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MLE – Assessment 2: Plan for preventing unproductive student behaviours

A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO PREVENT UNPRODUCTIVE

STUDENT BEHAVIOUR IN THE CLASSROOM

INTRODUCTION

Classroom management is one of the core pillars for effective teaching and learning
and must be considered at least as important for successful teaching and learning as
are curriculum knowledge and methodological skills (Williams 2012). An effective
teacher can undertake many different approaches to achieve successful
management of the learning environment. The most efficient approaches to
classroom management involve proactive approaches to preventing unproductive
student behaviours (Williams 2012). Unproductive student behaviour can range from
low level to extreme behavioural issues, however the most commonly seen across
classroom is considered to be at the least disruptive stage. According to Borich
(1996), examples of these mild behaviour faults can include talking without raising
hand, disrupting other students in the classroom through taking their attention away
from the teacher or task, showing off or fooling around, flicking or throwing objects
in the classroom, just to name a few. These acts of mild misbehavior have the most
frequent occurrences in classroom environments and therefore must be either
planned for or dealt with in the correct manner by the teacher.

There will always be a time for reactive behaviour by the teacher to manage the
classroom, but the best strategy is to be proactive and plan to prevent unproductive
student behaviour from occurring in the first place (Williams 2012). Using the four
domains of Williams’ 4S Conceptual Framework (2004; cited in Williams 2012),
different proactive approaches for classroom management will be discussed. The
four domains - Setting, Systems, Self and Student - are dynamic in nature, thus they
are able to change in size and overlap one another (Williams 2012). While all four are
important, both the ‘Self’ and ‘Student’ domains are fundamental for all aspects of
classroom management.
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APPROACH TO PREVENTING UNPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOURS

SETTING

According to William’s (2012), management of the physical setting of the classroom

ecology can be one of the best proactive strategies to prevent unproductive student
behaviour. The classroom layout of students, in respect to one another, the teacher
and the resources of tasks and activities (i.e. PowerPoint screen) are essential for
student engagement and attention (Bohn, Roehrig & Pressley 2004). The setting of
the classroom can facilitate a student’s sense of ‘belonging’ and connection amongst
the group, which in essence helps to create a conductive learning environment
(William’s 2012). A student that feels as though they ‘belong’ to the classroom will
be more engaged and motivated to learn in the environment and therefore is more
likely to experience success and achievement (McDonald 2013).

The classroom atmosphere is another important aspect of the ‘Setting’ domain,

which can be used as a preventative tool of unproductive student behaviour.
Creating a safe learning environment allows students to feel comfortable and at
ease, which promotes students to express their values and opinions. Teachers can
create a safe learning atmosphere through the use of many different techniques; for
example decorating the room with bright and vibrant colours, providing posters of
student created group expectations and norms, different lighting patterns,
background music when entering the classroom, just to name a few. The
atmosphere is also structured by the characteristics of the teacher, for example -
confidence, positivity referring to students by names, and enthusiasm. This will be
discussed further in the ‘Self’ domain below.
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SYSTEMS

The domain ‘Systems’ refers to the operational nature of the classroom ecology
(Williams 2012). Competent proactive planning of the classroom functioning is one
of the best strategies to prevent unproductive student behaviour. A common
pedagogical practice that teachers will use at the beginning of the school
year/term/subject, to prevent unproductive student behaviour, is establishing
student rules and procedures/routines (McDonald 2013). Rules and
procedures/routines can also be referred to as student expectations or classroom
norms. For the purpose of this essay, the term classroom/student expectations will
be used.

The initial process of introducing and establishing classroom guidelines is

fundamental for the prevention of unproductive student behaviour. McDonald
(2013) suggests that teachers need to provide the opportunity for students to ‘buy
in’ and have ownership of the classroom expectations. This process allows the
students to take ownership of the expectations and build individual responsibility
within the classroom (McDonald 2013). If students are to behave inappropriately,
the teacher can refer back to the classroom expectations, which will allow for
students to take ownership of their actions and develop skills in self-regulation
(Jones 2011). In addition to student involvement in the creation of classroom
expectations, Bohn, Roehrig and Pressley (2004) suggest that teachers need to teach
classroom expectations to students, as if they were teaching new content. This
process allows students to truly understand why they are in place and how they will
help regulate the management of the classroom. To further facilitate student
understanding of expectations, the teachers can create activities that allow the
students to practice them and see how they work in a real-life classroom experience
(Bohn, Roehrig & Pressley 2004). Learning environments that are predictable, in
which expectations are clear usually show the best results in the prevention of
unproductive student behaviour (Bohn, Roehrig & Pressley 2004).
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It is important to note that establishing classroom expectations can occur through

many different pedagogical processes, and that different teachers will see positives
in different methods that are more specifically matched to the students or setting of
their classroom. For example, in a physical education setting teachers may not have
the resources of a whiteboard or PowerPoint to go over classroom expectations and
therefore a verbal communication or group activity is more likely to be used.
Additionally, it is recommended that the amount of expectations is limited to four or
five. If there are too many student expectations, students can become overloaded
with knowledge and not appreciate how the expectations will support classroom
management. However, just because student expectations are established does not
mean that students will behave properly and follow them (McDonald 2013).
Sometimes, when incorrect methods of creating or explaining expectations are
followed, students are more prone to misbehave and respond in a more
unproductive manner (McDonald 2013). In some instances, when students are
misbehaving, teachers may try to introduce more rules and respond with harsher
punishments, which will not help to rectify the situation, but more commonly
enhance the disruptive behaviour (McDonald 2013). This is why the initial process of
introducing and establishing classroom guidelines is fundamental for the prevention
of unproductive student behaviour.
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SELF

The teacher plays the most vital role in the plan for preventing unproductive student
behaviours. The teacher will be the person that creates a classroom ‘Setting’ that
ensures a sense of ‘belonging’ and ‘connection’ between the students, as well as
establishing the basis for a collaborative classroom (Williams 2012). A proactive
strategy that the teacher can use to prevent unproductive student behaviour is
developing activities and tasks that facilitate the building of healthy relationships
between students and with the teacher (Lyons, Ford & Arthur-Kelly 2011). The aim
for the first few weeks of school should be to create a classroom community.
Student relationships make up a key component of classroom collaboration, where
students will work together and respect each other’s dignity (Lyons, Ford & Arthur-
Kelly 2011). In the first few days, teachers can use Icebreaker activities to allow
students to get to know one another and work collaboratively to complete tasks.
Icebreaker challenges promote students to build relationships, as students begin to
feel more comfortable with their peers (Sapon-Shevin 2010). In essence, as student
safety and comfort increase, the classroom community becomes more communal
and students begin to enjoy partaking in classroom activities (Sapon-Shevin 2010).
Through planning these get-to-know-you activities, and increasing student
enjoyment in the classroom, students are less likely to behave unproductively as
they want to be a part of a welcoming classroom community, which primarily the
teacher has created.

Another aspect of the classroom atmosphere comes back to the communication

practices of the teacher (Lyons, Ford & Arthur-Kelly 2011). The teacher can use
effective communication practices to promote positive behaviour within the
classroom and facilitate a safe learning environment (Lyons, Ford & Arthur-Kelly
2011). Calling students by their names in the first few days and informing students
about expectations and new content with positivity and confidence eases student
anxiety and stress that comes with entering a new classroom environment (Good &
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MLE – Assessment 2: Plan for preventing unproductive student behaviours
Brophy 2008). It is important to remember that all students are usually a bit nervous
about who their new teacher will be and who will be in their classroom, so the
communication of the teacher is a very important proactive strategy to calm
students nerves and build their sense of belonging in the classroom (McDonald
2013).

STUDENT

The fourth domain of Williams’ 4S conceptual framework (2006; cited in Williams

2012) that has to be managed implies to students. The three domains already
discussed above will all contribute to the management of students in a classroom
context. Similar to the ‘Self’ domain, the ‘Student’ domain ‘necessitates direct
interaction between humans’ (Williams 2012, p. 11). For students to learn in a
positive learning environment, they need to be engaged in content and activities, as
well as feel wanted within the classroom community (Sapon-Shevin 2010). Students
that are engaged in activities and understand task objectives are less likely to behave
inappropriately because they enjoy learning in their surrounding environment and
work collaboratively with the peers they share their learning experiences with
(Sapon-Shevin 2010). Therefore, a proactive approach to prevent unproductive
student behaviour is to gain their attention and enhance their engagement and
motivation towards learning in the early aspects of the lesson. This is where the link
between the ‘Self’ and ‘Student’ domains become significant, as the teacher
becomes the most vital person in facilitating student engagement and enjoyment
(McDonald 2013). To facilitate student engagement and achievement, the teacher
must take a proactive approach into finding out information about the students in
the classroom. Every student is different and therefore will acquire different learning
needs. The teacher cannot teach everyone equally, as this will not meet the learning
requirements of all students within the classroom. This is where differentiated
teaching becomes vital, as providing different approaches and strategies to teaching
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content, such as the expectations of the classroom, will provide all students with the
same learning opportunities. But before the teacher differentiates content, they
must know the capabilities and requirements of the students learning needs, as well
as have different approaches to deliver content. For example, a student in the
classroom may have Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), where the attention and
engagement will be at a complex level. The teacher might have to use a practical
activity, where the student learns through ‘doing’ an activity, which will enhance
their engagement to the task and therefore facilitate learning.

CONCLUSION

There are a number of proactive approaches that can be used to prevent

unproductive student behaviours and aid in the management of a classroom. Using
the four domains of Williams’ 4S conceptual framework (2006; cited in Williams
2012), one can see that the different aspects of a classroom structure are dynamic in
nature, meaning that they can change in size and impact one another. In relation to
preventative approaches to successful classroom management, the main focus
needs to be on student safety and connectedness within a community. As Williams
(2012) suggests, the aim of proactive classroom management should be to build
classroom ecology, where students are provided with the opportunity to develop
relationships and appreciate the physical and operational aspects of a functioning
classroom. Although there is a time for reactive behaviour, the best approach to
preventing unproductive student behaviour is to be proactive. ‘Prevention is better
then cure’ (McDonald 2013).

WORDS: 1914
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REFERENCES
Bohn, C Roehrig, A & Pressley, M 2004, The first days of school in the classrooms of
two or more effective and four less effective primary-grades teachers, The
Elementary School Journal, 104 (4), 269-287.

Borich, G 1996, Effective Teaching Methods, Merrill, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.

Good, T & Brophy, J 2008, Chapter 3: Management 1: Preventing Problems, Looking

in classrooms, 10th edn, Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Jones, V 2011, Developing standards for classroom behaviour, Practical classroom

management, p. 91-128.

Lyons, G Ford, M & Arthur-Kelly, M 2011, Chapter 3: Relationships and

communication, Classroom Management: creating positive learning environments,
3rd edn, South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage Learning.

McDonald, T 2013, Proactive Teacher Behaviours, Classroom Management:

Engaging Students in Learning, South Melbourne, VIC: Oxford University Press, pp.
106-154).

Sapon-Shevin, M 2010, Schools as Communities, because we can change the world: A

practical guide to building cooperative, inclusive classroom communities, Thousand
Oaks, CA: Corwin, 2nd edn, pp. 21-44.

Williams, D 2012, Background Basics, Adelaide, University of South Australia.