This case study was about a middle school teacher who is having difficulty with her classroom management. Tina has a lot of passion for teaching and wants to make a connection with her students but she needs help with consistent discipline, engagement, and clear expectations. I provide my insight on how I would handle this situation using multiple strategies because there is not always going to be one classroom management plan that will work. Classroom management requires many layers and steps for it to be successful, and even then you still have to be aware that unwanted behaviors may still occur. My evaluation of her classroom would be not only for her but for any classroom regardless of discipline. The biggest thing I wanted to push with my interpretation of the study was that the students need to feel in charge of their own learning. The strategies she uses should be to engage the students and cultivate a community of respectful learners. In a real-world setting, it would be beneficial for a teacher in this situation to talk to her surrounding teachers to gauge what works best in their classrooms and how they handle behavior so there can be more consistency. With an even bigger community, all teachers can work together to create lessons that are interdisciplinary to engage students in real-world problem-solving.
Thinking through a classroom management system helps to create multiple preventive measures to ensure a safe and effective learning environment. As future teachers, our college education prepares a toolbox with many different pedagogical strategies. Looking at a case study uses a realistic situation for many new teachers, and I now know what I don’t want my future classroom to be like. I can identify issues and use my tools in hypothetical situations to prepare me for my real classroom. I know that on the first day of class, I want to begin introducing routines and procedures so that all students are aware of the expectations. Having students discuss their needs in the classroom whether that is so they can learn or so they can feel safe. Following through with these and using natural consequences when a child is unable to allow others to learn is just as important. I now have something to refer back to when I come to a bump in the road with behavior and remind myself of what I believe and how I can encourage students to engage in their learning.
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