Principles of Classroom Management
You now need to apply principles of classroom management in order to develop best practices. For a class that you will be teaching:
a) Create a plan for the effective use of classroom infrastructure
A plan for the infrastructure of a classroom for a class is created with effective positioning of functional parts of the classroom taking into account any constraints in the infrastructure
b) Based on all the information you hold about the class, devise effective techniques to handle any disciplinary issues which may arise
The classroom techniques take into account a range of information about the class including the individual pupils, the topic which is being taught, ( high school math )the infrastructure of the classroom and the stage of the learning
Applying Principles of Classroom Management
a) Create a plan for the effective use of classroom infrastructure
Classroom infrastructure is a crucial element of the learning and teaching process at all learning levels. Literature in the field of education asserts that high-quality classroom infrastructure is essential for effective instruction and yields higher achievement levels for the learners (Puteh, Adnan, & Noh, 2015). For instance, environmental and design elements in a classroom create variations in academic progress among different classrooms. For maximum learning to take place, the teacher ought to plan the adjustable classroom infrastructure in a manner that boosts the learning outcomes.
The class that I will be teaching has desks and chairs that are movable. Movable chairs and desks in a classroom are more advantageous than the unmovable ones as the teacher can easily direct the learners on how to arrange the classroom prior to the lesson. The learning outcomes for the topic that I will be teaching will require both direct instruction and group activities among the learners. I will inform the learners before the lesson that I will require them to sit in groups for this particular lesson. I would encourage them to have smaller groups od 4-5 students and sit in a semi-circular form to ensure that each one of them can see the board for the direct instruction part of the lesson. During the group activity, I will allow the learners to use their smartphones and the available Wi-Fi connection to access some vital documents that I will share with the class.
I will divide the smartboard into three independent parts. On the middle part, I will write the topic of the lesson and some short lesson notes. On the left part of the smartboard, I will write the examples that I will use during the lesson. On the right side, I will write the assignment that I will give the students. I will use smartboard markers of varied colours to enhance the clarity of the content. An effective smartboard presentation, coupled with a well-thought delivery mode is essential in ensuring that all learners are engaged (Stadler-Altmann, 2015). The content on the smartboard will be minimal to enhance the learner’s information processing.
I will ensure that the classroom is well-lit and ventilated. I will ensure that all windows are open for proper ventilation and lighting and switch on the lights if required. The lesson is scheduled to happen in the morning, and the natural light might not be adequate. Proper ventilation in the classroom will be essential even though the lesson will be held in the morning. Ventilation in the classroom helps in not only enhancing the air quality but also in improving air quality (Stadler-Altmann, 2015). Maintaining a good classroom environment also helps in retaining high concentration levels for the learners.
Organizing the infrastructure into the required form might not be possible without some major distractions to the lesson. For instance, the arrangement of the chairs for the discussion might not be possible without interrupting the lesson schedule. The learners are not very good in time management and may wait to be reminded. This constraint may be managed by offering to give incentives to groups that manage to arrange their chairs in time.
b) Based on all the information you hold about the class, devise effective techniques to handle any disciplinary issues which may arise
Discipline problems are likely to occur in all classroom set-ups. Teachers should, therefore, think of the best techniques to manage them. It is much easier for teachers to manage the discipline of students that they have experience with. This is because they know the major discipline issues among the students. For this lesson, the main discipline issues that I am likely to face are noise-making, lack of participation in the group activities and time wastage. These cases might be managed successfully by applying varied techniques.
Before the lesson, I will find time to brief the students on what I will be expecting of them during the lesson. I will give them some guidelines about the formation of the groups. I will also allow them to ask any questions concerning the lesson and answer all of them clearly. The prior briefing will help in preventing the occurrence of unwanted behaviour, such as time mismanagement. It will also act as a strategy of preparing the students on what to expect and what their roles will be.
I will outline the consequences of inactiveness in the group activities, using the smartphones inappropriately (playing games during the group activity) and noise-making and enforce them immediately when a learner portrays indiscipline. Each form of misbehaviour will be attributed to a certain indiscipline issue for the learners to be sure what to expect when they act wrongly (Marciniak, 2015). The consequences will be applied immediately a student misbehaves. Acting immediately when an indiscipline occurs is very key to ensure that the other learners do not engage in the same behaviour.
At the beginning of the class, I will remind the learners how to interrupt politely. This reminder will be very vital for managing background noises which are likely to occur. I will communicate to the learners that I understand that some things might not be clear for them, and they would want to seek clarification. I will make them aware that any form of noise directed towards the clarification outside the recommended procedure will be treated as an indiscipline case and will be punished accordingly. Being a Math lesson, there are chances that the students will not get everything clearly (Marciniak, 2015). However, noise-making will not be tolerated as it may cause unnecessary interruptions.
References
Marciniak, A. (2015). Effective ways of dealing with discipline problems when teaching adolescent learners. World Scientific News, 7, 53-72.
Puteh, M., Adnan, M., & Noh, M. N. (2015). The Classroom Physical Environment and Its Relation to Teaching and Learning Comfort Level. International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, 5(3), 237-240.
Stadler-Altmann, U. (2015). Learning Environment: The Influence of School and Classroom Space on Education. In The Routledge International Handbook of Social Psychology of the Classroom (pp. 252-262).