Classroom Management Part 2

I think we first need to define what exactly class misbehavior is. I am unfortunately one of those people who can sometimes get annoyed if anything gets out of line and I feel sometimes like I need to micromanage (which I will have to live with if I want to be a teacher). Anyway I guess I would consider any action, habit, or interaction that a student or students perform that could cause a severe hinderance to the teaching or learning process could be misbehavior.

I would to start by developing a certain level of respect between you and the students that will put your relationship as one of trust and mutual respect and act upon that relationship. Also, I would expect that high schoolers and to the most degree middle schoolers would have some understanding that they are responsible for their own behavior and actions. I could start out the beginning of the year by stating my specific expectations and what I will allow and not allow. In that way, if anything occurs, I can refer to the guidelines and say that whoever was misbehaving had warning before. If a student is doing things that are hindering the learning process, they need to be immediately addressed. However I wouldn't be smart to do it in front of all their peers. I would probably instead try to do it on a personal level and try to understand what is going on in his or her life that he or she would act in the way they did. In some cases, it may be that the whole class has some sort of behavior problem. It would not be smart just stand at the front at them and ask what the problem is. Instead I would try to find a way to adjust how I do things to make it easier for them. If things continue to be a problem with individual students, I would find a way to get him or her away from the group as a whole so it wouldn't hinder their ability to learn (send them into the hall or office, tell them to go do an errand for me, etc.).

Classroom Motivation

Classroom motivation is a very tricky subject. Some students have the tendency to not have the motivation at all. It may be that a lot of teachers or administrators have given up on them already, and their situation is just short of a self-fulfilling prophecy. It may also be that they're going through a difficult time in their lives or already have bad preconceived notions on the subject that you want to teach. Well, whatever the reason, I view the job of the teacher to be one that can adapt to the needs of both the class and the individual. I think that the most important way to get the students motivated in class is to make the matter that I'm teaching them relevant to their lives. For example, I could try to show them how learning to speak Spanish could help them find directions to a place that they want to go to in a city. I could use a very concrete example of directions to teach them how to learn a cultural dance. These would all be ways to keep them in high expectations but at the same time keep them in their ZPD. I think it's also important that I try to create a good image for myself in class. I want to be seen (and known) as someone that they can trust and turn to if they have problems understanding the material and not put down for saying "stupid things" (SLT). I think a big part of motivation is also nonverbal and verbal communication. A smile and an encouraging "Yes, you can do it" goes a very long way. I would also want to keep them very mentally engaged. I could do this giving them a lot of exposure to the Spanish language and culture in a way that they can appreciate. (DLT) If I give a lot of exposure to the language, the class should be able to remain in the room for the whole time in class (BLT). I could also try to assess their progress regularly to make inferences on their progress (CLT).