Concerns about the ability to manage a classroom is common among preservice and practicing teachers alike. The first time entering a classroom can be a pretty scary experience, but once you have built an effective classroom management system that works for you, you can begin to feel a bit more comfortable with your own classroom management style.
It is easy to look at other teachers and try to imitate their styles of classroom management. While imitating other teachers' classroom management styles is a good starting point for a new teacher, there comes a point when you as a new teacher, need to start feeling safe and comfortable with who you are as a classroom manager.
This process will not happen overnight of course, nor will it happen in a year or two. It takes a long time experimenting with different classroom situations as they will uneventually pop up
In order to start thinking about your role as a classroom manager, it is worthwhile your time to identify the concerns about classroom management and discipline. Think about your values and your personality. Which aspects of your personality and which values do you think will help you become a good classroom manager? Which ones might interfere?
Another good way to analyze your concerns about managing a classroom is to build your own classroom management profile. This individual quiz will give you a more well rounded and accurate picture of your classroom management style. Once you have answered the questions, you can start to apply your classroom management profile to various classsroom situations. At the end of the quiz, ask yourself if your classroom management style was effective when dealing with various classroom situations all throughout the school year.
Misconceptions however, do lie in each of these styles. Teacher dominated talk, which is descriptive of the authoritative style has been equalled with effective classroom management. Depending however on how you rank your personal characteristics and values as a classroom manager, you might be pleasantly surprised at your obvious need to perhaps connect to the students, which isn't always affirmed by the authoritative approach and style of running a classroom.
For the inexperienced teacher, the most important lesson to be learned in his or her first year of running a classroom is flexibility. There will be classroom situations where you cannot always depend on an authoritative style of running a classroom and you might need to rethink your approach. This does not necessarily mean you need to change your personality, but rather to reconsider additional classroom management techniques for various classroom situations.
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