MY EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY ON CLASSROOM MANAGMENT

My presentation: Presentation Inquiry

         → My question:  How can teachers and students share in classroom management? or What is the role of equity in classroom management amongst teachers and students? This question came to me while I was observing a class of grade 10 science students. I saw that students were using electronic devices during the class as well as eating food.  I am not one to comment on someone’s teaching style, but I do feel that there are more constructive ways of teaching than just showing students a video on mitosis and meiosis, during which time they can eat food or go on their phones.

My philosophy as  a teacher is to make sure to give first priority to student learning as a prime focus and attention.It is very important to realize that teaching profession is not about the just textbook, content material, marks, lesson plans and handout; in fact, it`s way beyond that.The main objective of a well-organized classroom is to create an atmosphere which cultivates imaginative and creative activities,to conveniently use the available facilities of the school, to have an ability in teachers and student`s time , efforts, and energies and collectively to create a safe space for students. It`s about rapport building with students, it’s not what is the content, what’s covered in the test but it’s how to incorporate effective learning environment in a meaningful and interactive way.And last but not least to allow students to think outside of the box.

Another thing that, I would like to build a classroom setup with more positive,welcoming and creative environment. Students should feel safe and welcomed in a way such that they feel like they are an essential part of this class.I would also like to have a different style of teaching and as learning the process. To be a facilitator as a teacher and also students to be a learner as active – inductive and deductive classroom involvement. It is also necessary to have purposeful learning and avoid unwanted behavior in the class as these are a sensitive area. In such areas, it is possible to lose the attention of a student if it is not met with the expectations of students. As is it said, “When students feel valued and respected, they gain the confidence that they need to share their own experiences, to engage in authentic opportunities for learning, and to work in spaces that might be challenging or unfamiliar”. -by Katie Greene and Karen Conn Mitcham.

Lastly, I would like to add in my philosophy is  that- it is really important to set classroom management and I believe that’s the way we create guidelines or draw limits for students.According to surveys and research, classroom management has been cited as one of the weakest areas in promoting effective teaching. It is also one of the most common reasons for teacher burnout and attrition of first-year teachers. I believe this is more likely for new teachers.In a classroom, It is very important to know what to say and most importantly what not to say. Students are like little curious brains, they also allow me to be able to continue to learn from them and to grow  / develop in understanding regarding content.

For a classroom management, it is crucial to set up seating arrangement, which is more appropriate based on classroom expectation, activities which usually take place in a class.  I would like to have seating arrangement, which is like an auditorium or a theater setting; where they all are facing teacher at the front towards the board. Teacher`s desk should be on the side as I prefer to walk around the class to keep an eye on students.  I am trying to incorporate a way of organizing each student based on their class behavior. If a student is talkative or a disruptive kind, I will try to assign seat which is close to the  front near blackboard; so I can take care of them and they will be never out of my sight to disturb the class. Rather than avoiding such students, I prefer to give them more attention so they will also feel that they are being valued so their behavior will be improved.

According to the article, “The theoretical and empirical study of students – teacher relationships has led to the development of programs designed to promote students’ school success.”- this is true based on how the teacher is relatable and how well a teacher is understanding student`s needs. Just like a tourist needs a guide in order to know the correct way to reach their final destination; similarly, we as a teacher are a guide for students to mentor students to get to the final destination. I strongly believe that journey to the final destination should be beautiful and memorable and that’s what teachers are for, to guide them on the right path.

• SIGNIFICANCE OF MY QUESTION & HOW IT LINKS TO EDUCATION

          → The teaching/learning experience is something shared by both the teacher and the student, and to make it more effective there needs to be a shared effort between them.  This is why the question of: how can teachers and students share classroom management, so important. Teachers need to not only set rules they need to enforce them so as to provide students with a good setting to learn and absorb information that is free from distraction.  While students may feel annoyed at having to put away their electronic devices and or snacks, ultimately they are there to learn and that should be the priority.  So while it is up to the students to obey the rules, the teacher must also make the effort to make the lesson engaging enough that they will pay attention and explain the reasoning behind the rules they have laid out.  It is also important to explain to students the expectations of them and provide a clear path to success for them.  Conversely, it is up to the student to live up to that expectation if they wish to achieve good marks and retain knowledge that will be useful to them in their future academic pursuits.

It is really important as a teacher to let students know what I want from them, what are my expectations from students. Just like setting up guidelines for the classroom, it is also crucial to state clearly what you expect ( want) from students. For e.g, while assigning a project in a class, a detailed rubric would be great to set expectations and students can also use it as a guide for directing their research and focus in making the project. As a teacher, certain small things play a really important role and they should never be avoided or ignored such as when you get what you expect/ want, a teacher should always acknowledge it to the students ( not praise) it;  just to show students that you value their efforts.Similarly, when you get something else, act quickly and appropriately for e.g, a student does poorly in a quiz, while handing back you can tell the student that you can do better! this made me little concerned about you? is there anything you want to talk to me? This way student will realize that teacher knows his/her capability for performing in the quiz, and teacher motivated student by believing in his/ her performance and at the same time gave a chance to say if there was any problem.

In a certain classroom setting, I have observed teacher centered and student centered approach.According to figure 2a-  In teacher-centered learning is just one way and it common to see in most of the classes. But Student-centered learning is more effective such as group activities. Group activities are mostly effective based on research where student tend to learn quickly or grasp the concept effectively from their peers easily than compared to the teachers. This group activity will also allow students to share, pair and care with each other. Sharing their ideas and work will give them a different perspective, a different way to think and problem-solving.Based on figure 2b, it shows how certain elements are compared to both students as well as teacher-centered learning in class.

I would also like to talk about Social Emotional Learning (SEL) as part of classroom management.SEL plays huge role in terms of Culture, Ethnicity, and Race (In ELL classroom setting or ELL learners)

According to my observations, most of the students which require support socially and emotionally are the one who are newly immigrant or international students. The ELL, course itself is designed for the students who come from different culture. Most of these students have immigrated or are the refugee, it is necessary as a teacher to see these students not with the perspective that they don’t know English language but also, that they are here to learn a new language. These students have struggled a lot as they have left behind their own country, friends, and relative. They might be having emotional stress and going through a transitional phase. The exclusion and inclusion pedagogical theory would be great to use as a teacher in such situations. It is also necessary to know their country of origin as their teaching and learning approaches vary in different countries. It is necessary to care about ethics and race in the class, so I would make sure to be careful to touch on sensitive topics in class. For example, Evolution, Abortion, and many more topics. Being a Biology teacher, I have come across to point where students are not willing to participate in dissection due to their cultural beliefs. In such kind of situation, I make them watch the dissection as a video and for testing their knowledge I will make them do a project. As a part of social-emotional learning.

• What I learned from my experience and what I am scared off:

In my short practicum, I was assigned to Burnaby South Secondary School for my first practicum, it was a great learning experience. I was assigned to teach in grade 11 chemistry mostly and some class of grade 10 Science as well as grade 12 AP. In my chemistry 11, I did a lab in which students were asked to use burette, I went over with them for procedures and what they need to answer for lab report and what they need to know for lab safety and to perform the lab. During the lab, I saw students using graduated cylinder which was not part of their lab apparatus or procedure and I observed that they measured the solution dispensed from burette in graduated cylinder rather than measuring it right from the burette. This is where it clicked to me – to step back and realize how I just assumed that they would know how to use burette and I had to give a demonstration that they were doing it incorrectly and after that, they learned how to read from burette and we had really great, student engaging teachable moment. I realize that I have a degree and experience of chemistry and its technique – I forgot that they are grade 11 students – learning those techniques how to handle apparatus. In one of my classes in last semester, we talked about taking a step back, then forward- it was one of my eye opening lesson that I learned and realized all these years I need to learn this about myself. This activity which encouraged me to determine the main argument and how to make a connection with big picture was greatly done. It helped me to draw my attention towards big ideas, and to be able to move beyond mere teaching of content as facts. This helped me to identify concepts which are subtopics such as the primary producer or consumer and their role which are part of the big idea of ecosystems and they are implicitly explained instead of going in detail for better understanding. But the ecosystem is generally focused on food webs and food chain. Taking a step back, I can see how students learn without using a textbook, as I have realized by this time now how things we need to explain in class with the textbook is forbidden and it does not allow students to think outside of box moreover, the textbook is more for resources to draw upon. So sometimes teaching a topic in class without following textual language is a great way to test student’s knowledge, the level of understanding. This activity helped me as a teacher Candidate- it’s true that we learn from students at this point, I can say I am glad that I was able to recognize this situation, but I am worried what if I miss out that moment to take a step back?

References:

• Moore, K., & Hansen, J. (2012). Effective strategies for teaching in K-8 classrooms (pp. 52-75). Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.
• Parkay, F., & Stanford, B. (1998). Becoming a teacher (4th ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
• Raffaelli, L. (2014, August 20). The Dos and Don’ts of Classroom Management: Your 25 Best Tips. Retrieved December 12, 2015, from

http://www.edutopia.org/discussion/dos-and-donts-classroom-management-your-25-best-tips

• Johnson, B. (2015, June 17). How to Manage Cell Phones in the Classroom. Retrieved December 12, 2015, from

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-manage-cell-phones-classroom-ben-johnson

• K. G., & Mitcham, K. C. (2012). Community in the Classroom. 13-15.
• Freiberg, H. J. (1996). From Tourists to Citizens in the Classroom. 32-36.