Effective
classroom
management
Members of group :
1. Ifatun Dwi Anisa
(2520020)
2. Indah Puji Astuti
(2520022)
3. Bazighoh Almas
Introduction
Classroom management is a multi-faceted concept. This chapter
describes and discusses four major components of effective classroom
management: management of the physical environment, curriculum
management, managing discipline and managing classroom procedures.
The related concepts and strategies which are discussed include: the use
and decoration of classroom space; principles for effective lesson
planning and design; classroom rules and routines; and the use of
punishment and rewards
Good classroom management is challenging. Traditionally, it was viewed
as a matter of exerting control over the learners, but more recently
classroom management has been perceived as the art of establishing a
good climate and managing instruction effectively. It involves more than
just implementing procedures for organizing the students or setting rules
for a disciplined classroom — it is about how a teacher establishes
his/her authority by offering interesting lessons.
The Reality of Classroom Management
Some non-teachers may view the teaching process as a simple “teach, listen and
learn” activity: the teacher just stands in front of a number of pupils in a classroom,
talks to them and orders them to complete pre-arranged tasks. However, this
conception overlooks completely the multidimensional nature of the classroom
environment in which things happen very quickly and publicly, and are sometimes
unpredictable and spontaneous. In addition, teachers vary in their educational aims
and objectives and the students differ in a wide variety of ways (Waterhouse, 1990:
1–2); and to make matters even more complicated, teachers’ management styles
generate different types of classroom climate which affect student learning and
behaviour (and parents’ reactions to the teacher’s behaviour).
The four major components of classroom management are noted below and discussed
in the rest of this chapter.
1. Management of the physical environment: Teachers need to create the best
possible physical environment to ensure that their students have a comfortable and
pleasant atmosphere in which to learn.
2. Management of learning: Teachers must prepare learning objectives, select content,
prepare teaching and learning materials and design activities with the goal of
devising a curriculum that meets their students’ diverse needs.
3. Classroom procedures and rules: Teachers have to set guidelines for the smooth
and efficient running of classrooms as these are important for conveying their
expectations, for establishing classroom norms and for “house-keeping” purposes.
4. Managing discipline: Apart from such guidelines, teachers need to set up a
discipline system to deal with difficult and bad behaviour.
Managing the Physical Environment of the
Classroom
Good use of space
According to Charles and Senter (2002), there are six facets
of the physical environment of a classroom which teachers
have to consider in providing a pleasant place for learning :
1. Floor space
2. Wall space
3. Counterstop space
4. Shelf, cupboard and closet space
5. General ambience
Management of learning
Principle of effective instruction
Curriculum planning and the organization of teaching are major aspects of
pedagogy which are often referred to as the “management of learning”
(Tsui, 2002).
(a)Effective planning
Rosenshine and Stevens (1986: 49) highlighted a number of basic principles
for effective instruction and curriculum enactment:
(i) well-organized lessons
(ii) systematic delivery
(iii)activities that can be applied in authentic situations
(iv)clear criteria for assessing student performance; and
(v) constructive feedback. These guidelines show how teachers can
improve the design of their lessons and provide appropriate activities
for their students
(b) Meeting the needs of the students
Glasser (1998) suggested that teachers can engage their students more actively
and increase their concentration span by discussing the subject matter being
taught with them and encouraging them to ask questions. Also, including topics
which students show a strong desire to learn will clearly increase the likelihood of
their being attentive and involved..
(c) Motivation
Brophy’s (1987) study on motivating pupils to learn contained many insightful
suggestions and strategies for teachers :
1. Motivation
2. Needs
3. Novelty and diversity
4. Tensiorr
5. Teacher expecations
Establishing Classroom Procedures and
Rules
According to Eggen and Kauchak (1997), two major goals of
classroom management are:
1. To create a learning environment which is conducive to
learning;
2. To develop in students a sense of responsibility and self-
regulation in maintaining it.
The critical issue in classroom management, therefore, is
whether students can be selfdisciplined. To accomplish these
goals, the teacher needs to establish routines and procedures
for daily work and, if necessary, some measures for handling
any misbehaviour that disrupts the classroom environment.
We now turn to the issue of setting classroom routines and
procedures.
The need for classroom guidelines
Classroom guidelines are needed for running this small, but complex and
sometimes unpredictable, community in which teaching and learning
takes place. Clear classroom guidelines can minimize confusion and
ensure orderly interaction among pupils, and so minimize the loss of
valuable teaching time (Weinstein, 1996: 49).
Properly designed classroom guidelines should support teaching and
learning by providing pupils with clear expectations and well-defined
norms for functioning in a collaborative and cooperative manner to
create an orderly environment for learning. The provision of explicitly
stated rules and guidelines, and practical experience with them, not only
helps pupils to understand the school’s expectations but also contributes
to their sense of security and academic success (McEwan, 2000: 32).
Classroom procedures
It is useful to distinguish two types of guidelines for
effective classroom management: procedures and rules
(Levin and Nolan, 2004: 137). Procedures refer to
classroom routines which call for specific behaviour at
particular times and on particular tasks. They are
necessary not only for the smooth running of
instructional activities but also for reducing the frequency
with which teachers need to give instructions for daily
classroom events
Classroom procedures need to make good sense to students;
otherwise they are not likely to follow them. For example, it
does not make much sense to expect students in reading
time to wait silently in the reading corner for others to finish
their class work (Gareau and Kennedy, 1991). For students
who do not comply with the classroom procedures, the
consequences should be logical and natural (Brophy, 1988b)
— for example, asking a student who has thrown some scrap
paper on the floor to pick it up and put it in the rubbish bin.
As with rules and regulations, classroom procedures should
be modified and revised if they are found to be
inappropriate.
Classroom rules
If procedures are for “housekeeping” tasks, classroom rules are
guidelines for required student behaviour (Levin and Nolan, 2004).
Therefore, classroom rules should be designed with the aim of
enhancing pupils’ positive and on-task behaviour rather than
reprimanding disruptive behaviour. Moreover, they should never be
employed as a means for controlling pupils in school (Brophy,
1988a). These rules are more wideranging and more complex than
classroom procedures.
What rules do teachers need?
Rules are necessary to main good discipline in the classroom. Some
teachers like to list all the “dos and don’ts” for particular occasions,
while others compile a rule book for all occasions.
A more practical and civilized way of developing classroom rules is to
start thinking about the smallest number of rules which could
minimize discipline problems. This set of rules may vary from class
to class but the following basic principles for setting them are
common to all classrooms. Good rules:
• are fair to everybody, both teachers and pupils;
• make good sense and are not arbitrary;
• can be explained, as necessary;
• have natural and logical consequences when broken;
• are easy to apply when required;
• are positive.
Communicating classroom rules
A good practice for teachers to develop necessary
classroom rules together with the pupils, to exchange
views on their rationale, expectations and consequences
in an open and democratic atmosphere. An additional
advantage of involving pupils in discussing rules is that
they are likely to spot any inconsistencies or irrational
consequences.
If student involvement in developing classroom rules is
impossible, the teacher must communicate the rules
clearly to the students so that they fully understand their
purposes and rationale.
Finally, all classroom rules should be displayed openly
and be subject to constant review.
Managing Discipline Problems
It is often said “prevention is better than cure”: it is more desirable
to prevent discipline problems from happening than to deal with
them in the classroom.
The American Federation of Teachers (1995/1996: 24) once warned
teachers. However, not all discipline problems require direct
intervention: in some cases they may be ignored and some student
behavior can be altered by offering appropriate praise. Various
ways of managing pupils’ behaviour are outlined in the following
sections.
Managing Discipline Problems
When to intervene
Tolerating and
understanding
behaviour When students
misbehave despite
Teachers need to clear classroom • Harmful behaviour (e.g. bullying)
be discerning routines and • Distracting behaviour (e.g. playing with
about difficult procedures, toys in the classroom)
behaviour before teacher • Testing behaviour (e.g. challenging a
taking action as it intervention is teacher’s authority)
needed. Based on • Antisocial behaviour (e.g.
can sometimes be
the “five pillars of disengagement)
tolerated (e.g.
classroom rules”, • Contagious behaviour (e.g. talking with
coughing in class a neighbour).
because of illness). intervention is
appropriate for the
Managing Discipline Problems
Alternatives to
The use of punishment
punishment
Punishment in school usually takes two forms:
the removal of privileges and the inflicting of
physical or other “painful” punishment. (Levin
and Nolan, 2004: 142) — for example, reducing
pupils’ recess time if they do not form a straight
line when going downstairs to the playground.
However, in contrast, a teacher’s inappropriate
planning and aggressive attitude may lead to
student hostility, with the logical consequence
being perceived as a punishment.
Managing Discipline Problems
Alternatives to
The use of punishment
punishment
Docking (2002) suggested that teachers should offer more
praise for classroom behaviour, instead of assuming that
pupils ought to behave well and that only very good behaviour
deserves praise or rewards.
While punishment may arouse hostility, praise and rewards
create the positive atmosphere needed to maintain good
behaviour and promote learning, as well as boosting pupils’
self-esteem. Teachers should be generous in giving praise or
rewards to both individuals and groups, either publicly or in
private
Teacher Authority in Good Management
William Glasser (1998) identified two types of teacher:
“boss teachers” and “lead teachers”. The former, whom
he considers old-fashioned, act in an autocratic way and
are unlikely to involve the students in planning their
instructional activities, designing the curriculum and
developing classroom rules. The latter adopt an open
and democratic approach to classroom decision making,
inviting student participation in the above activities and
respecting their rights as learners.
Summary
In practical terms, classroom management has four major components: management
of the physical environment; curriculum management, managing classroom
procedures and rules, and discipline management.
Management of the physical environment is concerned with the optimum
arrangement of furniture and use of space, for example on the walls, for various
purposes — the main one being to produce an environment which will engage pupils
in learning. The management of learning is about planning effective pedagogical
strategies which meet pupils’ needs and make lessons interesting. Teaching skills are
essential for effective instruction. As classrooms are public and unpredictable places,
procedures for good “housekeeping” must be established; and rules are also required
to direct student behaviour when necessary. Students should be involved in
developing these procedures and rules to make them more relevant and acceptable to
them, and teachers need to communicate them to students in a clear and appropriate
way. There are some behaviours which teachers can tolerate, but intervention and
punishment are needed when other measures fail. When used effectively, praise can
be an alternative to punishment for managing classroom behaviour. Finally, the proper
exercise of teacher authority in managing classrooms is not about autocratic and
dominating control. The concept of a “boss teacher” has been replaced by that of a
“lead teacher”— a good teacher who gains pupils’ respect and stimulates them to
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