Classroom Management

I’ve found the management of my classrooms at North Melbourne Primary to be very similar to the management of the classrooms I’ve been in in the US. My prep and year 1 classrooms each have about 20-25 students and one head teacher. In my early weeks, I noticed that not many of the teachers have consistent assistant teachers in the classroom, which is something I was used to seeing at my old elementary school in NY. Despite there only being one teacher, both classrooms function very well and utilize their set guidelines and expectations on a daily basis.

These sets of guidelines and expectations are depicted in posters and signs around the classroom, some of which the teachers have established themselves and some of which the students and teachers created together. This took place in my year 1 classroom, such that the students and teacher came up with a list of expectations for behaviors and actions that should and shouldn’t be displayed in the classroom. I’ve noticed this in classrooms back home, and I really like the concept because it shows the student’s that their opinions and feelings are valued, and overall creates an atmosphere that encourages collaboration. My Year 1 SP will often refer to this co-created list of expected behaviors when a student or the class is out of hand in order to manage the classroom behavior. In addition to these sets of guidelines, both teachers use a warning/disciplinary system by giving different warnings to specific student’s inappropriate behavior before actually punishing them. I’ve noticed that they typically start off with a verbal warning, proceed to writing a name on the board, markings next to their name (such as an ‘x’) for more moments of disruptive behavior, and finally a punishment, which usually involves missing playtime. Yet after the student(s) has/have been reprimanded, my SPs always talk to them just to explain why their behavior bothered the teacher, and ask them how they can improve their behavior in the future.

After reflecting on classroom management, I recognized the importance of communication between the students and teachers when managing the classroom. When it comes to establishing classroom rules and expectations, communication is key. I’ve seen both my SPs at North Melbourne actively communicate goals, expectations, feelings, and rules to their students and though the kids may not cooperate right away, they learn and know a little better the next time.