Classroom and Behaviour Management (Part 1)

Assignment Question:

1)  It has been postulated that classroom rules that enhance positive behaviour among students should be developed through class discussions with students.

To what extent can classroom rules be used to manage an inclusive classroom?

1.0       Introduction

            Research shows that classroom rules are very important in order to enhance positive behaviour among students. This is because classroom rules help to discipline the students’ behaviour. It is also assisting the teacher to manage the process of learning and teaching in a more controlled environment. But, can classroom rules be used to manage an inclusive classroom? To what extent it can help to assist students with special needs in these kinds of classroom? In this essay, I will elaborate more about these issues by referring to the relevant resources and research.   

1.1       An Inclusive Classroom

First of all, let’s understand the definition of the inclusive classroom. Based on the website http://www.inclusionbc.org/, inclusive classroom can be defined as an education that allows all students to attend and are welcomed by their classmates in age-appropriate, regular classes and are supported to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of the life in the classroom (2014). It depends to the teacher on how to develop and design the classrooms, programs and activities so that all students can learn and participate together. In Malaysia, it is also usually treated as a regular classroom that has a few students who had special needs. These students with special needs are usually those who had a disability, but they will learn together with those who had no disability concerns. As for education in our country, these differences are celebrated in order to create a welcoming culture for everyone. In a broader meaning, inclusive classroom also occur when there is a student who comes from different country, has different hair colour, and maybe different skin colour. So, it depends to the teacher on how to help this student feels that he or she is no different like any other students.

1.2       Classroom Management

Based on the website http://edglossary.org/, classroom management refers to the wide variety of skills and techniques that teachers use to keep students organized, orderly, focused, attentive, on task, and academically productive during a class (2013). For decades, classroom management has been studied by many scholars and educators. But, the main focus when studied this issue is how the teacher manage the classroom. This is because the teacher’s ability, knowledge and skill have really played a big role in handling this situation. For example, a Year 3 classroom consists of 30 students, which have different gender, religion, social background, and races. As the young learners, students at this age are very active and some of them are quite passive. So, the teacher is just having difficulty in managing a classroom with all these differences, but also has to deal with their behaviour.

Furthermore, teacher also has very wide responsibility. He or she is not only responsible for setting-up an inclusive class, delivering the curriculum, assessing its students and working with parents, but a teacher is also tasked with generating a learning environment in which students are positive, happy, respectful and motivated. This kind of positive classroom management, help to build up self-esteem, respect, appropriate behaviour, strong relationships and the inclusion of one another among the students themselves. Thus, positive classroom management is used to create an environment in which all students can thrive and achieve.

            In addition, positive classroom management can be described as making the strengths and abilities of the students as the focus of the classroom. Students are guided with meaningful, positive messages, clear rules and consequences. Time and energy is spent by pointing out what the student is capable of doing. By hearing that he/she is “able”, encourages repeat, it will produce positive behaviour in the future. For example, instead of hearing, “Be silent when your friends are talking”, the student might hear “I like the way you listen carefully when your friends are presenting”. The differences in both sentences are the first one is stricter than the second one. The second sentence is more suitable to use because it is like encouragement rather than enforcement like the first sentence.

1.3       Rules and class discussion

What is the rule? Why it is important? Basically, rules can be defined as identifying general expectation, or standards (Edmund T. Emmer, 2007). For example, the rule “Respect other persons and their belonging” covers wide aspects of behaviours that should be practiced. Rules sometimes indicate behaviour that is not acceptable, although teacher usually writes only rules that are positively stated. For example, “You may talk when given permission’”. In this situation, the unacceptable behaviour is implied “Don’t talk without permission.” Basically, classroom, rules are used by the teacher to help communicate expectations for appropriate behaviour. Thorson (2003), recommends that rules should be positively worded, limited to a small number (three to five), and clearly stated. Other researchers also suggested that student acceptance of the rules will be strengthened if they are presented positively and their usefulness for maintaining a classroom environment conducive for participation and learning is emphasized.

So, why it is important to obey the classroom rules? Based on the website Ask.com, it is important to follow the classroom rules because this is the first step in learning how to obey more important rules, which are laws. Classroom rules are set by the teacher so every student knows what the teacher expects, whether she's in or out of the classroom. The rules are important to follow because they keep everyone safe within the classroom and they make sure that everyone is respectful of each other and each other's things. Without rules, children would do whatever they wanted and the teacher couldn't effectively teach as best as they could.

Some teachers involve students in rule setting to promote student ownership of the rule and more student responsibility for their own behaviour. Student involvement can take many forms, such as a discussion of reasons for having rules and clarifying the rationale and the meaning of particular rules. For example, a discussion might begin with the teacher making an analogy between society’s laws and classroom rules. Then, the teacher will ask the students what is the purpose of these laws. Well, it depends on the age level and the understanding of the students. So, typical responses such as preventing violence or destructive behaviour, protecting individuals and group rights, are common answers that usually heard from the students.

1.4       Enhancing positive behaviour

Now, how classroom rules that enhancing positive behaviour among students can be achieved? Actually, there are few ways to enhance positive behaviour, especially through class discussions with students. Firstly, the teacher must remember the students to respect each other and their belongings. But, he or she should use more positive language in giving instructions. For example, instead of saying “Everyone must give their ideas”, it is more positive for the teacher to say “I believe everyone has some brilliant ideas to share”. In the first sentence, teacher is actually enforcing the students to give their ideas. But, in the second sentence, the teacher is showing his or her trust in each student’s ability by saying that “I believe”. By this way, the teacher helps the students to see themselves as capable individuals and responsible classroom community.

            Next, the teacher should reward more than punish. When students receive positive feedback and rewards, they start to see that there is a positive benefit to good behaviour. Then, they will start to see the teacher more as a friend rather than an enforcer who just know to punish or blame them. As a result, this will in turn motivate them to behave well in the classroom. In addition, teacher also should remember that each student has their different needs and ability. He must ensure that in each activity, everyone is involved. This is because to make students to feel accepted, teacher must ensure that those who have disability concerns should get the chance play some part just like everyone else.

1.5       Conclusion

            In conclusion, teacher plays a big role in order to manage well the inclusive classroom. It is not only teacher-centred, but also student-centred where students have to become part of the lesson. They should give rights to post their opinion and contribute to the lesson rather than just following everything the teacher ask them. By this way, we actually produced students who are responsible for themselves, and not just generation who knows how to follow instructions only.