Title:

Managing classroom behaviour through teaching self-management skills to students

Topic & Sub-Topic Research Questions:

How can teaching self-management skills to students help in managing classroom behavior?

• What are strategies that teachers can use to model good behaviour and organizational skills to students?
• What self-evaluation strategies can be used to encourage students to set their own goals and work towards accomplishing those goals?
• How does keeping students busy with activities help with keeping a classroom under control       
•    

Introduction (Why was this research question picked?)

During the short practicum, I observed many different classrooms. Each class had a different dynamic, and thus, the teachers had to use different strategies in order to manage the students. Something that almost all the teachers advised me to implement in my own teaching was to keep the students busy; their rationalization was that students are generally less likely to behave badly in class if they are kept busy. I observed this in several classes, but there were also instances in which students would not focus on their work. Therefore, I began thinking about what strategies teachers can use to help motivate all students to take accountability for their own work.

After learning about social-emotional-learning, and reading about some of the different methods of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation that can be used in classrooms, I became interested in researching further into what other methods can be used to help students develop their own educational goals. My preliminary research led me towards several articles and websites that highlighted the success of teaching students self-management skills and the importance of being accountable for their own work. Therefore, I would like to investigate this method of classroom management, and determine if it would be something that I can implement in my own teaching.

Method Used To Complete Project:

In order to complete this project, I will be compiling researching from online journals and university websites. I will also try to collect anecdotal accounts from current and past teachers on their experiences with managing classrooms with students who did not normally have the self-motivation to help them focus on their appointed tasks in the classroom.

Expected Results:

In addition to the different journal articles that I have already read, I expect to find several more sources that will state the benefits of teaching self-management skills to students with learning and behavior problems. However, what I think will be difficult about this research will be finding actual examples and strategies that were used by the educators. Most of the preliminary research I found has included general examples of how teaching self-management skills has benefited the students, but I also want to be able to relate these successes to how it affects the management of classroom behaviour.

Presentation Method:

For my final presentation, I will be making a poster that includes all the relevant information required for this inquiry project.