Gaining Control of Your Classroom Through Behaviour Management
Your first time teaching any class can easily be traumatizing, especially because most students in any given year level are unruly and naughty . They also have the mysterious talent to detect any signs of weakness , so if you enter the room looking uneasy or scared of the class, they will behave badly on purpose to test your patience in tolerating their behaviour . In this regard, you must learn proper modes of behaviour management to improve classroom control. Keep in mind that building classroom discipline is not simple , but it is your duty as an instructor to assist students in learning from school.
You can begin by letting kids feel that the classroom belongs to you. They can be relaxed as possible but they should see that once they come in the room, your policies , and not theirs, apply. Have a seat plan ready, but also give them the option to form their own groups or choose their partners whenever you give them activities. You can also make the teacher’s desk to be your own spot – a place which children cannot cross without permission . Also, make sure to assign areas which have distinctive functions like a reading area, a place to put all the supplies, and so forth. If you do these things, it will let the students understand that they should respect your property and not cause any damage to it.
Remember to always be consistent. If you have set up a set of regulations for the class, you must always implement them and if a child fails to abide by it, consequences should follow. Do not become temperamental – if yesterday you scold a child for being out of line, you should not ignore any misconduct happening the next day. Even if you are tired or your patience is running low , you should always remain calm and composed. If you confuse your students with your quick change of personality, sooner or later they will start losing the reverence they have for you and stop paying attention to what you have to say.
Lastly, prohibit yourself from having favorites. While it is very easy to be grateful for students who are behaving well, who abide by instructions without complaining and who are prepared to lend a hand if you if ever you require help , giving them too much consideration will make other students think you are treating them unjustly . They may even end up detesting the “teacher’s pet” and cause more disruptions in class. To avoid this, ensure that each student receives equal treatment – even if a child is the best in your class, if he behaves badly, you must also give him a fitting punishment.
These classroom management techniques not only help in building classroom discipline, they also help teachers discover students’ needs and adjust to their personalities. With specific behaviour management, classroom control can easily be attained and pave the way to better learning.
