Classroom Management

There are a lot of things to consider when looking at how you, as a new teacher, want to control your classroom. The first thing that I think is important is to have the rules laid out so that students and you are well aware of them. Students know that in the classroom, there are going to be rules and they are encouraged to follow them or there will be a consequence. This goes along with CLT and their schemas as well as BLT with reward and punishment. I personally would like to include my students in making classroom guidelines because later on they don't have an excuse as to why they didn't follow them. I think this goes along with respecting my students and in turn having them gain respect for me. However, I don't want the class to be weighted down with rules, I want it to be a fun environment too. Which ultimately would be BLT because they know if they follow the rules, it can be a fun and enjoyable year and if not there will have to be punishments.

I want to avoid putting my students in rows, but rather give them the opportunity to work with and interact with their peers, this plays into SLT. Not only is there social interaction, but this allows for a more knowledgeable peer to emerge from the group. I don't want my students to only rely on me for help, but learn to use their resources and others around them too. A lot of times, I've seen students present ideas to their peers and when it comes time for a large group discussion that student is more likely to share their idea that's already been approved by their peers. By having students sit together from the beginning, I think they will realize there is a level of personal responsibility that I'm giving them as I will expect that they stay on task while surrounded by their peers. I think placing students in groups rather than individually can be beneficial behaviorally too. If there is a problem student, they may be influenced by their peers modeling ideal behaviors in the classroom. Not only that, but other students may be more likely to correct the student and ask them to stop whatever they're doing that may be a distraction. This is also SLT.

Something that will also aid in keeping kids on task is not teaching over their heads and using language that is familiar to them (SLT). Also by starting lessons with concrete representations (DLT), it will keep them actively mentally engaged and help with avoiding behavior issues. To also assist with active mental engagement (CLT) I want to ask questions that make them think about their answer rather than just guessing with a yes or no answer. In order to ask students engaging questions language must also be considered.

Another thing that I've seen in various classrooms that has worked well is moving around the room while teaching. This incorporates CLT and BLT because student's previous experiences in school (CLT) tell them that they need to pay attention and if not there is a consequence. Also, the physical presence of a teacher by a student if they're off task during class plays a large role in terminating any unwanted behaviors. As far as BLT goes, by walking around students will begin to understand that if they are off task I will be standing near them to stop any unwanted behaviors while if they are on task I will continue to walk around the room. By doing this from the beginning and being consistent with it, they will learn to always be on task, at least while I'm walking around the room.