Goal One

Explore a variety of classroom management techniques to ensure that the classroom environment is conducive to effective learning for all students.

I used a variety of techniques throughout my time in the classroom to create an effective learning environment for the students. I built on the routines established by my AT and also trialled different techniques myself.

In the morning I would remind children to put their lunch boxes in their lunch tote trays and take their shoes off (placing them under their bag, ‘toes to the wall’). After morning tea and lunch, I would remind them about shoes, and after lunch, putting their lunch box back in their bag. As time went on, the children knew what was expected of them, and although I still checked to make sure lunch boxes were in the right place and shoes and the cloak bay were tidy, I didn’t need to remind them as frequently.

I set clear expectations of what was required at different times in the classroom. When I was teaching literacy in the morning, I would be taking groups, while the rest of the class were engaged with self-directed literacy tasks and online learning. I would set expectations while the children were on the mat, before they moved onto the tasks. This meant that the class was settled, and if people started getting too noisy, I could clap to get attention and remind them that they were able to quietly talk if it was required for their activity, but I needed the class to be quiet so that I could work with my group. My AT commented on a number of occasions that the class was running smoothly.

While I was in the class I explored a variety of techniques and used them at different times. Early on, the children were clapping rhyming patterns, using their hands and thighs, while reciting nursery rhymes. I successfully built on that as a technique to get attention when the children were sitting on the mat. I would start clapping patterns (including hands on head and shoulders), one or two children would start copying me, then the rest of the class would join in. I found it a good way to draw their attention to me in situations where they may have been chatting freely and I wanted to bring them back.

My voice is on the quiet side, so I explored other techniques such as clapping, waiting and using a whistle while outside. I also used positive praise when children were sitting on the mat, such as “I can see that Mary is ready to learn” and “Ben is sitting nicely – well done”. There was a bell attached to the wall, I used this occasionally, if the class was noisy and I wanted to gain attention quickly. Because it was used infrequently, I found it to be an effective technique.

There were some children who found it difficult to sit still or were easily distracted while sitting on the mat or during group work. I would tell children to move to a specific spot, either just in front of me, or away from a child that was distracting them. When working in groups, I would sometimes direct children to a specific seat to prevent possible distraction issues during the lesson.

When outside, I would set the boundaries at the beginning of the lesson so that everyone knew where they were allowed to go. When walking, the children would line up in two lines, if we were going through a ‘work zone’, I would stop them beforehand and say “We’re going through a work zone, so it’s a quiet zone for us”, which reminded them to be quiet so as not to disturb others. During swimming, I would reiterate where they were allowed to go in the pool and what the expectations were around jumping in (no running, jump from the edge only, no diving, clear water below, one area to jump from), I had some children run then jump, I gave one warning and when one did it again, they lost their jumping privileges for the remainder of the session.

Classroom management was an area I worked hard on during this practicum, it was helped by being involved in the class from day one and seeing how different routines and strategies can be implemented with a new class.

"Associate Teacher observations noticed a consistent use of strategies such as; non-verbal cues, redirection and reengagement, use of small natural and logical consequences. She made astute selection of behaviours that needed immediate attention, and those that could be effectively dealt with at a later time."

Lesley Blackmore, Associate Teacher

“You used a range of strategies to gain attention such as voice control, clapping, waiting, body patterns and a class bell.”

Jasmine Hansen, Appraiser (Visit 1)

“This class was lovely and settled during my observation.”

Jasmine Hansen, Appraiser (Visit 2)