Charlotte Wearne S00118768 1

EDFD260 Assessment 2: Individual Essay

What Makes Classroom Management Effective and

why is it important?
INTRODUCTION
Establishing a well-organised plan for classroom management at
the outset of the year is essential for a peaceful and calm classroom
that is conducive to instruction and learning for students with a
variety of academic, social, and behavioral needs (Capizza, 2009).
Defining classroom management goes beyond the behaviors
students exhibit and the consequences that follow. Classroom
management is often perceived purely as discipline. Classroom
management and discipline however, are different, yet still related.
Identifying the difference is extremely important so one does not
misuse the teaching skills for the reality of classroom situations.
The writer believes that there are many fundamental components to
effective classroom management, such as the quality of the learning
environment, managing time, space and materials through
professional planning, consistency with rules and boundaries,
positive relationships, an engaging curriculum and program, and the
personal ability as a teacher to lead the learning and be able to
manage behaviour constructively (Strother, 1985).
It is vitally important to implement strong classroom management,
because a lack of effective classroom management can lead to
serious issues in the classroom, which should be a safe and orderly
environment for students. There are many reasons why it is
important to facilitate such effective classroom management.

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EDFD260 Assessment 2: Individual Essay
The following essay will explore and discuss the above areas with a
focus on the importance of effective classroom management and
what it typically involves.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Components of Effective Classroom Management:
The classroom is a dynamic environment in which the teacher
should manage the classroom effectively in order to attain the
educational purposes at the highest level possible (Oral, 2012). The
classroom is a place where teachers encounter students. The
education procedure, which aims to practice positive behaviour on
the students, starts at this point here in the classroom. The initial
features in the classroom are students, teachers, the curriculum,
and the materials (Oral, 2012). The quality of education largely
depends on the quality of classroom management. The writer
believes that classroom management skills are considered to be the
preliminary step of being successful in education.
There are various key components that make for effective classroom
management. An orderly environment is definitely an important
prerequisite that should be met before learning can occur. Research
has proven that students require a certain degree of comfort and
predictability in order to effectively attend to the content of a lesson
(Meirovich, 2012). The teacher needs to be a good manager before
they can be a good teacher (Englehart, 2011).
Managing time, space and materials through professional planning
is significant because this prior organisation to lessons results in
concise and appropriately understandable activities with little
confusion and misunderstandings for both students and the teacher.
Once these things have been planned and implemented

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EDFD260 Assessment 2: Individual Essay
appropriately, learning can then occur accordingly (Mundschenk,
Miner, & Nastally, (2011).
Providing consistency with rules and boundaries allows children to
be aware of right from wrong and base their actions upon what they
know is accepted in the classroom environment.
Positive relationships is a key component to effective classroom
management, because when there is a mutual trust and respect, the
learning environment will be more comfortable for students to be
actively engaged, and thereby benefit from all areas of learning. The
role of the teacher is not simply the deliverer of instruction, but an
academic guide and creator of learning experiences (Cermik, 2011).
Establishing positive relationships between students and teachers,
allows for teachers to adapt to diverse developmental levels and
learn about different approaches to provide for children with
different learning abilities in order to plan appropriate future
lessons.
The writer believes that the personal ability as a teacher to lead the
learning and be able to manage behaviour constructively is
absolutely fundamental to effective classroom management. It is
also believed by the writer that the teacher is the decisive element
in the classroom and it is their personal approach that creates the
climate.
Decent classroom management infers that the teacher stimulates
the cooperation of the students in reducing misconduct and can
intervene effectively when misconduct occurs. In current research, it
has been confirmed that worthwhile academic activities occur more
continuously and that the classroom management system as a
whole is designed to maximise student engagement in those

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EDFD260 Assessment 2: Individual Essay
activities, not merely to minimise misconduct (Ford, Edwards,
Sharkey, Ukoumunne, Byford, Norwich, & Logan, 2012).

Classroom Management vs. Discipline:

Classroom management and classroom discipline share a correlation
with one another yet, they are uniquely different issues and should
remain a separate focus of the teacher (Strother, 1985). It is quite
easy to view classroom management typically as discipline, but it is
important that it is not just identified as this. Classroom
management focuses on the way the classroom is run. It is proactive
and requires preparation on the front end before activities begin.
Classroom management allows procedures in the classroom to
remain structured and to run smoothly. As the teacher encourages
accurate classroom procedure, the students are able to relax and
enjoy the structure of their learning environment. In order for
students to learn in an effective and consistent manner classroom
management is essential. The writer believes that one may not
notice when classroom management is decent, but when it is bad it
is extremely difficult to disregard.
Discipline, is a reactive process, and is seen as a component of
effective classroom management. The student instigates discipline
and the teacher reacts accordingly. A good discipline program
should definitely fit into the teachers classroom management
program. Discipline is seen as a process of managing student
impulses. While classroom management is a tool that maintains
order, classroom discipline is a tool that teaches and is designed to
help the students learn a new behaviour (Englehart, 2011).

Importance of Effective Classroom Management:

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EDFD260 Assessment 2: Individual Essay

A lack of effective classroom management practices leaves an

environment ready for negative adverse behaviours in the
classroom such as bullying. This can then result in less instructional
time, and poor student performance. Classrooms that are managed
in ways other than with an authoritative style, a disruptive culture
can develop. There is a link between how teachers treat their
students, which is expressed through their classroom management
approaches and the presence or absence of things such as bullying
in a classroom. Classroom management practices contribute to a
context or culture that either promotes or discourages mistreatment
of others and resources (Allen, 2010). Not only are teachers
responsible for students academic achievement, but they are also
expected to provide a safe an orderly learning environment.

It has been commonly recognised that when teachers care about

students and organise classrooms where positive student
relationships develop, and when they direct learning and
behavioural issues in optimistic and educative ways, students are
far less likely to engage or experience bullying and such negative
disruptions (Allen, 2010).

CONCLUSION
In the final analysis of this essay, it is clear to the writer, that
without a doubt, effective classroom management is unconditionally
critical to the education system, and more specifically to the teacher
in-charge. Professional educators are not only there purely to
implement discipline, but to create, provide and essentially manage
a high-quality learning environment. The topic of classroom

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EDFD260 Assessment 2: Individual Essay
management relates closely with current and future curriculum
work, as it is foundational to learn about for any pre-service teacher.
It is crucial for teachers to be well planned before the
commencement of each week and lesson, to give themselves time
to devise the quality of learning, and to base their future lessons on
suitably stimulating and engaging activities that are going to inspire
students so they have an eagerness to learn. The above essay and
prior research has shown the writer that there are particular
fundamental components to effective classroom management that
certainly need to be considered by any classroom teacher. This in
turn, will create a positive career with exemplary strategies to
maintain an effectively managed classroom so all students can
flourish in all areas of academic, social, emotional, personal and
physical wellbeing.

References:
Allen, K. (2010). Classroom Management: Bullying and Teacher
Practices. The Professional Educator. Vol 34. Retrieved from
http://www.theprofessionaleducator.org/articles/Allen_final.pdf
Capizza, A. (2009). Start the year off right: Designing and Evaluating
a supportive classroom management plan. Journal of Focus on
Exceptional Children. Vol. 42, 1-12. Retrieved from

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EDFD260 Assessment 2: Individual Essay
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?
sid=a3f2f034-5348-4e64-a1e93e9d3cfb8b32%40sessionmgr4&vid=2&hid=10
Cermik, H. (2011). The ideal primary school teacher. Social
Behaviour and Personality: an international journal. 1113-1122.
doi. http://dx.doi.org/10.2224/sbp.2011.39.8.1113
Englehart, J. (2011). Five Half-Truths about Classroom Management.
The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues
and Ideas. 85:2, 70-73. Retrieved from
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2011.616919
Ford, T., Edwards, V., Sharkey, S., Ukoumunne, O., Byford, S.,
Norwich, B., & Logan, S. (2012). Supporting teachers and
children in schools: the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of
the incredible years teacher classroom management programme
in primary school children: a cluster randomized controlled trial,
with parallel economic and process. BMC Public Health, 12, 719734. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-12-719
Meirovich, G. (2012). Creating a favorable emotional climate in the
classroom. The International Journal of Management Education,
Vol 10. 169-177. Retrieved from http://ac.elscdn.com/S1472811712000341/1-s2.0-S1472811712000341main.pdf?_tid=e81fbd0c-1ff2-11e3-b74000000aacb362&acdnat=1379461569_14adc42cf4c941caaf6a35
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Mundschenk, N., Miner, C. & Nastally, B. (2011). Effective Classroom
Management: An Air Traffic Control Analagy. Intervention in
School and Clinic. Vol. 47, 98-103. doi:
10.1177/1053451211414190

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EDFD260 Assessment 2: Individual Essay

Oral, B. (2012). Student Teachers' Classroom Management Anxiety:

A Study on Behavior Management and Teaching Management.
Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 42: 29012916.
doi: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2012.00966.x
Strother, D. (1985). Practical Applications of Research: Classroom
Management. The Phi Delta Kappan. Vol. 66, 725-728. Retrieved
from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20387499