In each classroom there are students ranging from different ethnicities, religious affiliations and personalities. Among these varying characteristics, mannerisms and behaviors are also noticeable different. Most students exhibit behaviors that are easy to tolerate and manage, while others display challenging behaviors that acquire an increased amount of the teacher’s time and attention. Biological risk factors such as temperament or genes and environmental factors such as parenting style and peer interaction, have a great influence on the manifestation of challenging behavior. Through the building of secure relationships, increased personal knowledge of each student and the implementation of student specific teaching strategies, teachers can diminish and possibly eliminate challenging behavior within the classroom.
Some children are predisposed to certain biological disorders that affect their ability to interact in an age appropriate manner with others such as autism or down syndrome. “Scientist have discovered that some genes interact with a particular environment to produce an effect such as aggressive behavior” (Kaiser & Rasminsky, 2012, sec. 2.2). Parenting styles also play a large part in fostering a child’s biological factors. A child’s natural temperament when coupled with “attentive parenting can help to mitigate these [environmental] risks” (McGhee, 2014). Parenting styles and “parent-child interactions during the early years play significant roles in how a child’s temperament affects later behavior” (McGhee, 2014)
Practical Application
Develop a relationship with each student. An interpersonal relationship with each student provides the student with a sense of comfort. The student can confide in the teacher and express areas of concern. To properly implement behavior management strategies within the classroom, the teacher must know her students. Getting to know students can be employed in an exciting and engaging way. From getting to know you games to one-on-one conversations. Understanding the needs, dispositions and personalities of each student will help to not only effectively manage the classroom but also nurture and educate the student.
As mentioned behavior dispositions at times can cause a student to display disruptive behavior. Some students may struggle with ADHD, ADD, OCD, ASD and other disabilities, yet an educated and equipped teacher will be able to employ behavior management strategies to successfully assist the student and manage the classroom. A few instructional behavior management strategies that can be employed are: positive reinforcement, behavior chart, differentiated instruction.
Positive reinforcement places emphasis on the desired behavior and placing minimal attention on the undesired behavior. Positive reinforcement can be verbal and non-verbal. An exclamation of praise-“way to go”, “good job!”, “I’m so proud of you”, etc. provides verbal affirmation of the action or behavior the student has displayed. The verbal affirmation will encourage the student to continue the same behavior in the future. Non-verbal reinforcement can be displayed through high-fives, pats on the back, hugs and thumbs up. Positive reinforcement can also be displayed through the use of extrinsic motivation and behavior charts. Ensuring to focus on the desirable behavior and ensuring to positively reinforce the behavior each time it is performed, will assist in curbing undesirable behavior.
Behavior charts are employed in a variety of templates to encourage students to deter from undesirable behavior. Behavior charts can be modified to fit a target behavior. It can also be utilized to reinforce classroom rules and expectations. Behavior charts help students to self-regulate and monitor their behavior. They are able to check off or receive a stamp or sticker when they have either performed a specific behavior or did not display an undesirable behavior. Behavior charts can be employed for specific students or the entire class.
Differentiated instruction is a methodology of teaching that should naturally be employed within the classroom. It is birthed from the development of a relationship with each student. Each student has a different learning style that when appropriately target provides the student with an optimal learning experience. Differentiated instruction could be displayed through scaffolding, accommodations and modifications. A student that is a audio-visual learner will acquire and retain new information quickly through a song or watching a video clip. This same student may also require a physical demonstration on how to complete a task or assignment prior to accomplishing the same task on his own. A kinesthetic learner will learn the parts of his body through dance and movement while the audio-visual learner will learn through the singing of a song.
Understanding the needs of each student and their learning style will assist in providing a fun, interactive and engaging learning environment with minimal behavior difficulties. Included below is a picture mosaic of various behavior charts and behavior management strategies that can be employed within the classroom.
Classroom Management Plan 