Teach English in Zhushi Zhen - Hengyang Shi

Classroom management is a skill that lays the foundation of children’s behaviour and the learning process within the four corners of the classroom. A lack of effective classroom management can create an unsafe and unsatisfactory environment for both the teacher and her pupils. This essay looks at the effective class management strategies that one can employ to achieve the desired academic outcomes, when working with Primary School children. These strategies include establishing classroom rules, procedures to be followed, classroom arrangement of furniture, and teacher pupil relationship. According to Emmer and Sabornie, (2015) classroom management is the process by which teachers and schools create and maintain appropriate behaviour of students in classroom settings. They further highlight that, the purpose of implementing classroom management strategies is to enhance pro-social behaviour and increase student academic engagement. While Brophy (2006) holds the view that classroom management refers to actions taken to create and maintain a learning environment conducive to successful instruction (arranging the physical environment, establishing rules and procedures, maintaining students’ attention to lessons and engagement in activities. Classroom management aims at establishing student self-control through a process of promoting positive student achievement and behaviour. Thus, academic achievement, teacher efficacy, and teacher and student behaviour are directly linked with the concept of classroom management ( Chandra, 2015). In support of the above Kelley (2019) comments that educators employ a variety of strategies and techniques to ensure that students are organised, on task, well behaved and productive during the school day. Classroom management strategies provide a flexible but predictable and consistent learning environment. Teachers who use the instructional approaches to classroom management prevent most management problems by actively engaging pupils in the lessons to meet their interest’s, needs and abilities. Pupils are motivated to attend the class, participate in the activities and manage their behaviour. Well-planned and well implemented instruction will motivate the children not to engage in disruptive behaviour. According to Kounin as cited (Chendra, 2015) if students are engaged in their lessons, they would less likely to misbehave. He goes on to say that if lessons are precise and completed at a steady continuous pace, students will have little time to misbehave or get into conflict.Kagan as cited in (Chendra, 2015) comments that students should play an active role in setting classroom rules, they will be participating in classroom community building. Rules set the climate of the classroom, each rule should adhere to keeping the classroom environment safe. Everyone is working together and hence is able to clearly understand the rules. Procedures give an understanding to the student on how they are expected to go through the routines of a day, they allow for order in the classroom, and ensure that everything is done in the proper manner (Doyle, 2019). From day one students should know how they are expected to behave and the teacher should employ the rules and consequences approach when maintaining discipline with problem students. Proactive teachers create a feeling of community in the classroom by modelling and encouraging positive behaviours, by creating opportunities for meaningful peer to peer or student to teacher interactions, and being aware of students who may need additional support through challenging times in the school day. (Doyle, 2019). Canters believed that teachers should teach and model classroom behaviours. By doing so, students are able to visually see what is expected and what is not allowed in the classroom. Students will learn to be responsible managers of their behaviour by seeing what is expected of them. Classroom management is a skill which is needed by every teacher to enable a conducive environment for the students while at the same time promoting academic success. References. Brophy, J. (2006). History if research on classroom management. In C.M Evertson& C.S. Weinstein (Eds). Handbook of Classroom Management: Research Practice and contemporary issues. New York: Lawrence Earlbum Associates. Doyle, A. (2019). Interview questions about your classroom. https//thebalance careers. Emmer, E.T. &Sabroine;, E.J. (Eds).(2015). Handbook of Classroom Management (2nd Ed).New York, Routledge. Kelley, M. (2019). Four Tips to effective classroom management: https//www.thought.com Chandra,R.(2015) Classroom Management for Effective Teaching. International Journal of Education and Psychological Research (IJEPR) Vol 4, Issue 4.