politely asking them to stop and responding with a thank you before
continuing with the lesson. These strategies were used by my mentor to deal with
misbehaviour quickly and efficiently with the minimum of fuss, so she can return to her
teaching and continue with the lesson.

Analysis:

I believe the management strategies used in my classroom are very effective. This is because
students feel safe and supported in the classroom environment, while they are aware of the
classroom rules. Students are often happy to follow the rules, because they know that they
will gain the trust of the teacher. Having a humoristic character has really helped students to
build a stronger connection with the teacher and create a sense of belonging (Bennett
Smilanich, 1994). Such misbehaviour occurs due to the lack of interest in the contexts that
are being taught. By having various activities that meet the needs of all students we are
making sure those students are not bored and are constantly engaged. I believe this is one of
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the most important strategies that can be used during the lesson planning. It is extremely
effective not only for classroom management, but also for students academic growth.
As a new assistant teacher, the most important management skill that I need to gain is the
principle of direct instruction. In order to achieve this skill set, I should get to know my
students and build a connection with them. I should constantly walk around the classroom
and monitor students behaviour and character. I should make myself always available to
assist with student needs. I should make sure I am confident with the context that Im
teaching, that way I build much more credibility with the students. All these steps will assist
me with giving better and effective instructions, getting students on task quickly and keeping
them engaged constantly. Moreover, it is helpful to clearly explain the assignment guidelines
and the time constrains for their task.

Part B- Classroom management plan for future practice

Philosophy to learning, teaching and assessment:

Effective learning, teaching and assessment are the important aspect of education. Every
student has a different learning style and acquires learning through a range of different skills.
An effective learning is created in a safe and supportive classroom, where scaffolding of the
teacher and peers are practiced and students are constantly engaged in the relevant learning
contexts (Marzano, 2003). In order for the students to learn adequately; appropriate
instructions, engaging activities, as well as feedbacks should be put into place.
As an educator, I need to apply collaborative learning strategies that allow interaction
between heterogeneous groups and support interactions from all students. As a result,
students will learn from each others existing schema. Also, providing tasks that are
challenging and engaging for students will improve their metacognition and cognitive
development (Duchesne, 2013).
Effective assessment is a crucial part of the classroom as it determines the progress and the
understanding of the students. As a future educator, I am responsible to ensure that the
assessment criteria as well as the various tasks that students are assigned to are aligned with
the curriculum and are authentic (Brady & Kennedy, 2012). All students have different past
experiences to learn; therefore there will be variety of learning styles. This is an important
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aspect to consider when assigning tasks to students. While making sure our learning
objectives are aligned with the curriculum, it is also important to give students the freedom to
choose their approach to the learning and this will result in a more effective engagement from
the students (Taylor Nolen, 2005). During classroom activities, I will be monitoring
students engagement and will be carefully observing them. This will assist me to plan
according to the students needs and modify my teaching techniques if required.

The learning context:

My ideal class is a third-grade classroom. Within my class, I would like to value every
individuals ideas, experiences and approaches; so they can broaden their understanding and
learn productively. In my classroom, assessments need to be valid, informative and reliable to
make sure that it meets the needs of all students (Brady & Kennedy, 2012). I will make sure
that the context that my students learn is authentic and is aligned with the curriculum.
Formative assessments will be practiced, so I can constantly reflect on students needs and
cater for every individual. I will apply integration into my teaching to make sure students can
build on their prior knowledge and create new schema (Duchesne, 2013). This will also help
them to apply their learning to everyday life and make better connections. While planning my
class I will consider different learning styles and different levels of capabilities in order for a
more effective learning experience for all the students. Through these strategies, I would like
to intrinsically motivate my students to actively learn and also take responsibility for their
own learning.
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A diagram of the classroom layout:

Rationale for the classroom layout:

My floor plan is based on a third-grade classroom. I believe this floor plan is appropriate and
suitable for year 3 students; each table approximately fits 6 students. I believe this is an
appropriate number as it allows students to have their own space to do their individual work
as well as to interact with others. Each table includes students with mixed abilities; this will
allow students to learn from each other and develop their cognitive growth. I have included a
mat area; this will help students with collaborative activities. It will also help the teacher to
hold discussions and small activities prior to or at the end of each lesson. In this classroom,
students art works and useful resources will be displayed. This will assist students to reflect
on their previous work and help to build on their knowledge. I have provided enough room
around the classroom for me to walk around and observe students during tasks. My desk is
placed at the back of the classroom, as I wont be using it much during the class.
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Classroom management prevention strategies:

In my classroom, there will be various management prevention strategies. One of the first
and main one is building a strong and positive relationship with the students. I will treat my
students with respect and the way that I would like to be treated. This is an important
strategy, because I believe it builds the foundation for other management strategies that
would be practiced. As a teacher, all students will look up to their educators and they will see
them as a role model. Therefore, it is important to always treat students with respect in order
for them to do the same with you and their peers. Creating an engaging environment can also
prevent misbehaviour that arises from boredom (Marzano, 2003), I will make sure that I have
various activities that meet the needs of students, as well as brain breaks where students can
sing songs and watch videos. I believe this is crucial, because students have lots of energy
and easily get bored. They also have different ways of understanding and grasping
information. If they sit during a long class which does not consist of different activities, they
will quickly become agitated and will disturb other students. I will ensure that my classroom
to be always engaging for all students, keeping in mind that whatever activity I do needs to
have a learning purpose and to be beneficial for students development.
Another important strategy is to establish clear and specific rules. Students need to
understand clearly what is expected of them in the classroom and what the consequences of
their actions are if these rules are not followed. It is important for the teacher to be firm and
consistent when applying these rules (Marzano, 2003). It is also essential for students to
understand that they have a choice, if they dont follow the rules there will be consequences
and if they do they will be appreciated. In terms of consequences I will give students three
warnings, at the first sight of misbehaviour I will politely ask the student to stop and pay
attention. This also could be done through body language, I will avoid long conversations to
be able to keep the class under control and continue teaching. If I see the student continuing
his/her misbehaviour for the third time, they will face consequences which will be applied
immediately. I believe that praising students is very important, just a smile, using kind words
or even a pat on the back will promote encouragement, motivation, feeling of belonging and
appreciation (Taylor Nolen, 2005). As a result, students will try their best to achieve good
outcomes. If I see an outstanding behaviour from a student, I will ask them to go and have a
spin on the reward spinner. This spinner will consist of different prizes, which students will
collect at the end of the day. The reason that I have chosen this reward system is because just
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like the consequences, it is something that is received immediately at the time when their
behaviour occurred.

Classroom management response strategies:

To help me with my classroom management responses, I referred to Peter Smilanichs theory

of bumps. This theory explains clearly how to identify different levels of misbehaviour and
how to appropriately manage them. With the minor disturbance and distraction which are the
most common in the classrooms, I will use invisible discipline (Bennett Smilanich, 1994).
These are low key responses that are used in order to continue with the flow of the lesson.
Some of the examples are pausing and looking at the student, giving the student a signal or
mentioning students name. In some cases, it is best to just ignore misbehaviour as some
students seem to use this to get attention or to stop the flow of the lesson (Bennett
Smilanich, 1994). My main goal would be to continue with the lesson without distraction,
keep the verbal conversation minimal and dont allow the situation to escalate. If the
students misbehaviour escalates, I will approach the student closely to make sure that I have
a positive body gesture. I will then use their name and ask them to stop and I will finish with
a thank you and move on with the lesson. If the student is persistent in their inappropriate
behaviour, then I will give the student a choice and will make sure that the decision is the
consequence of their misbehaviour and is not seen as a punishment (Bennett Smilanich,
1994). As an educator, we have to keep in mind that these choices need to be logical and to
be followed through immediately. In order to keep myself prepared, I will make sure that I
will pre-plan the choices, so when I have to apply them, the action will be applicable and
appropriate (Taylor Nolen, 2005). In the case of students showing defensive behaviour, the
first thing I would do is to try and clam down and not to allow the situation to escalate. If at
any point, I become emotionally involved in the situation, I would lose control of the
situation. I will approach the student and have a small chat, reminding them about the choice
that they have made, and then I will continue with my teaching. It is important to give the
students a choice because that way you are shifting the responsibility to the student and
he/she will decide the outcome of his/her behaviour (Taylor Nolen, 2005). If this pattern
continues and get worse, I will have an informal chat with the student to see what the cause
of his/her action is and what we can do to control or reduce it. It is important to talk in a
positive manner with the student and work with them to come up with an agreement. In
regard to anything beyond this situation or in case of physical violence, I will immediately
ask for help and further discuss the situation with the principle and parents of the student.
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The critical aspect of responding to all these situations is that we should always stay calm
and keep the situation under control and to remember to talk with respect and appropriate
manner. This will help to maintain a positive classroom environment.

Relevant polices:

Huntingdale Primary School Assessment and reporting policy:

http://huntingdaleps.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2014/08/C1-Assessment-and-
Reporting.pdf

Huntingdale Primary School Management policy:

http://huntingdaleps.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2014/08/M2-Behaviour-
Management.pdf

Huntingdale Primary School Equal opportunity policy:

http://huntingdaleps.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2014/08/M8-Equal-
Opportunity.pdf

Managing student behaviour:

http://www.det.wa.edu.au/policies/detcms/policy-planning-and-accountability/policies-
framework/director-generals-statements/managing-student-behaviour.en?cat-id=3457115

Effective teaching:
http://www.det.wa.edu.au/policies/detcms/policy-planning-and-accountability/policies-
framework/director-generals-statements/effective-teaching.en?cat-id=3457121
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References:

Bennett, B., & Smilanich, P. (1994). Classroom management a thinking and caring approach
(1st ed.). Toronto: Bookation Inc.

Brady, L., & Kennedy, k. (2012). Assessment and Reporting: Celebrating student
achievement. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson Australia.

Duchesne, S., McMaugh. A Bochner, S. & Krause, K. (2013). Educational Psychology

for Learning and Teaching, (4th Ed). Cengage.

Marzano, R. (2003). Classroom Management that Works: Research-based Strategies for

Every Teacher (1st ed.). Virginia: ASCD.

Taylor, C.S. & Nolen, S.B. (2005). Classroom assessment: Supporting teaching and learning
in real classrooms. New Jersey: Pearson.