Teacher as Reflective Practitioner and Researcher

In response to ongoing concern regarding behaviour management a wealth of research being carried out and official documentation has been published, such as the Elton Report (DES, 1989) and the Steer Report (DfES, 2005), on ‘what works well’ in schools. Both reports hightlight that teachers were most affected by the impact of relatively minor, but persistent, low-level

As a student of education, I have been able to gather many ideas and opinions about practices and ideals I want to implement in my future classroom. My philosophies about education are still being formed and continually change with every class I visit and with every educator I encounter. My ideas, admittedly, come from random experiences and intangible texts, but as I gain more experience in the field through my courses, my philosophies about teaching will become more clearly defined. These few ideas I have now will undoubtedly be added upon as I enter student teaching and my professional career, nevertheless, they are concepts of which I hope to never lose sight.

Teaching is an extremely important profession as we are responsible for training up the future generations of our community, country and in effect, the world. In order to be a successful and effective teacher there are some basic skills and competencies that one must possess. The experiences that students have inside (and outside) our classrooms, schools and various other institutes will shape and mould their approach to our subjects and to life in general. Therefore, it requires a certain level of skill and training to be deemed professionally fit to enter into this career path and even then, continuous

Facilitating a foundation in academic or philosophical pedagogy can help form a path for the educator, a path to better understanding teaching, education, learning and learners. Often, most of the programs designed for learners and the curriculum is often derived from theories. Understanding theories can help guide a teacher through their education journey. Sometimes, teachers may struggle with classroom organisation or implementing the curriculum in a considerate, all-encompassing and engaging way, especially if you are a CRT or Graduate Teacher - and often these concepts can help inspire and encourage teachers. To be an empowered teacher means your classroom and students will be empowered learners, and that is the best type of learning. There are many theories that have contributed to education as a body and has many of these theories help educational departments plan curriculums to benefit not only teachers but also all students. What makes for a great teacher is considering the characteristics of the local community as well involving students’ families’ in the school body. Influences that help shape a teacher’s identity can include…

“… behaviour management difficulties have a way of sneaking up on teachers, leaving them without the necessary tools to deal with the difficulties, never mind the notion of prevention”

Students all have their own personalities, which affects their actions within the classroom. Many times, a students’ behavior is caused by outside factors causing them to act out with disruptive behaviors and disciplinary issues. During these times, a teacher must have a behavior management approach to deter similar behaviors in the future. Many first time teachers are unable to handle dealing with the behaviors and leave their jobs making it all the more important to come up with an effective behavior management approach to curtail those worrisome behaviors before it gets to that point (Sugai, 2009). In an effort to thoroughly discuss an efficient behavior management approach, a common disciplinary problem within classroom and the foundation of the issue will be considered. A combination of approaches may be to needed to stop behavioral issues, such as providing motivation and establishing rules and procedures in a clear way will deter behavioral issues. Finally, an in-depth look at the steps needed in order to implement the approach into the classroom.

A classroom is a very dynamic and spontaneous place. Every classroom is comprised of a diverse combination of individuals who all contribute to the unpredictable nature and uniqueness of the class. The reality that no two students are alike and no two classes are ever alike, contributes greatly to the difficulty of establishing a realistic and effective classroom management plan. It is important that teachers realize that a classroom is an unpredictable place and that it is much more reasonable to strive to manage their classroom as opposed to trying to control it. I see my role as a managing teacher as

When diving into the world of teaching, there are many important aspects that are essential in order to create a successful classroom environment; one in particular being, classroom management. Understanding what classroom management, classroom discipline, teacher characteristics, behavior management, and teacher organization are all crucial components of what makes a successful classroom. Of course, with every grade level comes a different style of classroom management; however, for this particular paper the targeted grade - level is lower elementary school.

The skills highlighted by McInerney for teachers to be effective are knowledge, questioning, explaining and demonstrating, monitoring and evaluating student learning, and most importantly communicating with the students, parents, carers and colleagues. Classroom management are things that a teacher does to establish an effective learning environment. An effective teacher would keep a record of how students behave in the class. McInerney states that good teaching minimises misbehaviour and is essential in a student-centred classroom. As teachers provide opportunities for students to develop their problem-solving strategies students figure out that they have a sense of self-direction which relates to their behaviour, motivation and learning. According to O’Donnell et al., classroom management and learning engagement is affected well before a student first enters the classroom. O’Donnell et al., points out that the fundamental task of classroom management is to establish an inclusive, supportive, caring, engaging and challenging community that students often engage in desirable, respectable and constructive behaviour. As observed in the classroom, various skills were used by Miss Amber to create a sense of community and belonging which encouraged students to be more open to

Classroom management is a popular topic in education. Teachers are always looking for ways to improve their classroom environment, or new ways to deal with problem behaviors. For every person who has ever worked with children, there is an idea, a theory, as to how to best meet children’s needs. Early theorists provide the basis for many current behavior management ideas, and often include a combination of ideas. Theorists such as Abraham Maslow, Rudolf Dreikurs, William Glasser, and Stanley Coppersmith offer insight into the behavior and motivations of children that help teachers design strategies to prevent disruption and provide a positive learning environment for all students.

Teachers are not only expected to teach their students, but also provide an environment where everyone feels safe and can learn. Classroom management is a very important part of teaching. Students cannot learn in an unsafe, disruptive environment. This paper will discuss the strategy of SHAPING, how it is used to modify a student’s behavior, and give an example of how to modify a student’s behavior. This paper will also discuss my personal beliefs about classroom management, share rules and expectations for the classroom, rewards for individuals and the class, designing the classroom where the teacher is visible and there are no distractions, and discuss some classroom procedures and how they contribute to classroom management

Professional knowledge is no longer viewed as just consisting of a standardised, explicit and fixed knowledge base. It is now seen as knowledge which exists in use, is ethical in its use and is changed by experience.

Teachers select a philosophical model of classroom management and discipline. There are different theoretical models that are useful to teachers because they offer a basis for analysing, understanding, and managing student and teacher behaviour.

teachers; yet I feel prepared and excited to embark on this journey and test my theories in

Classroom management and classroom discipline share a correlation with one another yet; they are uniquely different issues and should remain a separate focus of the teacher. (Cantor, 2006) Behavior and misbehavior also share a connection but represent different degrees of infraction. (Charles, 2008) This essay focuses on the differences and similarities of these topics and their relation to the classroom.