Running Head: CLASSROOM PRACTICES

Classroom Practices
Vanessa McMahon
McGill University

Running Head: CLASSROOM PRACTICES

During my third field experience I have had the good fortune to be able to develop my
teaching style in practice. As someone who learns best from doing, I am beginning to have a
clearer sense of what educational theories can look like when given the chance to enact them in a
classroom. I have always suspected that I would become the kind of educator who takes a
diplomatic and student-centered approach to teaching, but it is only as of late that I have been
able to reflect upon how my ideas about education would come to manifest in reality. The
amount of behavior management involved in teaching was something that I was not initially
prepared for. Having only taken observational roles in previous field experiences, largely
watching seasoned teachers who make classroom management look easy, I did not realise the
amount of careful consideration and planning that is required to simply keep the classroom
running smoothly. Before I had gained any practical teaching experience, I was always
concerned with the notion of bringing the curriculum to the student. I wondered, often with
trepidation, how I would impart my knowledge in the classroom while keeping students engaged.
In my mind, students would have to bend to a rigid curriculum, which would remain mostly
inflexible, meaning that I, as their teacher, would have to perform magic tricks in order to ensure
that every student remain interested in their learning. While I still think that following the
curriculum is vital, I have reversed my point of view. Instead of bringing the curriculum to the
student, I am more concerned with bringing the student to the curriculum. Now I wonder, how
can I, as a teacher, bend the curriculum to fit the needs of my students?
In my own practice, this realisation represents the first step to attaining an authentically
student-centred classroom, but one needs to foster safe and effective learning environments first
and foremost when approaching meaningful learning. The emphasis on procedural coherence as

Running Head: CLASSROOM PRACTICES

outlined in the Wongs(2014) approach to classroom management lends itself well to maintaining
safety in the classroom. However, I think that it is possible to over-structure the procedural
aspect of classroom management to the point where high school students would respond
unfavourably. As such, I dont think that I would follow the Wong (2014) approach to the letter,
especially with regards to the more mundane procedures they outline (e.g., drinking fountains,
desk protocol, line ups, taking the bus to and from school)(p. 123-125). Nevertheless, the core
principles behind their method is highly adaptable to the needs of my ideal class environment. I
fully intend to spend the first few weeks of school in exploring the concept of safe space with my
students and creating an agreed upon code of conduct that will apply to all members of the
classroom. I would also like to teach my students the notion of accountability and as such I will
fully outline tactical measures for dealing with any behaviours that run the risk of compromising
the safety of the classroom. I will also provide space for students to air any grievances they
might experience in class, but teach them to do so in a way that embodies non-violent principles
of communication. The process of maintaining safe space is ongoing and requires continual
reflection and adjustment, but creating a solid foundation to build upon is key. In outlining the
procedural elements of the classroom structure collectively, students should know that I will take
their well-being seriously and will apply the same due diligence to their learning needs.
Ultimately, it is my hope that this care will transfer to the students themselves and that they will
take their learning as seriously as I would.
I want to maintain a firm but friendly approach to my relationships with my students.
Building a solid rapport with my students has always been my primary goal when teaching. So
much of the power of teaching lies not within the content of ones lessons, but in the ways in
which teachers connect with their students beyond the classroom. Here I cannot help but think of

Running Head: CLASSROOM PRACTICES

the Miler and Tenore article (2010) and how two very different teachers maintained quality
relationships with their students while remaining culturally responsive. While their personas
differed, they both expressed a desire to connect with their students beyond classwork and took
genuine interest in the lives of their students. It is for that reason that I have adopted an open
door policy to my classroom. Students know that I am always available to help them with their
assignments, but a great number of them choose to come in and chat with me about their day.
Interacting with students in various contexts is important to me. It facilitates the relationshipbuilding process and hopefully makes school more enjoyable.
I believe that there should be some measure of fun in school, and keeping a friendly
attitude with all students, regardless of their academic performance in class, is important to me. I
like to balance high expectations with the ability to coach and to encourage students to meet
challenges honestly. Taking the time to discover the learning needs of my students and tailoring
my instruction to meet those needs reinforces the notion of student-centered classrooms. In that
regard, William Glassers theory of non-coercive choice (2014) resonates, particularly lead
management vs. boss management. During my stage, I have attempted to make my lessons
interesting for the students, but I have been met with a lot of resistance. There are a number of
factors that contribute to student engagement and Glassers assertion that providing a quality
curriculum that helps students learn useful information and learn it well (189) can seem
idealistic. Given my experience observing and teaching thus far, I think that many students are
used to boss management approaches to classroom discipline. This habituation, combined with
my status as a student teachers has made it difficult to fully engage in lead management
approaches. Instead, I have found myself using more the authoritative management styles akin to
Ron Moorishs theories around compliance training (2014). While disciplinarian measures

Running Head: CLASSROOM PRACTICES

sometimes achieve focus and order in the moment (which is useful for the somewhat transient
and thereby compromised figure of a student teacher), they do not provide students with any
intrinsic motivation. Nevertheless, the concept of lead management is something that I would
like to further develop throughout my career as it aligns with student-centered principles of
teaching while enhancing safe space ideologies.
One specific incident that contributes to my thinking: I was attempting to enact a
democratic approach to the classroom rules. Previous to the incident, I was employing the more
heavy-handed approach to classroom management as discussed. If students were talking out of
turn, or engaging in excessive off task behaviour, I put minutes on the board and kept the class in
after the bell for the amount of time lost due to misbehaviour. The punishment was global,
meaning that all students would have to serve the detention regardless of their behaviour. Even if
students were behaved well, the class as a community would have to pay the consequences. The
first time I did this was extremely effective. The moment the first check went up, a student noted
what I was doing and quickly urged her classmates to stop talking. The class settled, but then a
few students again began to slowly disrupt the room. As I increased the minutes, the same
concerned student again alerted the class. We made it to five minutes before I regained control
over the lesson, and I followed through on my word, keeping the entire class sitting silently until
I dismissed them. Keeping the punishment global provided me with student leverage. Instead of
having to explain myself and urge the class to adjust their behaviours, certain students took up
the role for themselves. Better to hear the message from a peer rather than from a nagging
teacher.
Given that my first attempt with this strategy was so successful, I continued to use it. I
disliked the prospect of frequently having to use the strategy, perhaps more than the students

Running Head: CLASSROOM PRACTICES

themselves, because I felt (and continue to feel) that punitive discipline measures go against safe
space ideology. The students also grew tired of having to pay for the misbehaviours of others,
and the unintended effect of interpersonal classroom divisions threatened to emerge. With this in
mind, I approached the class with the problem. I calmly explained to them that I wished to
change the atmosphere of the class and wondered if they agreed. The students agreed
unanimously, so I asked the class to propose viable solutions to behaviour management issues. I
was initially surprised by the amount of punitive suggestions they gave, and how they only
varied slightly from what I was already doing. In hindsight, I realise that this is likely an effect of
living within the punitive structure of school (and society) as a whole, but this topic is fodder for
an entirely different essay.
The following is the outcome of the class discussion, agreed upon by all the students: the
class rules as stated at the beginning of the year remained intact (always raise your hand, do not
get out of your seat without asking, and be respectful of each other, teachers, and visitors); the
minutes on the board strategy would remain but no longer be applied globally, only offending
students would serve time; the class seating plan should be changed to a more harmonious
configuration.
While these particular outcomes seem hardly revelatory, professionally speaking, I am
happy that I could carve out a democratic space with the students, even for a moment. Had I
more time to invest, and were it truly my class, rather than borrowed from a gracious cooperating
teacher, I would continue to incorporate the students into the decision making process, not only
in terms of managing the class, but also in terms of the content of the lessons. Differentiation
practices are vital, particularly in inclusive settings and I truly believe that students should have a
say as to the content of their schooling and the method of instruction that they receive.

Running Head: CLASSROOM PRACTICES

I am confident that I will continue to carve out the core philosophies behind student-centered
learning, and safe space ideology in order to further develop my teaching style.

References:
Charles, C. M., (2014) . Building classroom discipline. New York: Pearson.
Milner, H. R., & Tenore, F. B., (2010) Classroom management in diverse classrooms. Urban
Education 45:560. DOI: 10.1177/0042085910377290