While watching the video “Effective Instruction and Management” by Dr. Rachel Turney, I was able to pick up some ideas that I would like to use in my future classroom. There are several behaviors that teachers can use in a classroom to support students. Some of the main ones that I will use is modeling and goals. Modeling wanted behaviors is great for students to see what is expected of them. Seeing the desired behaviors in front of them makes it easier for them to connect to. Another great tool for effective instruction and management is goal setting. When I was younger, I used to enjoy reaching a goal and beating it. Students can feel proud about accomplishing goals they have completed. Simple goals can be implemented into the classroom, even for classroom management. One idea that I like is to try to implement a token system where if students stay on-task for a day, they get a sticker. Once they get to a certain number of stickers, they will get a reward. The only problem is being able to measure these behaviors and I will have to figure that out in the future.
Effective teaching can be broken into 3 parts: instruction, environment, and relationships. Instruction can be direct and explicit. An interesting aspect that I don’t usually think about is the environment. The actual arrangement of the classroom and routines can be critical. There has to be consistency in the environment. Rules can’t fluctuate from student to student. It can’t be okay for Shane to be able to be on his phone but Sarah to be punished for it. Rules should stay the same throughout the entire school year, it’s easier on the teacher and the students.
Proximity is another great tool talked about in the video. One example of this that my high school teachers did a lot was moving around the classroom. If a student is off-task, instead of stopping class and confronting them, the teacher would just slowly start walking over towards the students vicinity and stand there and continue the lesson. It’s a great way to be able to continue the lesson but also send a message to the student to fix the behavior.
For engagement, one of the best ways to keep students’ attention is to keep them interested and engaged. A great way to keep them engaged is asking questions. Getting students to interact and talk about the curriculum can help keep them on-task and increase learning. Other engagements can include group activities, having students go up to the board and solve a problem and other various ways.
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