Personal Philosophy of Education

Personal philosophy of education

Classroom management is a topic that all teachers need to address. Over the years I have seen so many teachers treat their students with disrespect. This is ends up resulting in poor classroom management and the students usually end up controlling the learning environment. My thoughts on teaching stem from having been in such a classroom, I think that through positive reinforcements and respect that students will have more respect for the teacher and be willing to learn. My idea of classroom management stems from Barbara Coloroso’s ideas of children and her 3 r’s model, restitution, resolution and reconciliation. The steps she outlines are ones I have used before and they have worked time after time, I also see myself as more of a back bone teacher. Coloroso states that “When teachers use the four steps, discipline deals with the reality of the situation rather than the power and control of the adult.” Teachers need to have many skills when implementing classroom management and most important sticking to what you say.
When it comes to classroom management there are many key components that an educator should include. Some of these skills include rules, planning, allocated time, clear communication, routines and procedures to name a few. “Namely, an organized, consistent classroom setting, in which assignments and expectations are clear at the beginning of the school year, provides greater opportunities for literacy learning and success for all students.” (Cameron, Connor, Morrison & Jewkes, 2006, p.191) These authors clearly state that it is important to start with an organized classroom as it benefits learning greatly in the end. Having had a few teachers whom never seemed to be organized I realize its importance. One of my junior high teachers quite often would get to the classroom with barely any time left before the bell rang therefore she had no preparation time to get equipment ready or to get materials ready for the lesson, this wasted a lot of our academic learning time. As a future educator I think it is one of the most important components of being an effective teacher. I think that classroom management starts with taking control of the classroom on the first day therefore the students know who is in charge. I believe this will be a tough thing to do when I first start teaching, but that it is a component that will need to be addressed the very first day of class as it sets the pace of the school year. Implementing routines and procedures are other key elements to management as students will know what to expect on a daily basis. As Kail and Barnfield (2009) indicate that “some of the essential ingredients include parents who are involved, teachers who care deeply about their students’ learning and manage classrooms well.”(p.541) With these in place at the beginning of the school year it will help prevent misbehaviours as students and parents will know what is expected of them. One of my strengths is my ability for organization and communication which will be vital to my classroom management. Consequences are a central support towards a fulfilled and rewarding learning environment. That is why I would like to retain the idea of natural or logical consequences. These consequences would be implemented at the start of the school year as we would be making our classroom rules, that way students would know what to expect when they fail to follow the rules. I think this a much better approach to controlling behaviour in most cases then other forms of punishment. When it comes to logical consequences it is a strategy that teachers implement, it is a form of punishment but takes place in a logical sequence. If a student copied another student’s work the teacher could make the student either repeat their work this would be considered logical consequence. Another way could be to just let them face the consequences that stem from this behaviour known as natural consequences which could result in the student receiving a fail on the assignment. Punishing a child in my opinion should not be a resort unless absolutely necessary because the child will retaliate. “Research has indicated consistently that painful punishment suppresses undesirable behaviour for short periods of time without effecting lasting behavioural change.” (Clarizio, 1980; Curwin and Mendler, 1999 as cited in Principles of classroom management, 2007, p.151). In my opinion it is a much better strategy to have the natural and logical consequences. In my elementary school years there were times where teachers implemented consequences that had nothing to do with the behaviour which usually resulted in the student repeating that misbehaviour. Being more of a back bone teacher I want my students to all have a chance to succeed and I stand by Coloroso (1994) when she states “through positive classrooms, support as needed and structure necessary for students to find their uniqueness.…” (p.107) According to the Coloroso’s three R’s discipline is initiated more by the student and allowing them to make decisions on their own. My philosophy for discipline ever since I started babysitting has resorted to means of the three R’s. I think that students will have a better understanding of their misbehaviours if they are the ones repairing the damage that was imposed by them. Having the chance to think about my philosophy of classroom management I realize that I have always had the same ideas as for discipline and management as Barbara Coloroso. It is interesting to see that even as a teenager babysitting I was following a management philosophy when it came to discipline without even realizing it. I think that students will be more apt to follow rules if they are included in making them and in resolving a conflict, therefore I stand by Coloroso and her three R’s. References
Cameron, C. E., Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., & Jewkes, A. M. (2008). Effects of classroom organization on letter-word reading in first grade. Journal of School Psychology, 46(2), 173–192. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.macewan.ca/10.1016/j.jsp.2007.03.002
Kail, R., Barnfield, A., (2009) Children and their development (CDN ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Canada Inc.
Levin, J., Nolan, J. F., Kerr, J. W., Elliott, A. E. (2012). Principles of classroom management: A professional decision-making model (3rd CDN ed.). Pearson Education Canada Inc.: Toronto, ON.
Manning, M. L. & Bucher, K. T. (2013). Classroom management: Models, applications and cases. (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.

References: Cameron, C. E., Connor, C. M., Morrison, F. J., & Jewkes, A. M. (2008). Effects of classroom organization on letter-word reading in first grade. Journal of School Psychology, 46(2), 173–192. http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.macewan.ca/10.1016/j.jsp.2007.03.002 Kail, R., Barnfield, A., (2009) Children and their development (CDN ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Canada Inc. Levin, J., Nolan, J. F., Kerr, J. W., Elliott, A. E. (2012). Principles of classroom management: A professional decision-making model (3rd CDN ed.). Pearson Education Canada Inc.: Toronto, ON. Manning, M. L. & Bucher, K. T. (2013). Classroom management: Models, applications and cases. (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education Inc.