The previous lesson, four students in my class were misbehaving so I informed them they were not to sit next to each other for the remainder of the term. When they came to take a seat in my class, I moved the middle student and replaced them with another student who worked well independently. The student who I moved worked very quietly and independently throughout the lesson, although one misbehaved student did not complete their homework and was trying to complete it whilst I was conducting the lesson. I instructed the student to continue with the work I have provided for the class and gave them a demerit for not completing their homework.
They then continued to misbehave by distracting the surrounding students by asking for answers to the fill in the blank worksheet provided to them. I then asked the student to remove themselves from the row by taking their desk and seat, and sitting away from the remainder of the students.
They then continued to misbehave by talking louder to other students across the room. I instructed the other students to pretend the student was not in the classroom. After giving numerous warnings I proceeded to give the student a second demerit for disrupting the class and pulled them aside after the conclusion of the lesson.
I told the student that I didn't want to give demerits to them and that not doing the homework was unsatisfactory. I also said that they are responsible for their own learning and I am responsible for the other students' learning and if they are distracting my other students, suitable punishment must be taken to ensure the best interest of the other students in the classroom. I asked the student to explain why I gave the demerits to the student and why they thought I was disappointed in their behaviour. They knew the answer to my question.
At the conclusion of the lesson, I spoke to my colleague teacher who suggested I gave the student a detention for disrupting the class because receiving demerits did not seem to take effect to the student's behaviour.
To improve my teaching practice, I think for the following lessons I will sit the student at the front of the classroom in front of my desk by themselves. I will only do this until they can demonstrate that they are possible of behaving appropriately during my classes. According to Woolfolk (2005), "placing a student in the front of the classroom makes a student more likely to participate and listen, while placing a student in the back makes is more difficult for her to participate. For this reason it is a good idea to place students who often do not regularly participate in the lessons, or who talk among friends during instruction, in the front row."
I will also use positive reinforcement for when the student does behave well to ensure the student their behaviour is not going unnoticed. I will also continue to separate the students who misbehaved in the previous lesson to ensure they continue to work well throughout class activities.
This improved teaching practice demonstrates the NSW Teaching Professional Standards in Element 5.1.5- Demonstrates knowledge of practical approaches to managing student behaviour and their application in the classroom.
Woolfolk, A. (2005). "Educational psychology. Active learning edition." Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon. Pages 37-44.
-------------, (2004), "NSW Institute of Teachers Professional Standards", retrieved on: 13/08/2010, from http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/Main-Professional-Teaching-Standards.html
