Behavior is a response to a situation or a stimulus and is normally derived from the subconscious part of the mind. It can also be used to refer to the manner in which people react towards other people. Behavior normally develops from character, when a character is exhibited, then the behavior gets developed from that character that has been repeated severally. The behavior of a person can either be bad or good, this is dependent upon a person’s own cultural believes and moral values.
In a classroom environment both, the learners and the teachers exhibit various behaviors and the manner in which these behaviors are expressed will have a lot of impact on the learning process. In the classroom situation, the teacher can either elicit behaviors that can either promote learning or those that discourage learning. For instance, a very moody and strict teacher will probably hinder learning while a teacher who is friendly and liberal, to some extent will encourage the learners’ participation in the class activities. In order for one to provide the learners with a suitable learning environment, it is important that the environment is made orderly in such a way that the learners show respect to one another. In order to achieve this, there is need to have the students be held accountable for their behaviors (Aurora Public Schools, 2009). This can be done by teaching the learner to make the decisions and to relate with their peers and adults in appropriate ways as stipulated by the school regulations. The purpose of an educational system is to provide quality education to the learners. To achieve this certain standards, there is need to establish good behavior in the school. This will enable both the teachers and the learners to learn in an environment that is safe, healthy and where both courtesy and responsibility are very crucial (Elliot, 2009).
Education enhances the transfer of information from the teacher to the learners through the methods of instruction. In order to have a successful learning process; cooperation of both the teachers and the learners is required. It is therefore important that the conduct of the learners is put under check in order to have a successful learning time. Some learners tend to seek attention from his or her fellows; this may interfere with the learning process especially when it is done during class time. It is therefore important that strict rules and regulations are put in place to direct the learners conduct while they are within the school compound. It is also necessary that the learners are made aware of the consequences of breaking each of the school rules.
In a learning centre, the teacher should be able to explain to the learners the kind of behavior expected of them in the learning centre. For instance, the teacher can explain to the learners that they are expected to handle the books with care and that none of them is allowed to tear or write inside the books. The teacher can also explain to the learners that they are expected to avoid causing any interruptions to other learners through loud discussions or through unnecessary movements within the centre. The learners are therefore expected to settle down and maintain silence.
Not all the learners participate in the class activities, sometimes not because they have no idea about what is being learnt, but because the learner is not paying attention. In a classroom environment it is important that the learners know the kind of behavior expected from them so as to ensure their participation in the learning process. For example, the teacher can make the learners know that they are not allowed to engage in any discussion of personal issues while he or she is teaching; the learners should also indulge in taking down notes. Since learning is like a dialogue between the teacher and the learner; it is important that the teacher encourages the learners’ participation in the learning process. The teacher can make it mandatory for participating in group activities. The learners should therefore be present in all the group activities and each of them should be in charge of a given task for the group so as to improve their understanding of the activities.
The learners do interact with one another during playground time and it is therefore important that those interactions are guided so as to ensure that they contribute positively to the learner’s development. The teacher would expect the learners to indulge in games that are safe. The learners are therefore expected to be friendly and to avoid any confrontations with each other. Assembly is a very important element of the school activities. This is because it is during such times that the school administration makes their requirements known to the students. The learners are therefore expected to be very attentive during such assemblies; they are also expected to arrive for the assemblies on time so as prevent interruptions.
The learners need to know what is expected of them in terms of behavior, both in class and when they are outside socializing with fellow students. It is therefore important that the teacher devises some methodologies to assess this. One of the methods that can be used is continuous measurement which involves recording data regarding the learner’s response to the expectations. This method allows for the continuous collection of data concerning the behavioral changes in the learner. This may involve keeping track of the improvements in the learner’s behaviors over a period of time. For instance the teacher can assess if the learners have improved on the way they handle the books in the reading area and if at all they are able to maintain silence in the study area. This may involve going with the learners to the study area; assessing the books they used to check out if there is any damage; the teacher can also assess the level of silence in the study area, study the learners as they play and record information on the kind of games they play. At the same time, the teacher can assess the mood of the learners as they play to determine if there is an improvement in the mood of the interactions. In the classroom environment the teacher can assess if the learners are aware that they should be participating in group work by recording data concerning the level of participation of each of the members in every group. He or she can assess the level of performance of each of them in the group tasks over a period of time.
The other method is the discontinuous method which involve taking down measurements for subsets of learning opportunities. This method is never very comprehensive and may provide incomplete information about the behavior change in the learners. It involves studying the learners only on specific times, for instance it can be during the first and the last lessons of the week or it can be at the beginning or at the end of the semester. The teacher can therefore assess the learners understanding of what is expected of them in terms of behavior during class hours, outside the class, at the assembly and at the learning centre, at the beginning of the semester and then later at the end of the semester. An improvement in terms of behavior shows that the learners have been able to understand the behavior expectations and have been able to put it into practice
To enhance effective learning in the school it is important that behavior expectations are set and both the learners and the teachers made aware of them. These are normally in form of school rules and regulations. They should be clearly stated and if possible they should be reinforced by tying each of them to a given form of punishment if they are broken.
References
Aurora Public Schools. (2009).
Students Attendance and Behavior. 2009. Web.
Elliot, M. (2009). Student behavior and expectations.Web.