Approach to Classroom Management, Essay Example

The field of psychology defines motivation as, ‘the process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviors’ (About.com 2011). In the classroom that means how to truly inspire students to learn in a self-determined way. Getting students motivated to learn has always proved challenging. In the past it was defined primarily by the presence of negative consequences such as bad marks, social stigma, detention or humiliation for poor work, low test scores or misbehavior rather than by encouragement of self-determination in students.

State University says that ‘to be motivated, students must see the worth of the work that they are doing and the work others do.’ They identify two critical factors for teachers trying to motivate their students. These are value and effort. First, the teacher must show the student that the work they are doing is relevant. Every student has to take classes in which they believe they have no personal interest and it is the responsibility of the teacher to show them the relevance of the course to real life (Evertson).This can be done by using real-world examples. Another way is to show students how the specific skills they learned in a class might be applicable to the other subjects they are taking.

Second, the teacher should tie the effort of the student, the time and energy they put into their work, to the value that it holds. This is done through positive reinforcement and specifically telling the student what they did well. This promotes a sense of pride and a feeling that the effort they put into their work was worthwhile in pursuing their goals. Another approach teachers may take to motivate their students is setting concrete classroom goals and helping students to establish their own personal goals (Stanford, 1998). These goals should be presented enthusiastically by the teacher and be challenging but not out of reach for students. If the teacher presents a clear path to accomplishment of goals and helps students define their own personal goals, the students will be motivated to try to attain them.

Learner-centered learning is a progressive teaching style away from the traditional teacher-based classroom that promotes students constructing their own learning in a proactive student environment. The goal of a learner-centered classroom is for the students to learn not simply to receive instruction from a teacher.

The learner-centered classroom, because it requires students to take such an active role, must necessarily be a warm and safe environment. The characteristics of a warm and engaging classroom are related to both the teacher and the physical environment. For example, the classroom should have an atmospheric warmth to it that puts students at ease. All the materials needed for project and group work must be available to the students. The key to a warm and engaging classroom is in the demeanor of the teacher. Paul Bogden, a seasoned teacher and proponent of the student-centered classroom talks about transforming the teacher’s role from ‘the traditional ‘imparter of knowledge’ to that of coach and consultant (Ray, 2011).The idea behind the learner-centered classroom is that students teach each other so the role of the teacher is to openly facilitate this communication. In order to do so and create a ‘safe’ environment for sharing ideas, a teacher must be open, compassionate, encouraging and above all, enthusiastic. Enthusiasm for a subject is undeniably contagious and as soon as a teacher expresses boredom with class material, so will his/her students.

Humor is also extremely important. Though the type of humor might vary by age group such as being silly with primary school children or self-deprecating with university students, a classroom where students can laugh will instantly create a more interesting and open environment. Another way to create an engaging environment is to let students contribute as much as possible to the structure of the class whether through self-assessed projects, group work or facilitating their own discussion.

Motivation in students and learner-centered learning is all about students teaching themselves and each other. The goal is not to score the highest or write the best essay, it is simply to learn. It is proactive rather than passive. Learner-centered learning is often called ‘hands-on’ learning where students really get involved with the material through group work and projects. It is also characterized by the integration of technology into all subject areas in order to engage students. Though the teacher obviously plans the syllabus, he/she gives a rationale for each assignment and puts it in a context for the student so they understand the purpose of the work to their broader education. A good teacher in a student-centered classroom will explore the particular strengths and interests of a class and try to tailor the material to them. The teacher’s voice also becomes secondary to the students’. They act with encouragement as the facilitator to a classroom of student voices sharing their diverse knowledge with each other. When a class is well structured with its goals clearly defined and attainable, there is a rationale behind each assignment and the teacher has established themselves as a fellow learner in the class, all components of learner-centered learning, it creates an entire community of students and teachers learning together.

In the traditional teacher-centered classroom the expectation of the teacher and the students were that the teacher would play a much more prominent role leading the class with much more knowledge and experience than anyone else in the room. Monologue lecture by the teacher and note-taking by the students, then, was believed to somehow materialize into knowledge as the student reviewed and studied their notes but the amount of actual learning in the classroom was extremely limited. Teacher and student expectations play a large role in the process of creating an engaging classroom of a community of learners. From the start the teacher must be committed to relinquishing their role as leader and lecturer and trust their students. This means strongly believing that his/her students are intelligent and dedicated and can achieve the goals you set for them. As the seminal text Tools for Teaching states; ‘Research has shown that a teacher’s expectations have a powerful effect on a student’s performance. If you act as though you expect your students to be motivated, hardworking, and interested in the course, they are more likely to be so’ (Davis, 1993). By setting realistic goals for students they will harder to achieve them than if the goal seems unattainable or far in the future. Tools for Teaching encourages the providing of ‘early opportunities for success’ to boost student motivation.

Once teachers have established their high expectations for their students the students in turn must be responsible for setting personal expectations for themselves. The learner-centered classroom must be one of open communication in which the teacher can aid individual students in setting personal goals, analyzing their own work, pointing out their strengths and helping them with their weaknesses. The expectations of both teachers and students contribute to a more motivated classroom. Once the student is motivated, the possibilities are endless. With every assignment comes a challenge and an achievement until the student is a veritable perpetual-motion machine of learning, where the classroom is an opportunity and learning is an incentive to develop one’s self.

References

“Capturing and Directing the Motivation to Learn.” Speaking of Teaching: Stanford University Newsletter on Teaching 10.1 (1998): 1-4.

Cherry, K. “What Is Motivation?” (2011). About.com Psychology. Retrieved from: http://psychology.about.com/od/mindex/g/motivation-definition.htm

Davis, B. (1993). Tools for Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Evertson, C. B. “Classroom Management.” State University.com. Retrieved from http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1834/Classroom-Management.html

Ray, B. (2011). “Student-Centered Learning Environments: How and Why.” Edutopia.com. Retrieved from: http://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-centered-learning-environments-paul-bogdan