“How do I create a safe and productive learning environment in a foods & nutrition or textiles classroom while keeping students engaged?”
Abstract
As a home economics teacher candidate going into my practicum there are many things I am excited and curious about. My inquiry focuses on how do I create a safe and productive learning environment in a foods & nutrition or textiles classroom while keeping students engaged? This is not only personally important to me as I move into my teaching career but it is essential that I set up a safe and engaging learning environment for my students to be successful. Throughout my research and learning at UBC I understand the importance of setting up/creating a positive, supportive community atmosphere within my classroom. When students feel supported in their learning and are guided by the teacher’s classroom expectations and rules students are more motivated to engage in classroom activities. In the studies I reviewed effective classroom management directly correlated to a more positive classroom environment, appropriate classroom behavior and better relationships between the teacher and students. In my classroom I will start by introducing myself so that students get to know me. We will do an activity were I can learn each student’s name and learn more about them as individuals. By doing this I am beginning to build relationships with my students and fostering a positive community atmosphere. Next, it is important that I establish what my classroom rules and expectations are with the student’s collaboration. I must ensure that I enforce the rules and expectations as consistency also helps to build a trusting community.
The Evolution of My Inquiry Process
Introduction
Inquiry is an essential element of being a successful teacher. To be a successful teacher you must continue developing and learning, not only so that you have relevant information for your students but also so that you stay passionate and engaged with your students. Inquiry is an important part of the teacher development process as it integrates professional development into the classroom through reflection, asking questions, collaborating and acting on new knowledge. By continuing the cycle of inquiry, reflection, action and reflection again, teachers are ensuring that their students are receiving the best education they can provide them.
My question and how it arose for me
How do I create a safe and productive learning environment in a foods & nutrition or textiles classroom while keeping students engaged? This inquiry question arose for me when I went on my first school visit in October. I observed how 2 different teachers managed their classrooms, which got me thinking about how I might handle these types of situations (preventing injury). The curriculum for home economics is quite heavy to cover in a short period of class time, makes it hard to engage with every student in every class. Students want to cook and sew, and as soon as you introduce a theory lesson they seemed to disengage. In a textiles classroom where students are working individually sometimes you only get to the students that need help and you might not get to assist the students who are working independently. In a foods class, classroom management is critical when students are working on a lab so that everyone is safe and on task. Both classroom management and engagement are areas I want to work on and learn more about. I want to feel comfortable that I can maintain both, on my practicum and in my future career. I am looking forward to learning management and engagement techniques in my future classes and on my practicum.
Why is my question significant to me and others?
As a new Home Economics teacher through my observations of classrooms and teaching during my practicum I have found it to be overwhelming to manage a full classroom where students are participating in a lab to complete a task where there are safety risks involved. I know that this will become easier as I gain more practice in classrooms but I want to find management techniques or strategies that might be helpful specifically in a home economics classroom. Over my short practicum I gained first-hand experience on how difficult it was to manage a cooking lab with middle school age students who don’t quite understand why they have to hold a knife a certain way until they cut themselves because they were holding it incorrectly or burning their hands because they did not use oven mitts. I am very interested in learning management techniques that keep my students safe as well as keeping them engaged as this is something that I feel I struggled with over my short practicum. I think that compiling home economics specific management techniques and ideas together can benefit not only myself but other teachers as well. I can see this as a tool for TTOC’s or teachers that end up having to teach home economics without a home economics background as well as for new teachers and teachers that may want new ideas.
Throughout my research I have found that “for teachers, classroom management is one of the most enduring and widespread challenges” (Piwowar, 2013). It is challenging because there are many different strategies that can be used as every classroom has different demographics.
What do I hope to learn?
Through my long practicum and research I hope to learn a variety of techniques on how to manage a classroom where student’s individual safety is a concern. I don’t want to be so focused on safety that my students are not having fun anymore and are disengaged with their learning. I think it is important for me to learn a balance and figure out what my teaching style is. I am excited to explore and experiment with management styles to find out what works for me and my students. I hope that by the end of my practicum and research on this topic I will be more comfortable teaching and managing a foods and nutrition classroom specifically.
How will I conduct this inquiry?
To look deeper into my inquiry question I will review articles about not only about home economics classroom management but also regular classroom management. I want to analyse the data that I find and figure out how I can apply it in a home economics classroom. I think that the most valuable research I will gain is through experience and experimenting with management strategies during my practicum. During my practicum I hope to also learn as much as I can through my SA by learning her classroom management and engagement techniques and by listening and incorporating her feedback into my teaching.
What do I expect to find out?
I have already witnessed and experienced during my short practicum how difficult classroom management can be at the middle school age. I expect that I may find out that there is no one magic technique or solution to manage a classroom and to keep students engaged in learning. I think that if I can set up the classroom atmosphere as a community where students feel that I am teaching them about safety not only because it is in the curriculum but also because I do genuinely care about their safety and want them to have fun during lab time that it may be easier to manage the classroom. To create this type of environment will take a lot of work and trial and error on my part but I believe it is worth it if my students can have fun and learn in my classroom and follow expectations. As I said before I am hoping to find out strategies I can use and share with others in order to foster a safe and constructive learning environment for my students.
What if any, are my limitations of this study? How will my inquiry look during my practicum?
The biggest limitation of this study is that it will be difficult to measure my results as my study is very subjective. Reflecting after lessons and gathering up all of my reflections would help me to keep my ideas organized and help me to remember the important tips and techniques I will learn.
Insights to curriculum and pedagogy.
In the middle school I am teaching in, every student from grades 6 to 8 must take home economics and for many of them this is their first experience in a hands on course. This makes it very easy to keep the students engaged because they are excited about trying something new and being in a different type of classroom set up. It can also make it tough on the teacher as students do not know what is appropriate behaviour in this new classroom environment making classroom management difficult. Research on classroom management has shown that teachers that “focused on establishing rules or procedures and interactions focused on progress[ing] in the learning task” (Wallace, 2014). This means that when classroom expectations are set up as well as other preventive measures, students behaviour and engagement was better in these classes.
Conclusion
As I have never formally taught in a school other than on my two-week practicum, classroom management and student safety and engagement seem overwhelming and difficult. In order for me to have a successful practicum and be able to gather information/learn more about my inquiry question I need to foster a safe and positive classroom environment during my practicum and ensure I use different types of formative assessment to help keep my students engaged. My research so far has “emphasized the importance of proactive, rather than reactive, behavioural management as a means for promoting positive and preventing negative student behaviors within the classroom” (Pas, 2015). I want to ensure that during my practicum I learn as many strategies as I can to support a positive community in my classroom so that engagement and classroom management becomes easier. I am excited to learn more during my practicum as “learning requires active practice” (Marrs, 2005).
References
Hue, M. & Li, W.(2008). Classroom Management: Creating a Positive Learning Environment. Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, HKU. Retrieved January 15, 2016, from Project MUSE database.
Marrs, K. A., & Chism, G. I. (2005). Just-in-Time Teaching for Food Science: Creating an Active Learner Classroom. Journal Of Food Science Education, 4(2), 27-34.
Pas, E. T., Cash, A. H., O’Brennan, L., Debnam, K. J., & Bradshaw, C. P. (2015). Profiles of classroom behavior in high schools: Associations with teacher behavior management strategies and classroom composition. Journal of School Psychology, 53(2), 137-148. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2014.12.005
Piwowar, V., Thiel, F., & Ophardt, D. (2013). Training Inservice Teachers’ Competencies in Classroom Management. A Quasi-Experimental Study with Teachers of Secondary Schools. Teaching And Teacher Education: An International Journal Of Research And Studies, 301-12.
Wallace, T. L., Sung, H. C., & Williams, J. D. (2014). The defining features of teacher talk within autonomy-supportive classroom management. Teaching and Teacher Education, 42, 34-46.doi:10.1016/j.tate.2014.04.005