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).

When beginning this unit, I already had a strong set of beliefs about what a positive

learning environment was: a community that recognises and understands student needs,

promotes wellbeing and student health, and implements strategies for positive learning

through structured and adaptive pedagogies. Through this unit I have recognised how

teachers and students need to work together to develop goals and expectations to allow

everybody a platform to achieve the best they can in their learning. Reflecting on the Lyford

model (De, Lyons & Arthur-Kelly, 2017); classroom culture, physical environment,

instructional practice, and classroom culture have all been considered in my personal

philosophy. Through building relationships and wellbeing in the classroom, a positive

learning environment can be made a reality.

This unit introduced me to some theories that resonated with my beliefs and stretched

my knowledge and understanding of pedagogy for positive learning environments further.

Choice theory (Britzman, Nagelhout & Cameron, 2011) focuses on student behaviour based

on understanding fundamental needs. Utilising my understanding of choice theory allows me

to form my praxis for the positive learning environments I will establish as a graduate

teacher. Discovering individual student needs is one of the more daunting realities of

becoming a teacher for me personally. Choice theory will allow me to promote student

autonomy, and use guided questions to manage individual student needs. Managing student

behaviour is a crucial element to achieve a positive learning environment. Learning about

rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) has increased my confidence to implement

behaviour management strategies in my classroom. Helping students regulate their emotions

and promote positive behaviour will increase wellbeing and relationships within my

established learning environments.

 It is my belief that classrooms should be places where teacher-student relationships

are strong and positive. This unit has taught me to place an emphasis on the way I

communicate to students, because good communication is vital to a positive classroom

climate. In order to become a leader and mentor in the classroom, I must strengthen my social

emotional skills and abilities. These skills are associated with efficacy for teaching and

confidence in own teaching abilities. Building these skills will influence the quality of my

teacher-student relationships and positive learning environments.

Throughout this unit I have actively reshaped and reflected on my teacher personal

beliefs so that I can create a positive learning environment through personal reflection and

resilience skills. I believe that knowing students, completing personal reflections, have ability

to accept failure, and have coping skills will allow me to strengthen my resilience as a

graduate teacher. I believe that positioning myself to self regulate my own emotion, and

reflect on my teaching philosophy will strengthen the learning environment in the classroom.

As a consequence of this belief i will actively integrate philosophy, values, theory and

practice when self reflecting, utilise research based evidence and best practice data to guide

my actions and any changes i make, and involve a commitment to investigate my own

teaching practices.

The plan, implement, review (PIR) cycle will give me a framework to understand the

relationships between theory and practice before implementing my praxis in the classroom.

To plan, i will take into consideration student fundamental needs when forming my scope and

sequences. I will do informed research to promote best practice in my classroom to cater to

differing student needs. To implement my plan, I will hold myself accountable for self

reflection, and I will write observations each lesson. This will help me keep track of where

Im at, monitor each element i have planned out, and have a space to review my plan so i can

change it if need be. To review I will communicate recognition and progress to each learner.
If need be, I will change lesson plans, increase social emotional development and self

regulation skills, build student teacher relationships, and/or partake in more research. I

understand that not all strategies and practices work, so i will keep an open mind to

opportunity and fidelity for reflection and appropriate changes.

I will set clear expectations for my classroom, influenced from positive behaviour

support (PBS) (De, Lyons & Arthur-Kelly, 2017). One expectation that I will set as a

graduate teacher is for each student to always attempt their work. This expectation resonates

with me because some students unknowingly misbehave by hindering their own learning, and

this is sometimes overlooked in classrooms. This will set high expectations for each student. I

will teach this expectation by showing students how they can attempt their work when

necessary. Some strategies that will inform my praxis include problem based learning

(Savery & Duffy, 1995), where students focus on how and what they will learn, this

encourages autonomy and student confidence. Collaborative based learning may assist some

students who are struggling to understand, or are shy to ask questions. I will provide an

additional outlet for students to show achievement and will give students the confidence and

recognition they need to thrive, without the pressure of exam/assessment.

An important part of being a teacher, in my opinion, is recognising where we have

opportunities as leaders, mentors, and people. To be a great leader, I must recognise my

qualities and then research, practice, and implement strategies to achieve the best possible

outcome. Having strengths in social and emotional competencies will demonstrate to students

the benefits of self management strategies for emotional regulation. I will implement SEL by

greeting students, ending school days with reflection periods, being firm, clear and fair, and

showing interest in student’s lives. I will self focus SEL by knowing myself and others,

making responsible decisions, caring for others, and knowing how to act. In my classroom, I
will aim to create a place where I show empathy because the best way to teach empathy is to

show it.

This unit has taught me how to differentiate nexus and praxis when it comes to

personal beliefs. The relationship between theory and practice is important to understand

when implementing pedagogical practices for positive learning environments because teacher

praxis may not be successful for every learner every time. Understanding this will allow

teacher confidence and resilience to retry strategies to promote positive classroom culture and

pedagogy for positive learning environments.

References

Britzman, M.J., Nagelhout, S.E., & Cameron, A.J. (2011). Pursuing a quality life by

clarifying our quality worlds and making need-fulfilling choices. International Journal

of Choice Theory and Reality Therapy 1(31).

De, N. J., Lyons, G., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2017). Positive learning environments. South

Melbourne: Cengage Learning Australia.

Savery, J. R., & Duffy, T. M. (1995). Problem based learning: An instructional model and its

constructivist framework. Educational technology, 35(5), 31-38.

(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.

A good teacher is:

Understanding Engaging Passionate about student

achievement

Interested in the student An expert Approachable

Passionate about content Encouraging Patient

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

Ill-structured Structured

it is important to understand that these it is important to identify structured, or well

problems are difficult to fix defined problems accurately.
These problems are encountered in everyday
contexts This allows you to identify variables and an
follow the steps to help solve this problem: outcome with a singular solution - there is a
1. Articulate a problem, space and right answer
contextual constraints: is there really a
problem and what is it? Conceptualisation of well-defined creates
2. Identify and clarify alternative unnecessary boundaries, you begin to discount
opinions, positions, and perspectives of some information as irrelevant. So it is
stakeholders. important to identify situations as ill-defined
3. Generate possible problem solutions. when they are.
4. Assess the viability of alternative
solutions by construction arguments and
articulating personal beliefs.
5. Monitor the problem space and solution
options.
6. Implement and monitor the solution.
7. Adapt the solution.
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 …

Recognising student needs

having knowledge of appropriate strategies
knowing that a strategy may not work for certain situations
understanding student needs
promoting wellbeing
understanding what challenging behaviour is
Structured and adaptive pedagogies
promoting student health
responding effectively to student behaviour
behaviour management is applied with teacher effective research
(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

I don’t feel that any of the theories can be ‘not me’ Choice Theory
before I put them into practice. If I were to choose a PBIS
theory, or strategy to place in this column, it would REBT
probably be assertive discipline because it is Applied behaviour analysis
something out of my comfort zone. I will try to
remember to use this in my teaching and overcome
my worries about using it.

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 work together to develop goals and expectations to allow every person to achieve the
best they can in their learning.
Choice theory focuses on student behaviour based on understanding fundamental needs. I think this theory sits
very well with me, because it helps me to understand the reasons why students may misbehave, become
unfocused, or other. The classroom application of choice theory allows students to have an active role into how
and what they are taught, and promotes student autonomy. Choice theory encourages guided questions to
manage individual student needs which are a great stepping stone for pre-service and graduate teachers to find
their feet in building student-teacher relationships, and growing behaviour management skills.

Positive behaviour intervention support, or PBIS, allows the classroom to be a place of order and known
expectations. PBIS, when implemented correctly, is a great tool to set high expectations for students, and
acknowledge appropriate behaviours which will build student-teacher relationships. Having a set of classroom-
wide expectations allows the classroom to be a place where students can excel and behave appropriately.
Keeping in mind to implement six to eight positive interactions for every one negative student interaction is a
fantastic way to build positive relationships between students and teachers.

Rational emotive behaviour therapy, or REBT, encompasses a large number of classroom strategies to help
manage behaviours for those in the secondary, and tertiary tiers from the PBIS theory. Knowing some of these
strategies will allow beginning teachers to help regulate student emotions and promote positive behaviour in
the classroom. It will be stressful and difficult to find your feet as a beginning teacher, particularly in difficult
behaviour situations. This may tempt a teacher to lose their cool and respond with a negative teacher-student
interaction. I believe the classroom should be a place where stress is expected, and the steps to guide a student
to a place of happy emotion, or appropriate behaviour should be known by every teacher in every classroom.

Applied behaviour analysis is a good theory to know as a teacher because it focuses on the different needs of
the student. Focus on psychoeducational, cognitive, and behavioural needs will allow a teacher, at any time in
their career, assess the situation and understand why a student is misbehaving. It is important that classrooms
are a place of understanding so appropriate and effective steps can be taken to ensure every student is
reaching their potential for their own learning.

Classrooms should be places where teacher-student relationships are strong and positive, they should be well
researched, have high expectations, and student learning is at the core of all decisions. These theories
intertwine, and it is important when forming your praxis that you understand some things may not work. These
intertwined theories encompass the Lyford model, which at its core, encourages positive learning
environments.
(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 is fundamental for the success of healthy student-teacher relationships. Teachers should act to
strengthen their social emotional skills and abilities, not only to build positive learning environments, but to
self regulate emotion and behaviour. Teachers will build relationships through being a leader and a mentor.
These skills are associated with efficacy for teaching and confidence in own teaching abilities. Building your
own skills as a teacher will influence the quality and calibre of student teacher relationships through positive
and effective communication.

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 … giving us an expected
outcome. Beliefs can hinder positive learning environments through the inability to self regulate emotion. This
example is linked to the ‘ABC’ model, where an outcome may upset, or aggravate a teacher, not because of the
situation itself, but because of how the teacher believed the situation should have happened. Positioning
yourself to self regulate your own emotion, and reflect on our own teaching philosophies, can use teacher
beliefs to help create positive learning environments. Teachers should be resilient and work on their skills such
as:
-coping skills
-ability to accept failure
-interpersonal skills
-knowing students
-personal reflection
I believe that using teacher beliefs to reflect on own teaching will be the most helpful way to promote a
positive learning environment.

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 will strengthen the learning
environment within the classroom.

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 …

-integrate philosophy, values, theory and practice when self reflecting
-utilise research-based evidence and best practice data to guide actions and changes
-involve a commitment to investigate my own teaching practices
-recognise the benefits of mentoring.
(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.
Plan

 What will you take into consideration when planning your teaching program?
 I will take into consideration the student needs within my classroom:
 what time of day will this lesson take place e.g. will they be hungry, tired, alert?
 are there any students with developmental needs?
 are there any students with medical conditions?
 how will I reach students of different academic levels?
 how will I reach the students who get bored with this subject?
 How will you know what to teach and where to start?
 I will do informed research to figure out the best pedagogical practices for each circumstance
 are there any strategies I need to know for students with behavioural problems
 have I set my expectations for the classroom?
 What are the many ways in which your students could demonstrate achievement other than tests and
quizzes?
 students can demonstrate their achievement through handing in school work, collaborative
discussions, and strong teacher student relationships.
 Teachers can keep track of this each lesson by tracking behavioural, academic, or other
achievements.
 What teaching approaches will you use and what philosophical views will your pedagogies reflect?
 It is hard to say which teaching approaches I will use as a preservice teacher, and without a student
base to inform my choices.
 I believe the importance of teacher-student relationships is vital for the success in the classroom
 I believe the teachers and students need to understand how to regulate their own emotions to have
appropriate behaviours
 I believe choice theory will be helpful to me as a graduate teacher as it umbrellas a lot of strategies
and psychoeducational, cognitive, and behavioural needs based approaches.
 I will implement a teacher journal to reflect in and keep track of successes and strategies that don’t
work for particular students.
 I believe that beginning as a teacher, having a wholistic approach to behaviour management and
positive learning environments which encompass well researched strategies, will be effective when
developing communication and strategies.

Implement

• I will implement this plan by writing these sections into my lesson plans, this will allow me to keep track of
where i’m at, monitor each thing I have planned out, and have a space to write out what I need to plan
next, what worked, and what did not work.
• I will implement different methods for students to demonstrate achievement
• I will work on self regulation and reflection in order to strengthen my communication, social emotional
strategies, and student-teacher relationships

Review

• remember the role of feedback- it is crucial to effective learning

• communicate recognition and progress to each learner
• what do I need to change:
• lesson plans
• social emotional development
• self regulation skills
• more research on strategies and interventions
• student teacher relationships
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 … planned and appropriate curriculum, classroom management and
positive behaviour strategies. These include:
• include the curriculum framework and learning outcomes for effective classroom
management
• knowing high school integration is more complicated
• Focus on:
• developing a holistic, whole-school culture
• Issues of student behaviour can be woven into the learning program, but can take greater
care and skill

Therefore I will use …

• Self-management interventions
• Applied behavioural interventions
• Social skills instructions
• Cognitive behavioural therapies
• Behavioural report cards
• Alternative interventions specific to individual student needs

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.
I think holding value in communication is an important aspect when establishing an orderly, productive, and
positive classroom.

communication is important because it establishes student-teacher relationships.

communication allows teachers and students to reflect on practice.
Communication is a vehicle for implementing behaviour and classroom management strategies.
You can use communication to establish goals and expectations within the classroom to promote a positive
learning environment.

Rules and consequences will be established in my classroom through explaining to students from the start what
my expectations are.
I will acknowledge students for meeting these expectations.Consequences will be communicated from the
beginning and remain consistent. I will utilise steps in the PBIS system to help me establish behaviour
management and expectations within the classroom. Using this process will allow me to assess my
communication skills, classroom management skills, and strengthen them accordingly alongside research.
(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 will add aspects of PBS to my classroom management to help students with cognitive developmental issues
such as ADHD, behaviour issues etc.

The reading resonated with me where reinforcement is limited to the teacher’s imagination. I believe that I will
be able to establish clear and consistent expectations and use reinforcers to achieve appropriate behaviours
amongst students in my class. I am currently unsure of which type of reinforcers will be appropriate or effective
in my classroom, but using the reading as a guide will help me to introduce them with confidence and
capability.
(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.

One expectation for my classroom would be to always attempt the work.

I picked this expectation because I feel as though many students misbehave unknowingly by hindering their
own learning. This sets a high expectation for every student, so they know that behaving appropriately means
attempting to learn the content.

I will teach this expectation by showing students how they can attempt their work:
collaborative based learning may assist some students who are struggling to understand, or are shy to ask
questions.
problem based learning allows the student to focus on how and what they will learn, this encourages
autonomy, and student confidence.
Providing an additional outlet for students to show achievement will give students the confidence and
recognition they need to thrive, without the pressure of exam/assessment.
(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.

The Cohen reading really helped me to understand the importance of social and emotional learning,
particularly for high school students. Fostering a safe environment where students learn in collaboration with
their teachers, and in the company of their peers, allows students to have positive relationships. Alongside
these relationships, helping students to recognise and manage their emotions will help them with academic
successes, and life successes.

I believe that to fully understand social and emotional learning within the classroom, teachers must reflect on
their own social and emotional competencies.
An important part of being a teacher, in my opinion, is recognising where we have opportunities as leaders,
mentors, and as a person. To be a great leader, I must recognise my qualities and research, practice, and
implement strategies to achieve the best possible outcome. Having strengths in social and emotional
competencies yourself will demonstrate to students the benefits of self management strategies for emotional
regulation.

I will implement SEL by:

• Greet students
• Begin or end school days with brief periods of time for students to reflect on what they have
learnt
• Create rules and reinforce cooperation, caring, helping
• Be clear, firm and fair
• Ask students what kind of learning environments they have the greatest success
• Show interest in their personal lives outside of school

I will self focus SEL by:

• Know yourself and others

• Make responsible decisions
• Care for others
• Know how to act

In my classroom, I will aim to create a place where I show empathy. The best way to teach empathy is to show
it.
(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)

Draft:

it is important to understand that these problems are difficult to fix

These problems are encountered in everyday contexts
follow the steps to help solve this problem:
1. Articulate a problem, space and contextual constraints: is there really a problem and what is it?
2. Identify and clarify alternative opinions, positions, and perspectives of stakeholders.
3. Generate possible problem solutions.
4. Assess the viability of alternative solutions by construction arguments and articulating personal beliefs.
5. Monitor the problem space and solution options.
6. Implement and monitor the solution.
7. Adapt the solution.

it is important to identify structured, or well defined problems accurately. This allows you to identify
variables and an outcome with a singular solution - there is a right answer. Conceptualisation of well-defined
creates unnecessary boundaries, you begin to discount some information as irrelevant. So it is important to
identify situations as ill-defined when they are.
I believe a positive learning environment is about …
Recognising student needs
having knowledge of appropriate strategies
knowing that a strategy may not work for certain situations
understanding student needs
promoting wellbeing
understanding what challenging behaviour is
Structured and adaptive pedagogies
promoting student health
responding effectively to student behaviour
behaviour management is applied with teacher effective research
I believe classrooms should be places where …
students and teachers work together to develop goals and expectations to allow every person to achieve the
best they can in their learning.
Choice theory focuses on student behaviour based on understanding fundamental needs. I think this theory
sits very well with me, because it helps me to understand the reasons why students may misbehave, become
unfocused, or other. The classroom application of choice theory allows students to have an active role into
how and what they are taught, and promotes student autonomy. Choice theory encourages guided questions
to manage individual student needs which are a great stepping stone for pre-service and graduate teachers to
find their feet in building student-teacher relationships, and growing behaviour management skills.
Positive behaviour intervention support, or PBIS, allows the classroom to be a place of order and
known expectations. PBIS, when implemented correctly, is a great tool to set high expectations for students,
and acknowledge appropriate behaviours which will build student-teacher relationships. Having a set of
classroom-wide expectations allows the classroom to be a place where students can excel and behave
appropriately. Keeping in mind to implement six to eight positive interactions for every one negative student
interaction is a fantastic way to build positive relationships between students and teachers.
Rational emotive behaviour therapy, or REBT, encompasses a large number of classroom strategies to
help manage behaviours for those in the secondary, and tertiary tiers from the PBIS theory. Knowing some of
these strategies will allow beginning teachers to help regulate student emotions and promote positive
behaviour in the classroom. It will be stressful and difficult to find your feet as a beginning teacher, particularly
in difficult behaviour situations. This may tempt a teacher to lose their cool and respond with a negative
teacher-student interaction. I believe the classroom should be a place where stress is expected, and the steps
to guide a student to a place of happy emotion, or appropriate behaviour should be known by every teacher in
every classroom.
Applied behaviour analysis is a good theory to know as a teacher because it focuses on the different
needs of the student. Focus on psychoeducational, cognitive, and behavioural needs will allow a teacher, at
any time in their career, assess the situation and understand why a student is misbehaving. It is important that
classrooms are a place of understanding so appropriate and effective steps can be taken to ensure every
student is reaching their potential for their own learning.
Classrooms should be places where teacher-student relationships are strong and positive, they should
be well researched, have high expectations, and student learning is at the core of all decisions. These theories
intertwine, and it is important when forming your praxis that you understand some things may not work.
These intertwined theories encompass the Lyford model, which at its core, encourages positive learning
environments.
I believe that good communication between teacher and student is vital to a positive classroom
climate because … it is fundamental for the success of healthy student-teacher relationships. Teachers should
act to strengthen their social emotional skills and abilities, not only to build positive learning environments,
but to self regulate emotion and behaviour. Teachers will build relationships through being a leader and a
mentor. These skills are associated with efficacy for teaching and confidence in own teaching abilities. Building
your own skills as a teacher will influence the quality and calibre of student teacher relationships through
positive and effective communication.
Teacher personal beliefs affect the way we create Positive Learning Environments by … giving us an
expected outcome. Beliefs can hinder positive learning environments through the inability to self regulate
emotion. This example is linked to the ‘ABC’ model, where an outcome may upset, or aggravate a teacher, not
because of the situation itself, but because of how the teacher believed the situation should have happened.
Positioning yourself to self regulate your own emotion, and reflect on our own teaching philosophies, can use
teacher beliefs to help create positive learning environments. Teachers should be resilient and work on their
skills such as:
-coping skills
-ability to accept failure
-interpersonal skills
-knowing students
-personal reflection
I believe that using teacher beliefs to reflect on own teaching will be the most helpful way to promote
a positive learning environment.
I believe professional reflexivity is important to my teaching because … it will strengthen the learning
environment within the classroom.
As a consequence of this belief, I will …
-integrate philosophy, values, theory and practice when self reflecting
-utilise research-based evidence and best practice data to guide actions and changes
-involve a commitment to investigate my own teaching practices
-recognise the benefits of mentoring.
Plan
 What will you take into consideration when planning your teaching program?
 I will take into consideration the student needs within my classroom:
 what time of day will this lesson take place e.g. will they be hungry, tired, alert?
 are there any students with developmental needs?
 are there any students with medical conditions?
 how will I reach students of different academic levels?
 how will I reach the students who get bored with this subject?
 How will you know what to teach and where to start?
 I will do informed research to figure out the best pedagogical practices for each circumstance
 are there any strategies I need to know for students with behavioural problems
 have I set my expectations for the classroom?
 What are the many ways in which your students could demonstrate achievement other than tests and
quizzes?
  students can demonstrate their achievement through handing in school work, collaborative
discussions, and strong teacher student relationships.
 Teachers can keep track of this each lesson by tracking behavioural, academic, or other
achievements.
 What teaching approaches will you use and what philosophical views will your pedagogies reflect?
 It is hard to say which teaching approaches I will use as a preservice teacher, and without a student
base to inform my choices.
 I believe the importance of teacher-student relationships is vital for the success in the classroom
 I believe the teachers and students need to understand how to regulate their own emotions to have
appropriate behaviours
 I believe choice theory will be helpful to me as a graduate teacher as it umbrellas a lot of strategies
and psychoeducational, cognitive, and behavioural needs based approaches.
 I will implement a teacher journal to reflect in and keep track of successes and strategies that don’t
work for particular students.
 I believe that beginning as a teacher, having a wholistic approach to behaviour management and
positive learning environments which encompass well researched strategies, will be effective when
developing communication and strategies.
Implement
• I will implement this plan by writing these sections into my lesson plans, this will allow me to keep track of
where i’m at, monitor each thing I have planned out, and have a space to write out what I need to plan
next, what worked, and what did not work.
• I will implement different methods for students to demonstrate achievement
• I will work on self regulation and reflection in order to strengthen my communication, social emotional
strategies, and student-teacher relationships
Review
• remember the role of feedback- it is crucial to effective learning
• communicate recognition and progress to each learner
• what do I need to change:
• lesson plans
• social emotional development
• self regulation skills
• more research on strategies and interventions
• student teacher relationships
I believe that students best learn through … planned and appropriate curriculum, classroom management and
positive behaviour strategies. These include:
• include the curriculum framework and learning outcomes for effective classroom management
• knowing high school integration is more complicated
• Focus on:
• developing a holistic, whole-school culture
• Issues of student behaviour can be woven into the learning program, but can take greater care and skill
Therefore I will use …
• Self-management interventions
• Applied behavioural interventions
• Social skills instructions
• Cognitive behavioural therapies
• Behavioural report cards
• Alternative interventions specific to individual student needs

I think holding value in communication is an important aspect when establishing an orderly,

productive, and positive classroom.
communication is important because it establishes student-teacher relationships.
communication allows teachers and students to reflect on practice.
Communication is a vehicle for implementing behaviour and classroom management strategies.
You can use communication to establish goals and expectations within the classroom to promote a positive
learning environment.
Rules and consequences will be established in my classroom through explaining to students from the
start what my expectations are.
I will acknowledge students for meeting these expectations.Consequences will be communicated from the
beginning and remain consistent. I will utilise steps in the PBIS system to help me establish behaviour
management and expectations within the classroom. Using this process will allow me to assess my
communication skills, classroom management skills, and strengthen them accordingly alongside research.
I will add aspects of PBS to my classroom management to help students with cognitive developmental
issues such as ADHD, behaviour issues etc.
One expectation for my classroom would be to always attempt the work. I picked this expectation
because I feel as though many students misbehave unknowingly by hindering their own learning. This sets a
high expectation for every student, so they know that behaving appropriately means attempting to learn the
content. I will teach this expectation by showing students how they can attempt their work:
collaborative based learning may assist some students who are struggling to understand, or are shy to ask
questions. problem based learning allows the student to focus on how and what they will learn, this
encourages autonomy, and student confidence. Providing an additional outlet for students to show
achievement will give students the confidence and recognition they need to thrive, without the pressure of
exam/assessment.
The Cohen reading really helped me to understand the importance of social and emotional learning,
particularly for high school students. Fostering a safe environment where students learn in collaboration with
their teachers, and in the company of their peers, allows students to have positive relationships. Alongside these
relationships, helping students to recognise and manage their emotions will help them with academic successes,
and life successes.
I believe that to fully understand social and emotional learning within the classroom, teachers must
reflect on their own social and emotional competencies.
An important part of being a teacher, in my opinion, is recognising where we have opportunities as leaders,
mentors, and as a person. To be a great leader, I must recognise my qualities and research, practice, and
implement strategies to achieve the best possible outcome. Having strengths in social and emotional
competencies yourself will demonstrate to students the benefits of self management strategies for emotional
regulation.
I will implement SEL by:
• Greet students
• Begin or end school days with brief periods of time for students to reflect on what they have learnt
• Create rules and reinforce cooperation, caring, helping
• Be clear, firm and fair
• Ask students what kind of learning environments they have the greatest success
• Show interest in their personal lives outside of school
I will self focus SEL by:
• Know yourself and others
• Make responsible decisions
• Care for others
• Know how to act
In my classroom, I will aim to create a place where I show empathy. The best way to teach empathy is
to show it.

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!