Classroom Management

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Critical Reflection 2

This week I will focus my reflection on classroom management in schools. This is a topic which is
tested on a daily basis in schools. In my opinion it is much easier to maintain classroom management
in a classroom where you are familiar with the students and teach them on a regular basis. The real
test comes when you must maintain classroom management with a class group which you are not
familiar with. This challenge occurred with me when I must sub a class when the teacher is absent.
The main challenge with this is keeping the students on task with the work left for them and to keep
them silently working over talking loudly amongst themselves. One key method I have developed in
preparing for one of my own classes or subbing a class is to eliminate distractions in the classroom.
“A distracted class is an unfocused class. Identify potential distractions before it begins” (Ministery
of Education, 2015). Upon reflection of my first class which I had to sub, I feel that I learned a lot
about what is needed to maintain control of the situation and the classroom. Throughout this lesson
the students talked and didn’t finish the assigned work given to them. I then reflected on this that
day and the following day had another few sub classes. This time I hanged my approach to the class.
I prepared by entering the classroom and immediately removing any distractions such as looking out
the window. I had their work assigned to them left on their desks and ready to go as they entered
the classroom. I also arranged a seating plan so to minimalize student distractions and talk. “Room
arrangement – Well-organized room arrangements provide easy student movement and good
teacher-student eye contact. Trouble-free traffic patterns reduce distractions and disruptions. In
addition, educators whose rooms are arranged so they have a clear view of all their students can
easily monitor student engagement and attend to student activities” (Florida Education Association,
2018). Upon Reflection all of these slight changes to my approach aided with the development of my
strategy when entering a classroom to sub the class. This has helped since and I am now more
confident when entering the classroom to sub a group which I am not familiar with. I will continue to
develop these strategies over the course of SP4 and in the future, reflecting on past experiences to
develop a solid future approach.

References
Association, F. E. (2018, June 5). Time-on-Task: A Strategy that Accelerates Learning. Retrieved from
Make our school a,priority: https://feaweb.org/time-on-task-a-teaching-strategy-that-
accelerates-learning
Ministery of Education, G. (2015, July 14). List of stratergies to keep students focused and on task.
Retrieved from teachers tips for teaching:
https://education.gov.gy/web/index.php/teachers/tips-for-teaching/item/1590-list-of-
strategies-to-keep-students-focused-and-on-task