Classroom Management Strategy

Positive learning plans are essential for any successful teaching program. The positive learning plan encompasses an individual educator’s teaching and learning philosophy, growth and development of students, behaviour management, engagement, and motivation as part of their classroom management philosophy. The positive learning plan also considers contextual factors including but not limited to the needs, wellbeing and diversity of students, school initiatives or rules and requirements, preventative and intervention strategies, engagement with parents, the greater community and support services. Positive learning plans change from school to school, classroom to classroom and teacher to teacher, year to year. The information set out in this document is my positive learning plan, developed for a year six classroom of 28 students from a diverse range of backgrounds. My classroom has several students with behavioural issues, intellectual impairments and diverse familial environments.

Personal Classroom Management Philosophy

My personal classroom management philosophy is based on the Lyford model. The Lyford model of classroom management suggests four positive practices including curriculum, assessment and pedagogy, relationships and communication and classroom organisation, along with intervention strategies (Lyons, Ford & Slee, 2014). My classroom management plan also considers ecological, sociocultural and psychoeducational perspectives in line with the Lyford model (Lyons, Ford & Slee, 2014). Further, a large portion of my personal teaching philosophy evolves from professional reflexivity as I am constantly reflecting and acting upon my own personal reflections to improve my teaching persona. My behaviour management protocols align with cognitive behavioural theory and the restorative justice approach to behaviour modification.

As an advocate for lifelong learning, I personally strive to learn at least one new thing every day and am passionate about learning through discovery. By modelling my thirst for knowledge and genuine interest in learning, my students are encouraged to make new discoveries in and out of the classroom. Many of my classroom activities are based on hands-on learning experiences as I am an avid follower of constructivist theory (Pass, 2007). Students will grasp new concepts at a faster rate when they can completely immerse themselves and engage with the topic through real-life, hands-on experiences (Webb, 1973). This type of student-centred learning also allows for students to work at their own pace. By showcasing learning through inquiry, students are encouraged to value learning through practical experience.

Equality and inclusion are paramount in my classroom. I believe that regardless of diversity, all students deserve the same quality of education. I lead by example to overcome diversity issues in the classroom by treating all students equally, no exceptions.

I aim to be the teacher students remember when they reflect on positive aspects of their school lives.

Child Growth & Development

I am a firm believer in Jean Piaget’s developmental theory. Piaget outlined four key stages of cognitive development including how the child should be developing in each of the four stages (Halpenny & Pettersen, 2013). My students are in grade six, therefore on the cusp of both concrete operational and formal operational stages of development (Halpenny & Pettersen, 2013). The concrete operational stage is where children develop an understanding of cognitive subjects such as Maths, English, Science etcetera, in conjunction with an understanding of human relations such as friendships (Kohler, 2014). The formal operational stage of development is where children develop their critical thinking and thought processes (Kohler, 2014). To nurture these stages of development in my classroom, students are encouraged to be independent and self-driven.

Piaget further elaborates that students learn through their own personal experiences, also known as constructivist theory (Pass, 2007). I model constructivist theory through my own learning; therefore, I also encourage this type of learning with my students. As my year 6 students are preparing for high school and have reached the critical thinking, independent and self-driven developmental stage, constructivist teaching and learning techniques are well received with a higher level of student engagement than a lecture.

Lev Vygotsky’s zones of proximal and actual development are also utilised in my classroom. Students are encouraged to bounce ideas off one another to extend their learning. This coincides with the zone of proximal development as the students require assistance to develop the new skill or knowledge (Smidt, 2009). Students move into the zone of actual development once they can perform a task or understand a task without requiring assistance (Smidt, 2009). Working collaboratively and/or in groups gives students an opportunity to increase their wealth of knowledge more efficiently.

Further, Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory divulges the importance of a student’s surroundings and the relevance of those surroundings to student development (Darling, 2007). Educators and peers form part of a student’s microsystem as they have direct contact with students which has a direct impact on the development of that student (Darling, 2007). Building positive relationships in the classroom ensures students are learning in a positive environment, which in turn leads to students feeling happy and safe in the classroom (Lyons, Ford & Slee, 2014).

Behaviour, Engagement & Motivation

To ensure students understand the expectations of my classroom, goals and routines are set in place from the very first week of the school year. The classroom goals and expectations are laid out as a whole class and visibly hung in the room for easy reference while students familiarise themselves with their new environment. By creating classroom rules with students, there is greater accountability and responsibility for students to do the right thing (Bullen, Moore & Trollope, 2002). Further, collaborative goals allow students to foster an understanding for the consequences of their actions and the actions of others (Grau & Whitebread, 2012).

I take a solid stance on social justice matters and therefore take a restorative justice approach to behaviour management. Students who are non-compliant with class expectations will be required to utilise a responsible thinking plan that will enable them to identify what they are doing that is not compliant with our classroom etiquette, and, how they can rectify their behaviour to get back on task, which is a restorative justice approach (Hendrix, 2019). Students continuing to do the wrong thing will be required to partake in a mediation type meeting with the student/teacher impacted by their actions (Ahmed & Braithwaite, 2012). This mediation is facilitated by me to derive a resolution of the issue/s to prevent future reoccurrence. Where mediation fails to be effective, the offending student will be required to participate in a one-to-one conference with an administrative official to discuss classroom behaviour, expectations, and how the students current behaviour can be modified to ensure the student receives the best education possible.

Lyons, Ford and Slee (2014) indicate engagement is linked to student beliefs, emotions and ability. My classroom is a space where respect and equality are mandatory. I will build positive relationships with students through effective communication strategies. Such strategies include getting to know my students, using appropriate tone, body language and choice of wording. Through positive praise, students will build confidence in themselves, which in turn leads to motivation and success (Partin, 2009).

References

Ahmed, E., Braithwaite, V. Learning to manage shame in school bullying: Lessons for restorative justice interventions. Crit Crim 20, 79–97. https://doi-org.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/10.1007/s10612-011-9151-y

Bullen, K., Moore, K., & Trollope, J. (2002). The influence of pupil-generated ground rules on collaborative learning in the classroom: A pilot study. Evaluation & Research in Education, 16:4, 202-217, https://www-tandfonline-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1080%2F09500790208667019

Grau, V., & Whitebread, D. (2012) Self and social regulation of learning during collaborative activities in the classroom: The interplay of individual and group cognition. Learning and Instruction 22,6, December 2012, Pages 401-412 https://doi-org.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2012.03.003

Darling, N. (2007). Ecological systems theory: The person in the center of the circles, Research in Human Development, 4:3-4, 203-217, 10.1080/15427600701663023

Halpenny, A. M., & Pettersen, J. (2013). Introducing Piaget: A guide for practitioners and students in early years education. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Hendrix, S. D. (2019). Teacher perceptions of behavior management through restorative practices: Justice that heals. https://link.library.curtin.edu.au/gw?url=https://search-proquest-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/docview/2354147783?accountid=10382

Kohler, R. (2014). Jean Piaget. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Lyons, G., Ford, M., & Slee, J. (2014). Classroom management: creating positive learning environments (4th ed.) Melbourne, Australia: Cengage.

Partin, R. L. (2009). The classroom teacher's survival guide: Practical strategies, management techniques and reproducibles for new and experienced teachers. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Pass, S. (2007). When Constructivists Jean Piaget And Lev Vygotsky were pedagogical collaborators: A viewpoint from a study of their communications, Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 20:3, 277-282, 10.1080/10720530701347944

Smidt, S. (2009). Introducing Vygotsky: A guide for practitioners and students in early years education. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com

Webb, R. (1973). Concrete and formal operations in very bright (IQ >160) six to eleven-year-0lds. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED085119.pdf

Classroom Management Strategy This page is part of the collection 'Teaching Profile'.

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