2. Group work/working cooperatively- how they interact with others
Tasks that require group work are a great way to see how students interact with each other. Students may work well as a team, others may help students who need assistance, some students won’t talk while others take charge. Sometimes it will show that some students just prefer to work on their own. It is great for team building and brainstorming ideas and a good opportunity to observe the different behaviours.
3. Put students who aren't as good workers, with the ones who work well as they will learn from them
Some teachers tend to seat the students who struggle with their work, with other students in the same category and vice versa with the ones who are doing well. They find this easier to focus more on the ones who aren’t doing well and leave the rest to do their own work. In my opinion I think it best if students of different working abilities are mixed up so that the students who struggle with their work learn off the ones who are doing well. This way teachers can focus more evenly on the class as a whole and if any students stand out as requiring extra help or is seriously falling behind, then that student will be attended to.
4. Separate high intensity kids from each other
Kids who have high intensity behaviours such as ADHD, ones who are loud, ones who are rude, ones who are aggressive or obnoxious most of the time, should be separated from each other as these behaviours will clash and escalate. This would be extremely bad when you are trying to teach and control a class of students. By separating these students with high intensity behaviours, they should remain controllable and are more likely to behave and learn in a more appropriate manner.
5.Classroom layout can affect behaviours (tables, chairs, teacher's desk)
The layout of the classroom is very important when beginning teaching. You have to think about where and how the seats will be arranged, where your desk or area will be placed, and which students will be seated with whom. Tables arranged in groups of 4 with 2 students to a table, is great for group work but students might get distracted by talking to each other too much. Tables arranged in rows is controllable but might seem a bit daunting for grades Prep to 4. You need to decide where your desk will be placed either at the front, back or side. You may not have a desk but a separate area to the classroom so you may be walking around a lot and standing in different areas to teach the class. It is good to have a space where you can keep an eye on the whole class. This is important in case any emergencies or accidents happen and you can observe different behaviours. Another layout feature could include a book nook area, quiet time/free time area, computers, and maybe a craft area.
6. Classroom content can also affect behaviours (colours, pictures, toys) some may be distracting or stimulating
The content of the classroom is another very important factor when setting up your classroom at the start of the year. You need to decide how to decorate your classroom, which may involve coloured paper for the walls and cupboards, posters, charts, photos and pictures, books and toys, where to hang and display students work, what is permanently written on the chalkboard/whiteboard, where school and classroom rules and mottos are displayed clearly etc. Too much can create clutter and be distracting for kids. They might be looking at a photo or picture instead of concentrating on listening or doing their work. Picking the right things to display in your classroom can stimulate learning such as educational posters and charts. Be careful of what colours you pick as these can affect moods. Bright colours can make people feel happy and fun while dark, boring colours can make people feel sad and moody and isn’t very good for the environment of the classroom.
7. Regularly do one-on-one sessions with students when appropriate
As a teacher you should be evaluating and taking notes/reports on each students progress. One-on-one sessions can involve sitting with the student and discussing any difficulties they might be facing with other students or their work. This should be treated carefully and if there are serious concerns they should be recommended to the school counsellor. One-on-one sessions also reinforce the fact that you are there to help and be a friend to the students as well as a teacher. You can also do these sessions while they are working so that you can see how they are coping with their work.
8. Reward their achievements and good behaviour
By rewarding students for good behaviour and achievements it encourages students to strive towards behaving good and achieving their best. This can result in good behaviour across the whole class, which is therefore more manageable. Some ideas on rewarding or encouraging good behaviour include:
These all help and encourage the class to work together to achieve results. It also makes them feel good about themselves and shows how they can work as a team. It helps you as a teacher manage classroom behaviour.
9. Give students class ‘roles’ or ‘jobs’
The interactive environment allows students a chance to participate in a range of roles and activities such as setting up a reading area, helping the teacher at the board or being in charge of putting away the coloured pencils. This gives students responsibility in the classroom and a chance to show some slight leadership skills that they can strive towards achieving good results in, depending on the interaction (Slee, 1997). Certain monitors can include:
These roles make a student feel important and valued as a class member. It also shows to the student that the teacher trusts them to take on that specific role. Roles should be alternated every 1-2 weeks or however you choose so that every student gets to have a job at least once. This is also great for high intensity kids as it gives them a greater responsibility and usually controls their high intensity behaviour as their role may be taken off them if they misbehave.
10. Being a friend to the students
Being a friend to your students is vital and establishing this should be done in the first few days of school. As argued by Biggs (1993, p.487), to be a great teacher, one must be a friend to the students. I think this is important because the students are more likely to interact with you and enjoy learning more thoroughly, knowing that they have your full support and encouragement, not only as a teacher but more as a friend. Doing class surveys and games is a great way for other students to get to know each other and for them to get to know you not only as their teacher but more on a personal level. This also ensures trust and a feeling of safety in the classroom. Other ways to build strong relationships with your students is to get them to design posters about themselves, do storytelling, making their own nametags, or a placemat activity where students are in groups of four, around a big piece of paper and they are asked to write in their corner some things and favourites about themselves, they can then share this with others.
11. Give them approximately 10mins play time outside to 'let off steam'
This is great to do as students generally get restless between recess and lunch. If you observe that your students aren’t concentrating much, are talking or looking tired or can’t sit still then a few minutes outside is a great physical and mental booster. You can play some simple games like tag, dodge ball or basketball knockout. Any activity that will get the heart pumping, limbs moving and breathing in some fresh air. Students really appreciate this and are most likely to get back to working productively.
12. Class environment, rules and class motto
The class environment is usually governed by having class rules and a class motto. Rules are put in place so that students know how to behave, understand consequences and makes for an effective learning environment. A great way to work out what rules you want for the classroom is to involve the students in creating them. It gives them responsibility and enforces their knowledge of their own rules. Students should be asked what rules should be implemented and whether they will be effective or not for the class. A class motto or pledge should be created using the help of students. As Marzano (2005) states, ‘it creates a shared sense of responsibility for the classroom, respect for self and others, and an overall culture of learning. It also is a great way to reinforce students’ responsibility for the management of the classroom.’ (p.9).