Classroom management is an integral part of any institutionalized educational process. Its aim is not only to keep discipline in the classroom (which means not punishing students but rather developing desired behaviors (Khalsa, 2007, pp. 2, 6)) but also (and mainly) to organize educational activities, create the proper environment, maintain the learning process, and facilitate it for the students (Allen, 2010, pp. 2, 9; Savage & Savage, 2010, pp. 6-7). Therefore, it is crucial to strive for effective classroom management. To achieve this goal, it is important to observe and assess classroom management of individual instructors to provide constructive criticism and improve the strategies employed in this process.
There exist several methods using which classroom management by individual instructors can be observed and evaluated. One of the simplest methods to do so is to have assessors sit at the back of the classroom and evaluate the teacher’s performance. However, this may not be the best method because both the instructor and the students will feel uncomfortable in the evaluators’ presence. Therefore, it is better to use other means. For instance, it is possible to simply conduct an interview with the teacher (and/or their students) to find out what methods are used, and enhance them. Questionnaires and quizzes can also be employed. Also, video cameras can be utilized to record the lessons to analyze them and improve the educator’s performance (Star & Strickland, 2008).
Let us consider some examples of classroom management. The first situation takes place in the 9th grade of a K-12 school. A history teacher provides direct instruction; he sits at his desk and reads his students the notes he prepared for the lesson, sometimes offering some additional comments; the students write everything down word by word. Some students are bored, and only pretend to write; there is a certain degree of buzzing in the classroom.
The second situation takes place in a higher education setting; a university group is having a seminar on Plato. The learners have read some Plato’s dialogues, and the instructor asks them certain leading questions that are aimed at having students build several interpretations of the given text. The educator also attempts to elicit responses from the most passive students by asking them simpler questions.
The students participate in the discussion and arrive at an interpretation, then the instructor asks questions that make them reconsider what they have just said and achieved a new understanding, and then the educator helps them to discover the third interpretation. The discussion finishes by the professor pointing out that, even though the interpretations contradict each other, neither of them contradicts the text, and, therefore, all of them are possible.
To analyze the first scenario, it is possible to interview the teacher or have them fill in a questionnaire to find out what happens during the lesson. Students’ reactions and attitudes can also be assessed. Because they are bored, it is predictable that they will misbehave (Landrum, Scott, & Lingo, 2011). It might be suggested that the teacher should not simply have students write down notes, but should engage them in discussions. The teacher could also walk around the classroom if the students are buzzing, for the instructor’s physical proximity reduces misbehavior (Jones, Jones, & Jones, 2007, p. 32).
On the other hand, it is harder to criticize the second scenario, because the strategy is effective, and both the instructor and the students are satisfied. In this case, a video recording appears to be the best choice to detect if there were any shortcomings during the seminar.
To sum up, it should be emphasized that classroom management is an important part of the educational process, and every teacher should strive to improve their classroom management skills. To do this, individual teacher skills can be observed and monitored via different means to provide some constructive criticism and enhance the educator’s classroom strategies.
References
Allen, K. P. (2010). Classroom management, bullying, and teacher practices. The Professional Educator, 34(1), 1-15. Web.
Jones, F. H., Jones, P., & Jones, J. L. (2007). Tools for teaching: discipline, instruction, motivation (2nd ed.). Santa Cruz, CA: Fredric H. Jones & Associates. Web.
Khalsa, S. K. (2007). Teaching discipline & self-respect: Effective strategies, anecdotes, and lessons for successful classroom management. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Sage Publications. Web.
Landrum, T. J., Scott, T. M., & Lingo, A. S. (2011). Classroom misbehavior is predictable and preventable. Addressing challenging behavior in the classroom: Prediction, prevention, and instruction. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(2), 30-34. Web.
Savage, T. V., & Savage, M. K. (2010). Successful classroom management and discipline: Teaching self-control and responsibility (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Web.
Star, J. R., & Strickland, S. K. (2008). Learning to observe: Using video to improve preservice mathematics teachers’ ability to notice. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 11(2), 107-125. Web.