Education Psychology

Classroom management is the most important skill for any new teacher to acquire and it is a constant challenge as a new teacher tries to master the art of teaching. This is supported by Sokal et al. (2003) classroom management seems to be a high priority for novice and experienced teachers. The purpose of this essay will be to assess the importance of classroom management and how it affects the factors that influence learning, relationships and communication in a classroom.
But how does classroom management affect learning? A comprehensive literature review carried out by Wang et al. (1993) which involved an extensive review of the research, found that classroom management was by far the most important attribute of student achievement. This makes sense as learning cannot take place in a poorly managed classroom, so establishing an effective classroom management and being able to deal with disruptions and misbehaviour is very important, both for teacher and student. This is supported by Kyriacou (1993) who stated that “being able to deal with misbehaviour is extremely important to setting up and sustaining effective learning experiences ". Kyriacou, (1998) also states that maintaining discipline, and therefore classroom management is necessary for learning to be effective. Kyriacou (1997) believes that “the most common trigger for student misbehaviour seems to be encountering learning difficulties which threaten the student’s self-esteem”. Therefore managing a class in such a way that caters for all levels of ability is one possible way to offset this. This is also supported by Bedwell et al. (1991) who stated that effective teachers need to be organized around a variety of grouping structures within the classroom. This is required in order to accommodate the learners' styles and abilities and also that, lessons are tailored to the learning needs of students. Research has shown discipline problems will be reduced if students find school enjoyable and interesting. Research carried out in Wilson Elementary School in North Carolina found that when teachers changed their instructional practices to accommodate a variety of learning styles, discipline problems decreased dramatically. Therefore teachers need to attend to the needs of learner in terms of individual student learning styles in order to manage a classroom effectively. Three main learning styles have been identified and they include: Auditory, Visual and Kinaesthetic. A classroom should be managed in such a way that all learning styles are incorporated into every lesson that a teacher executes. In simple terms auditory learners learn through hearing/talking, visual learners learn through seeing/reading and kinaesthetic learners learn through doing/moving (Hawk and Shah, 2007). Myers et al. (1998) found that if teachers did nothing to alter their teaching to cater for learning preferences of their students it was considered “default” tendencies of the teacher and consequently are ineffective teachers. Vygotsky (1965) argues that one way to help a pupil who is having difficulties is to direct their attention to the key features of the task and prompt them in ways that will facilitate their understanding. This type of intervention is commonly referred to as Scaffolding a metaphor for a technique identified by Vygotsky, relating to teacher support. There are many other such interventions which can be used when teachers are presented with learning difficulties. These include peer support, group work, teacher checking work, spoof assessments, increasing student participation, effective questioning techniques such as probing. Lower ability students need to learn for understanding, therefore need to understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. Using active learning methodologies such as group work and discussion, mind maps, think-pair-share, role play and group projects, are all well recognised strategies for enhancing classroom management as well as the learning outcomes. This is also highlighted by Vygotsky (1965) who stated that “What children can do together today they can do alone tomorrow.” Sylvester (1998) highlighted that a classroom which students consider threatening or unsafe may lead to impaired cognition and the fear associated with the stress may result in the physical deterioration of memory systems. This is important because memory is a crucial aspect of learning transfer. Episodic memory development can be promoted in the classroom by varying stimuli and class characteristics (Tulving, 1984). It is important that students are able to distinguish one class from another, and this can be achieved by using visual posters, pictures and animations, playing music or activating strong emotions within the students. It has been well established within education psychology that it is important to vary teaching methodologies to maintain student’s motivation and interest which are both key aspects of classroom management techniques. To this end effective classroom management will also incorporate multiple variations of ICT into lessons. Bransford (1999) stated that the use of technology has been associated with an enhanced learning experience.

Communication is another critical factor to be considered when reviewing the effectiveness of classroom management. What is effective communication? Communication can be generally classified and verbal and non verbal communication. Tubbs and Moss (2006), state that “communication is effective when the stimulus as initiated and intended by the sender, or source, corresponds closely to the stimulus as it is perceived and responded to by the receiver”. However Richmond and McCroskey (1995) conducted research which showed that a teachers non verbal behaviour was a more effective communication at improving student teacher relationship than verbal. Richmond and McCroskey defined non-verbal communication as “ the process of one person stimulating meaning in the mind of another person or persons by means of non-verbal messages”. However non-verbal communication is complex as it relates to both behaviour and communication, intentional or unintentional and therefore it is something which teachers need to be acutely conscious of (Hickson & Stacks, 1993). This fact reinforces the importance of what Miller (1988) considers the two basic reasons why teachers need to be aware of their non-verbal behaviours in the classroom: (1) to become more proficient at receiving students' messages and (2) to acquire the ability to send accurate messages. Miller (1988) also offers a caveat to teachers in respect of this, and states that when teachers give verbal messages that conflict with non-verbal messages, students become confused, and this confusion may affect their learning and attitudes which may negatively impact on classroom management. Wolkgang (1995) discovered that good teachers had several communication characteristics in common all of which would impact on classroom management. The characteristics included: enthusiastic in teaching their lesson; gestured for emphasis; smiled frequently; showed varied facial expressions; attentive to students' comments by keeping eye contact and head nodding; showed variation and clarity in their voice, their non verbal movements were in concert with the verbal and easily decidable; they used humour in the class. Teachers who can communicate complex material in a clear and simple manner can positively affect classroom management. For example, Prozesky (2000) concludes that an effective teacher can take something that is complex and present it in a way that can be easily absorbed by the students through different verbal and non-verbal communications. Furthermore a teacher that can convey passion and enthusiasm for learning can create an infectious classroom environment where learning turns into a pleasure (Wolk 2001, Gurney, 2007). Another important aspect of classroom management is the ability of a teacher to communicate behaviour expectations. Dickenson (2003) stated that almost all classroom behaviour is learned and that students must clearly understand what is expected of them. However it is also important to communicate academic expectations. This was highlighted by Graham et al. (2001) who stated that this could be achieved through challenging tasks, case-base approach involving real world problems, sample cases, and praise. Questioning is another crucial aspect of verbal communication and has been associated with positive classroom management techniques and more effective learning outcomes. Effective questioning techniques which promote high order questioning have been a fundamental aspect of classroom management. Cotton (2001) identified four techniques that made questioning effective which included; wait time; high order questioning, probing & redirection; positive reinforcement.