Fiona Ouma

Teaching Methods
Lauren Hinchman
Management Rationale
I define classroom management as methods that educators use to promote a safe and
encouraging environment, in which all students can grow and prosper as learners. I believe that
the best learning environment for students is created when they feel genuinely cared for,
respected, and trusted by their teachers and fellow classmates. In his book, The Courage to
Teach, Parker Palmer states, learning demands community-a dialogical exchange in which our
ignorance can be aired, our ideas tested, our biases challenged, and our knowledge expanded, an
exchange in which we are not simply left alone to think our own thoughts (79). I find this
statement to be true. I want my students to always feel valued, and I believe that effective
classroom management techniques and strategies pave the way for the desired learning
environment.
When it comes to classroom management, teachers have complete control of how the
classroom progresses. Their attitude and energy determine how the students day turns out. I
had a teacher one time who always started each day by checking up on all the students as they
entered the classroom. This made me feel as if I were a valuable member of the class. I have
observed teachers greet students in different ways. For instance, some teachers acknowledge
every student as they file into the classroom. I think this is an easy and quick way to make
students feel welcome in the class. Another of my teachers wrote simple check-in questions on
the board or she asked us to pair up and share our feelings about the day with our classmates. It
seemed like a simple activity, but on rough days, it really determined my performance in the
class during the rest of the session. Greetings can be particularly important to students who are

dealing with personal issues. A kind word and a good-natured smile from a teacher and
classmates can change a students day completely.
I was impressed by my teachers actions on my first day of class. She handed us the
syllabus and a written worksheet explaining her commitment to us as our teacher and the
expectations she held for us as students. We discussed the established standards and by the end
of the period everyone knew what was expected of them over the course of the semester. The
syllabus contained the policies regarding homework, absence, and participation. Setting
standards and expectations is an imperative classroom management technique. However,
teachers should consider the following questions during the process of creating guidelines. What
expectations are appropriate for a certain grade level? Do the expectations enhance students
performance? What are the consequences of failing to comply with the expected standards? Are
the expectations fair? How realistic are the expectations? What role do students play in the
setting up of the standards and expectations? I believe that effective classroom standards and
expectations are those that are specific, clear, and include the students during their establishment.
Discipline plays an important role in any organization. Every institution has a set of rules
they make clear to all their staff, employees, or students. During my visit to the Soulard School
in St. Louis, MO, I was impressed by a bulletin board I saw in one of the classrooms. The
bulletin board read, Our Classroom Constitution and was signed at the bottom by all the class
members. The bulletin board contained three articles namely rules, rights, and responsibilities.
The first article contained rules such as respect others rights to learn and showing good
sportsmanship. The second article had rights such as right to learn, right to a safe learning
environment, and right to stand up for others. The last article, responsibilities, included treating
others with respect, and always setting a good example. All the mentioned rights, rules, and

responsibilities promoted peace, and respect among the students. They also ensured that
discipline was maintained in the classroom. The rules, rights, and responsibilities provide a base
for students to be aware of their actions and how they impact each other. This helps students
learn how to take care of each other. It takes discipline for students to come together and create a
constitution determining how they want to treat each other and how they want to be treated in
return. I think this method of enforcing discipline is effective mainly because it is created by the
students.
I observed a discipline technique referred to as lockdown at one of the schools I interned
in St. Louis, MO. It is a form of behavioral reinforcement that is used on an entire grade level,
even though the rules are broken by only a few students. During lockdown, all students are
required to sit in their classrooms, and there is no direct instructional delivery for the entire
week. On normal school days, students move from class to class for the different subjects.
However, during lockdown, they stay in the same classroom for the entire day. Teachers give
students worksheets and tests to complete each day for their class. Students are not allowed to
collaborate or ask each other questions. During lunch break, students are required to take a book
to the dining room and they are still not allowed to socialize. The school administration believes
that by locking the students down, behavior issues will disappear. When I talked to one student
about this form of discipline, he said he does not like the policy because innocent students suffer
the consequences. He continued by saying that there is a girl who never talks because she is very
shy, but she is still punished for the mistakes of her peers.
Personally, I think the logic behind this form of discipline makes sense, although it has
flaws that make it ineffective. First, it is not a fair form of discipline. It is unfair to punish
students for the wrongdoings of their peers. The idea behind punishing all the students is for the

few students causing trouble to eventually realize their actions affect not only them, but their
peers. However, students do not see that logic, thus the technique is ineffective. Secondly, it is
unfair because the teachers have identified the students who break the rules; I dont understand
why they cant deal with them as individuals. Thirdly, lockdown is not an effective form of
discipline because it hinders the progress of the innocent majority. One week without
instructional delivery is lost learning for students. The purpose of discipline is to reinforce
positive behavior. If the form of discipline fails to better the behavior of students, then it should
be revised. If I was part of the school administration, I would be fully against this form of
discipline.
At Soulard School, I witnessed two discipline methods occur almost simultaneously. A
kindergarten class was playing outside. Their playground had a sandbox, swings, bikes, and
many other toys. The kids were almost equally distributed in all the stations and they would
freely move, run around and play with whatever they chose. Suddenly, one girl started crying.
She said that one of the other girls pushed her. Instead of the teacher going straight to the girl
that pushed the other, like many people do first, she instead approached the crying child first to
comfort her. Then she called the other girl aside and discussed the girls actions. I thought that
was neat. Teachers and adults tend to correct children in front of their peers, and that is not
always the best way to solve the problem. I think a better approach is to move the child at fault
from the rest of the group and then address the problem. On the other corner of the playground, I
am not exactly sure what the scenario was, but I heard the teacher tell one student to take a break
and when she knew how she could respond better next time, then she could come back and play.
I thought that was a simple form of discipline that made the child accountable for her actions.

Classroom organization and seating arrangements create the dynamic of a classroom. My

least favorite classroom setting is one where students sit in rows, especially when it is a big class.
I think rows bring a strict and rigid vibe with them, whereas I think classes should feel relaxing.
When I think of rows, I think of surprise tests which usually bring a certain discomfort because I
never expect them. I think there are factors to consider when figuring out the seating
arrangement and classroom set up. For instance, if you have a big classroom, round tables with a
few students on each table works well. Depending on the number of students, a teacher can have
space in the back or the front where students can sit on the floor, bouncing balls, or any other
comfortable chair while doing their work or during class discussions.
I believe educators should be role models. I witnessed some teachers do things I would
never want to repeat in my career as an educator. For example, one student took a book from his
teachers desk without permission. In an aggressive and loud tone the teacher responded, Take
it back right now. No, you dont take my books, you never take my books. I was shocked with
disbelief hearing this come from a teacher. Another observation that was common in the school I
interned at was teachers shouting at their students. Personally, I think yelling is not an effective
way of communicating. It is not polite, nor is it respectful. I hope I will be a better
communicator as an educator in the future.
At Aim Academy in Philadelphia, I observed students play a game to help them with their
Math. I want to be a Math teacher, so playing Math games is something I want to try with my
students. I also observed teachers who have amazing relationships with their students. They
know how to have fun with students and maintain professionalism at the same time. I find that
admirable.

When I think about how to develop an effective learning community, I think it is

important for teachers to right away outlay the expected standards for behavior and learning to
their students. Teachers are the first leaders in the classroom, their relationship to students, their
organization of the classroom, their beliefs and policies all play a role in the success of students.
Therefore, it is important for teachers to take time and consider the factors relevant to classroom
management that promotes a safe environment for students and enhance their learning.

Bibliography
Palmer, Parker J. The Courage to Teach. 10th ed. Jossey-Bass, 2007.