Archived material
Some aspects of the documents in this section no longer apply, however they have been archived for reference.
Teaching students about classroom management:
the importance of active engagement, modelling and reflection
by Alan Scully
From the proceedings of a forum conducted by the Board of Studies NSW on 26 October 1995
Return to the Nature of the Learner Forum Table of Contents
The development of sound classroom management skills is widely acknowledged as fundamental in the process of becoming an effective teacher (Banks and Thompson, 1995; Borich and Tombari, 1995; Rogan, Borich and Taylor, 1992). In the context of teaching and learning, 'managing' encompasses both the learning environment and the learners themselves. Effective classroom managers implement a wide range of complex skills, grounded in an understanding of the learners and the learning process. Reflective of this complex and vital aspect of the teacher's professional life, learning about classroom management is something that must begin early in a teacher education program. Opportunities for students of teaching to read about, interpret, discuss, apply, reflect upon and hone management skills, and to analyse critically the assumptions that underpin them, are maximised in a program that offers cumulative practicum experiences which integrate learning on the campus and in the field.
The purpose of this brief paper is to overview the approach adopted in teaching students about classroom management in the School of Teacher Education at UTS. As one part of a presentation for the Board of Studies NSW -- Current Practice in Teacher Education -- it sets out to provide a snapshot of how our students begin their preparation for effective management. It does not convey the full picture. Rather, it identifies and examines three key principles that guide student learning about management - active engagement, modelling and reflection.
In their first year in the Bachelor of Teaching in Primary Education program, students complete the subject Promoting Learning and Learner Cooperation. Part of the Practicum Curriculum, this subject is integrated with field experience and engages students in a structured learning sequence. A central part of this subject is a program of lectures and professional readings, which set out to inform the students about the theoretical underpinnings of effective classroom management. Grounded in the discipline of educational psychology, the content of these lectures and readings span human motivation, learning theory, positive discipline and the ecological influences on behaviour. An underpinning theme is the notion that 'human behaviour is a complex phenomenon comprised of and influenced by a multiplicity of factors' (Gordon, Arthur and Butterfield, 1996, p 2). While lecture attendance and reading may lend themselves to passive transmission of information, we counter this through regular workshop follow-up of each topic in the form of critical discussion, debate, prepared questioning and role-play. A series of 'critical incidents' is put to the students in which vignettes of classroom life are described, followed by the questions, 'What would you do?' and 'Why would you do it?'. Students then offer plans of action that are subjected to the critical scrutiny of their peers, based on their developing awareness of the theory and practice of classroom management. In so doing, the students are actively engaged in constructing their own views about management, through listening, reading, applying and analysing. This process forms an important part of their preparation for field placement, in which the milieu of a real classroom will challenge these developing views and afford opportunities to practise particular management skills.
A second key principle is modelling. A phenomenon of social cognitive theory, modelling involves observation and self-regulatory procedures. It contends that much human learning is a function of observing significant others (McInerney, D and McInerney, V, 1994). An ever-present challenge for lecturing in the area of classroom management is the students' keen awareness of the lecturer's management style and competence. While acknowledging distinct differences, the university classroom affords us the opportunity to draw parallels with that of the primary school. An additional form of preparation for the practicum, and for functioning as effective managers themselves, our students are engaged in a critical examination of the pedagogical and management practices that occur in our lecture and workshop settings. Rather than shrink from the scrutiny to which they subject us, we model the management practices we espouse, and invite our students' critical commentary on them. In so doing, the challenge we face in managing our students and their learning environment, serves to consolidate their own learning about management in the context of primary education.
Modelling is also evident in a program of observations that occurs prior to and during the practicum. Students visit schools, observe a teacher manage her or his class for the morning period, then, via reference to an observation guide, share their perceptions of what occurred in terms of the theory, the management literature and the outcomes of workshop activities. Where possible, classroom teachers participate in these post-observation discussions.
The third principle guiding our students' learning about management is reflection. The development of 'critically reflective' practitioners has been given great emphasis in the recent educational literature. Yaxley (1993) contends that reflective teachers:
attempt to describe teaching practice, share these descriptions with fellow professionals, students and members of the community, and review and revise them in the light of critical reflection and conversation. It is through sharing, reviewing and revising that teachers develop and sustain a critically reflective discourse on teaching. (p 27)
In the practicum, students are given the task of determining a focus for a management report. This takes the form of a written account and evaluation of their own experiences of applying specified management principles and skills. In writing about classroom management, students are encouraged to accentuate not only the 'what' of their experience, but the 'how' and 'why'. The professional literature, the principles and the skills they have been learning combine with practicum experiences as a basis for reflection on their own development as classroom managers. Experiences of 'success' or 'failure' are secondary to a rigorous consideration of how such experience can provide a foundation for further development. Structured review activities in lectures and workshops after the practicum period highlight common and disparate insights.
Learning about classroom management is complex and challenging. It is a process which continues throughout and beyond an initial teacher education program. At UTS, numbers of principles, three of which have been articulated here, underpin our work with students in this area.
References
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Banks, S " Thompson, C, 1995, Educational Psychology for Teachers in Training, West Publishing Company, New York.
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Borich, G " Tombari, M, 1995, Educational Psychology -- a Contemporary Approach, Harper Collins College Publishers, New York.
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Gordon, C, Arthur, M " Butterfield, N, 1996, Promoting Positive Behaviour, Thomas Nelson Australia, Melbourne.
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McInerney, D " McInerney, V, 1994, Educational Psychology Constructing Learning, Prentice-Hall, Sydney.
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Rogan, J, Borich, G " Taylor, H, 1992, 'Validation of the stages of concern questionnaire', in Action in Teacher Education, Vol 14, No 2, pp 43-9.
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Yaxley, B, 1993, 'Critically Reflective Teachers in a Devolving Educational Context: implications of Schon's proposals for the teacher as a critically reflective practitioner', in South Pacific Journal of Teacher Education Vol 21, no. 1, pp 23-32.