One of the readings that we were assigned this week is a chapter from the book by Brown and Lee (2015) called "Classroom Management." It discusses the basic principles of classroom management, managing the physical environment of the classroom, voice and body language, unplanned teaching moments, teaching under adverse circumstances, teaching roles and styles, and creating a positive learning climate in the classroom.

One of the concepts that resonated with me in this reading was how to address issues with individual students. Brown and Lee (2015) contend that it is very important for teachers to build rapport with their students in order to create a positive learning climate in the classroom. Some of the ways that teachers can do this by showing interest in each student as a person, giving feedback on each student's progress, directly soliciting students' ideas and feelings, and valuing and respecting what students think and say (Brown and Lee, 2015). I agree that it is very important to establish rapport with students. However, it can be difficult for teachers to do this when they have to teach large classes. Despite the teacher's intentions, students who are struggling may slip through the cracks.

One of the reasons why this resonated with me is because I had similar experiences as a student and that the reading allowed me to see my experiences from a teacher's perspective. I had similar experiences when I was in high school and university. I was experiencing a number of emotional issues and had trouble sleeping so I had difficulty functioning in the classroom and completing reading and written assignments. Teachers told me that I was bright and that I was capable of doing well in their classes. They became frustrated when I did not go to them to discuss the issues that was experiencing. I did not go to them because I did not understand what was going on, I was embarrassed, and because I did not know what was appropriate to share with them. As a result, my teachers had limited abilities to help me.

Brown and Lee (2015) write that it is important for teachers to determine and address the source of problems with students in the classroom if they are not working as expected and/or there are disciplinary issues. Addressing symptoms, such as a student not paying attention or sleeping in class, is not as effective as addressing why these problems are occurring (Brown and Lee, 2015). This is somewhat worrisome for me because I will be teaching lower level students who have a limited ability to answer these kinds of questions and to explain what their needs are both inside and outside of the classroom. In my own teaching, I will try to speak with a family member with stronger English skills and/or a translator to help determine the problem and if needed, I can connect the student with a social worker from the organization who can direct them to services and resources in the community that might be useful.

References

Brown, H. D., & Lee, H. (2015). Classroom Management. In Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (4th ed., pp. 289-311). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.

Oksmith.(2018b, February 23). Sleeping student [Digital Image]. Retrieved from https://openclipart.org/detail/297180/sleeping-student