Behaviour Management Strategies

Strange that it's taken me a whole term to fully notice, but my class dynamic seems to have produced a group of individuals who happen to be in the same class - rather than a group of individuals who work together as a team, appreciating one-anothers' strengths, abilities, and personalities.

This seems to have led to difficulties in managing whole-class teaching and discussions, with students regularly talking over, past, through, each other giving not much thought to the importance of a class of 30 individuals needing to work together, show patience, and respect one another.

So this term is a focus on working together as a 'team'. In fact, my purposeful discourse now includes the word 'team' a whole heck of a lot.

One aspect of my own ideology is that of promoting intrinsic motivation, so I have been slow to put in place behaviour management strategies that give external motivation. This is generally based on the overlying assumption that external motivation has a limited period of affect, and dwindles in power over a period of time.

All that being said, this week I started a 'marble jar' which has 30 marbles in it representing 30mins of games time on a Friday afternoon. Marbles come out and go in based on how well students (or how much time saved/wasted in) settling and working in ways that promote good learning habits - especially as a team.

So, from day one I have noticed students very responsive to the sound of me rolling marbles in my hand to signal a possible decrease in the jar, as well as indications of marbles going to be added. My only hope is that the students' work habits will become second-nature before the external motivation wanes in power.

End of Year One Summary

Well, I had to get my priorities right and have my holidays first! Now for my brief reflection before gearing up for a new year of learning (for both myself and my students).

Overall a positive year - very demanding and plenty of long days, but successful all-the-same.

Strong(ish) points

• Positive learning environment where students feel safe and happy
• Promoting thinking through scenario/action-based learning
• Good use of new-media technologies to promote learning
• Encouraging independent learning and intrinsic motivation
• Success in extra-curricula video production for Panasonic competition
• Trying lots of different approaches to teaching, and being willing to change
• When used, shared learning intentions were successful in directing students' learning focus
  

Points to focus on

• Establish writing groups and fairly regular 'conferencing' to improve learning in writing (and assist in my formative assessment of individuals)
• Both Maths and Reading groups to have more routine to help students focus on beneficial learning habits
• More regular setting/sharing of learning intentions and goals

I'm looking forward to this coming year, and the challenges it may bring. Also looking forward to hopefully being stronger in some areas so I can focus more attention to the (seemingly never-ending) gaps in other areas of my teaching.

Kia Kaha (have good strength)