This is going to be my final post before I hand in this assignment to Mr Wan.Today was our last topic in class and since we only discussed about classroom management very briefly during the previous class,Mr Wan went into more detail during this class.
Mr Wan asked us what we have to do in order to manage a class.We gave our ideas.I said that teachers need to know the psychological needs of the students which he said was very true.He also added that every teacher should know how to help those who are quick at learning and the slower ones.He also mentioned something I never really thought about in order to help a teacher manage a classroom and that is for students and teachers to discuss together about the rules of the classroom.I think this is a great idea.Usually we students do not get a say in what rules are being implemented but if we students have a say,we are more likely to follow those rules.
Someone once said,"Children now love luxury,they have bad manners,contempt for authority,they show disrespect for their elders,and they love chatter in the place one exercise.Children are now tyrants,not the servants of the households."
Mr Wan explained this quote from some anonymous person to us but I do not think this is entirely true.First of all,everyone loves luxury.No one wants to live a hard life and not all of them have bad manners or show disrespect for their elders.I think these are just stereotypes older people are creating for us younger generation.Now,for a class to be managed well.a teacher must start on time.Mr Wan said some teachers only walk to their classrooms once the bell rings which is true but if they do that they will be wasting precious time.What if they were to do that for a whole year?Or if they were to teach the same students for 3 years.I have had a teacher who taught me for 3 years.The students would be missing out on a lot of lessons.Moving on,students need to know the classroom procedures and I think it is the teacher's job to tell them about the procedures.Teachers also need to understand who to teach for mastery.They need to relate their topics with something their students know.They need to have a set induction for their students.I think our education system focuses way too much on test scores instead of mastery.Watch this talk by Sal Khan and you will get what I mean.
We are more focused on scoring A's than actually learning something.Teachers also need to have high expectation for students' success.Teachers need to believe in their students and motivate their students.Students are people too and they need encouragement for them to believe in themselves.Being in an Asian culture,it is quite rare to find students from encouraging families who support them very much.Hence,I think we could start a trend by actually encouraging and supporting those students to achieve their dreams.Then they could end up like this little girl :)
This is what teachers should be doing.https://www.facebook.com/Upworthy/videos/1499399073434279/ This is a great video watch it.Moving on,there are a few things you need to develop classroom rules.
1.Materials
Eg,Chalkboard,chart paper,marker
2.Methods
-You can do this by gathering students around and asking them what they think could actually wreck the classroom and discuss what they can do to solve or avoid the problems.
There are a few guidelines for good classroom management.A teacher can maintain a good classroom environment through arranging student's seating arrangement which will affect their interaction with their classmates but sometimes this does not always work.It depends on the type of students because some students learn better when interacting with their classmates.Teachers should also consider seating patterns which affects interaction between students and teachers.The noisy,naughty and talkative students should sit in front.So,that the teachers can have an eye on them.The seating arrangement should also be convenient for the teacher's mobility.A teacher cannot just stand at one spot during the entire lesson,he or she has to move around the classroom to make sure that all her students understand what she is trying to deliver.
There are many ways a teacher can establish a good psychological environment through their voice tone.I remember a lecturer I had in Segi College who spoke so softly in class,that only the students in the from role were able to hear him.When we asked him to speak up,he said he is not going to talk loudly because he has been talking to whole day but no matter how good you are in teaching if your students cannot hear you,then what's the point?A teacher should also have respect for their students.I believe one of the core virtues every teacher needs to have is to have respect for their students.I have met so many teachers think they are so much above their students.I heard of a story from a friend of mine in Segi College,that her lecturer shouted at her friend for not giving a presentation up to the lecturer's high expectations.The lecturer then bragged than she has a masters degree and that the student who gave the presentation had no qualification at all.Excuse me!That is why she is attending university right?To get the best education she can possibly get.Some people are really such snobs.If you are a snob and you like to look down on your students,I highly suggest you change your profession.It puts people down when you insult them.Teachers are suppose to build you up not bring you down.Moving on,every achievement should be valued by the teacher,no matter how high or how low.If the teacher puts in effort,encouragement should be given.This world has too many judgmental people,why don't be an encourager?
What is a good classroom management?In my slides,a good teacher is like a good manger who manages the classroom which is true in my opinion because teaching a class is like being a CEO or manager in you own company but instead of guiding employees,you are guiding students.A teacher like a manager or CEO has to state the rules of the company but make sure those rules are not too strict or unreasonable.I remember a primary school teacher I had who punished a student by asking him to carry a wooden chair for not doing his homework.That was abuse.That shouldn't be a way of punishing a student.Some teachers really have no heart at all.The teacher like a CEO should be good at strategising.They should arrange the students' seat to minimise disturbance.If I were a teacher I would ask those smart students to sit with the weaker students so that they can learn from each other.Some people say that smart students do not have anything to learn from the weaker ones but you make be surprise some smart students are quite proud and they could learn things like humility from the weaker ones.Lastly,a teacher must know the name of all his or her students.Mr Wan told us that he used to ask the class monitor to pass him the seating plan of the students of the class he was teaching so that he wouldn't forget their names.I remember an Add Maths teacher that I really hated who did not even bother to remember our names.He said that the only way we could make him remember us is by being really smart or outstanding or being really terrible.
Why is classroom management important?A well organised classroom is the fist step to an effective teaching environment.If you are someone who gets easily distracted like me and if you have a short attention span which is something I have too,then a teacher who is good at managing the classroom is highly needed so that you can focus in class.
How does a teacher organise academic content and instruction?First, a teacher needs a lesson plan.Well for me I have met teachers without a lesson plan but they still teach very well but those are the really experienced teachers if you are a novice or a trainee teacher then I highly suggest you have a lesson plan to have a clearer vision of your goals and objectives.Even super experienced teachers need lesson plans to help themselves run the class more smoothly.A teacher also needs to create a good learning environment.One that is not too strict to the extent that the students are afraid to approach the teacher to ask questions.One that is not boring either or else the students would fall asleep and won't bother learning.Lastly,a teacher needs to generate motivation and provide clear introduction to all aspects for their lesson to run more smoothly.
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