Developing your personal philosophy of classroom

management
John De Nobile
School of Education, Macquarie University
With adaptations by Roberto H Parada, School of Education, Western Sydney University

This resource consists of a series of linked activities chapter-by-chapter to the De Nobile et

al 2017 course text Positive learning environments: Creating and maintaining productive
classrooms. These activities enable you to progressively work on and develop your own
philosophy, plan and style of classroom management.

A classroom philosophy, simply put, is a statement of what you believe about how to best
manage a class and how you will go about achieving that vision. This resource will help you
build it bit by bit. Complete the activities linked to each chapter of the text and by the end
of chapter 10 you should be able to bring your work together to form your classroom
philosophy.

FINAL PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY FOR ASSESSMENT 2

Insert in the box below your final personal philosophy (max 1000 words).

The qualities that I believe make a good teacher are a passion for the discipline, a friendly and
welcoming demeanour, engaging communication, and an approach to teaching that is fair, shows
genuine interest, and one that does not infantilise students as lesser or incapable of learning.
Additionally, fostering learning environments that manages student behaviour is important for
effective teaching. To this end, I believe a positive learning environment is about fostering a safe,
respectful, and engaging classroom that encourages and recognises learning and positive
behaviours. Facilitating this requires that I develop knowledge of student behaviour and problem
solving skills, have an understanding of the context that determines and reinforces such behaviour,
and foster a reflexive and evidence-based approach for dealing with problematic behaviours when
they arise. Additionally, in order to manage behaviour in the classroom, I must first reflect on my
knowledge of student behavioural problems and what I actually know about them, as many student
behavioural problems thought to be well known and structured are actually poorly understood and
ill-defined. This includes recognition that behavioural problems are context specific, so pre-
established approaches are not easily applicable. Furthermore, ill-structured problems may have
multiple approaches, so reflexivity is required to understand the process fully.

In fact, consistent reflexivity over teaching practice is of particular significance because it is essential
to understanding my beliefs and the reasons for my approaches, and gives me an opportunity to
change my approaches based on their success or failure. This is important as my personal beliefs
affect the way I will create positive learning environments as they inform the decisions and
strategies I value, and the views I have of students and their learning. For example, teachers who see
students as incapable of controlling their own behaviours may be controlling and teacher-centred in
their approach to creating learning environments. Additionally, my learning has demonstrated the
importance of quality academic research to employ learning environments with an evidence based
backing. As a consequence of this belief, I will reflect daily on the how I think lessons went, taking
into account student assessment as well as my own viewpoint. I will also, with school approval,
attempt to engage in active research to develop, implement, record, analyse, and reflect on a given
practice as a good way to blend research, evidence, and reflexivity to better inform educational
practice and better understand how to manage classroom behaviour.

A variety of theories inform my philosophy for creating positive classrooms that manage behaviour
and facilitate meaningful learning. I believe classrooms should be places where students and
teachers are mutually respected, and students are self-aware and are encouraged for their
appropriate actions and praised for their accomplishments in order to maintain student engagement
and satisfy students’ social needs, in line with the democratic discipline model for classroom
management. Additionally, As Goal Theory suggests that student misbehaviour is the result of the
“mistaken goals” of seeking “attention, power, revenge, [or] escape”, the interventions I create for
misbehaviour should identify the goal as a first priority. After this, I will make students aware of their
behaviour and empowered them with choices to correct or not correct that behaviour in addition to
providing an explanation of the logically derived consequences of that choice. The respectfulness of
this approach is that students are empowered to make their own choices, and that the
consequences are logically derived from that choice rather than arbitrarily issued punishments that
could be seen me simply exercising my power as the teacher. This idea of respect and ownership of
students’ choices and their consequences should be continued into bullying interactions, utilising
restorative justice techniques where bullies are made aware of the effect they have on students, and
in so doing become better equipped and more likely to address the harm they have caused. These
approaches to classroom management respect students’ abilities to become aware their own
problematic behaviour and its effects, and provides them the time and space to use this awareness
to address their own behaviour.

To achieve this, the establishment of classroom rules and expectations is of paramount importance,
and will become more valuable to the students if they participate in an activity in which these
regulations are formalised. Once established, I should explicitly and repeatedly communicate these
rules, why they exist, and the consequences for infringing them. For example, with the expectation
that students do not speak over others, I will first clearly articulate the expectation and the reason
for its existence, such as respect for others, listening to others’ ideas, learning from peers, not
impacting on the learning of others, and having peers’ feel valued. When the expectation is infringed
upon, the class or student will be reminded of the expectation and reasons for its existence, while
students who are meeting the expectation will be praised, and used as a model for other students.
At times of continued infraction, logically derived consequences must be enacted. In this case,
separation of specific students (or a seating plan if more widespread) is a logical consequence of
speaking with friends out of turn. Further consequences, such as using lunch time to catch up on
work that was missed during class (as a means of re-contextualising detention to be relevant), may
also be used.

In addition to these methods of behaviour management, I have also seen the value of utilising
behavioural modification techniques to reinforcing those behaviours I want to continue. For
example, use of a token economy which I witness firsthand, was an effective means of maintaining
the encouragement of students’ positive behaviour that I plan on adopting for my own classroom
management style. This was of particular effectiveness, as the names on the board that reflected
the tokens accrued by students served as a reminder for the teacher and students to reward positive
behaviours, instead of focusing solely on negative behaviours. Moreover, the token economy
technique also simplified the means of rewarding students who normally misbehave for their
appropriate behaviour, which is important for improving behaviour in those students. However, care
needs to be taken that such behavioural modification techniques actually achieve what they set out
to do, and better understand of the contexts for using such techniques is important to establish
before I move forward.

Acknowledgements

My views regarding what makes a good teacher stem mostly from the positives I now recognise in
my teachers from primary and high school, most significantly from Ms Fong, Ms Bones, and Mr Pitt
at Wentworth Falls Public School, and Mr Wahlin, Mr Long, Mr Sanderson, Mr Yates, and Ms
Colebrook at Katoomba High School.

My views on avoiding infantilising students is based broadly from the work of Robert Epstein
covered in the unit Adolescent Development for Teaching (delivered by Dr Jose Hanham). Although I
do not fully agree with all the rights and responsibilities Epstein suggests adolescents can manage, I
agree, and have found during my professional experience, that older students respond best when
respected as responsible and capable rather than as children.

The Importance of reflexivity and active research was reiterated in nearly all the units of the
Secondary Teaching master degree, but especially by Dr Roberto Parada and in Ullman, J. (Comp.).
(2015). Applying educational research: How to read, do, and use research to solve problems of
practice (Custom ed.). Sydney, Australia: Pearson. Additionally, reflexivity in practice came through
the use of the feedback book in which I wrote daily reflections during profession experience.

My understandings of the democratic discipline model, Goal Theory, and restorative justice are
based lecture and classroom notes during Pedagogy for Positive Learning Environments, and also on
the texts De Jong, T. (2005). A Framework of Principles and Best Practice for Managing Student
Behaviour in the Australian Education Context, School Psychology International, 26(3): 353–370, and
also De Nobile, J., Lyons, G., & Arthur-Kelly, M., (2017). Positive Learning Environments: Creating and
Maintaining Productive Classrooms. South Melbourne, Australia: Cengage.

The example for enacting logically derived consequences for misbehaviour is informed by the
various techniques I observed at Springwood High School. Some teachers created seating plans for
the students as standard practice, but I noticed that these students felt they were being punished
without misbehaving. A better strategy, and one born out of consistent student misbehaviour, was
the formation of a seating plan in response to problematic behaviour, where selected students were
separated more than others, meaning they were excluded from each other even during group work.

My views on behavioural modification are based on information from Dr Roberto Parada of Western
Sydney University, as well as from Killu, K. (2008). Developing Effective Behavior Intervention Plans:
Suggestions for School Personnel. Intervention In School & Clinic, 43(3), 140-149. Additionally, the
efficacy of token economies for this purpose is based on observations of Mel Taylor teaching at
Springwood High School.

I also wish to acknowledge the support of my family and friends during my studies, the staff and
teachers of Western Sydney University, and all those who participated in discussions and assessment
tasks and have furthered my learning.
(Week 1) Pedagogy for Positive Learning Environments: A problem based
approach
Reflection of the week’s Lecture, tutorials and readings.
The following activities are designed to get you thinking about your own model of teaching
and classroom management.

1.1 What is a ‘good teacher’? Think about the teachers from your days in primary and
secondary schooling. What qualities did they have that made them ‘good’? Make a list
in the box below.

The qualities I believe make a good teacher are a passion for the discipline, a friendly and
approachable demeanor, engaging communication, and an approach to teaching that is fair,
shows (or appears to show) genuine interest, and does not infantalise students as lesser or
incapable of learning.

1.2 Using the what you have learnt about ill structured vs structured problems in relation to
classroom behavior, what do you think are the key considerations when a teacher is
planning their strategy for classroom management? list them below.

Given that many problems thought to be structured are actually ill-structured due to being
ill-defined, it is important to first consider the problem and what the teacher actually knows
about it. Additionally, a teacher must recognise that behavioural problems are context
specific, so pre-established approaches are not easily applicable. Furthermore, ill-structured
problems may have multiple approaches, so reflexivity is required to understand the
process fully.

1.3 With your responses to the last two activities as a source of ideas, complete the
sentence in the box below.

I believe a positive learning environment is about fostering a safe, respectful, and engaging
classroom that encourages and recognises learning and positive behaviours. Facilitating this
requires teachers’ knowledge of student behaviour and problem solving skills, an
understanding of the context that determines and reinforces such behaviour, and a reflexive
and evidence-based approach for dealing with problematic behaviours when they arise.
(Week 2) Review of classroom management theories
This week you have been introduced to some theories of behaviour/classroom
management. Your readings (Ch 8 & 9 of the text and De Jong in tutorials) introduced you to
different views on why young people misbehave and particularly what to do about it. Some
of these might have caused you to react in some way, either negatively or positively. Of the
ones you developed a positive feeling about, was there a particular theory that stood out?
Was there a theory or approach that you felt might fit your view of how children should be
treated and how teaching happens? Think about this before responding to the activities.

2.1 In the box below, list the theories that you think are ‘not for you’ under the heading
‘Not me’, and the theories that you think are more favourable under the heading ‘More
like me’.

Not me More like me

Pain Model Goal Theory
Choice theory Restorative justice
Responsible Thinking process Friendly Schools program
Judicious Discipline Democratic Discipline Model
Assertive Discipline Model

2.2 Now take a closer look at the theories you placed in the ‘More like me’ column. Read
the suggested readings provided in this chapter and the online companion. Get to know
the theories more intimately. Use this new knowledge, specifically the key philosophies
behind the theories (or theory), to develop your own statement of belief about the sort
of places classrooms should be. Complete the following sentence and perhaps add
another to accompany it.

I believe classrooms should be places where students and teachers are mutually respected,
and students are self-aware and are encouraged for their appropriate actions and praised
for their accomplishments in order to maintain student engagement and satisfy students’
social needs, in line with the democratic discipline model for classroom management. As
Goal Theory suggests that student misbehaviour is the result of the “mistaken goals” of
seeking “attention, power, revenge, [or] escape”, intervention for misbehaviour should
identify the goal as a first priority. After this, students should be made aware of their
behaviour and empowered with choices to correct or not correct that behaviour in addition
to an explanation of the logically derived consequences of that choice. The respectfulness of
this approach is that students are empowered to make their own choices, and that the
consequences are logically derived from that choice rather than arbitrarily issued
punishments that could be seen as an exercise of power by the teacher. This idea of respect
and ownership of students’ choices and their consequences should be continued into
bullying interactions, utilising restorative justice techniques where bullies are made aware
of the effect they have on students, and in so doing become better equipped and more
likely to address the harm they have caused. These approaches to classroom management
respect students’ abilities to become aware their own problematic behaviour and its effects,
and provides them the time and space to use this awareness to address their own
behaviour.
(Week 3) Relationships, communication & professional reflexivity
Effective communication is a key component of effective classroom management, and
quality teaching depends on it. The lecture, tutorial readings as well as Ch 2 & 3 of the
textbook describe some very useful skills for dealing with inappropriate student behaviour
in a non-confrontational and positive way. Being aware of non-verbal cues will lead a
teacher to be more sensitive to how their messages are being received as well as how to
send messages and provide feedback more effectively. Active listening allows teachers and
students to interact with minimal interference from underlying emotional factors. I-
messages provide the teacher with a tool to convey to students how their behaviour is
affecting the class in a non-submissive, informative and positive manner.

Teaching philosophies often describe the way a teacher will interact with their students and
this, in turn, provides a window into the classroom climate that a teacher is trying to
establish. The following activities should help you to identify your preferred way of
communicating with the class generally as well as in dealing with inappropriate behaviour.
After completing them you should have a better idea of how your classroom philosophy will
describe your communication style in the classroom.

3.1 Using your readings of the chapters, in particular the Relationships and communication,
Interference, Communication process and Non-verbal communication sections,
complete the sentence in the box below. You might need to add a second or even a
third sentence.

I believe that good communication between teacher and student is vital to a positive
classroom climate because it determines how the students feel they are treated, and helps
to deal with inappropriate student behaviour in an effective and non-confrontational way.
Such communication may be detecting non-verbal cues, involving gestures and eye contact,
to interpret unconsciously communicated emotions. Speaking calmly and demonstrating
‘active listening’ by repeating paraphrased, but specific, portions of what students say can
demonstrate that the teacher cares and is listening.

This week you also looked at how personal beliefs can help or hinder in your relationships
and communication with students.

3.2 Briefly outline your understanding of how beliefs can help or hinder your ability to
create positive learning environments:

Teacher personal beliefs affect the way we create Positive Learning Environments by
informing the decisions and strategies teachers value, and the view they have of students
and their learning. For example, teachers who see students as incapable of controlling their
own behaviours may be controlling and teacher-centred in their approach to creating
learning environments. Ideally, teachers believes will be founded in quality academic
research to employ learning environments with an evidence based backing.
Your teaching philosophy should describe how and for what purpose you might engage in a
cycle of professional reflexivity, be it through critical analysis using various perspectives or
an action research model, or both.

3.3 Why should teachers engage in professional reflexivity?. Once you have given this some
thought and done some further reading, complete the following sentence.

I believe professional reflexivity is important to my teaching because it is essential to

understanding the reasons for my approaches, and gives me an opportunity to change my
approaches based on their success or failure.

3.4 Having thought up a justification for it, how will you go about engaging in reflection
about your practice in your teaching career? Once you have thought this out, think of
some practical and achievable ways you can engage in professional reflexivity and
complete the next sentence.

As a consequence of this belief, I will reflect daily on the how I think lessons went, taking
into account student assessment as well as my own viewpoint. I will also, with school
approval, attempt to engage in active research to develop, implement, record, analyse, and
reflect on a given practice as a good way to blend research, evidence, and reflexivity to
better inform educational practice.
(Week 4) Classroom organisation and curriculum, assessment and pedagogy
Classroom management is not just about managing behaviour. At the heart of teaching and
learning are the curriculum taught, the pedagogy used and the assessment designed to
measure how well that curriculum was taught and how well the pedagogy worked. This
chapter takes you through these three areas one at a time.

The next part of your teaching philosophy will be about how you will deliver curriculum and
assess student achievement/growth. After reading this chapter, please reflect on the
following:
 What will you take into consideration when planning your teaching program?
 How will you know what to teach and where to start?
 What are the many ways in which your students could demonstrate achievement other
than tests and quizzes?
 What teaching approaches will you use and what philosophical views will your
pedagogies reflect?

4.1 Using the PIR Cycle (see Ch 5 p118) as a stimulus, explain how you will go about
planning your teaching program in the box below.

To begin planning my teaching program, I will collaborate with my colleagues to design a

scope and sequence and use our pooled knowledge and resources to build a sense of the
planned teaching program. In order to ensure the transferability of learning, I will also adopt
the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework to plan lessons backwards—that is, to
ensure transferability of skills, allow for demonstration of learning, and then ensure the
lessons are diverse and engaging enough to allow learning (not just tests and quizzes, but
ICT-based learning and applying learning to a creative work). Throughout the
implementation phase, I will examine and reflect the success of the program based on
performance, feedback, and engagement, and also further collaborate with my peers to
determine how the effect of our various pedagogical approaches. During and upon the
conclusion of this teaching program, we will individually and collectively assess the
reception of the program and consider how the program may be improved.

4.2 Pedagogy refers to how you will teach the curriculum. Usually, the type of pedagogy
you implement is influenced by a basic belief about how students best learn. After
considering your pedagogical approach and strategies, complete the sentences below.

I believe that students best learn through an intrinsic motivation to learn and an extrinsic
motivation encouraged by the teacher.

Therefore I will use relevancy, student autonomy, and meaningful choice when designing
lessons, and model enthusiasm and use positive psychology to encourage students to
continue their learning.
As explained in Chs 3 & 4, there are several dimensions to classroom organisation. Each of
these put together become the manifestation of your classroom culture. Your classroom
culture is, simply put, the way your class operates and incorporates:
 rules and procedures
 organisation of the physical space.

It is now time to think about how your teaching philosophy will describe these two aspects
and explain them in terms of an overarching set of beliefs or approaches. After reading
these chapters, complete the next two activities.

4.3 What values do you hold as important to establishing an orderly, productive and
positive classroom? Answer this question below, then list the key rules/expectations
you think flow naturally from those values and which you want to stress in your class.
Complete the section by explaining how rules and consequences will be established in
your classroom.

Values I hold important for establishing an orderly, productive, and positive class include
respect for others (including students, teachers, and belongings), and maintaining safe
learning environments.

Rules and expectations include:

 Students should respect themselves and others
 students should not speak over others
 students should raise their hand before speaking
 students should not insult others, or use discriminatory language or language that is
offensive or that marginalises others.
 students must remain seated unless otherwise permitted
 student use of mobile phones and listening to music is restricted, and not permitted
while attending to others
 students must not put themselves or others at risk of harm or injury
 students are expected to complete the work set for them
 students are not to negatively affect the learning of others.
 students understand that their actions have consequences

Additionally, consequences for violating rules and expectations should also be made explicit
from the start, and be constructed as consequences instead of punishments, so that
students are able to logically follow and understand the effect of their own behaviour,
rather than interpret punishment for infractions as the whim of the teacher. For example,
showing if a student were to talk with friends when they are not supposed to, an
inconsequential punishment would be detention, but a more logical consequence would be
to separate the students (and perhaps apologise to the disrespected party) as this relates
directly to the infraction.
(Week 5 ) Principles of behaviour modification
This week we looked at fundamental aspects of behaviourism and learning (see Ch 6 & 7 of
your text) But also Ziporli from your references in the Learning Guide and Killu your tutorial
reading which provide examples of the application of such theory and research to classroom
management and behaviour change. Important concepts such as reinforcement, functional
purpose of behaviour and behaviour shaping are discussed

5.1 After reading Ziporli and Killu and reflecting on the lecture content what would you add
about aspects of your classroom management that have not been mentioned so far in
your philosophy? Add these in the box below in rough draft form. You can refine them
later.

I would also utilise behavioural modification techniques, reinforcing those behaviours I want
to continue, but bearing in mind that all behaviours occur for a reason, and that an
approach for one student might not apply to others. For instances of wider application, a
token economy which I witness firsthand, was an effective means of maintaining the
encouragement of students’ positive behaviour that I plan on adopting for my own
classroom management style.
(Week 6) Applying behaviour modification in schools PBIS
Positive Behaviour Intervention and Support also known as Positive Behaviour Support (see
Text Ch 6 p168) has become an accepted and often implemented part of schooling in NSW.
A key aspect of PBIS is to teach students behavioural expectations.

6.1 Previously (see week 4) you reflected on what your classroom could be like. In the
section below pick 1 expectation (e.g., respect self and others) and list how you will
teach what this expectation looks like, is exemplified by and demonstrated in your
classroom. Give as many examples as you can.

Expectation: students will not speak over others

To begin, the expectation will be clearly articulated and the reason for the expectation
(respect for others, listening to others’ ideas, learning from peers, not impacting on the
learning of others, having peers’ feel valued, etc.) are explained. This should be part of a
larger activity, in which the class has a say in the rules and expectations of the classroom.

When the expectation is infringed upon, the class or student will be reminded of the
expectation and reasons for its existence. Students who are meeting the expectation will be
praised, and used as a model for other students. Additionally, a technique I observed and
applied while on placement was to have students ensure silence before speaking, to have
the class enacting rules and regulating themselves. Students are also reminded of the
consequences for breaking agreed upon rules and expectations.

At times of continued infraction, logically derived consequences must be enacted. In this

case, separation of specific students (or a seating plan if more widespread) is a logical
consequence of speaking with friends out of turn. Further consequences, such as using
lunch time to catch up on work that was missed during class (as a means of re-
contextualising detention to be relevant), may also be used.
(Week 7) Social Emotional Learning in Schools SEL
Readings: Cohen, J. (2006) & Zins, et al (2007).
Social and Emotional Learning brings your attention to focus efforts on promoting students’
social and emotional competencies. Many leaders in the field underscore the importance of
skills-based teaching and learning to properly address this important facet of teaching the
whole child.
7.1 After reading Cohen and Zin and reflecting on the lecture content what would you add
about aspects of your classroom management that have not been mentioned so far in
your philosophy? Add these in the box below in rough draft form. You can refine them
later.

Social and emotion learning should also be present and integrated into school learning, in
addition to meeting academic outcomes, especially considering the association with SEL and
academic success. Such SEL programming involves the development of self-awareness,
including empathy; the ability of students to manage themselves, such as self-motivation
and goal settings; and students being the arbiters of their own responsible decision making,
including identifying and reflecting on decisions made. SEL also requires the classroom be
structured in a manner conducive to the development of SEL, and the involvement of the
wider community were applicable.
(Weeks 8 & 9) Drafting your personal reflection/philosophy
In the space below cut and paste each of the sections you have completed above and create
a (very) draft version of your personal philosophy

My personal reflection/teaching philosophy (Draft 1)

1
The qualities I believe make a good teacher are a passion for the discipline, a friendly and
approachable demeanour, engaging communication, and an approach to teaching that is
fair, shows (or appears to show) genuine interest, and does not infantalise students as lesser
or incapable of learning.

Given that many problems thought to be structured are actually ill-structured due to being
ill-defined, it is important to first consider the problem and what the teacher actually knows
about it. Additionally, a teacher must recognise that behavioural problems are context
specific, so pre-established approaches are not easily applicable. Furthermore, ill-structured
problems may have multiple approaches, so reflexivity is required to understand the
process fully.

I believe a positive learning environment is about fostering a safe, respectful, and engaging
classroom that encourages and recognises learning and positive behaviours. Facilitating this
requires teachers’ knowledge of student behaviour and problem solving skills, an
understanding of the context that determines and reinforces such behaviour, and a reflexive
and evidence-based approach for dealing with problematic behaviours when they arise.
2
Not me: Pain Model, Choice theory, Responsible Thinking process, Judicious Discipline,
Assertive Discipline Model,

More like me: Goal Theory, Restorative justice, Friendly Schools program, Democratic
Discipline Model

I believe classrooms should be places where students and teachers are mutually respected,
and students are self-aware and are encouraged for their appropriate actions and praised
for their accomplishments in order to maintain student engagement and satisfy students’
social needs, in line with the democratic discipline model for classroom management. As
Goal Theory suggests that student misbehaviour is the result of the “mistaken goals” of
seeking “attention, power, revenge, [or] escape”, intervention for misbehaviour should
identify the goal as a first priority. After this, students should be made aware of their
behaviour and empowered with choices to correct or not correct that behaviour in addition
to an explanation of the logically derived consequences of that choice. The respectfulness of
this approach is that students are empowered to make their own choices, and that the
consequences are logically derived from that choice rather than arbitrarily issued
punishments that could be seen as an exercise of power by the teacher. This idea of respect
and ownership of students’ choices and their consequences should be continued into
bullying interactions, utilising restorative justice techniques where bullies are made aware
of the effect they have on students, and in so doing become better equipped and more
likely to address the harm they have caused. These approaches to classroom management
respect students’ abilities to become aware their own problematic behaviour and its effects,
and provides them the time and space to use this awareness to address their own
behaviour.
3
I believe that good communication between teacher and student is vital to a positive
classroom climate because it determines how the students feel they are treated, and helps
to deal with inappropriate student behaviour in an effective and non-confrontational way.
Such communication may be detecting non-verbal cues, involving gestures and eye contact,
to interpret unconsciously communicated emotions. Speaking calmly and demonstrating
‘active listening’ by repeating paraphrased, but specific, portions of what students say can
demonstrate that the teacher cares and is listening.

Teacher personal beliefs affect the way we create Positive Learning Environments by
informing the decisions and strategies teachers value, and the view they have of students
and their learning. For example, teachers who see students as incapable of controlling their
own behaviours may be controlling and teacher-centred in their approach to creating
learning environments. Ideally, teachers believes will be founded in quality academic
research to employ learning environments with an evidence based backing.

I believe professional reflexivity is important to my teaching because it is essential to

understanding the reasons for my approaches, and gives me an opportunity to change my
approaches based on their success or failure.

As a consequence of this belief, I will reflect daily on the how I think lessons went, taking
into account student assessment as well as my own viewpoint. I will also, with school
approval, attempt to engage in active research to develop, implement, record, analyse, and
reflect on a given practice as a good way to blend research, evidence, and reflexivity to
better inform educational practice.
4
To begin planning my teaching program, I will collaborate with my colleagues to design a
scope and sequence and use our pooled knowledge and resources to build a sense of the
planned teaching program. In order to ensure the transferability of learning, I will also adopt
the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework to plan lessons backwards—that is, to
ensure transferability of skills, allow for demonstration of learning, and then ensure the
lessons are diverse and engaging enough to allow learning (not just tests and quizzes, but
ICT-based learning and applying learning to a creative work). Throughout the
implementation phase, I will examine and reflect the success of the program based on
performance, feedback, and engagement, and also further collaborate with my peers to
determine how the effect of our various pedagogical approaches. During and upon the
conclusion of this teaching program, we will individually and collectively assess the
reception of the program and consider how the program may be improved.

I believe that students best learn through an intrinsic motivation to learn and an extrinsic
motivation encouraged by the teacher.

Therefore I will use relevancy, student autonomy, and meaningful choice when designing
lessons, and model enthusiasm and use positive psychology to encourage students to
continue their learning.

Values I hold important for establishing an orderly, productive, and positive class include
respect for others (including students, teachers, and belongings), and maintaining safe
learning environments.

Rules and expectations include:

 students should not speak over others
 students should raise their hand before speaking
 students should not insult others, or use discriminatory language or language that is
offensive or marginalises others.
 students must remain seated unless otherwise permitted
 student use of mobile phones and listening to music is restricted, and not permitted
while attending to others
 students must not put themselves or others at risk of harm or injury
 students are expected to complete the work set for them
 students are not to negatively affect the learning of others.
 students understand that their actions have consequences

Additionally, consequences for violating rules and expectations should also be made explicit
from the start, and be constructed as consequences instead of punishments, so that
students are able to logically follow and understand the effect of their own behaviour,
rather than interpret punishment for infractions as the whim of the teacher. For example,
showing if a student were to talk with friends when they are not supposed to, an
inconsequential punishment would be detention, but a more logical consequence would be
to separate the students (and perhaps apologise to the disrespected party) as this relates
directly to the infraction.
5
I would also utilise behavioural modification techniques, reinforcing those behaviours I want
to continue, but bearing in mind that all behaviours occur for a reason, and that an
approach for one student might not apply to others. For instances of wider application, a
token economy which I witness firsthand, was an effective means of maintaining the
encouragement of students’ positive behaviour that I plan on adopting for my own
classroom management style.
6
Expectation: students will not speak over others

To begin, the expectation will be clearly articulated and the reason for the expectation
(respect for others, listening to others’ ideas, learning from peers, not impacting on the
learning of others, having peers’ feel valued, etc.) are explained. This should be part of a
larger activity, in which the class has a say in the rules and expectations of the classroom.

When the expectation is infringed upon, the class or student will be reminded of the
expectation and reasons for its existence. Students who are meeting the expectation will be
praised, and used as a model for other students. Additionally, a technique I observed and
applied while on placement was to have students ensure silence before speaking, to have
the class enacting rules and regulating themselves. Students are also reminded of the
consequences for breaking agreed upon rules and expectations.

At times of continued infraction, logically derived consequences must be enacted. In this

case, separation of specific students (or a seating plan if more widespread) is a logical
consequence of speaking with friends out of turn. Further consequences, such as using
lunch time to catch up on work that was missed during class (as a means of re-
contextualising detention to be relevant), may also be used.
7
Social and emotion learning should also be present and integrated into school learning, in
addition to meeting academic outcomes, especially considering the association with SEL and
academic success. Such SEL programming involves the development of self-awareness,
including empathy; the ability of students to manage themselves, such as self-motivation
and goal settings; and students being the arbiters of their own responsible decision making,
including identifying and reflecting on decisions made. SEL also requires the classroom be
structured in a manner conducive to the development of SEL, and the involvement of the
wider community where applicable.

Ready to roll …
Now, read it to yourself, and start editing to a maximum of 1000 words, it’s time to prepare
your final submission. Look at the Unit Learning Guide rubric and instructions and now write
your own personal reflection and philosophy You have to reflect on what you have learnt
and what you are still to learn. This reflection is an opportunity to provide your own
behaviour management philosophy/model.

Your personal model can be based on your personal experience and any of the theories and
research explored in PPLE or other Units which form part of your course. You need to
appropriately identify and credit these theories which influenced your thinking in relation to
the development of your personal approach within your text. You must provide at the end
(not counted to word limit) an ‘acknowledgement’ section where you may list the
theories/policies/ people that may have influence your model to date.

Into the future!

However, please be aware that your philosophy may well change as you gain experience in
teaching and are exposed to other ideas from your ongoing professional development, your
interactions with peers and other sources of inspiration. It will be an interesting task for you
to go back to this philosophy you have just completed in 10 years’ time and compare it to
the one you have then. Will it have changed much? How have your approaches evolved?
What kind of teacher have you become?

NOW WRITE YOUR FINAL DRAFT OF YOUR PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY (1000

words Max) IN THE SPACE PROVIDED AT THE START OF THIS DOCUMENT!