Influences in the Teaching Environment
Influences in the Teaching Environment
Charity S. Hensley
Grand Canyon University: EDU-536
September 28, 2012
There are many conditions and behaviors that can be present in a classroom both negative and positive. These conditions and behaviors can have a profound effect on the learning process, teachers and students if not properly controlled. With so many theories available to pull from and different techniques it can be a challenge to create a style that works for you and your classroom. In this paper I will cover 10 of these conditions or behaviors and some of the options available for managing them. The most important condition/behavior in my mind is a teacher’s inability to meet student needs; this covers several negative behaviors and conditions. A big issue is students who are bored, they can react in a few ways, including talking during lessons and trying to bring other students into this disruptive behavior, as well as not completing homework. I was bad about this myself in school, especially if I wasn’t feeling challenged by the material. So how can we as teachers help to prevent student boredom and the negative behaviors that happen because of it? According to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) 2008 Practice Guide Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom, there are two techniques that have strong evidence of success. The first technique is to modify the classroom learning environment and the second is to teach and reinforce new skills (Epstein, 2008). Modifying the classroom learning environment involves evaluating the classroom setting, schedule and activities in comparison with what the students are capable of, what they prefer and their skill levels. By doing this a teacher can identify the causes of misbehavior and make changes to reduce the factors. For example if you notice that getting students to focus right after lunch is difficult because their energy levels are too high, you might adjust the
Charity S. Hensley
Grand Canyon University: EDU-536
September 28, 2012
There are many conditions and behaviors that can be present in a classroom both negative and positive. These conditions and behaviors can have a profound effect on the learning process, teachers and students if not properly controlled. With so many theories available to pull from and different techniques it can be a challenge to create a style that works for you and your classroom. In this paper I will cover 10 of these conditions or behaviors and some of the options available for managing them. The most important condition/behavior in my mind is a teacher’s inability to meet student needs; this covers several negative behaviors and conditions. A big issue is students who are bored, they can react in a few ways, including talking during lessons and trying to bring other students into this disruptive behavior, as well as not completing homework. I was bad about this myself in school, especially if I wasn’t feeling challenged by the material. So how can we as teachers help to prevent student boredom and the negative behaviors that happen because of it? According to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) 2008 Practice Guide Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom, there are two techniques that have strong evidence of success. The first technique is to modify the classroom learning environment and the second is to teach and reinforce new skills (Epstein, 2008). Modifying the classroom learning environment involves evaluating the classroom setting, schedule and activities in comparison with what the students are capable of, what they prefer and their skill levels. By doing this a teacher can identify the causes of misbehavior and make changes to reduce the factors. For example if you notice that getting students to focus right after lunch is difficult because their energy levels are too high, you might adjust the
Cited: Charles, C. (2008). Building Classroom Discipline. Boston: Pearson Education. Epstein, M. A. (2008). Reducing Behavior Problems in the Elementary School Classroom: A Practice Guide. Retrieved September 30, 2012, from National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/publications/practiceguides