Week+2

__**Week 2**__

Author: Jessica Barbanti 03/09

__**Lecture summary**__ Today’s lecture was about student responsibility and classroom management. Every student has the right within the classroom to be free from harassment, and the right to learn. Personal responsibility and communal responsibility were the two types of responsibility discussed. Personal responsibility is behaviour that is performed because it is the right thing to do. Communal responsibility is behaviour that involves encouraging others to behave appropriately because it is the right thing to do.

Furthermore, the ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘D’ types of students were explained. Following, the five different types of power that a teacher can exert within the classroom was also discussed. Time was given for us students to discuss which power is most productive with the different ‘types’ of students. Finally, we were left with two research questions to ponder. The first being why would teachers’ choose to use forms of power they know doesn’t work productively? Secondly, why would teachers choose not to use forms of power that they know are effective?

__**Response to lecture**__ When reflecting on this lecture I recognized the following points. A teacher cannot select one type of power and generalize it to all of their students. These types of power need to be mixed and matched. At the same time, a teacher needs to look at each of their student’s individually and see which the best way to manage that student is. One of the most important reflections for me was that of the relationship between the teacher and the student. It was evident that it would be nearly impossible to manage or change a student’s disruptive behaviour if there was no relationship. I believe that trust, respect and motivation for learning and behaving appropriately can be developed within a student if they believe that their teacher believes in them. In relation to my professional identity as a teacher, this realization is what makes me more biased towards using the referent style of power in a classroom. This also made me recognize the challenges for teachers. Teachers will have to deal appropriately with managing classroom behaviour, at the same time as promoting the classroom rights of the students. This implication demonstrates that teachers face the challenge of managing both of these tasks without compromising one over the other.

__**Readings**__ Classroom discipline in Australia (Lewis, 2006) was one of the readings for week 2. This was a review article about student misbehaviour. It discussed how teachers’ perceptions of classroom discipline measures up to what student’s perceive the best way to practice is. The surveys showed that student’s prefer disciplinary strategies whereby the teacher seeks to create order without involving parents or other teacher. They prefer teachers that set clear, consistent rules in collaboration with the students. When intervention is required students prefer to be given a calm warning first, followed by isolation without embarrassing the student. In order of preference, the students preferred discussion, exclusion, physical and permissive as the most preferred disciplinary strategies (King, Gull one and Dadd, 1990). In regards to the teachers’ perceptions of disciplinary behaviour, teachers reported that reasoning with students, in and out of the classroom, and discussions were the most used strategies for dealing with misbehaviour of students.

__**Critical reflection**__ When reflecting on my professional identity as a teacher in response to this article, the following revelations occurred to me. My preferred style for disciplinary strategies would definitely be that of discussion. I believe that each student has the right to raise their opinion about their behaviour. I think that it is important for the student to gain an understanding of where the teacher is coming from, as well as the importance of promoting the right for all students to learn free from harassment. If such a student is a type ‘C’, they would have some form of respect and control over their behaviour. Therefore, discussion and referent power would be most effective. I think that a relationship can be formed through the use of discussion, because the child can see that the teacher cares about them. By comparison, I believe that a permissive strategy portrays unwillingness within the teacher to solve or create a relationship with the student. Furthermore, my teaching style would never utilize punishment through embarrassment or permissive means. As I have realized that those strategies are not a productive means for managing misbehaviour, it only reinforces it.