Managing Problem Behaviors in the Classroom: A Challenge for Teachers - Essay Sample

Introduction

Managing problem behaviors in the classroom, over the years, has become the most challenging duty. In essence, behavior challenges range from lesson disruptions to violence' act against teachers and other students. Children's life challenges and emotional setbacks can lead to behavioral issues in schools. Disciplining students is vital in creating a fun and safe environment. However, discipline entails self-confidence, sensitivity, skill, and knowledge, which a person acquires through experience and knowledge (Davis et al., 2012). Because most people confuse classroom management with discipline, classroom management is a general term, whereas discipline is its dimension.

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Teachers need to first create a positive learning environment by implementing classroom discipline and management. A proponent once argued that every class should have a positive culture to reinforce specific values like fairness and respect, which make the students successful and welcome. The role of the teacher should be to create proper classroom management. Teachers who can model a positive attitude or culture and support students in terms of their approaches, behaviors, and efforts can help the class to mirror the same image (Bianco, 2014). Subtly, the events occur since the children are enabled to learn act like teachers by spending their time under tutelage. In most instances, students learn everything they are taught, which implies that good classroom management can pick from the teacher. Thus, there is a need for teachers to ensure all the children are involved in the class.

Jessica Lahey argues that a successful classroom experience does not only report cards, but it entails many issues. Children get a chance to interact through learning, asking questions, thinking dependently, retain information, and improve their sense of competence ("How to help your child succeed at school," 0001). Lahey argues that a teacher should focus on the process instead of the products. While performing their duties, teachers encourage the children to self-advocate as well as keeping a long-term perspective. By doing so, a teacher allows the student to learn and explore. The teacher should show love to all the children under their tutelage. Teachers should discuss with the children in low and light pressure. The teacher should not dwell much on bad grades but should work in supporting learning.

Pas et al. (2016) argue that enhancing educators' application of culturally responsive classroom management may help in curbing the disproportionate ethnic minority and racial students who experience exclusionary disciplinary actions and are considered to require special education, especially for behavioral and emotional disorder (Pas et al., 2016). Teachers' development of culturally responsive classroom management strategies is improved through coaching. Coaches need to spend more time building trust, relationships, and collect data to facilitate uptake.

Waters et al. (2010) argue that children acquire knowledge through the learning process such as problem-solving, mastering of the new information, thinking, and remembering. The competencies are central to a child's educational achievement. Thus, teachers apply classroom management to make sure that learners are productive, attentive, and organized in their class (Waters et al., 2010). A well-managed classroom entails a positive classroom environment and discipline, time management, clarity of expectations, and student involvement. Classroom discipline is achieved through simple procedures like raising hands when children are allowed to interact with one another. In a classroom, discipline is reinforced and cultivated through punishment and rewards. Discipline seems to be the most intrinsic aspect of a well-organized and well-managed classroom. Discipline can significantly impact both classroom and individual environments. Using disciplinary actions enable an individual to learn and reflect about repercussions, instilling collective values, and accepting behaviors that are tolerated in a classroom. If teachers refrain from out-of-class punishment such as expulsion and suspension, they stand the higher of discouraging the future miss behavior and encourage learning.

Classroom management can be achieved by having a lesson plan in advance. Thus, teachers need to have a planned lesson before class begins. Such that a well-structured plan must entail a bright and clean worksheet. By doing so, the teacher will prevent children from confusion based on the vocabulary used (Bianco, 2014). Teachers should ensure that they have additional supplies that will prevent distraction in a class by seeking other supplies. Timed lessons will help teachers to understand the events they are going to study. In planning for the lesson, the teacher needs to recognize the diversity of values within a specific community to increase tolerance and understanding of different disciplinary approaches. If teachers can learn a student's bad behaviors, they can help the child to improve social-emotional.

Negative reinforcement and punishment can be practical approaches in stopping children's behavior upfront. Positive reinforcement of good behaviors, in the long-run, has proven to be the most practical approach to educated children in terms of functional and alternative behaviors. In most instances, behavior theory is embedded in the belief that every individual behavior is studied and learned (Davis et al., 2012). Behavior theory suggests that any behavior that is followed by pleasant outcomes occurs repeatedly, and thus, it is learned. Teachers need to focus on positive children's behaviors rather than considering punishment for negative behavior. Such that when teachers has a problem with children tipping their chair, they should use at least one of the above approaches. The teacher may decide to give children bad grades if their legs in the chair leaves the ground or the teacher give children good marks if their legs stay on the ground. Every approach may be effective, but teachers need to focus on positive reinforcement which comply with that of Behavior Modification theory. Arguably, behavior modification theory strives to manipulate the antecedents and behavior' consequences so that the chances of appropriate behavior are enhanced, and inappropriate behavior is reduced.

The assertive discipline model is used to make the teacher take full control of the class. Any teacher who uses assertive discipline rules must identify class rules before the class commences. The teacher needs to identify negative and positive repercussions in place, which is likely to occur in discipline hierarchy (Bianco, 2014). In this context, a discipline hierarchy is a system ranging between 3 and 6 different repercussion that tends to be harsher continues children tend to misbehave.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the role of the teacher should be to create good classroom management. Teachers who can model a positive attitude or culture and support students in terms of their approaches, behaviors, and efforts can help the class to mirror the same image. Every approach may be practical, but teachers need to focus on positive reinforcement, which complies with that of the Behavior Modification theory. Teachers' development of culturally responsive classroom management strategies is improved through coaching. Coaches need to spend more time building trust, relationships, and collect data to facilitate uptake. The assertive discipline model is used to make the teacher take full control of the class. Any teacher who uses assertive discipline rule must identify class rules before the class commences.

References

Bianco, A. (2014). undefined. John Wiley & Sons.

Davis, H. A., Summers, J. J., & Miller, L. M. (2012). undefined. Corwin Press.

How to help your child succeed at school. (0001, January 1). Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/help-your-child-succeed-at-school

Pas, E. T., Larson, K. E., Reinke, W. M., Herman, K. C., & Bradshaw, C. P. (2016). Implementation and acceptability of an adapted classroom check-up coaching model to promote culturally responsive classroom management. Education and Treatment of Children, 39(4), 467-491.

Waters, H. S. E., & Schneider, W. E. (2010). Metacognition, strategy use, and instruction. Guilford Press.