Classroom Management

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UNIT 11 CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Structure
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Objectives
11.3 Concept of Classroom Management
11.4 Dimensions of Classroom Management
11.4.1 Characteristics of Students
11.4.2 Classroom Environment
11.4.3 Classroom Rules and Procedures
11.5 Components of Classroom Management
11.6 Guidelines and Strategies for. Effective. Classroom Management
11.7 Let Us Sum Up
11.8 Unit-end Exercises
11.9 Suggested Readings
11.1 INTRODUCTION
Teaching is changing behaviour. There is no teaching without learning. For effective
learning, the classroom environment needs to be suitable and conducive. Effective
instruction and effective management are inextricably interlinked. It is virtually impossible
to have effective instruction without effective management. Effective management of the
class is sine qua non for sustaining the childs interest in the class and for higher achievement.
It is only when the classroom is properly managed, can proper teaching and learning and
any worthwhile relationship between teacher and pupils take place.
You are a practising school teacher. You must have observed in your classroom that some
students create problem for you when you are teaching them. They may not listen to you
or they may listen less; they may refuse to pay attention; they may not find class work
rewarding; they may indulge in undesirable behaviours such as throwing chalk on someone,
dropping exercise books on the floor, snatching someones book, sweasing, fighting. In
fact, they may do a number of things which a classroom practitioner like you knows very
well. You may not like them to do all these things. This is because it affects adversely the
learning environment in your classroom and thereby pupils learning achievements. You
are, therefore, always interested in reducing or eliminating these undesirable behaviours
on the part of your pupils. This is because you want to generate in the classroom an
environment which facilitates pupils effective learning.
How do you reduce or eliminate pupils undesirable behaviours in your classroom and
promote their desirable behaviours? Many teachers use various types of reward and
punishment to manage their classroom. They use punishment to eliminate pupils
undesirable behaviours; and reward to promote their desirable behaviours. Some teachers
feel that if a teacher prepares his lesson properly, he will never face any problem in this
regard. Studies have revealed that teachers faced the aforesaid pupils disruptive behaviours
even when they had prepared their lessons very well. Therefore, there is need for every
teacher to acquire the skills to how to manage a classroom effectively. In this unit you will
learn about the concept of classroom management alongwith its skills.
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11.2 OBJECTIVES
After reading this unit, you will be able to:
l describe the need for effective classroom management;
l describe the concept of classroom management;
l explain the dimensions of classroom management;
l explain the components of classroom management; and
l describe the guidelines and strategies for effective classroom management.
11.3 CONCEPT OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Classroom Management consists of the teachers thoughts, plans and actions that create
an orderly environment and promote learning. Classroom management stands for
management of resources, pupils learning activities and behaviours in the classroom. It
is essentially a human relation skill. Classroom management is complex and many variables
need to be considered when making decisions about specific situations. Planning and
organisations, procedures used for handling various types of behaviours of learners are
all parts of classroom management.
You have two important goals when you plan for and implement the management system.
The first is to create an environment that facilitates learning. The second should be to
develop in students the ability to manage and direct their own learning.
Check Your Progress
Notes: a) Write your answer in the space given below.
b) Compare your answer with the one given at the end of this unit.
1. What do you mean by the classroom management?
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11.4 DIMENSIONS OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Classroom Management refers to the actions and strategies teachers use to maintain order
in the classroom. Let us examine the meaning of order. Order means that students are
performing within acceptable limits the action necessary for a particular classroom
event to be successful.
It focuses on ways to establish and maintain workable systems for classroom groups,
rather than ways to identify misbehaviour, resolve behavioural disorders or capture the
attention of individual students.
Since classroom management deals with establishing and maintaining order in the
classroom, it is important to consider several fundamental issues about order and then to
examine strategies to achieve this order.
First, classroom order is achieved within the context of the classroom and each context
makes different demands on the class members. For example, rules are often tied to the
context or phases of a class session. All rules may not be in effect when students enter the
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room, settle down or prepare for class, attend to the lesson itself, close up at end of the
lesson, or leave the classroom. Suppose you are dividing your fifth grade class into small
groups to examine and test a number of rocks and minerals sample in various ways. How
are your decision about guidelines to maintain control affected by the age level and maturity
of the students? You might need to monitor students differently to maintain control in
small groups as compared to whole class instruction.
Secondly, learning and order in the classroom are closely related. Learning is served by
instructional function such as covering the curriculum and promoting mastery of the content.
You can achieve order by using meaningful functions such as organising small group
work, establishing rules and procedures, reacting to misbehaviour and monitoring and
pacing classroom events.
Third, order affects students involvement in learning task, students engagement is essentially
a by-product of well conceived group activities. Thus, to be an effective Classroom
Manager, you may place your emphasis on managing the group rather than managing
individual students.
Finally, co-operation in the minimum requirements for appropriate student-behaviour.
Order in class room is achieved with students depending on their willingness to be part of
the sequence of the events. You can achieve cooperation with both active and passive
involvement.
Establishing and maintaining order in the classroom is achieved in a variety of ways:
i) Getting organised: Establishing order begins with careful preparation for the start of
the school year, and organising the classroom and materials.
ii) Planning for management: Another aspect of establishing and maintaining control is
to carefully plan for ways to manage instruction, motivate students, address students
diversity and work with parents.
iii) Conducting the class: You can establish and maintain control by developing co-
operative classroom, encouraging and reinforcing appropriate behaviour and focussing
on order when actually conducting the lesson.
You can initiate action to develop a cooperative classroom by helping students self esteem,
building a positive teacher-student relationship, building up cohesiveness and encouraging
students to assume responsibility for their behaviour. Actions can also be taken to encourage
and reinforce appropriate behaviours. Your plans for management should consider the
following elements of your overall classroom environment:
i) characteristics of students
ii) classroom environment
iii) classroom rules and procedures
11.4.1 Characteristics of Students
As it has been mentioned earlier, whom you teach determines how you teach, and this is
also true for classroom management. Some students prove greater management challenges
than do others. In your classroom you might have observed that low achievers are idle or
engaged in inappropriate activities. The developmental age of the learner also influence
your management plans. Children at different stages understand and interpret rules and
procedures in different ways.
Students in the lower primary grades have generally short attention span and they tend to
break rules more from simply forgetting. Hence, you may clear and practice the rules
carefully. Role playing and positive reinforcement for compliance can help in fixing the
rules in students mind.
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11.4.2 Classroom Environment
A second planning consideration is creating a congenial environment in the classroom so
that teaching and learning can occur as efficiently as possible. You might be experiencing
pupils exhibiting disruptive behaviours e.g., I cant see the board; I didnt get my
copy; I could not hear her etc.
Pupils disruptive behaviours arise from a number of factors. These factors are physical,
social and educational. Amount of space for working and movement, seating arrangement,
weather, location of the school etc. constitute physical factors. You must have experienced
that if there is inadequate space for pupils to sit or move in the classroom and the seating
arrangement is unsuitable or it is too cold or too hot, pupils have the tendency to engage
in disruptive behaviours. Classroom rules, teachers attitude towards pupils, pupils
behaviour towards each other, how children are required to work-alone/together constitute
social factors. Relevance and difficulty of the learning task teaching behaviour of teachers,
nature of activities in the classroom etc. constitutes educational factors.
Classroom setting is an important variable in classroom management. The classroom
setting include proper furniture for students to sit, proper seating arrangement, proper
placement of the blackboard, maps chalks etc. Further seating arrangement should be
governed by the nature of classroom activity e.g. for discussion lessons pupils may sit in
a circle. If the furniture and seating arrangement is not suitable for the age group of the
students, it may not be comfortable. The physical discomfort on their part results in their
attention to the learning task and increase the chances of their indulging in disruptive
behaviour. A teacher should also keep instructional material aids such as books, graphs
apparatus for demonstration etc., at an appropriate place. If a teacher does not do this he/
she may have to look for them when needed in process of teaching. Such a situation is very
distracting for students and provides a lots of opportunity to students to indulge in the,
disruptive behaviour when the teacher is searching for the material.
11.4.3 Classroom Rules and Procedures
Rules and procedures are threads that provides structure to the social fabric of class
room. Class room rules establish standards for acceptable student behaviour. Rules should
be relatively few in number and should provide general guidelines of behaviour. Rules
must be consistent with the practices of the school. They promote a sense of ownership
and emphasize internal versus external control and promote students self-regulation. Rules
treat students as moral thinkers and help them to see the values (for example, respect for
others). Rules must be consistent with the policies of the school.
The following guidelines may be followed for developing rules
1. Student Involvement
2. Class-School Consistency
3. Number of Rules
4. Clarity
5. Rationales
6. Consequences
Involving student in the process is consistent with a responsibility model of
management
The number of rules should be as small as possible. No specific number exists, but five is
often cited as a rule of thumb. The most common reason that student break rules is they
forget. This tendency is particularly true with young children, but it is often the case with
older ones as well.
The rules are generally on the first day of class and they are not referred to again until they
are broken and hence they are forgotten. The solution is to identify a short list that you
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intend to enforce unfailingly and consistently. Some examples might include the following:
l Bring all materials to every class.
l Treat the teacher and your classmates with respect.
l Speak only when given permission by the teacher.
l Remain in your seat until given permission to leave.
l Keep your hands and materials to yourself. .
These rules apply to most if not all classrooms. Teachers usually complain that students
come to class without their book, pencils, or notebook, paper. Researchers have found
that 80 percent of classroom management problems are related to students talking
inappropriately, and most of the remaining 20 percent are related to students being out of
their seats without permission (Jones and Jones, 1990). Teachers also complain about
students tendencies to hit, poke, shove, grab, and fiddle around with each others
belongings. If the rules identified are consistently enforced, most management problems
would cease to exist. .
State rules clearly and specifically. For example, compare the following rules:
i) Always come to school prepared
ii) Bring your book, notebook, paper and pencil to every class
Rule (ii) is clear and precise and explicitly describes the desired behaviour; there is no
mistaking in its meaning. In contrast, rule (i) requires additional interpretation. Interpretation
adds to uncertainty, and in extreme cases, it can even lead to misunderstanding and
controversy. When rules are stated in more general terms, such as Treat the teacher and
your classmates with respect, explain and provide examples and non-examples of obeying
the rules.
In presenting rules to students, carefully explain the reasons for them. This might be as
simple as explaining why it is necessary for learning that only one person talk at a time
or it could involve a lighter discussion about the need to respect the rights of others?
Understanding the rationale for rules is an important part of the responsibility model of
management.
Plan consequences for breaking rules. Decide before hand what you are going to do when
a student breaks a rule. Many teachers have difficulty with management because they
have only a vague uncertain idea as to what they will do next. Making these decisions is
difficult because of the many contingencies involved, but planning for them is important
nevertheless.
In considering consequences, student characteristics are important. With high school
students who have been socialised to classroom rules, a simple reminder may suffice and
explicit consequences may be less important.
Classroom procedures establish the routines that learners will follow in their daily activities.
They help students understand how to carry out routine classrooom tasks and what is
expected of them during different activities and at different times. As opposed to rules,
which are few in number, the typical classroom has a number of procedures, encompassing
activities - such as entering the classroom, putting materials in folders submitting work,
obtaining bathroom passes, changing activities, going to lunch, and many others. With
high school students who have learned the functioning of school, establishing procedures
is quite simple and planning for them is fairly easy. In contrast, planning the procedures
for a kindergarten or first grade class requires careful considerations.
As procedures become established they become routines. This is your goal. Routines are
invaluable to both teachers and students. They help in simplifying the teachers days
work, reducing the number of decisions they must make, energies to allowing them to
devote both their emotional and physical energies to instruction. They help students by
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communicating expectations and making the environment predictable. As a simple example,
if students know they are to get out their homework while the teacher takes attendance, the
teacher does not have to spend energy reminding them. This simplifies the environment
for both the students and the teacher.
Some general areas in which procedures must be considered are listed in Table 11.1.
These procedures provide directions for students from the time they enter the classroom
until they leave. Your consideration of procedures before students arrive in your class and
the teaching and explanation of them to your students is crucial to the smooth functioning
of your classroom.
To give you an idea of the kind of details needed in considering procedures, we have
broken down one area-Entering classroom at the beginning of the period into sub areas.
Although amount of detail may seem overwhelming, it is important to go through them
carefully considering the age of the students and the school you teach in.
Table No. 11.1: Areas for Considering Classroom Procedures
Procedural Areas Concerns
1. Entering Classroom/ What should students do when they enter in the
Beginning of period classroom?
2. Large-group instruction What are the rule for participating (e.g. should students
raise their hands to respond)?
3. Individual/ small-group What should student do when they need help?
Instruction
4. Materials and equipment How are papers handed in and back?
What about tape and scissors?
5. End of period How do students leave the classrooom (e.g. does the
bell or the teacher signal permission to leave)?
6. Out-of-room-policies How do children receive permission to use the bathroom
or go to the main office?
11.5 COMPONENTS OF CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Classroom management is an ingredient of successful teaching. The skill of classroom
management is one of the most important skills which every teacher must acquire to
manage his/her classroom effectively. Mentioned below are some important component of
the classroom management suite which have been identified by observing behaviours of
teachers in successfully managed classrooms. These classrooms exhibited a high prevalence
of work involvement and a low level of misbehaviour in learning setting. Which have been
found to be effective in creating an effective classroom ecology and learning milieu.
i) Reinforce Desirable Behaviour
There are a number of ways in which a teacher can manage his/her classroom effectively.
One of these way is to reinforce (praise) the good (desirable) behaviours and try to ignore
the bad (undesirable) ones. Praise for appropriate behaviours is probably the key behaviour
for achieving effective classroom management.
A number of studies have demonstrated that whilst reinforcing (expressing approval of )
desirable behaviours leads to increase in these behaviours, attending to inappropriate
behaviour even by expressing disapproval may increase the very behaviours it is attempting
to reduce. For example, it has been observed that when a teacher increases the number of
sit down commands, it increases the amount of out of seat behaviour. On the other hand,
the praise for in seat reduces out of seat behaviour. A teacher should therefore, make
use of positive reinforcers, both verbal and non-verbal for pupils desirable behaviours as
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it increases the chances of these behaviours to reoccur. He/she should however, ignore the
inappropriate) behaviour as far as possible.
To eliminate pupils inappropriate behaviours. Punishment (particularly physical
punishment) should be avoided as far as possible. In a situation when you feel that
punishment is also absolutely essential eliminate publisher, you may resort to it. But
frequent use of punishment is forbidden as it loses it, worth, on the contrary, it makes the
pupil hardened.
ii) Keep an Eye on Each Pupil
A teacher should always keep an eye on each pupil in the classroom with a view to
watching everyones behaviour. Many a times it happens that when a teacher is writing on
the blackboard, pupils many throw pupils etc. at other. In another situation a teacher
give some mathematical problems to her pupils and ask them to solve these problems on
the blackboard. Each pupil comes to the blackboard on his/her turn and solves one problem.
While teacher is busy in looking at the blackboard to see whether the pupil is solving the
problem correctly, other pupils are waiting for their turn. In such a situation, a pupil
Sheetal leans over to her right and whispers to Surjeet. Another pupil Surinder sitting at
the back of Sheetal watches this and leans over to Sheetal and whispers. The said behaviours
of Sarita, Sheetal, Surjeet and Surinder are undesirable ones and need to be checked
immediately before they spread to other pupils. For checking mild misbehaviours on the
part of pupils in such situations, a teacher should display through her behaviour that she
had eyes in the back of her head.
What behaviours on the part of a teacher provide cues to pupils as to whether he/she does
or does not know what is going on in the classroom? If she picks the pupil correctly and on
time, it communicates to pupils that she knows what is happening in the classroom. If she
commits a mistake in this regard, it provides the message to pupils that she does not know
what is happening. A teacher generally commits two types of mistake i.e. target mistakes
and timing mistakes.
a) Target mistakes
i) When a teacher picks the wrong child for a deviant act.
ii) The teacher notices a less serious deviant and overlooks a more serious one that was
occurring at the time or had occurred before the less serious behaviour is noticed.
b) Timing mistakes
When a pupil starts whispering to another, and then a third one joins them, and the
teacher notices this deviant act on their part, it is too late because the deviant act has
already spread before the teacher notices and takes steps to stop it.
iii) Give Clear Directions
You know that giving directions is one of the teaching behaviours. You give directions to
pupils for a number of purposes. If your direction is not clear, it may disrupt teaching
learning process in the classroom. For instance, a teacher asks pupils to close the window
as the dust is coming into the classroom. In such a case, many a times it happens that
many students rush to the window to close it. This results in confusion. It has taken place
as the teacher did not give the direction to a specific pupil. Similarly ambigiuous direction
disrupts teaching learning process. It is therefore, desired that a teacher should give clear
directions so that the learning process is not affected adversely.
iv) Ensure Sufficient Work for Each Pupil
For effective classroom management it is necessary that pupils are engaged in work. For
this purpose she should direct his/her pupils to take down notes of what she is teaching in
the classroom. Note taking behaviour on the part of pupils keep them busy. It is also
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useful in comprehending the message of the teacher as pupils are required to process the
information being given by the teachers before taking notes. This therefore, improves
their information processing skills also. Further a teacher should ensure that every pupil
in her class is taking notes of what she is teaching. She may check it as she feels the need
for it.
Many a times, teachers give assignments to pupils to be completed within the class. In
such a situation a teacher should ensure that assignment is adequate for all the pupils.
High achievers if they are able to complete the assignment earlier, may be given an additional
assignment to keep them busy. Keeping pupils busy in the class is highly essential as
idleness is a major ingredient of undesirable behaviour.
v) Generate Interaction in the Classroom
In a classroom where the teacher alone is talking and the students are passive listeners,
there is every possibility on the part of some students to engage in some disruptive
behaviours. This is because they are not engaged in the teaching learning process. In order
to manage the classroom effectively there is a need on the part of a teacher to generate
interaction in the classroom. Interaction stands for communication between the teacher
and his pupils. A teacher should not only generate classroom interaction but also bring
about a change in the classroom interaction pattern. Once the students are engaged in any
interaction a teacher is successful for a short duration in the classroom effectively.
Continuing the same pattern of interaction for prolonged duration in the classroom
introduces monotony with consequent lack of interest and inattention resulting in pupils
disruptive behaviour. A change in the classroom interaction pattern breaks this monotony
and makes students alert.
vi) Secure and Sustain Pupils Attention on the Learning Task
Securing and sustaining pupils attention on the learning task is very helpful in managing
classroom effectively. If the students do not pay attention to the learning task there is
always a tendency on their part to engage in disruptive behaviour. But it is not very easy
on the part of the teacher to secure and sustain the pupils attention towards the learning
task. A teacher can achieve this through various ways. Use of gestures is an important
teaching behaviour for introducing variation in teaching. Gestures are very useful to express
feelings and emotions to emphasize significant ideas or objects, to indicate shapes, size
and movement of objectives, etc. Constant use of the same pitch, tone and speed by a
teacher makes his/her communication dull and drab. Change in tone and pitch in the
teachers voice immediately attract pupils attention.
A teacher while imparting knowledge to her pupils uses aural or visual medium. Constant
use of one medium for imparting knowledge distracts pupils attention from what she is
saying or communicating. Variation in this medium from aural to visual or aural to aural,
visual to visual helps a teacher in securing and sustaining pupils attention on the learning
task.
Random questioning is another effective device for managing a classroom effectively.
This makes them to listen to the teachers questions attentively and think of answers to all
the questions.
vii) Prepare the Lesson Effectively
The preparation for delivery of the lesson on the part of a teacher includes identifying his
instructional objectives and then selecting the appropriate teaching strategy to realise
these objectives.
Effective preparation on the part of the teacher with regard to his/her teaching strategy to
realise the specific instructional objectives viz : mastery over the content, selection of
appropriate teaching aids and so on ensures pupils interest and motivation in the learning
task and thereby reduces the chances of pupils indulgence in disruptive behaviours. Well
prepared and confident teachers have been found to be the effective classroom managers.
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viii) Smooth Transition from one type of Instructional Activity to Another
When the transition from one type of activity to another is not smooth the pupils become
restless and some begin to talk. There are many occasions when the flow of an activity in
the classroom is broken by circumstances beyond the control of the teacher. For instance,
when a peon brings a message from the head of the institution for the teacher, the flow of
the teaching activity in the classroom gets interrupted. In another instances, a teacher
terminates an activity, starts another and then initiates a return to the earlier terminated
activity. Another situation could be that a teacher initiates an activity, leaves it incomplete
and moves to another activity. These are some behaviours which interfere the smooth flow
of instructional activities in the classroom and need to be avoided.
All these behaviour/ skills discussed above have been found to be effective in classroom
management. There is a need for teacher to acquire these behaviours to be effective
classroom managers.
Check Your Progress
Notes: a) Write your answer in the space given below.
b) Compare your answers with the one given at the end of the unit.
2. Describe some disruptive behaviours in which students of your class generally
indulge.
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3. Mention five components of the classroom management skills.
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4. What do you mean by teacher target mistakes and teacher timing mistakes?
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11.6 GUIDELINES AND STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
Some basic guidelines and strategies for effective classroom management are presented
below for your better understanding:
l Always attempt to have an activity that is meaningful to you and that you anticipate
will be meaningful to your students. Have confidence that given a fair chance you
bring it off. This gives you an air of resolve you do pot have otherwise.
l Be aware of the attitudes you are projecting towards class activities. Are they attitudes
of confidence, enthusiasm, and purpose? Or are you communicating uncertainly,
frustration, and superficiality? Learn to take an inventory of your own moods and to
get yourself mentally ready to face a class.
l Work to avoid falling into a mechanical, matter-of-fact approach to teaching. Be
enough of a risk taker that you are not afraid to put a substantial amount of yourself
into your teaching.
l Make a serious effort to come to grips with the question of what is and is not desirable
and tolerable behaviour in your classroom. As a teacher of groups of young learners
you need to take a stance in favour of what is reasonable and acceptable group
behaviour as opposed to what is thoughtless and irresponsible.
l Learn to keep your fingers on the pulse of the call. Move swiftly and purposefully
to control behaviour that threatens to distract from the Lesson. Do not get in the
habit of\ignoring minor behaviour problems in the hope they will simply go away. In
most cases they will not disappear.
l Get students in tune with you before you attempt to carry on with your teaching
agenda. Be careful not to allow slippage here. Do not attempt to take over about the
competitions. Use pauses, restarts, or lowering about of the voice to cause students
to attend. Walk through exercises periodically with your students to keep them used
to working harmoniously with you.
l Learn to use silence to advantage and to cultivate body language. Your eyes and
your gestures are critically important to you here.
l Anticipate likely consequences of what you ask students to do. Try to avoid always
being in a reactive (corrective) position with your classes. Learn to use prevention
maintenance to keep yourself out of the corrective mode as much as possible.
l When it becomes necessary, use corrective maintenance calmly and confidently, but
make it penetrate. Do not interrupt the whole class to reprimand one offender whenever
it is possible to avoid it.
l Tell the class in clear terms what you are up to and the behaviour you expect of them.
Learn to recognize signs that adjustments in strategy are necessary.
l Make a determined effort to combat uncontrolled chatter in your classes. It is
disconcerting to you and to students trying to attention. Teach your students to
recognise when talking is acceptable and when it is disruptive.
l Do not get in the habit of doing classroom management on the run. Take time to plan
for it as a key aspect of your teaching.
11.7 LET US SUM UP
Classroom management is an important ingredient of successful teaching. The skill of
classroom management is one of the most important skills which one should aquire to
manage the classroom effectively. The term classroom management includes the
management of resources, learners disruptive behaviours, and learning activities in the
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classroom. Disruptive behaviour may be in the form of throwing chalk at someone snatching
someones book, fighting swearing etc.
Pupils disruptive behaviours in the classroom affects their learning adversely. Such
behaviour needs to be eliminated or reduced so as to generate an environment conducive
for learning in the classroom. Many teachers feel that if they prepare the lesson very well,.
they will not face any problem in the classroom in this regard. Studies have revealed that
teachers faced disruptive behaviour even when they had prepared their lesson effectively.
Research studies have demonstrated that certain behaviours or strategies are quite helpful
in managing classroom effectively. The strategies which were identified while observing
teachers in successfully managed classroom include: reinforcing desirable behaviours,
keeping an eye on each pupil, giving clear directions, ensuring sufficient work for each
pupil, securing and sustaining Pupils attention on the learning tasks, classroom setting,
preparing lesson effectively and smooth transition from one activity to another.
11.8 UNIT-END EXERCISES
1. Discuss the need of Classroom Management.
2. Describe the Dimensions of Classroom Management
11.9 SUGGESTED READINGS
Corrie, Malcolm et. al. (1978) : Classroom Management Strategies: A Study in Secondary
School, Edinburgh. The Scottish Council for Research in Education.
Kounin, Jacob S. (1970): Discipline and Group Management in Classrooms, New York,
Holt, Reinbhart and Winston. Inc.
Steere Bob F. (1988) : Faculty and Effective Classroom Management - A Resource For
Teachers. New York State University of New York.
M.C. Minus, Mick (1989) : Troublesome Behaviour in the Classroom - A Teachers
Survival Guide, New York, Nicohols Publishing Company.
ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
1. Classroom management is management of resources, pupils learning activities and
disruptive behaviours in the classroom.
2. a) throwing a book on someone
b) snatching some bodys book
c) fighting with someone
d) whispering with the student sitting close to him/her
e) not listening to the teacher at all
3. i) Re-inforcing desirable behaviours
ii) Keeping an eye on each pupil
iii) Generating interaction in the classroom
iv) Securing and sustaining pupils attention in the learning tasks
4. Target mistake consists of when a teacher picks up a wrong child for deviant act.
When a teacher notices the deviant act after it has already spread, the teacher commits
timing mistakes.