Classroom Management Essay

Teachers can have very different approaches to classroom management. Over the years, different behavioral theorists have developed strategies that teachers can use, but these strategies can vary greatly. It is important for teachers to learn about these different theories and decide for themselves what they would like to implement in their classrooms and what will work for them individually. There are several factors to consider when designing a plan for classroom management: prevention, preparation, implementation, and reflection. These factors are all addressed by the behavioral approach to classroom management. Half of classroom management is about prevention; if you can stop a problem from happening, then you don’t need to attempt to fix it. The best way to prevent management problems is to be straightforward and clear right from the very beginning concerning expectations for the course. This is particularly important for a course such as high school chemistry where safety is a frequent concern. Setting clear guidelines for behavior early on alone is not enough; the rules and expectations must also be made easily available to the students. If the students have a copy of the rules or if they are posted in the classroom, the teacher can easily reference the guidelines and expect the students to be familiar with them. It is also crucial to be consistent in enforcing these guidelines. If students can sometimes get away with ignoring certain rules, procedures, or guidelines, then it is more difficult to manage behavior in the classroom. As a high school science teacher, labs are an important part of instruction. The problem with this is that labs require extensive preparation. If a teacher is not prepared for the lesson they are teaching, classroom behavior can easily get out of hand. This problem is increased when you consider the materials and equipment needed for lab. It is difficult for a teacher to monitor classroom behavior if they are scrambling to find enough chemicals for everyone. By having lab stations set up ahead of time, teachers can make themselves more available to the students and free to monitor their work and behavior. The most important part of teaching any class is the actual implementation of instruction. In order to manage classroom behavior, a teacher must keep the students engaged. This can be done through the use of student questioning. An inquiry-based approach to learning can be helpful in this situation. If a student is responsible for their own learning, they are more likely to be actively engaged in the classroom. This approach to instruction also makes it easier for the teacher to know exactly where the students are in their understanding of the content. If a teacher simply stands in front of the class, lectures, and assigns practice problems, there is no way to know if the students truly comprehend the information. There are many reasons why a student might understand the information but do poorly on the

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Essay on Classroom management