Article Review

Laura Secory

EDU 462/562

5:15 – 10:45

Article Review #1

            One of the many challenges a new teacher faces in the first years of teaching is classroom management. As I was doing my research, I came across many interesting situations of teachers struggling to control the negative environment in their classroom. I also came across some articles that provided positive methods of use for students with behavioral issues. However, many did not mention the key method of turning those students’ behaviors around, which in my opinion is building relationships and knowing your students. The articles I selected are geared towards positive environment and motivating students. We have enough awareness of the different types of misbehaved students and their demeanors; my focus is on how to veer them into a successful path and future.

            The first article I selected is called Improving Social and Academic Outcomes for All Learners Through the use of Teacher Praise by M. Marchant and D. Anderson. This article covers many of the topics we have been learning in our text book. It begins with the behavior issues in the classroom and how it interrupts learning because the teacher’s focus shifts to the student’s behavior. At times the teacher’s approach is confrontational and this hinders the trust and relationship between teacher and student. Therefore, one of the methods they suggest is to use a proactive approach in the classroom and not punishment. The proactive perspective consists of giving the students warmth, kindness, sincerity, and patience. The goal is that students will in turn demonstrate confidence and reciprocate the aptitudes the teacher has modeled to them. It also emphasizes teacher-student relationships by showing trust and respect towards each other. This allows the student to be more receptive to any disciplinary action from the teacher, because of the built trust the teacher has established between them. In addition, it creates a positive and secure environment for those students who come from broken homes and the classroom becomes a safe haven for them. Another method the article talks about is engaging students: Opportunities to Respond (OTR). This method consists in providing students an opportunity to engage in classroom discussions and if they respond correctly the teacher reinforces their effort with praise. One of the ideas I liked was giving students praise notes. The students receive praise notes after they have completed an assignment. Their findings have been that students with behavioral issues had a positive impact. Many students have very low self-esteem and do not hear praises or positive feedback very often. This builds confidence in a student and gives him or her sense of belonging. This article emphasis is on positive reinforcement, praise, teacher role modeling, and applying these principles with students so they can have successful outcomes in the classroom.

Overall, this article’s theme of turning the students’ negative behavior into a positive one by building relationships and knowing the student is very similar to what we have learned so far. A teacher’s job is not just to teach a subject, but to teach patience, love, hope, and to never give up. Unfortunately, nowadays many families are broken and values are too. These students need to be reassured that they are valued and that they matter in society and as teachers we should make them aware of it.

           

References

Marchant, M. and Anderson, D.H. (2012). Improving Social and Academic Outcomes for All Learners Through the Use of Teacher Praise. Beyond Behavior, v21 n3 p22-28 Spr 2012 Retrieved from, http://www.ccbd.net/sites/default/files/bebe-21-03-22.pdf