Teachers And Classrooms With Effective Learning Environments example essay topic

Rather than emphasizing on maintaining discipline in a classroom, classroom management would be more appropriate for an effective teacher. Discipline has two significant limitations such that discipline highlights the individual rather than the classroom and secondly it connotes negative behavior (352). Whereas classroom management is broadly defined as "all of those positive behaviors and decisions a teacher makes to facilitate the learning process of their students" also reiterating all of those "activities necessary to create and maintain an orderly learning environment" (352). The reason why creating an effective classroom management plan is essential is to create a positive and productive learning environment, be able to work and communicate with the students, "reduce the incidents of misbehavior" while maintaining student interest, motivation, and involvement.

Everyone classroom is diverse since not one person is the same. Keeping this concept in mind, it is important to understand that everyone, primarily the students, have different cultural beliefs, values and attitudes. Some students may also come from a single parent home or may have their family going through a divorce. By understanding each student and their various cultural diversities, it will help the effective teacher produce a stronger level of communication with their students and encourage a productive learning environment.

It is important to acknowledge each students differences and not ignore their needs outside the academic setting. With the focus of creating an effective classroom management plan, it is essential to define rules and implement them so they may be clearly and easily understood. While establishing rules it is important to remember that the goal is "to establish and maintain an effective learning environment" (361). While developing rules for the classroom, it is best that the list of rules be few yet clear and concise.

"It is also important to involve the students in the development of these rules; this not only facilitates their understanding and ownership but also cultivates their sense of power and self-esteem" (362). The effective teacher will realize that by including students into the decision making process of their own classroom management, they are encouraging a more productive learning environment. It is counterproductive to enforce rules that do not result in effective teaching such as demanding the children to be "quite at all times, sit perfectly still, or attend to tasks regardless of the task's level of 'worthwhileness' " (362). As always, there should be consequences when the rules are broken. This does not necessarily mean that the consequences are negative but they should actually be positive. The uses of positive consequences or reinforcement are for compliance purposes on behalf of the child.

Whereas "negative consequences can be effective in discouraging or suppressing specific, unwanted behaviors, but they are not effective for teaching what is desired" (367). Thus it is crucial to stop the misbehavior and use that incident as a moment where the child may learn. This is applicable from early childhood to adult. "The goal for such intervention is to increase effective, appropriate behaviors rather than simply to suppress misbehavior" (369). In addition to defining and implementing rules in an effective classroom, there will also be problems in school that need to be addressed. Such problems will include drugs, violence, neglect, and general misbehavior.

It is important for the school to address these issues as a community which will involve the students, teachers and parents. According to Kounin, there are certain variables which characterize teachers and classrooms with effective learning environments and reduced student problems. Such factors include the following: withitness, momentum and smoothness, student accountability, overlapping, and satiation and challenge. It is important for a teacher to be aware of everything is going on in a classroom.

This may seem like a common sense approach but an expert teacher would be one to implement such a behavior. This is noted as withitness, which in turn is associated "reduced incidence of classroom disruptions" (363). When a teacher demonstrates this quality as a part of classroom management, it would be easier to prevent minor incidents from becoming serious issues due to their awareness of their surroundings. To continue along, it is important for a teacher to keep a group focus, be challenging, alert, prepared, and employ a rapid response. By a teacher having all of the previous qualities, they can help prevent classroom management problems and foster a productive and effective classroom to enrich students' learning.

These qualities proceed from the variables Kounin discussed which characterize a teacher, influence effective learning environments and reduce student problems. Every person wants to feel needed no matter what age they are. This is idea can be particularly focused on the development of children growing in their education process. One important strategy that can be implemented in the classroom is to encourage student involvement. This is to ensure that no one feels left out and that they are participating in the development of the management of their classroom. It is also important to pay attention to every child's needs because everyone is different and diverse especially according to the various cultural values and attitudes that a person carries with them.

It is particularly important for the teacher to pay attention to the students who are not the most vocal. Those students also have a voice and need just as much attention as the boisterous student who is always raising their hand. By having the teachers attention balanced throughout the classroom the students sense this and may eventually feel more comfortable raising their hands to participate because they do not feel like an outcast. By having a teachers attention distributed evenly it allows students to raise their hands and speak even when not called on because the teacher is no longer showing bias or favoring a particular student group within the classroom. This will encourage an effective classroom management plan because in turn more students are willing and desiring to become involved. There are five rules that would be necessary to implement in the classroom.

Being a positive role model for the students is important. This can be influenced by promoting a positive self image and encouraging students to do the say as well. Being interactively enthusiastic in a classroom is important to engage student motivation. This can be implemented by showing interest in the subject matter being discussed and the teacher's enthusiasm should reflect onto the students'.

Organization is important to be developed in the classroom so that the students may carry the organizational skills outside the classroom and through out the rest of their lives. This can be implemented by having the students organize their desks at the end of every week and having a binder / notebook of their work shown to the teacher periodically which is organized according to the rules the teacher has established. Following through the rules is also important for the children because it is necessary that they have a consistent environment. The rules may be positively reinforced but this must be consistently done.

It is a teacher's role to have patience and with that the students will benefit the most. Finally, rules shall be implemented with respect, courtesy and listening on both ends of the spectrum. By showing the student that you, the teacher, has these qualities, they will realize that these are crucial in the proper development of a well-rounded student.