Introduction
Classroom management is one of the most important tasks in the professional life of a teacher. According to Lewis, Roache, and Romi (2011), the ability of a learner to grasp the concept that is passed by the teacher heavily relies on the ability of that particular teacher to manage the behaviour of the learners. This explains why some teachers are able to achieve better results than others are.
It all depends on how the teacher will tune the learners. Ayers and Gray (2013) note that the attitude of the learner towards a given subject heavily relies on the teacher who is responsible for the course. The perception that a leaner has towards a teacher will define their attitude towards a given subject.
If the teacher actively engages the learners as is able to evoke their critical thinking towards a given concept, they will always view such a subject as being manageable even if it involves complex concepts. They will develop the urge to conduct further investigation so that they can be part of the engagement in the next lesson.
In such contexts, learning becomes a good experience that is enjoyed not only by the learners, but also by the teacher. However, a teacher who is unable to manage classroom behaviour will experience several challenges that will affect quality of the learning process. In this essay, the researcher will analyze the relevance of classroom management models that are popularly used in the current society.
Counselling Approach
Counselling approach of managing classroom behaviour is one of the most common models that teachers use to define the behavioural pattern of the learners. This model emphasizes on the need for effective communication between the learner and the teacher. According to Ayers and Gray (2013), the first step towards creating a manageable classroom environment is to establish communication systems between the learner and the teacher.
It is necessary to break that psychological barrier that is always created in the minds of a learner. Breaking this barrier makes it easy for a learner to open to the teacher, and this makes it easy to identify underlying factors that could be affecting the learner negatively.
The approach also encourages the need for the teachers to encourage student’s self-understanding. A learner should be in a position to identify personal weaknesses in order to overcome them. For a teacher, it is very necessary to take an empathetic approach when dealing with these weaknesses, maintaining genuineness towards the learners. This way, a learner will be certain of any comment the teacher makes about improvements to successful academic achievements.
Democratic Approach
Democratic teaching model of learning is one of the most ignored models that are very important in defining the future of a learner. For a child, it is very possible to have mistaken objectives or goals in one’s life. A child would have the desire to become a superstar in music, a police officer, a soldier, a doctor, a teacher, or any other profession held by someone it admires.
This is perfectly right because such ambitious always creates the drive to work hard at this early stage of life. However, it is important to redefine these goals as one gets to higher levels of learning. According to Ayers and Gray (2013), this may only happen when there is a democratic learning environment within the classroom.
As opposed to autocratic learning approach, democratic models encourages creates a sense of belonging among the learners in the presence of the teacher. It makes the learners feel the sense of worth. The fact that the teacher is willing to listen to them makes them feel that they are of value.
In such environments, it will be easy to make the learner to understand his or her life aspirations, and to correct any mistakes that could have been made in the past while defining goals and objectives in one’s life. Democratic learning encourages self-discipline among the learners. The teacher will make the learners realize that they have a responsibility to themselves and to others to behave as per the expectations of all the stakeholders. The role of supervising the behavioural pattern of such learners will be transferred from the teacher or any other existing authority, to the learner.
Research-Based Empirical Approach
According to Tuckman and Monetti (2011), Kounin undertook an empirical study to determine the relationship learner’s behaviour and the teaching methods. He was particularly interested in determining the relationship between the comments and reprimands made by the teachers, and the response of the learners. From his study, it is revealed that the reprimands made by the teacher towards a learner have serious negative impact to young learners.
The study also reveals the existence of a ripple effect on other learners who are exposed to such reprimands even if it is not directed to them. Such learners will develop unexplained fear towards the teacher, and this will create a psychological wall (Ayers & Gray, 2013). The learner will develop a feeling that there is a huge rift between him or her and the teacher.
This makes learner engagement very difficult because the learner has always created a psychological barrier. When handling mature learner, such desists may create more of a rebellion than a change of attitude. A mature learner thrives in an environment where he or she is treated with respect.
If there were an issue that warrants reprimand, it would be necessary to call the learner and inform him or her of the mistakes in a context that will make them feel respected. This will weigh heavily in their mind, and it will create a natural bond and respect between the learner and the teacher. The learner will feel respected, and this will make them to make personal effort to avoid such mistakes in future.
Behavioural Approach
According to Ayers and Gray (2013), behavioural approach of learning is based on the classical conditioning experiment that was conducted by Pavlov. In this experiment, it was determined that conditional stimulus would produce automatic and involuntary response widely known as reflex reaction. Although this experiment was conducted on an animal (dog), further experiments proved that it also applies to human beings.
This behavioural approach fits well in the learning context. Anxiety-provoking objects would involuntarily provoke fear among the learners. A good example would be an exam. When an exam is packaged as an object that is meant to challenge the capacity of a learner, it will evoke anxiety and fear. This will bring panic in the exam room even when the questions are manageable. This is also witnessed when defining the relationship between a teacher and the learners.
When a teacher is very harsh, probably using physical or verbal forces, towards the learners, he or she will be associated with the pain he or she causes. This means that the presence of such a teacher will evoke involuntary response from the students. In most of the cases, the learners will be withdrawn, trying to rebel but very afraid of the consequences of their action.
In their attempt to avoid making misstates, they will always avoid any active engagement with the teacher or even with fellow learners in the presence of the teacher. As Springer and Persiani (2011) note, this comes naturally. The feeling of fear towards the teacher can sometimes be so strong that it becomes almost impossible to control a classroom. In order to avoid such negative reinforcement, it may be necessary to remove aversive stimulus that makes the learners to be withdrawn.
Cognitive and Social Learning Approach
Cognitive theories have widely been used to explain the learning process. This theory looks at how the learner and the teacher are affected by cognitive processes. In the current society, learners are encouraged to focus on their cognitive processes and modify them to suite different contexts in what Ayers and Gray (2013) call Metacognitive approach. This is a self-management approach where the learner tries to control perception and attitude towards various external stimuli.
This model is very appropriate for mature learners who are able to make rational decisions. Lewis, Roache, and Romi (2011) talk about the need for the learner to make self-reinforcements to address some of the weaknesses identified in the learning process. Self-motivation is one of the ways of achieving the best results within a learning environment.
When using this model, a learner is encouraged to make self-evaluation programs, and sometimes develop self-instruction when trying to overcome personal challenges. This may help in developing problem-solving skills or stress management techniques. Sometimes a teacher may need to help a leaner in cognitive restructuring.
This will involve systematic change of perception towards a given lesson or a given issue that is affecting the performance negatively. Developing a positive attitude towards issues that cannot be avoided in a learning context is very important both to the learner and to the teacher in an attempt to create a positive and interactive learning environment.
Assertive Discipline Approach
This model of classroom management is based on the premise that teachers and learners have rights and responsibilities. Each of the two parties must understand the responsibilities and ensure that the responsibility is addressed as per the expectations of all the stakeholders. It is at this stage that developing of rules and regulations become necessary. Some of these rules or regulations may be obvious.
For instance, a teacher should not be reminded that it is his or her responsibility to ensure that the syllabus is satisfactorily covered by the end of an academic year (Ayers & Gray, 2013). However, it may not cause any harm emphasizing this fact to them in order to make them feel that other stakeholders are looking upon them to meet their obligations.
The same case applies to students when it comes to taking notes or addressing assignments within the set period. Having a plan that constantly reminds the learners and teachers of their responsibilities helps in creating safe classroom environment where teacher-learner engagement is high. The two parties will know what is expected of them, and this enhances understanding among the learners themselves.
Ecological and Ecosystemic Approach
This approach of managing classroom behaviour views a learning setting as a system made up of various subsystems. The manner in which these subsystems interact will define the environment within the system. If the interaction is positive, then there will be a peaceful coexistence within the ecosystem.
If the interaction is negative, then the environment will be chaotic as each of the elements or subsystems will be struggling to assert its position or authority within the ecosystem. In this ecosystem, numerous other factors play vital roles other than the learner and the teacher. Class size is one of the factors. Having a small manageable class size is one of the major steps towards having a manageable environment.
Issues such as sitting arrangement and possible external sounds (noise) also have an effect on the quality of co-existence within this environment. Harmonizing all these internal and external environmental factors plays a pivotal role in ensuring that classrooms remain manageable. As Ayers and Gray (2013) note, failure of any of the elements to play its role effectively within this delicate ecosystem may have serious repercussions on other elements.
Conclusion
Classroom behaviour management is one of the most challenging tasks that teachers face in various learning institutions. In order to achieve success, it is important to maintain a close relationship between teachers and their learners. However, this positive relationship is reliant on various factors within the learning ecosystem.
Teachers and their learners can control some of these factors, while others may need attention of the school’s administration. For this reason, achieving a positive leaning environment should not be considered solely the responsibility of teachers. Other stakeholders also have a role to play.
References
Ayers, H., & Gray, F. (2013). Theoretical approaches and their practical applications to classroom and group management in Classroom Management : A Practical Approach for Primary and Secondary Teachers. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.
Lewis, R., Roache, J., & Romi, S. (2011). Coping styles as mediators of teachers’ classroom management techniques. Research in Education, 4(85), 53-57. Web.
Springer, S., & Persiani-Becker, K. (2011). The organized teacher’s guide to classroom management. New York: Cengage.
Tuckman, B., & Monetti, D. (2011). Educational psychology. Belmont: Cengage Learning.