Reflections on Behavior Management in the Classroom

 There are two areas I really considered improving during this unit. Number one is in parent communications. I’ve always felt this is an essential part of working with students, because you need to have a good sense of what their life outside the classroom is like in order to understand how to reach them in the classroom. Frequent parent communication is something a number of other teachers in the cohort emphasized -- for both good and bad news -- and that is something I will put into practice when I start at an international school.

Number two is in the use of data tools to track the progress of my students. There are a number of programs out there, like TeacherKit, that can help with this, but I think using a journal or class log to track qualitative data is just as important. Keeping track of things like how a problem student might be feeling, what triggered an emotional outburst, what specifically the student is struggling with. These sorts of things are harder to keep track of from day to day, but they are really essential for keeping track of the big picture with what’s happening in a class. This qualitative approach would be really effective if used in tandem with data tools that can closely track quantitative outcomes -- homework and test scores, attendance. That way you can see clearly when a certain practice is having a positive impact, or when it’s having a negligible or even negative impact.

One area where I felt more convinced that I’m on the right track is the use of a BMS that focuses on rewarding positive behaviors. I try to infuse my lessons with a reward system that rewards the class as a whole for putting in an effort and for participating meaningfully in the activities we do. This gets everyone involved, and ultimately gets everyone working through the class material. It does not guarantee everyone will improve, but it is definitely the first step, and I feel more strongly about that after reviewing all the materials in this unit.

I would add to my approach here by focusing more on clearly articulating the behaviors I expect from students, and the behaviors I don’t want to see. I think this is something I’ve glossed over in the past, simply going over a list of rules and expecting that students will connect those rules to specific behaviors in the classroom. But it might be better to take it a step further and demonstrate good and bad behaviors for students at the start of a new term.