ON CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT: A PIECE OF ADVICE TO BEGINNING TEACHERS

Contributed by: Melanie S. Langit – Administrative Assistant III, Luakan National High School, Dinalupihan

As early as October, 2015 the Department of Education announced its intent to hire teachers who will teach in the Senior High School. As a piece of advice, experienced teachers have something to say to novice teachers regarding classroom management.

Newly-hired teachers are advised that a classroom be run in such a way that chaos and problems are anticipated and prevented before they actually occur. Such is the importance of classroom management.

Classroom management has been defined broadly as any action a teacher takes to create an environment that supports and facilitates both academic and social-emotional learning. Instructional procedures could also be considered classroom management by this definition; however, effective instruction alone is insufficient for establishing universal classroom management.

Procedures that structure the classroom environment, encourage appropriate behavior, and reduce the occurrence of inappropriate behavior are necessary for strong classroom management Instructional procedures, although equally important to the classroom environment, can be considered as a separate set of procedures.

A well-managed classroom promotes several characteristics. First, it encourages deep involvement with economic work among students. It also results to students being aware of what is expected of them thus, preventing frustrations among the members of the class. Moreover, there is little wasted time, confusion and disruption in a well-managed classroom. Lastly, the classroom is conducive to “serious” work and is relaxed and pleasant at the same time.

The components of effective classroom management are important in several ways. For example, focusing on preventive rather than reactive procedures establishes a positive classroom environment in which the teacher focuses on students who appropriately behave.

Rules and routines are powerful preventative components to classroom organization and management plans because they establish a behavioral context for the classroom that includes what is expected, what will be reinforced, and what needs reteaching if inappropriate behavior occurs. Behavioral problems are prevented by giving students specific, appropriate behaviors to engage in.

Understanding the components that make up the most effective and efficient classroom management system as well as identifying the effects teachers and administrators can expect from implementing effective classroom management strategies represent some of these gaps.

A meta-analysis of classroom management which identifies more and less effective approaches to universal, whole-class, classroom management as a set of practices is needed to provide the field of teaching.

Effective classroom management focuses on preventive rather than reactive procedures and establishes a positive classroom environment in which the teacher focuses on students who behave appropriately (Lewis & Sugai, 1999).

Monitoring student behavior allows the teacher to acknowledge students who are engaging in appropriate behavior and prevents misbehavior from escalating (Colvin et al., 1993). Research on classroom management has typically focused on the identification of individual practices that have some level of evidence to support their adoption within classrooms. These practices are then combined under the assumption that, if individual practices are effective, combining these practices into a package will be equally, if not more, effective.

Textbooks are written and policies and guidelines are disseminated to school personnel based on these assumptions. Without research that examines classroom management as an efficient package of effective practices, a significant gap in our current knowledge base still exists.

A teacher, novice or experienced who always thinks of the most effective ways for an effective classroom management in his/her class, has a commendable trait.

References:
.I F.Zara. The Well-Managed Classroom. The Educator Eferza Publishing. Lipa City. (2005)
Oliver, Wehby, Roschly. Classroom Management and Disruptive Behavior. Campbell Review Center, (2011)