Classroom instruction and Management practices

Instruction and classroom management are not two separate entities (Manning & Bucher, 2013). A classroom that is well managed can act as a suitable setting for effective instruction and a well planned lesson. It engages pupils in purposeful and meaningful tasks that will support good behaviours in the classroom.

i) Effective Classroom Instructions

The primary role of teachers is to plan and deliver instructions effectively and efficiently. Thus, teacher need to: i- select appropriate teaching materials. ii- devise suitable activities to facilitate pupil learning. iii- make effective use of classroom management techniques to ensure a conducive environment for learning with minimal disruptive behaviours.

Effective classroom instructions thus included having: a wide array of instructional strategies at your disposal. being skillful at identifying and articulating the proper sequence and pacing of your content. being highly skilled in classroom management techniques.

ii. Instructional Strategies

Teachers need to employ instructional strategies that make the most of class time and keep pupils engaged. This involves: considering pupils attention span when planning instructional activities. alternating teacher-centered activities (presentation,teacher modeling), and pupil-centered activities (practice sheets,independent reading). familiarising pupils with transition times and procedures between activities like from small group activities to whole group instruction.

 Besides, teachers also need to have a time limit for activities so that they can be carried out successfully. Teachers also need to prepare extra activities for pupils who finish tasks early to keep them actively engaged while the other pupils complete the task.
Focusing on effective instructional strategies can prevent academic and behaviour difficulties and thereby facilitate increased pupil achievement.

Effective instructional strategies

Effective teachers have higher rates of positive pupil responses. Pupils attending to academic tasks cannot at the same time be engaged in disruptive, offtask behaviour. Effective instruction minimizes disruptive behaviour through higher rates of academic engagement.

Instruction that is effective in encouraging high rates of academic engagement and on-task behaviour is characterized by the following key features: Appropriate level of instructional material or task. - If information and materials are beyond pupils current skill level it will frustrate them and they may engage in behaviours that avoid engagement in the lesson. - Too easy materials may result in pupils engaging in inappropriate behaviours out of boredom and lack of challenge. - Pupils who are actively engaged and provided with frequent opportunities to respond to academic tasks are less disruptive and demonstrate improved academic skills.

 Feedback - Effective instruction provides feedback for both the pupils and the teachers in a variety of ways. (discussion) - The feedback serves to motivate both pupils and teachers, promoting an active learning situation.

 Teachers personal qualities - Having a mastery of the subject and the enthusiasm to impart the knowledge are paramount. (more important than anything else) - Other essential characteristics are being approachable, accessible, a sense of humour and having respect for the pupils.

iii) Effective Classroom Management Practices

The primary purpose of classroom management is to gain control of the classroom so that pupils time in the classroom is optimised for learning. Effective classroom management requires a comprehensive approach. (includes structuring the school and classroom environment, actively supervising pupil engagement and implementing classroom rules and routines)

iv) Structuring the school and classroom environment

Teachers need to have forethought and planning the classroom environment so that it decreases the likelihood of inappropriate pupil behaviour, increases desirable pupil interactions, and sets up pupils for success. It requires certain features. (physical arrangement, time management, mutual and peers interactions)

v) Rules and routines

Rules establish the behavioural context of the classroom by specifying what behaviours are expected of pupils, what behaviours will be reinforced, and the consequences for inappropriate behaviour. Rules stated or worded positively to describe the expected behaviour, rather than what not to do, can prevent problem behaviour easily. (Colvin, Kameenui, & Sugai, 1993; Kerr & Nelson, 2002 in Carolyn and Weinstein, 2006).

Guidelines for the construction of classroom rules

Rules should be kept to a minimum to allow pupils to remember them. Rules should contain language that is simple and appropriate to the developmental level of the pupils and classroom. Rules should be positively stated. Rules should be developed for various situations or contexts as needed. Rules should be consistent with the school wide behaviour plan.

 Besides, teachers also need to incorporate routines into their efforts to organize the classroom. For example: - Turning in homework. - Engaging in small-group activities. It allow the classroom to run efficiently with fewer disruptions from pupils.

 After classroom rules and routines are established, strategies to acknowledge and encourage pupils appropriate use of these rules and routines must be incorporated into the classroom management plan. For example: - specific, contingent praise - a token economy system, in which pupils earn rewards for behaviour.

 To be effective, teachers have to implement such strategies appropriately to manage classwide behaviour, the behaviour of targeted groups of pupils, and the behaviour of individual pupils as part of a comprehensive classroom-management plan. Teachers also need to be aware that no single strategy will be effective for every pupil at all times and in all contexts. Effective classroom management requires teachers to be adept at employing multiple strategies and to be skilled at recognizing when current strategies are ineffective and modifications are necessary.