CPP2

__**UNDERSTANDING INDIVIDUAL LEARNERS**__

Over the weeks of my practical experience, I have discovered that one that one of the biggest influences on classroom behaviour and my classroom management is taking the time to understand students as individual learners. I have tried to make time for individual work during each lesson, to give me a chance to move among the students, answering any individual queries, and getting to look over their work regularly. Increasing my one on one face time with these students has also allowed me to build a relationship with each of them. As all teachers know, knowing the names of all your students is invaluable in classroom management, and having a mutual respect is of equal importance in behaviour management.

Over a series of lessons throughout a week, I discovered that my Year 10 level 2 class would often tune me out when they didn't understand something. Rather than asking for clarification or explanation they would begin talking to their friends, or generally attempting to disrupt the class. It was only once I walked around and spoke to individual students did I realise where they were struggling. After a week of regularly going around the classroom, adressing them all and figuring out any concerns or questions they may have, I found the class was becoming more responsive to myself as a teacher.



Previously, the Year 10 level 2 class would refuse to even attempt tasks I asked them, but I noticed that the more I attempted to guide them and support them, the more they came forward themselves with any questions. It had a knock on effect where they were also more focused at times when I was using chalk and talk techniques, as they knew I would soon be coming around the room to see how their work was going.

1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students 1.2 Understand how students learn 1.5 Differentiate teaching to meet the specific learning needs of students across the full range of abilities 3.3 Use teaching strategies 3.5 Evaluate and improve teaching programs 4.2 Manage classroom activities 5.1 Assess student learning
 * AITSL standards**

__**BEHAVIOUR MANAGEMENT BEGINS BEFORE YOU WALK IN THE CLASSROOM**__

Two classroom management techniques I have only recently begun to utilise to great effect with my Year 7 class are 'the huddle' and 'the do now'. 'The huddle' is something that is encouraged across the early years of the high school and involves greeting all the students at the door, getting them to huddle around you, and then explaining your expectations for the lesson before they enter the classroom. 'The do now' was an activity I saw utilised to great effect during my observations. It is a five minute task already set out on the board that is to be completed individually, with no need for discussion or clarification. Previously I found behaviour management problems at the start of class with my Year 7's:


 * They would often take quite a while to enter the classroom and there were always stragglers.
 * The students would be out of their seats longer, visiting others around the classroom.
 * The students were quite loud and it took quite a while to calm them down to begin the lesson.



However, after a couple of lessons using these two techniques I noticed a drastic change in beginning of lesson behaviours. They were entering the room quickly and quietly, and beginning work on their 'do now'. This gave me time to do things like mark the roll and take note of absences, without wasting any of the lesson time. The lesson beginning with quiet and focus also set up a quiet and focused classroom for the rest of the lesson. I felt confident with implementing these techniques because they were relatively simple and small, and because of their generality, I plan on implementing them across different classrooms and year levels.

4.2 Manage classroom acitivities 4.3 Manage challenging behaviour
 * AITSL standards**


 * __CLASSROOM SET UP MATTERS__**

My mentor and I had been discussing the importance of seating arrangements and classroom set ups to behaviour management, something I had overlooked in my studies and observation period. I had never spent much time considering seating arrangements, however, it was quite serendipitous that as this conversation was fresh in my mind, I took a year 7 class that showed how important classroom set up is to behaviour management.

The classroom is set up as a with a U shape of desks around around the with desks in the centre, and for the first time this term, two boys who are normally quite well behaved were sitting opposite each other in the U shape. They were both completely disruptive to the class, and were not responding to the techniques of behaviour management they had responded to before. It was clear that their behaviour was based on the fact that they were making easy eye contact with each other, and their bodies were not positioned to be facing the front of the classroom, and thus myself, while I was speaking. Their level of disruption was so high that I asked them to step out of the room. When I asked them to return I moved them to different seats where they were unable to make easy eye contact with each other. This small change in seating resulted in both students being quieter and more focused, with less calling out and attempts at distraction. This affected the tone of the classroom and allowed the other students to focus on their lesson without disruption. I realised that I should always be planning time to set up the classroom to have my students at their most productive, even if that means rearranging desks in the minute before I greet my students at the door.

1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students 4.2 Manage classroom activities 4.3 Manage challenging behaviour
 * AITSL standards**