Classroom Management Part 2

Handling misbehaving students is just one of the multiple ways that teachers are expected to manage a classroom. As an elementary as well as middle school student, I was exposed to many fights in the classroom. Fights are one of the extreme classroom management tasks that need to be faced. Teachers should calmly assess and then handle the situation as to ensure that no one is harmed and that things do not get more out of hand than they already are. As for highschool, fights were a big deal, but bomb threats were even bigger. Though this may be far-fetched and not an everyday situation, it is still something that has to be dealt with from time to time, and every teacher should be ready to handle the situation effectively may it be presented. Handling either of these situations cannot be done unless all students involved respect the teacher. Respect is something that must be earned. I believe that the students will not respect the teacher unless the teacher shows some sort of respect for the students. This starts by giving them the appropriate space that they need, not exceeding giving them control to do whatever it is that they want. That can lead to many different problems that may not be able to be solved positively.

Motivation Part 2

Students can be self-motivated though it may take some work getting them there depending on their age. More towards the age of highschool, it is easier to find a self-motivated student as they are coming fast upon college and are motivated to achieve good grades as to prepare themselves for and to get to college. No matter what age, when a students sees something that they want, they go for it. Getting a student to be self-motivated simply means finding what they want or ways to interest them in the topics that need to be taught as they will then be interested enough to want to achieve their own goals and will move forward from there. For instance, relating subjects such as math to things that students can relate to and enjoy is a big way to encourage students to be self-motivated. Once they are self motivated, it may follow that they will bring their friends along for the self-motivated ride!

Motivation

Keeping students motivated is a really big part of teaching.Without motivation, students will not be willing to put in the proper effort needed to suceed in school. As an elementary education major, I will not have to deal so much with other teachers not keeping their students motivated as they will stay in my classroom for the majority of the day. It is a teacher's job to keep her students focused on the task at hand and make sure that they do not lose interest in it. Keeping students interested in the material that is being learned is a big part of this though a student will not always be interested in what has to be taught. That's just life. For elementary school- aged children, some of the classroom motivation aspects that we discussed in class would not be appropriate. For instance, letting young students grade themselves or treating them like adults will not benefit anyone. However, setting high expectations for students and making sure that they are aware that you expect them to meet those standards is just one of the many ways to keep young students motivated. This is because young children thrive to impress and please the adults that matter in their lives such as their parents, teachers, and older siblings. I feel that the environment also plays a big part in how a student stays motivated. A classroom should be colorful and keep a child stimulated, but too much going on on the walls and ceilings of students can be very distracting. Distractions make students lose their motivation as they are focusing thier attention on other things rather than classwork. Asking questions to ensure that they are understanding the materials can also be motivating going back to the aspect of students wanting to please the people that they feel are important. This also checks to see if the students are up to date on what is being taught enabling the teacher to figure out whether or not they should be spending more time teaching that subject or move on to something else.