Classroom

Management:
Behaviour

A Teachers’ Guide to
Promoting a Positive
Learning Environment

Student Teacher Interaction in

the Classroom
Education 4202
2800 Words

MARCH 2018

The University of Adelaide

4th Year Education
Authored by: Astrid Wilson (a1672178)

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 Classroom Management
Introduction

Classroom management is defined as:

‘The process of organizing and conducting the business of the classroom’.
However ‘the establishment and maintenance of the classroom environment so that educational
goals can be accomplished’ (Savage & Savage, 2010 cited in SAGE publications n.d.) is a key concept.
In order to successfully manage to behaviour in a classroom, according to Killen (n.d. p. 23-24) a
positive learning enviroment must encourage and focus on learning. To make a posivity learning
enviroment consider:

 A safe and comfortable; physically and psychologically.

 Structure the learning experiences to be meet short and long-term goals.
 Learning needs to be interesting and challenging but achievable.
 Involve independent and co-operative work
 Value students’ efforts
 Require students to be responsible for their behaviour and learning.
Not only are positive learning enviroments and a teachers’ reperatoire of learning strategies for
diferentiallity a necesisty (Eby et.al 2006) . Teacher must also form a range of classroom behaviour
management strategies that fits with their own phelosophies and teaching syles (Charles 2002,p. 235
and Lyons 2003).
The purpose of this guide is to provide teachers with some understanding of why misbehaviour
occures and to provide them with strategies to help reduce such behaviours. I will also be focusing on
some key theories that are relevant to my beleifs and experiences:

William Glassners’ Choice Theory

Rudolf Dreikurs’ Goal Centred Theory
Albero and Troutmans’ Applied behaviour analysis
based on
B.F. Skinners’ Operant Conditioning Theory.

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Preventative Actions
According to Charles (2002, p. 236) preventative actions are use when the teacher is ensuring their
students are engaged in an interesting curriculum and are treated ‘sensitively’. Some of these
strategies include:
Interesting curriculum
- Making curriculum topics interesting and worthwhile
Teacher-role to help behaviour
Point 1 and 7 links
- Being mindful of students needs for to William
security, hope, acceptance, dignity, Glassner’s Choice
power, enjoyment and competence, theory by
and ensuring these are met. maintaining the 5
- Being respectful, pleasant and basic needs of
understanding towards students. students.
- Be a constant role-model for your class.
Behaviour
- Teaching Students to be respectful, pleasant and understanding towards each other and the
teacher.
- Teaching students about good manners, how to use them, and how they enhance the
functionality of the classroom.
- Allow for student input on good behaviour that benefits the class.
- Teaching students to meet their needs in a non-disruptive way.

Strategies to use in/out-side the classroom: (Nguyen, 2014).

Survival Belonging Power Freedom Fun

 Eat  Greet all  Give  Students  Provide

nutritious students students a establish opportunities
meals  Know voice seating for play
 Exercise students  Allow for arrangements  Engage
regularly personally questions  Students students in
 Drink at  Engage that guide select team brain-teaser
least 6 students in the lesson members  Motivate
glasses of team-building  Teach for  Participating in students to
water activities many a choice of be part of a
 Get  Teach learning assignments. team hobby.
plenty of Students to styles
fresh air work co-
 operatively

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Supportive Actions
Charles (2002, p. 236-237) also states that students, despite the teachers efforts, may fall into
mibehaviour. Supportive actions are used to get your students back on track. These techniques were
shown in the French class video in Teaching with Bailey: (Bailey 2011 [a]).
- Showing interest in the students’ work: asking happy questions and making useful and good
comments.
- Using signal inferences and make eye-contact with the student (e.g. head shakes) to stop
misbehaviour.
- Using physical proximity. This also ties in with taking the first point.
- Helping a student when they get stuck: suggestions and hints.
- Provide light challenges to complete a task.
(Charles 2002 and Levin & Nolan n.d.)
The use of physical proximity was one of John Baileys sugestions to the Year 7 French teacher. She
tried this out in lesson her second lesson and found it to work quite well.
Corrective Actions
These techniques are use when your students continue to break the rules (Charles 2002, p. 239).
Remember to stay pleasant but firm.
- Step-in, keeping a positive manner, when class rules are broken. Remind them of the rules.
- Talk with challenging students calmly and respectfully, without:
o Lecturing
o Threatening
o Attacking their dignity
o Backing them into a corner
You must give them the chance to apologise for their behaviour and redeem themselves.
- Call upon the corrective measures that you and your class has agreed upon.
- Refuse to argue with students. Show them you want to help them abide by the rules.
- Applying your plan consistently and routinely every day.

Point 3 links to Dreikurs Goal

Centered theory: negotiate
with students about set
consequense and how to
meet their needs (Lyons et.al
2003, p. 7).

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Theories
Rudolf Dreikurs- Goal Centred Theory.
(Lyons et. al. 2003, p. 8-9), (Corrigan, 2017).

Why do kids bully?

4 types of misbehaviour
1. Attention seeking
 Seeking the attention of older kids, wanting acceptance.
 Bullying as a ‘prank’, caused by boredom, the need for inclusion, praise from peers or
acceptance.
2. Power, control
 Wishes to maintain their status in a group.
 Doesn’t feel supported by their peers when an unfair situation has arisen.
 Simply wishes to feel ‘in control’ of their own life. (They may not be feeling this way at
home).

3. Revenge
 Seeking retribution when something hasn’t gone their way.

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 4. Inequality
 Feeling ignored or excluded by peers and groups.
 Feeling the teacher is not respecting them.

Other possible reasons

Student sees this at home or from a parent figure thus, mistakenly thinks this is the way to express
their feelings.
Student wishes to gain status or fit in to a certain group.
Student is envious of another student or they feel their position within
a group is threatened.
(Corigan, 2017)
Teacher Strategies to deal with bullying

(Victoria State Government 2017)

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Children with learning disabilities or changing circumstances

Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Why is this important?
According to the American Psychiatric Association (1994), around 3 to 5% of children have ADHD.
Therefore, and average class is likely to have one child has the diagnosis or that meets the criteria but
may not be diagnosed.
83% of teachers have taught at least on child with ADHD and most have had more than one child
with ADHD in their classroom (Kos et.al 2002, cited in Little 2003, p.89).

What teachers can do in the classroom: (Little 2003, p. 92)

Establish
Use Assists the
consequenses
reinforcement child in
for
for apporiate building self-
inaporpriate
behaviour control skills
behaviour

- Shorter time-goals
Set on-task for 20 to 30 min and provide a timer to let student know of the expected focus
time.
- Allowing for frequent breaks in between tasks. About 5 minutes.

- Visual aides are key

- Timer with the duration of time the student is expected to concentrate on the task. (For
younger children, keep the timer in view but away from them because it will be a distraction).

- A list of specific instructions for task to be completed on the board.

- Breaking assessment tasks/ assignments in to sections. Have the child complete one section at
a time. (This prepared the child for the assessment and makes is less overwhelming).
(Little 2003, p.91-92)

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 Children on the Autism Spectrum

Applied Behaviour Analysis

What is it?
This educational strategy was based on Skinner’s Operant Conditioning Theory (Parsonson 2012,
p.16) that states: “that behaviours are ‘simply’ controled by their anticident conditions
(enviromnment) and their conseiquences”or reinforcements for positive behaviour (Lyons et.al 2003,
p. 13). Personson (2012, p. 17) says the ABA antecedent (environment) and contingency
mananement strategies are used to create a positive and functional leaning enviroment. Meaning
the ‘rewards’ to good behaviour out ways the ‘punishment’ to bad behaviour in a optimal learning
environment.
How does it work in education?
This technique allows teachers to condition their classrooms to their ‘liking’ persay. Personson (2012,
p. 16) refers to this as ‘manipulating’ into good behaviour. However, he justifies this reason by
stating:
“children learn to can learn to behave differently … if appropriate and desired behaviours are
signalled, encouraged and supported in any given setting”.
This strategy is specifically used to help students with Autism adapt and learn in the classroom.
What are some strategies?
- Set clear, simple rules and expectations
- Establish routines, information, cues and signals about transitions and changes in the day.
- Frequent use of praise, both verbal and non-verbal. Verbal should be specific and descriptive.
- Establish a rewards system: ‘Lucky dip’, ‘Team prizes’ etc.
- Opportunities to respond and participate in the classroom activities.
- Sequencing of activities
- Choice and access to preferred activities increases engagement.

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Children experiencing life-related difficulties
Often in these cases, the teacher can be the only stable and supportive adult figure in the child’s life.
This is because the teacher is removed from the situations listed below. Therefore, the child may be
seeking the teachers’ attention or support in some way.

Parents’ divorce or Death in the family

Unfortunately, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2002, 1 in 3 children will experience a
devorce within their family (Little 2003, p. 92). This means teachers may be faced with this issue quite
frequently in their careers. Teachers must realize that students may use school as the ‘outlet for their
emotional deistress’ (little, 2003) thus they are faced with reducing these behaviours.

A teacher may opt to:

- Speak to the student; privately is best.
- Acknowledge the student is facing a difficult time: “I know things are a bit rough at home”.
- Offer your willingness to listen: “If you ever what to talk to me you can”.
- Or let the student know that it is Okay to ‘try to forget’.
- Let the child know that what they are feeling is valid.
- Allow the student to take ‘time off’ from class if they are feeling too emotional.

How to deal with the parent:

Some parents will inform the teacher about the divorce and some may not wish to speak about it.
- Wait for the parent to discuss it with you first. If this is not done and the behaviour from their
child persists:
- Approach the matter very carefully with parents.
- Give concrete examples of what their child is doing in class and ask if this behaviour occurs at
home.
- Develop strategies with the parent(s) to be implemented in the classroom and at home. Be
sure to explain why this will help their child.
- Keep a record of the child’s behaviours. Adjust the strategies appropriately.

Conclusion
In conclusion, teachers should develop numerous behaviour strategies to help them contol
behaviour and optomise learning. Teacher must also help, guide and support children of many
different situations, abilities and backgrounds. Therefore, a key aspect of classroom management is a
positive, consistant and orderly classroom. Once that has been established a teacher may chose
specific techniques, strategies and thories that fit their own personal views and their class
demographic. The strategies provided in this guide are suggestions for specific examples a teacher
may be faced with.

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References
Bailey, J 2011, ‘Teaching with Bailey- attention seekers’, YouTube, 17 May, viewed 20 February 2018,
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXhtwDK4oHw&t=3s>.

Charles C.M 2002, ‘Finalizing a personal system of discipline’, Building Classroom Discipline, New
Jersey, Pearson, 7. Ed. pp. 235-251, Education 4202 student teacher interaction in the classroom
reader, The University of Adelaide, viewed 2 February 2018.

Corrigan, P 2017, ‘Rudolf Dreikurs’, YouTube, 25 January, viewed 17 March 2018,

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QfVNhuP-bE>.

Eby J, Herrell A, and Jordan, M 2006, ‘Building a repertoire of teaching strategies’, Teaching in K-12
Schools A Reflective Action Approach, pp. 215-237, Education 4202 student teacher interaction in the
classroom reader, The University of Adelaide, viewed 15 February 2018.

Killen, R n.d, ‘Effective teaching strategies lessons from research and practice’, pp. 1-44, Education
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Little, E 2003, ‘Kids behaving badly teacher strategies for classroom behaviour problems’, Pearson
Prentice Hall, pp. 84-103, Education 4202 student teacher interaction in the classroom reader, The
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Lyons G, Ford M, and Arthor-Kelly, M 2003, ‘Classroom management’, Cengage Learning, pp. 1-35,
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viewed 3 February 2018.

Nguyen, O 2014, ‘Glassner’s choice theory’, YouTube, 6 February, viewed 17 March 2018,
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZA0zAgOl60>.

Parsonson B.S 2012, ‘Evidence-based classroom behaviour management strategies’, Kairaranga,

Vol.13, No.1, pp. 16-23, viewed 28 March 2018, <https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ976654.pdf>.
Victoria State Government 2017, ‘Classroom strategies’, viewed 6 November 2018,
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SAGE Publications n.d., ‘Managing classroom enviroments’, SAGE Publications, pp. 52-74, viewed 9
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