Classroom Management

Throughout this course I have learned through various readings and discussions how important it is to have a positive attitude in the classroom. In my placement I have seen the consequences of what can happen when the teacher exudes a negative attitude and how pervasively that negatively can wind itself throughout the class. This practical experience combined with the classroom experience has solidified my motivation to ensure my classroom is has a positive atmosphere and that my teaching and classroom management is conducted in a positive manner.

 

I was particularly taken with Lemov’s Positive Framing technique because of its ability to separate emotion from actions and consequences. This is important in all grades but especially so in high school where I will be teaching. High school is a time period where students are making the transition from minors to adults and it is a period that can be fraught with tension as students step out and test the waters of adulthood. Correcting behaviors using Positive Framing allows the behavior to be swiftly corrected without personal offense occurring. The part of the technique that appeals the most to me is the time that it allows for the student to correct his or her own behavior. Sometimes students just need space and time to make the right choice. I feel sometimes we are quick to correct students without ever having given them enough time to make the right decision. In my placement I saw this numerous times as students were given multistep directions as soon as they walked into the room and corrected within seconds, long before they had enough to even complete all of the tasks that were asked of them.

 

When I taught at my placement I learned very quickly that 35 students can get very loud very quickly. Fortunately I had built a rapport with most of the students by this point and my “strong” voice got their attention quickly and they settled down right away. After leading them through a prelab lecture for approximately 15 minutes I then was in charge of leading and organizing 35 students through a laboratory experiment. This required different types of classroom management skills than the lecture. I had to be concerned with things like resource management, safety, student movement around the classroom and student understanding of the lab. It was definitely a learning experience but it went well and I learned a lot.