7/30/2019 Importance of Classroom Management

1/3

THE IMPORTANCE OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT FOR NOVICE

TEACHERS

Ana Clara Snchez Universidad de Nario

What is Classroom Management?

Brophy (1986) defines classroom management as a teachers efforts to establish

and maintain the classroom as an effective environment for teaching and learning.

This concept encompasses how teachers deal with issues of supervision,

facilitation and manipulation of the environment and class activities inside another

dimension of management: students actions (misbehaving), maintenance of

discipline and orchestration of the general dynamics of a class.

Is classroom Management the same as Discipline?

Brophy and Good (2003) state that Classroom Management (CM) is different from

the discipline plan teachers implement in their classrooms; it also includes the

teachers beliefs and values as they influence how the teacher views discipline, CM

also refers to how these beliefs and values intertwine with other underlying aspects

of the class structure.

What dimensions does CM cover?

Despite finding divers ideas (Brown, 2007; Harmer, 2007; Ur, 1996) commonelements can be found:

1. The physical environment of the classroom

It includes being able to be heard, having a clean classroom, sit can be

arranged to foster interaction, the room has outlets, additional equipment is

available.

2. The amount of teacher preparation and ways in which the lesson is

presented, which influence classroom management. This part refers to the

teachers voice and eye-contact, confidence, mobility, attitude and rapport

with the students handling unexpected changes inside the class, workingwith large classes and limited resources (Renaud, Tannenbaum y Stantial,

2007). Hammer (2007) discusses classroom management in terms of

creating successful classrooms. Teachers should be consistent with

enforcing their rules, providing engaging tasks that are not too difficult or too

simplistic, treat everyone equality and praising learners.

The final and probably more recognized aspect of classroom is discipline.

7/30/2019 Importance of Classroom Management

2/3

3. Discipline

As Ur (1990) explains, some important factors that have an incidence in

classroom discipline and are more likely to be within the control of, or

influenced by, the teacher are: methodology, interpersonal relationships and

student motivation. A disciplined classroom is one where learning is taking

place, where the students and the teacher is cooperating and working

together towards the same goal and where the lesson is proceeding

according to plan. Discipline is an element of classroom management that

needs a proactive rather than a reactive behavior. Ur suggests planning

your lesson carefully, paying attention to directions, which should be clear

and effective, and being aware of any change in the dynamics of the class.

This can be especially useful for students-teachers and novice teachers.

Why is Classroom Management relevant for Novice Teachers and Student-

teachers?

If the environment is not conducive to learning, the very nature of teaching is

lost.

Knowing how to keep a class running gives teachers confidence. This will

affect other aspects of teaching.

In a EFL environment like ours, handling the variables of a class effectively

will help novice teachers make the most out of the available time and

resources.

Along with other teaching skills, classroom management help new teachers

show professionalism.

Suggestion for Teacher Education Programs

Move from reactive to proactive approaches to classroom management(focus on the attitude student-teachers display right from the beginning, testdesign, materials development to prevent difficulties before and duringpracticum).

Prevention is more effective than intervention. Students-teachers shouldlearn to foresee problems and minimize them.

CM should be an element present across the curriculum, not only in

methodology courses. Attitude, the way ideas are conveyed, eye-contact,interaction with the audience can be assessed in different courses and taskssuch as demonstrations, presentations and so on.)

A cyclical approach to CM can be an alternative. The theoretical backgroundprovided by the university feeds novice teachers decisions. These, in turnwill be based on the teaching and learning conditions of the context. Theway the class turns out will take students-teachers and/or novice teachersfor making new decisions.

7/30/2019 Importance of Classroom Management

3/3

What is the place of Classroom Management?

In teacher education programs these domains, as expressed by Richards (1998),

should be considered as a goal. CM can be part of all of them implicitly or explicitly.

The domains are:

Theories of teaching. Future teachers should review existing as well asalternative beliefs present in the teachers own context to predict teachingsituations.

Technical teaching skills can be developed through imitation, in teachingpractice, of models provided as part of instruction.

Communication skills. Being proficient may contribute to establishing andmaintaining discipline and learning routines.

Subject matters (linguistic systems).

Pedagogical reasoning skills and decision making.

Contextual knowledge. Those enrolled in a teacher education programshould experience an awareness-raising component that contributes toexpand the future teachers experiential knowledge.

UNIVERSIDAD DE ANTIOQUIA - VII ENCUENTRO DE INSTITUCIONES

FORMADORAS DE LICENCIADOS EN IDIOMAS MES DE NOVIEMBRE DE

2011

Adoptado para el Seminario de Introduccin a la Prctica Educativa Programa

de Lenguas Modernas, Universidad de Caldas

Profesora: Gloria Esperanza Infante Castao