EENET asia Newsletters : Third issue November 2006 Contents

Editorial: Reflections on Effective Teaching and Classroom Management

How teachers perceive discipline and other forms of behaviour management depends on how they see their job as a teacher and to what extent they believe that all children can learn. Classroom behaviour and learning outcomes are much influenced by the quality of teaching. Teachers have control over many factors that influence motivation, achievement and behaviour of their students. The physical environment in the classroom, the level of emotional comfort experienced by students and the quality of communication between teacher and students are important factors that may enable or disable optimal learning.

Teachers are responsible for many different students, including those from poor or disadvantaged families, students who may have to work after school, or those coming from different ethnic, religious or language minority groups or those with a variety of learning difficulties or disabilities. None of these situations or factors has to cause educational problems, however these children may be at risk of negative and meaningless school experiences if teachers are not responsive to their needs and abilities or able to use effective and individually adjusted instruction and classroom strategies.

To reduce or remove barriers to learning and participation of students requires insight into where these barriers may come from and why and when they arise. It is important for a teacher to be aware of the socio-economic and family background of students to be able to also understand non-academic factors that influence their learning. Many social factors that affect learning cannot be immediately altered, but understanding these factors will enable teachers to see students “failure” or “misbehaviour” in perspective and create learning environments that reduce instead of increase the effects of these factors. Good teachers consider this a personal and professional challenge.

However, teachers also need to critically reflect on what happens inside the classroom as student behaviour is often a reaction to factors within the school. Teachers need to reflect on the learning environment they have created and whether this environment engages all children actively and meaningfully. It is important for teachers to investigate how teaching styles can affect progress and behaviour of all students. Some of the things we do as teachers may be helpful to learning, some rather useless and some even harmful!

When seeking explanations for lack of achievement and behaviour problems, teachers need to be prepared to first consider inadequacies in the learning environment and process rather than within the child. They need to reflect on what and how they teach. What do they say and do in the classroom to develop understanding among students? How do they introduce new topics? How do they link new knowledge with what children already know?

Timing of teaching-learning interactions is an essential part of classroom management. Many discipline problems can be avoided by managing the classroom environment better and improve the timing of classroom activities. Teachers tend to point out students’ deficiencies more than praising them for their efforts and (small) improvements. For many children this is very discouraging, and may result in feelings of inferiority and failure. Teachers need to realize this. Effective teachers have learned and experienced that problems are relatively rare in classrooms where children are actively involved and interested, and in which they are appreciated for who they are, where they come from and what they are able to contribute.

Teaching is generally a group activity, while learning is a more individual activity and not all students learn at the same pace or in the same way. Teachers need to consider how many policies and practices lead to labelling of students. Research on teacher-student interaction shows how teachers often behave differently towards individual students based on their perception of a student’s ability. Those labelled as “low-achievers” or “slow learners” often get less opportunity than others to participate, and those perceived as “undisciplined” are treated as such, even when behaving well.

Teachers need to reflect on their assumptions and expectations by asking children for feedback on teaching-learning processes and on what happens in the classroom in general. All teachers should do this as it reveals to them what students identify as quality characteristics in teachers, which almost without exception have to do with a teacher’s ability to relate to them as individuals in a positive way, treating them fairly and with respect, making lessons interesting and varied, providing encouragement and telling them to believe in themselves and their abilities.

This means that positive teacher-student relations and classroom climates are important factors in influencing how children experience school. Teachers do not only teach knowledge and skills, they also help students to define who they are. From their daily interactions with teachers, children learn whether they are important or not, bright or slow, liked or disliked. A teacher transmits these messages through his behaviour, gestures and words. From the messages children receive they decide whether to risk participation in class activities or not. Teachers must recognize that such involvement may not always come easy and that this requires a trusting, psychologically comfortable classroom environment.

Motivation to learn and to behave is based on interest. If teachers manage to stimulate the curiosity among students, they will also discover willingness among students to learn and to behave. Teaching that satisfies children’s curiosity motivates far more effectively than forcing them to perform tasks they consider irrelevant and boring. Therefore the way teachers interact with and teach children is crucial in preventing misbehaviour.

However, despite such efforts of positive interaction, behaviour problems may still occur and teachers must be prepared for this with different techniques ranging from counselling, focusing on understanding, mutually solving a problem to ignoring inappropriate behaviour while reinforcing appropriate behaviour. What is crucial though is that teachers should always make clear that it is the behaviour that is unacceptable, not the child! The issue is whether teachers can look beyond a student’s immediate misbehaviour and see a human being worthy of respect. Passing this test will make teachers more credible, not only as teachers but also, and more importantly, as genuine caring human beings.

Teachers may focus too much on what to do when children misbehave. Discipline techniques are often perceived by teachers as something separate from teaching techniques, only to be employed if and when problems arise. Classroom management though is an integral part of effective teaching which prevents behaviour problems through better planning, organising and managing of classroom activities, better presentation of instructional material and better teacher-student interaction, aiming at maximising students’ involvement and cooperation in learning. Disciplinary or behaviour control techniques will in the end be less effective as they do not promote the development of self-discipline or children’s own responsibility for their actions. Students do not automatically become self-disciplined at a certain age or through control or force. Values and social skills have to be taught and modelled by teachers. Learning to become responsible human beings and make responsible choices requires practice, including making mistakes. That is what effective teaching and classroom management is about. And that, not just delivering a curriculum, is the purpose of education!

Editorial Team:

Anupam Ahuja, India (ahujaa@vsnl.net)

Chinara Djumagulova, Kyrgyzstan (chinara@scuk.kg)

Els Heijnen, Bhutan (heijnen@druknet.bt)

Vivian Heung, Hong Kong (wkheung@ied.edu.hk)

Terje Magnussønn Watterdal, Indonesia (watterdal-terje@idp-europe.org)

EENET asia Newsletters : Third issue November 2006 Contents