Classroom management

See also: teaching, my-classroom-management

Thoughts and ideas re: the management of classes of learners within formal education.

A simple process

In an assignment for my Grad Dip, I offered a "simple" 5-step plan

1. Define class management.

   Adopts Evertson and Weinstein (2006) definition with two distinct purposes:

   1. "establish and sustain an orderly environment so students can engage in meaningful academic learning", and
   2. "enhance students' social and moral growth".

   How you achieve order is perhaps has important as if you achieve order. 2. Know thyself, your students, and context.

   Be less sensitive to student behaviours that disrupt your plans, focus more of identifying and responding to cues from the class. 3. Bring the learning. 4. Adopt some techniques. 5. Reflect and return to step X.

How off-task behaviour might be explained and addressed

Adapted from Powell and Tod (2004)

Frequent behaviour	Theory	Explanation examples	Action
Off-task	Behavioural	Child is getting more attention by being off-task	Reward on-task behaviour
Off-task	Cognitive	Child thinks he is unable to do the task	Encourage child to reappraise task, identify what parts of the task he can do, etc.
Off-task	Affective	Child fears failure.	Circle time to build self-esteem; offer increased adult or peer support
Off-task	Biological	Perhaps the child as ADHD?	Refer for medical assessment
Off-task	Developmental	Child is not ready to work independently	Allocate learning support assistant and set a more suitable learning challenge.

Figure 2. Conceptual models of behaviour. Adapted from “Behaviour and support management”, by R. Conway, 2009, in Education for Inclusion and Diversity, A. Ashman, J. Elkins (eds), p. 131.