Every now and then I like to take a look at articles which cover potential questions a teacher may encounter during a job interview. It gives me an opportunity to think about where I am at right now and how I might begin to formulate the answers to certain common questions as I move along in my education.
One of the questions that often show up in the articles is variations of the question “What is your behavior management plan?” I’ve mentioned, probably several times, that I often think about, stress, and otherwise try to prepare myself for managing a classroom full of children. I’ve picked up lots of good ideas as I’ve read more and more about this topic but I have also learned that there is no one size fits all approach to managing the classroom and child behavior.
This combined with my impending child and educational psychology classes has had me thinking about how to create a strong classroom community. I have decided that at this point, I am starting to build a foundation for my teaching philosophy which also happens to be the base layer for how I plan on managing my classroom someday. This most basic level is building an accepting, functional, tight knit classroom community. I really want my classroom to be a place where students enjoy coming to. I want it to be a place where each person feels that they contribute something valuable and that they feel respected and valued. I have been a member of a classroom community where I did not feel safe and comfortable before and it has stuck with me for many years. I never want any one of my students to feel out of place or afraid. I don’t have an complete behavior management plan yet, as it is much too early, but I know for sure that the first step in avoiding problems that require behavior intervention is to achieve an atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable.
That being said, I have been reading about the psychological effect of our words and how the way in which we phrase something can have a strong impact psychologically. This is something I have learned about before but it is also one of those things that I often don’t think about on a daily basis. At some point we fall into habits which are hard to break.
As part of preparing myself for the responsibility of working with impressionable children, and also as a bit of a New Years resolution for myself, I have decided to really make a habit of thinking about how I phrase things. Some important points I need to remember are:
1. Stating the positive side, rather than the negative of a statement. Instead of saying “I don’t want…” I would state what I do want. Instead of saying what I don’t like, I should say what I do like. My hope is that it will turn into a habit to always state the positive angle of my point. As a teacher I think it will help to make my guidance appear as a new way of doing something or a different approach rather than a critique of what a student has done or a statement of wrong doing.
2. Spend more time complimenting good qualities rather than pointing out undesirable ones. I don’t know what it is exactly, but it’s a lot easier to voice one’s opinion about something that upsets us than to randomly compliment something we like about another person. It’s really not a good way to go through life, but another one of those habits we pick up. I think that as a teacher, this is a good behavior to model so that students will learn the positive effects of boosting another’s self esteem by focusing on their best qualities.
Finding a behavior management plan that works best for your class is definitely a tough thing to do, especially as a beginning teacher. It is so important to start the year off and discuss with the students what is expected from them, as well as what they can expect from you. I do a lot with cooperative groups so at the beginning of the year I went over different situations that might arise when collaborating. Students were able to learn what was required of them to make the group run smoothly. They also discussed what to do in case of an argument or if someone was not getting along or participating. By learning these necessary skills will also help in the classroom and management plan. Creating an environment that is safe, fun, respectful, and proud, will in turn help give you desired behavior. One of my Master's classes discussed the idea of the "I Versus You" message. Kottler, Zehm, and Kottler wrote a book called "On Being a Teacher: The Human Dimension". They said, "I-messages are more honest portrayals of what is taking place." They continue, "They are perceived as less challenging and threatening. They focus on behavior rather than on criticizing the person" (2005, p. 72). This idea definitely plays a role in the behavior plan. When students and teachers are aware of their actions and words, so much more can be accomplished.
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Kottler, J. A., Zehm, S. J., & Kottler, E. (2005). On being a teacher: The human dimension (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Thanks for the advice! That book sounds interesting, I will have to add it to my list of books to read :)
ReplyDeleteAnother good read is a book called "How to be an Effective Teacher: The First Days of School" by Harry Wong and Rosemary Wong. It offers great ideas and tips on how to manage an effective, productive classroom.
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