Month: August 2023

Classroom Management Stance: How my Future Classroom Will Function Student-centered instruction is the best way to properly lead a class to accurately utilize their strengths and weaknesses to depict how they will function in society. School reflects life—messy, unpredictable, nuanced, and enjoyable. Over the last decade or so, more and more high school graduates seem to feel as though they were not given the skills to navigate an independent adulthood. Student-centered classes aim to avoid making pupils underprepared for their impending societal role. The more teachers seek ways to implement lessons that are relevant to students’ lives away from school, the better equipped they will be with the skills required to carry on with life after high school (Milner et al., 2018). To establish a classroom that truly prepares and empowers students to carve out a path for their lives, student-centered teaching must be integrated and considered. Most individuals conceptualize student-centered classrooms incorrectly; they imagine a chaos-enveloped classroom with a frazzled teacher attempting to control their class. Most of the time, student-centered teaching is incredibly effective, boosting student participation and engagement (Himmele & Himmele, 2017). Instead of questioning why the content being taught is the focus, students are given a clear line of reasoning and examples from their personal lives. Shannon Paules is an English teacher that started to utilize student-centered techniques such as Total Participation Techniques (TPTs) and saw an immense difference, stating that “it gives them confidence…because they think to themselves, ‘I know I’m on the right track” (Himmele & Himmele, 2017, p. 150). There is nothing better than instilling confidence in the young adults that enter a classroom, and this is something I hope to do through student-centered teaching. Autonomy is another crucial aspect of student-centered teaching that I strongly support. Confidence can never arise without proper support and a good base to build from. Showing students that you care and consider their thoughts, feelings, and ideas will raise morale (Milner et al., 2018). Pupils will give up if they see no point in trying—negativity and fear-mongering through academic-only teaching and tests will get a class nowhere (Himmele & Himmele, 2017). I would take in their feedback and give choices at every opportunity, including where students might sit each day. They will have a routine with this autonomy, helping them shift from one class to another; I would ask as they choose their seat to clean their desk and chair before sitting down (Marzano et al., 2003). This task helps remind them that although they have freedom in my classroom, specific responsibilities and expectations come with them. Giving a choice can significantly shift a student’s outlook toward the subject matter and life. An aspect of autonomy and student-centered teaching that is rarely considered is the classroom setup. The figure below is a rough representation of how I would set up my room as a teacher. In the image, I have placed approximately eight desks around the room, providing twenty-six seats in the class. Two of the desks are larger, placed against the back left and right-hand sides of the room by the teacher’s desk seen in the back. The eight seats available to students provide an opportunity for pupils to sit closer or further away from my desk, depending on the day. I believe this to be a sound system for those students who do not like raising their hands or being called out during class; instead, they will have the opportunity to sit closer, in a spot that will receive feedback and observations more frequently during work periods and instances in which I am not teaching a lesson at the front of the class. The rest of the desks are smaller, sitting three to a table and positioned in a rough U-shape. This shape allows me to easily navigate the middle of a group and talk to students (Himmele & Himmele, 2017). I made sure to have all of the desks facing the door so that students could quickly move toward the exit in case of an emergency and so that I am the closest individual to the door (in most cases). Students during work time will face away from me, allowing me an opportunity to see who is truly working and their behavior (Milner et al., 2018). Students often take on an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality towards authority figures, not realizing that just because they cannot see us does not mean we cannot see them. To establish a classroom that truly prepares and empowers students to carve out a path for their lives, student-centered teaching must be integrated and considered. Student-centered teaching is not chaotic; it is emboldening and eye-opening, reassuring students that wherever they may go in life, they can figure it out. Autonomy is where a structure is built for students to reinforce what they have learned through their own applications. Finally, the classroom setup effectively emphasizes student-centered teaching. I cannot imagine a better strategy than a carefully balanced and encouraging student-centered classroom in the grand scheme of things.  References Himmele, P., & Himmele, W. (2017). Total participation techniques: Making every student an active learner. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. Marzano, J. S., Marzano, R. J., & Pickering, D. J. (2003). Classroom management that works: Research-based strategies for every teacher. ASCD. Milner, H. R. I., Cunningham, H. B., & Kestenberg, E. G. (2018). These kids are out of control: Why we must reimagine classroom management for equity. Corwin Press.

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