I believe, as an educationist, that effective and good teachers are made through training and following the right philosophy of classroom management and student engagement. My belief is that the enforcement of a properly thought out and appropriate plan for managing the classroom is the source of life and effectiveness for any teacher. It is the first and primary step that any teacher who yearns to make a difference must take. Teachers have a huge responsibility of creating conducive learning environment and developing connections with the students in order to increase their engagement. A teacher has to create a learning environment that is safe, fun, cooperative and relational. The classroom management plan has to be based on research so that it accounts for the ever changing culture of students and growing knowledge, which is normally gained through the experience within the class. I strongly believe that a quality classroom management plan is the backbone of success in teaching students. Moreover, I also trust in the importance of student engagement as a tool of enhancing the effectiveness of the learning process. There must an engagement between the students and the teacher for learning to take place in the classroom. My philosophy of classroom management also includes the belief that it is the responsibility of the teacher to create a classroom environment that is energetic, positive, relational and safe.
Students misbehave in the classroom because of various reasons. It is important to note that when students misbehave in the classroom, it indicates there is poor management of the learning environment by the teacher. When the teacher does not meet the needs and desires of the students, they are bound to misbehave. The teacher may not realize the needs of students hence fail to satisfy them. Lack of engagement between the students and the teacher is what makes the latter to fail realizing their specific needs and desires. When the needs of students are continuously not met by the teacher, they decide to express their discontent and disappointment through misbehavior. Normally, students do not use the clear and direct communication to express their feelings and issues. However, their only common tool of communication when disappointed is always misbehavior. According to Hardin (2008), students who are out to compensate for their feelings of inferiority or the lack of a secure sense of identity with the rest of the classroom members and peer group will always misbehave. The reason for their misbehavior is always the search for attention, which they cannot get normally, seek sympathy and gain power. Moreover, excessive free time for students increases chances of misbehavior in the classroom. It is important that teachers assign learners tasks to get them occupied and busy throughout the day.
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A classroom management plan is an outline of activities and their intended outcomes, which is designed by the teacher in order to control the behavior of the learners within the classroom. The class management plan specifies the behavioral expectations on the part of the students and spells some of the prohibited actions within the classroom. It states the specific actions and tools that will be used to achieve the good behavior on the part of the students. Additionally, a classroom management plan gives the penalties or punishment terms for various kinds of misbehaviors by learners in the classroom.
The classroom management plan is important because it assists teachers in controlling the behaviors of learners in the classroom. It sets out specific actions, which must be done in order to help students stay on the right path of behavior. For instance, it may give the teacher the number of assignments needed for the students in a day to keep them busy. It is a good tool of ensuring no action needed maintaining good conduct within the classroom is forgotten by the teacher. Moreover, it normally states the specific code of conduct for the students while in the classroom. It clearly indicates behaviors that must be avoided by the students. Therefore, with a classroom management plan, learners are able to refer to it always and stay aware of what is expected from them in terms of good behavior while in the classroom. It is a very effective source of references for rules and actions that are forgotten.
There is a significant correlation between an effective classroom management plan and student engagement. The classroom management plan states the actions, which enhance student engagement when they are done. For instance, it states the specific number of assignments to be given top students every day so that they are kept busy. These assignments usually enhance the engagement of students in the classroom.
It is vital to note that a classroom management plan affects both students and the learners in the classroom. For the students, they are affected because of the actions stated, which they have to do. For instance, it is the students who have to do the assignments that are always given to ensure they are occupied, but not free. They are bound to abide by the stated code of conduct in the plan. Misbehavior attracts punishment for them. Teachers are affected by the classroom management plan since they have to develop the assignments and give them to students always. Moreover, all the actions on the plan have to be directed by the teacher.
The rules and ideals that my family instilled in me have shaped my personal philosophy of classroom management. I have grown up being taught to be a responsible person for every action I do. Moreover, my mentor friends have helped me learn that rewards come after hard work. Furthermore, I understand that honesty is the best policy in life since my mother has lived by it and got wonderful returns. Through my educational experiences, I have understood the fact that all human beings have the ability and capacity of learning and gaining knowledge.
My personal theory of classroom management is informed by the theorists, William Glasser and Alfie Kohn. I am deeply persuaded by Glasser’s belief that people are responsible for their behaviors. I trust that it is possible for anybody to change and become good-mannered through proper guidance. The viewpoint that students have to behave well since their actions affect others, as advanced by Kohn, is quite agreeable to me.
The impact of my personal philosophy of student engagement on classroom management plan has been development a code of conduct that fosters responsibility for everybody’s actions. It has also influenced the inclusion of rewards for the learners who behave exceptionally well and punishment for the ones who misbehave.
My philosophy is opposed to the way the popular and mainstream media portrays the education system of the world today. As Anderson (2008) states, the media always gives bad publicity to the modern education system by keeping focus on the minor schools, which report cases of student misbehavior while ignoring the majority well-behaving learning institutions. My philosophy concentrates on the successful and good stories about schools that record admirable achievements.
Technology is a very integral part of my philosophy of classroom management. I integrate technology in my classroom management plan through the use of CCTV cameras within the classroom to monitor the behavior of students while I am away from the class. This technology motivates students to stick on the right path of behavior since they know the cameras are always watching them.
References
Anderson, J. (2008, April 9). News features & releases: The effect of media coverage on education. Retrieved April 15, 2017 from http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/features/2008/ 04/09_media.php.
Hardin, C. (2008). Effective classroom management: Models and strategies for today’s classrooms (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
