"Classroom management is the most important factor governing student learning." (Wong, p80). During my student teaching, I have learned many classroom management techniques that lead students to focus on their learning. One strategy is cooperative learning. It is a good way to help students who are unmotivated or even disruptive. During the class, students were seated in groups, so they could share their studies and help each other. The unmotivated students often got their group members' reminders for their tasks, and the disruptive behaviors of students got reminded too. Another strategy is for the students who didn't do their homework. They were required to sit in special tables separated from other students. Not only did this allow the students to work on their homework while the rest of class were doing homework correction and discussion, it also alerted the students to correct their inappropriate behaviors next time. The third strategy was used during instructions. My master teacher was able to involved as many students to follow her instruction as possible. She always asked questions for individual students to answer, especially for those who were distracted or did other things, so the students were reminded to focus on their learning stuff. The forth strategy is encouraging students' good behaviors and create a positive learning environment. If all students in a group finished their homework or got full points for their quizzes, then all students would receive their awards for lollipops and be allowed to eat during the class. Therefore, effective teachers use various strategies to create well-managed classroom so that "1. Students are deeply involved with their work, especially with academic, teacher-let instruction. 2. Students know what is expected of them and are generally successful. 3. There is relatively little wasted time, confusion, or disruption. 4. The climate of the classroom is work-oriented but relaxed and pleasant." (Wong, p85).
Reference:
Wong, H.K., (1998). The first day of school: How to be an effective teacher
Hi Hong,
ReplyDeleteI was interested in your blog, especially the part at the end with the four recommendations for having a successful classroom. I thought about finding strategies for each of those points.
1. Students are deeply involved with their work, especially with academic, teacher-let instruction (Wong, p85). Specifically, teachers can be very good at keeping the students busy with the lecture. They could actively participate with hand motions, or body movement or even helping with teaching the lesson. The point is that they need to be active.
2. Students know what is expected of them and are generally successful (Wong, p85). In this case, I think that teachers need to practice giving clear instructions to students.
3. There is relatively little wasted time, confusion, or disruption (Wong, p85). One idea is to establish a routine with the students where they know that when they come into the classroom they have work to do right away.
4. The climate of the classroom is work-oriented but relaxed and pleasant." (Wong, p85). I think this takes a little practice, but the teacher can develop a habit of looking at the positive aspects of the classroom and how the students progress and focus on that. Pointing out all the disruptions just seems to encourage more disruption.
Karina Larsen
Resources:
Wong, H., & Wong, R. (2009). The first days of school: how to be an effective teacher. (4th ed.). Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications.
HI Hong,
ReplyDeleteOne thing in your post that really stood out for me was questioning I agree that this is a valuable technique that skilled teachers use to engage all learners. Often times I see new teachers ask questions that are close-ended and do not elicit any response or feedback. For example I was observing a teacher who often said "Does anyone have any questions" students said no but when it was time to do their work they were confused and needed assistance. Rather I encouraged her to ask questions related to the task to check for understanding and keep students engaged throughout her direct instruction. Questions should be embedded throughout the lesson. I encourage new teachers to think about the type of "open-ended" questions they might ask to get students engage and informally assess learning.