Classroom Management

I’m now in the second semester at my school placement where I see my students every day. I’ve been fortunate enough to foster the relationships I’ve built. As I’m reflecting back to a few weeks ago before my students left for winter break, I stated goals that I hoped to accomplish this semester and the biggest goal was improving my classroom management skills. One positive skill I have is that I am able to communicate with my students and because of that, I am strengthening my partnership with them. However, one drawback I have noticed is that because it’s not really my classroom, students respond to me differently than they do my mentor teacher. Luckily, I’ve been able to master nonverbal cues with some of my classes by simply walking around the classroom and moving closer to disruptive students so they stop talking. I do believe my classroom management skills will improve more this semester as I’m seeing my students every day and gaining more confidence in my teaching ability.

Each of my students have vibrant personalities and because of that, some classes are more  energetic  than others. I have one class in particular that’s very enthusiastic no matter what time of day and it can be difficult at times for them to focus and learn. I have even noticed that their test scores as a group is lower than my other sections. In order to remediate the situation and get the students back to speed and engaged rather than messing around, my mentor and I really need to take into account Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Since this group benefits more from kinesthetic activities, I want to incorporate more inquiry and hands on activities for them. I think they will thrive in this type of environment because they will have more time to learn more from themselves and each other.  

I was able to “test” my hypothesis this week since we did a water lab that was purely inquiry where my mentor and I actually just observed them. They were paired up randomly and because of the snow days, class time was cut short. My mentor and I were worried that they wouldn’t finish because of the shortened class, but also because they are talkative. To our surprise, they worked efficiently, seemed engaged, and were able participate in a project-based learning/inquiry process. I think there’s a balance between what you want the students to know and the activities you place them with. Engaging activities not only promote content mastery by having students see the concept firsthand, but they also help students for the most part “stay in line.” I find that students are more on their best behavior because they want to be able to do a fun activity again rather than just taking notes. This opportunity also allows me to see what they know and also helps me differentiate future instruction.

Classroom management is one that I will get a handle on with time and experience. I don’t necessarily think it will get easier because each class and student are different, but I think having my own classroom next year and being more confident in my teaching ability will help. Students have different personalities and learning styles that as a teacher, I need to find activities that help them master the content in an efficient and engaging way. I need to discipline when it’s appropriate so that I can continue to have fun activities and ensure meaningful learning, and again, it’s finding that balance in the classroom where students are comfortable and feel safe, but also being firm to ensure students are on task.