Natalie Cassai

a1609579

2569 words

Student Teacher Interaction EDUC 4502/6502

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Promoting a Positive Learning Environment

Natalie Cassai

a1609579

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Preventative Actions

2.1 Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory

2.2 Gardener’s Multiple Intelligence Theory

2.3 Jacob Kounin’s Approach

3. Supportive Actions

3.1 Skinner’s Theory

3.2 Jones’s ‘Positive Discipline’ Approach

3.3 Kounin’s ‘Ripple Effect’

4. Corrective Actions

4.1 Levin and Nolan’s Hierarchy of Management Strategies

4.2 Glasser’s Triplets

4.3 Canter’s Broken Record Theory

4.4 Logical Consequences: The Choice Theory

5. Conclusions

6. References

1. Introduction

In the past 30 years our understanding of how people learn has changed dramatically (Killen, 2006) and there have been significant changes in the way teachers attempt to influence student behaviour. ‘Teachers have begun to relinquish authoritarian dominance in favour of humane approaches that emphasize student involvement, collaboration, and responsibility (Charles, 2002), as a way of forming positive learning environments.

Learning environments go beyond its physical space, also including ‘the interactions and relationships between and among students and teachers, as well as the shared expectations and norms for learning and behaviour’ (Killen, 2006). By creating a positive learning environment students are therefore motivated as conditions are created where learners can achieve to their full potential.

Appropriate student behaviour is maintained through teaching strategies, however with no teaching strategy effective all the time for all learners (Killen, 2006), it is paramount teachers are incorporating a range of strategies in ensuring students are not only misbehaving, but are also engaged in the lesson.

With three groups of intervention teachers use in discipline, this handbook will therefore explore each of these three interventions, more commonly referred to as preventative discipline, supportive discipline, and corrective discipline.

2. Preventative Discipline

“You can prevent most misbehaviour if you treat students sensitively, provide an interesting curriculum, and use a helpful teaching style.” (Charles, 2002)

Preventative discipline ‘aims to find means of misbehaviour before it happens and to lessen the need for use of more intrusive management techniques (Levin & Nolan, 2003). It focuses on incorporating a range of teaching strategies into lessons, creating a positive learning environment for all students across different learning capabilities, along with ensuring students are constantly engaged and occupied.

According to Charles (2002), preventative discipline is also based around ‘being mindful of students needs for security, hope, acceptance, dignity, power, enjoyment, and competence.’ This belief can be directly related to Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ Theory.

2.1 Maslow’s ‘Hierarchy of Needs’ Theory

Maslow highlights the importance of ensuring students are meeting their basic, psychological, and self-full fillment needs in order to maintain motivation in the classroom and have a positive attitude. These needs include achieving full potential, being involved in creative activities, maintaining a high self-esteem, and feeling a sense of love and belonging.

http://figur8.net/baby/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Maslow-hierarchy.jp

Key strategies used by teachers when implementing preventative discipline which relate back to Maslow’s Theory include:

· Having good personal relations

· Ensuring classroom activities are interesting and engaging

· Providing a safe and harmonious classroom environment

· Providing a choice in activities

· Being pleasant and considerate

An example of how meeting student needs is incorporated into the lesson sequence can be seen during the video ‘Praise and Preparation’ with teacher Amy Alexander. Amy meets her student’s needs by having excellent personal relations with her students – greeting them from the corridor and maintaining an enthusiastic and pleasant attitude to teaching. Amy also formulates a reward system as a way of motivating students and meeting their needs for increasing self-esteem.

No student is ever the same however, and along with the diverse needs of each student there will also be an array of learning capabilities and intelligences spread amongst every classroom. It is therefore also paramount teachers are aware of the diverse learning capabilities in further promoting a positive learning environment. This notion is highlighted through Howard Gardener’s multiple intelligence theory.

2.2 Gardener’s Multiple Intelligence Theory

Gardeners Multiple Intelligence theory proposes that intelligence is differentiated into specific modalities, rather than dominated by a ‘general’ ability. Teachers must ensure they are incorporating each of Gardener’s 9 intelligences into their curriculum, understanding how each of their students think and learn when designing lesson plans.

If all students in the classroom are able to excel their learning through activities developed by the teacher to meet their specific learning capabilities and type of intelligence, this will lead to an increase in self-confidence, resulting in a more positive learning environment.

This theory is illustrated through the Video ‘A lesson from the best’ with teacher Phil Beadle. ‘Argument Tennis’ is good for auditory and kinaesthetic learners, and is a fast-paced and fun lesson maintaining student engagement

Along with meeting individual student needs and understand the diverse learning capabilities and intelligences within the classroom, good classroom behaviour is also extremely dependent on the way the classroom itself is managed by the teacher. This theory is the central focus based around Kounin’s approach to promoting a positive learning environment.

2.3 Kounin’s Approach

Kounin’s key concepts in maintaining effective management are reflected in his ‘preventative measures’ where he highlights the importance of teacher applying such strategies in the classroom-

· ‘Withitness’, where teachers should be aware of what is going on in all areas of the classroom at all times.

· Overlapping, having the ability to attend to two or more matters at once

· Group focus, being able to keep students attentive and actively involved in learning tasks

· Momentum, by starting activities promptly, keeping their pace energetic and closing them decisively.

· Movement management, maintaining student interest and attention by avoiding jerkiness through interruptions and managing smooth transitions between tasks.

(McInerney & McInerney, 2002)

An example which highlights the importance of ‘with-it-ness’ can be seen in the video ‘Girl Talk’ with teacher Nicola Lamb. Due to her lack of awareness of what is going on in all areas of the classroom, only focusing on the same group sitting at the back of the class, the other students begin feeling neglected therefore misbehave as a way of trying to get their teacher’s attention. Her inability to ‘overlap’ and attain ‘with-it-ness’ along with a lack of ‘momentum’ is concerning as she is not meeting all her student’s needs.

Supportive Discipline

“Despite your best efforts, students will at times become restive, and can easily slip into misbehaviour. This is the time for you to use supportive techniques, which are pleasant yet effective in keeping students engaged in their work.” (Charles, 2002)

Supportive actions are used in ensuring students are able to re-focus and re-engage with the lesson to avoid in having to resort to corrective actions. They require a fast and effective response to students if they become agitated and restive, and begin to via off task.

3.1 Skinner’s Theory

One of the key strategies used as a supportive action is positive consequence for behaviour, more commonly referred to as positive reinforcement in Skinner’s Model. Skinner believed that behaviour is shaped by its consequences: it strengthens with positive reinforcement and weakens with punishment. Positive reinforcement occurs "when the consequences of the behaviour, when added to a situation after a response, increase the probability of the response's occurring again in similar conditions.” (Lefrancois, 2006)

Key strategies which should be implemented within the classroom in practicing this approach include

· Showing interest in student work

· Positive consequence for behaviour

· Consumables such as food and Manipulatables such as toys

· Social stimuli such as praise

Praise has been advocated as an extremely important form of reinforcement as it can help build students’ self-esteem, provide encouragement, and help build a closer relationship between the teacher and the student. (Brophy, 1981)

This is reflected through the video ‘Praise and Preparation’ by teacher Amy Alexander. Praise is expressed verbally through positive feedback for correct answers and continuous encouragement, along with non-verbally through the use of her merit system (send postcard home), whole-class applauding for correct answers, and through her use of body language in smiling and nodding at students when engaging in the lesson.

3.2 Jones’s ‘positive discipline’ approach

Through extensive observation of classroom teachers and student behaviour, Fredrick Jones bases his approach around the importance of body language, maintaining that ‘teachers can effectively prevent misbehaviour or reduce it significantly before it develops, by the use of

· Body postures and gestures

· Movement around the classroom

· Teacher ‘presence’ in the form of bodily carriage

· Facial expressions

· Eye contact.’

(McInerney & McInerney, 2002)

Jones stresses the importance of never disrupting the flow of a lesson to discipline misbehaviours students, but should instead position their body closer to the students or pause momentarily looking directly into the student’s eyes.

Key strategies in managing behaviour through body language therefore include

· Facial expressions such as frowning, winking, or giving an icy glare

· Gestures such as head shaking or nodding to show approval or disapproval

· Bodily proximity, moving closer to the misbehaved student standing there momentarily

Students crave attention, one of the main reasons influencing a student to misbehave. As seen above where Jones suggests to only ‘subtly’ give misbehaving students attention to steer them back on track avoiding class disruption, it can also be suggested to take this approach one step further.

3.3 Kounin’s ‘Ripple Effect’

Kounin’s ‘Ripple Effect’ suggests that by ignoring any misbehaviours students, and instead giving the attention to students who are on task and behaving appropriately through verbal and non-verbal strategies such as praise, will eventually ‘ripple out’ to off-task students as they too will want to receive praise from their teacher.

Key strategies in implementing Kounin’s approach into the classroom include

· Tactical ignoring

· Acknowledging good behaviour

· Providing feedback

An example of this can be seen in the video ‘Attention Seekers’ with teacher Jane Wright. It is seen the moment she begins to tactically ignore the students who are misbehaving and focus instead on the students on task by praising them, the students who were originally misbehaving begin to pay attention to the task putting up their hand to answer questions so they too can receive praise from their teacher.

3. Corrective Discipline

“We have to accept that while good discipline systems can prevent most misbehaviour, your students will never the less break rules at times and you must deal with the transgressions. If you approach misbehaving students in a sensitive manner, you can help them return to their proper behaviour with no ill feelings.” (Charles, 2002)

Corrective actions are therefore used when mild interventions did not assist in resolving the issue. Although not as ‘soft’ as preventative and supportive actions, corrective discipline still needs to be approached sensitively, ensuring teachers remain calm using appropriate assertions and student do not feel intimidated, as if not used wisely can damage the relationship between the teacher and the student. Corrective discipline should therefore

· Stop disruptive misbehaviour. It is usually best not to ignore it.

· Talk with the offending student or invoke a consequence appropriate to the misbehaviour in accordance with class rules.

· Remain calm and speak in a matter-of-fact manner.

· Follow through consistently on promised consequences.

· Redirect misbehaviour in positive directions.

· If necessary, talk with students privately about misbehaviour. Ask how you can help.

· Be ready to invoke an insubordination rule for students who refuse to stop misbehaving

(Charles, 1999)

4.1 Levin and Nolan’s Hierarchy of Management Strategies

Levin and Nolan (2005) developed a hierarchy of management strategies that ‘teachers can use to guide their thinking and decision making concerning interventions to copy with classroom misbehaviour’ (Levin & Nolan, 2005). Making reference to this table, assuming none of the ‘Level 1’ strategies seen above were successful in making the student comply with the rules, the teacher would move down the hierarchy taking a more confrontational approach. These corrective strategies are referred to as Level 2 Verbal Interventions, and must be used wisely by the teacher as they have the ability to damage the relationship they have with their students.

‘Corrective’ strategies which can be used include verbal strategies such as:

· Name dropping

· Using humour

· Reminder of the rules

· Explicit redirection

· Direct appeals

· Hints

· Remain calm and speak in a matter-of-fact manner

Non-verbal strategies include:

· Seating isolation

· Detention or yard duty

· The removal of the student into a different environment

· Sending the student to the co-ordinator or school principal

4.2 Glasser’s Triplets

Glasser’s approach, another form of a second level verbal intervention in Levin and Nolan’s hierarchy, is a formulaic and concise way of enabling students to really think about what they are doing and how their behaviour is affecting the rest of the class. It alerts students to behave appropriately by asking them a series of questions they must answer

1. What are you doing?

2. Is that against the rules?

3. What should you be doing?(Levin & Nolan, 2005)

4.3 Canter’s Broken Record

Canter’s broken record (Canter & Canter, 1992) is another form of a verbal strategy where a teacher will continue to repeat a demand for an appropriate behaviour. When implementing this strategy it is important teachers are aware that

· They should maintain eye contact with the student

· Gestures and a suitable tone of voice are helpful

· This technique cannot go on forever – often said 3 repetitions is enough

· If students do not comply, the teacher should know what logical consequence will follow

(Ming-Tak Hue & Wai-Shing Li, 2008)

A video which highlight Canters theory is ‘Manage that class’ with teacher Jenny Campbell. She utilizes Canters broken record by repeatedly stating instructions “pens down, looking this way” until students do what they have been asked.

As we move through each of these verbal interventions, for students who have still not been able to comply with the rules, it is probably time to move to a stronger measure, such as the application of logical consequence, seen in Levin and Nolan’s (2005) third level and most teacher centred and confrontational form of intervention.

4.4 Logical consequences: ‘The choice theory’

The choice theory, is therefore the final tier that should be used on most occasions when all else has failed (Levin & Nolan 2005). Logical consequences allow student to regulate their behaviour and see the logical link between action and behaviour, therefore it is important the consequence has been thought about and is in fact ‘logical’. If logical consequences are clear enough they ‘can often prevent misbehaviour from occurring or escalating’ (Cowley, 2006).

4. Conclusion

‘It has since been realised that in order to most effectively deal with problem behaviours, children need to be taught how to act and the appropriate way to act, rather than simply conforming and pointing out they are behaving badly and punishing them for doing so’ (Kohn, 1996).

This handbook has outlined a number of teaching strategies and behavioural techniques in maintaining a positive learning environment. It is important to understand however that no student will ever be the same. Each will have different needs, different learning abilities and different personalities, therefore there will be no single strategy that works for all.

Each of these theories and strategies come with positives and negatives, where some will work perfectly in one situation, but not in the other. It is our jobs are teachers to be continuously incorporating an array of these strategies into each lesson, along with attaining the ability to know and understand under what circumstance to implement the specifics. These are the fundamentals in not only promoting a positive learning environment, but in maintaining a positive relationship with every student.

5. References

Atkins, M.S., McKay, M.M., Frazier, S.L., Jakobsons, L.J., Arvanitis, P., Cunningham, T., Brown, C., & Lambrecht, L. (2002). Suspensions and detentions in an urban, low-income school: punishment or reward? Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 1-16.

Brophy, J. (1981). Teacher praise: A functional analysis. Review of Educational Research, 51, 5-32.

C.M. Charles, Building Classroom Discipline, Sixth Edition. © 1999 Allyn & Bacon.

Charles, CM 2002, Building Classroom Discipline 7th Edition, Pearson Education, New Jersey

Cowley, Sue (2006). ‘Getting the buggers to behave’ 4th edition, Continuum Books. London

Killen, R 2006, ‘Foundations for quality teaching and learning’, Effective Teaching Strategies: Lessons from Research and Practice, Thomson, 4th Edn, pp. 1-44.

Kohn, A. (1996). Beyond discipline. Editorial Projects in Education. Retrieved January 17, 2009, from http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/edweek/bd.htm.

Lefrancois, G.R. (2006). Theories of human learning: What the old woman said. Alberta, Canada: Thomson Wadsworth.

Levin, J & Nolan, JF 2005, ‘Managing common misbehaviours’, What Every Teacher Should Know About Classroom Management, Pearson Education, pp. 29-72.

Maag, J.W. (1999). Behavior management: From theoretical implications to practical applications. San Diego: Singular.

McInenery, DM, & McInerney, V 2002, ‘Classroom management and cooperative group work for effective learning’, Educational Psychology: Constructing Learning, Pearson, pp. 243-274.

Ming-tak Hue, Wai-shing Li, 2008. ‘Classroom Management: Creating a Positive Learning Environment’ Hong Kong Teacher Education. HKU Press

SchoolsWorld 2012, ‘Attention Seekers’ Teaching with Bayley, .

SchoolsWorld 2013, ‘Praise and Preparation’ Teaching with Bayley, .

SchoolsWorld 2012, ‘A Lesson From the Best’, Inspirations,

.

SchoolsWorld 2013, ‘Girl Talk’ Teaching with Bayley,

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