Without a doubt, creating a classroom environment that promotes positive behavior is one of the most important goals as a classroom teacher, yet it can be one of the hardest things to accomplish. However, there are several strategies, based on research that teachers and students alike can use to create a positive learning environment.
One of the biggest things a teacher can do to help promote positive behavior is to help develop students’ self esteem by “listening to them and showing them that you value their ideas, opinions, interests, and skills by involving them in the decision-making process and given them choices.” Also, by acknowledging and praising students for specific behavior can also booster their self-esteem.
The use of frequent classroom meetings can also be beneficial in promoting positive behavior because it provides a safe environment for students to share their opinions and concerns and problem solve as a class how to solve them. I have found this to be very beneficial in the student teaching placement, especially when students are given a chance to talk through their feelings about certain situations and role play.
To help monitor behavior, constantly moving around the classroom as you teach can be helpful as well as using cues to prompt immediate group or individual responses like raising your hand when you need students’ attention.
Allowing students to have a say in developing class rules from the beginning as well as the consequences for violating them can also be a beneficial tool in encouraging and motivating students to follow the rules because they helped create them.
When a student is struggling with behavior, the first beneficial thing the teacher can do is observe the child, recording when the behavior occurs, the number of times the behavior occurs in a given amount of time (event recording), and how long the behavior lasts (duration recording). Through these informal observations the teacher can learn a lot about what causes the behavior and what changes might be made immediately to help prevent the behavior and a behavioral intervention plan can be implemented. Students can also be required to monitor their behavior throughout the day.
I really liked the idea of having classroom meetings! I haven’t seen one in my classroom, but I think you have and I would like to know how you think that went? I’m sure there were some students that did really well in it and were able to express their feelings very openly and freely, but I think that might shy away from sharing their opinions??
At the beginning of the year, we made our “class rules” like most classrooms do and the students came up with how they thought the classroom should work throughout the year and every time a student or a group of students are breaking the rules, my teacher always asks if they are breaking the class rules and then she asks them why THEY made that rule for the classroom and why THEY thought it was important enough to put on the list of class rules and I really like that.
With recording the students behavior, I always thought that you could just jot down a note and then come back to it but its SUPER important to date it and to take the time to really write down something detailed that you can come back to and really know when and what you were writing about. I see that in SST meetings where the teachers that bring their students have all of these facts and the members of the committee are constantly asking “when did this happen” and the teachers can always refer to an exact date and it makes the conversation much more meaningful and the committee members can provide the teachers with a lot more specific strategies for their students!!
By: Anna T on February 14, 2010
at 7:40 pm
I agree that giving students choices and allowing them input into the classroom rules and environment are both key elements in having good behavior in classrooms. I think that allowing students choices can turn a situation where they may simply refuse to do what you ask into one where they see it as an opportunity to have some say in how they respond.
I think that having input into the classroom rules allows students to feel more a part of the class, and thus, more of a responsibility to uphold the expectations that will allow it to operate as it should. I think that responsibility and respect are things that all people need in order to feel that they are a part of something, and I think that feeling you are a part of something makes you want to do what you can to keep it something positive and something worthy of respect.
By: michellepaisley on February 15, 2010
at 12:19 am