In a harmonious classroom environment, teachers’ focus ought to maintain a culture of effective teaching and learning and students’ comfort and involvement. If the schooling process is physically and psychologically safe, children will thrive and show better results in their studies while also developing emotionally in a proper way. For this students’ management plan, the desired classroom culture is in allowing learners to feel accepted and part of a great process. The primary focus is on encouraging children to share their thoughts and feelings and helping teachers use this information to improve learning and create a good rapport with all pupils.
Furthermore, students need to understand that their behavior has an effect on learning, and it is also their duty to take responsibility for maintaining a positive environment. Given that preschoolers are still in their formative years, they can easily be trained to have appropriate manners and participate in setting up rules surrounding learning and communication. For example, empowering children to think for themselves and create some principles will make them feel respected. What is more, trusting every learner with a specific task helps increase their self-esteem and sense of responsibility and importance. The educator should ensure that misunderstandings and conflicts between the preschoolers are fairly resolved and focus on negotiation or arbitration instead of punitive measures. These steps will allow pupils to learn how to co-exist and resolve disagreements as soon as they emerge. Finally, in a harmonious environment, any problems appearing in the classroom should be turned into positive teachable moments.
Parents and guardians of preschoolers are always interested to know the progress of their children. Families usually know the academic, social, physical, and emotional requirements of young students and can share them with teachers. That is why it is essential for educators and parents to have collaborative relationships, and teachers, in particular, should be sensitive to family culture, language, and composition. It is of vital importance to regularly communicate with guardians and parents regarding learners’ classroom behavior and abilities to meet set expectations.
Probably the best ways to do that are to hold family conferences, have individual conversations, and set new family orientations. School meetings will allow teachers to communicate to parents the general mood and potential problems in the class, while one-to-one conversations with each guardian will show the teacher’s interest in the success of every particular child. What is more, the school administration can have a website with essential information for visitors, and weekly newsletters can be sent to parents via email. Thus, through respectful and reciprocal relationships, teachers may encourage families and communities to fully participate in learners’ programs and involve them in their children’s educational success and growth.
Classroom Rules, Procedures, and Values
Classroom rules are relevant to maintain order and enhance good behavior among preschoolers. Some ways to introduce and implement them are to involve students in developing the regulations in a playful form, post them somewhere in the classroom, and talk about each rule and its basis and explanation quite often. Learners need to thoroughly understand why regulations are essential; in this case, they will follow them consciously most of the time. General classroom procedures should include a routine for lining up, greetings, and homework checks. As for basic rules, teachers have to guide children not to bully others regardless of their personality, disability, or capabilities to enhance inclusivity. Those who disobey are given age-appropriate punishment so that they do not continue misbehaving. Regarding homework, a teacher can explain the ethics of completing assignments and ask pupils to suggest how they will perform their work.
Preschool children are still young for formal discussions, so it is preferable to use more playful strategies to discuss values, inclusiveness, and other virtues. They may include listening to songs that explain goodness and honor and then asking them questions about how they can apply these values in the class. Besides, teachers can read books with vital lessons and then explain the merits of the story. Discussion with parents, who are partly responsible for student compliance with rules, is also reasonable (Rusk, 2016). In addition, mutual respect between teachers and students is important.
The integration of digital technologies in the education sector has many advantages for the pupils. However, computers, tablets, and laptops can also have detrimental effects if a teacher does not monitor the process. To ensure the safe, legal, and ethical use of digital information and technology, educators must implement certain school policies as appropriate for young children. It is crucial to control gadgets so that pre-kindergarten children only have access to specific lessons and know the consequences of breaking the rules (Sengupta et al., 2019). School policies should require placing computers in a safe place to lower the chances of accidence and limiting Internet connection. What is more, if educators explain to the learners the essence of following these regulations and reporting if something is wrong, it is more likely that children will be more careful when using digital technologies.
Student Behavior
Behavior management is educators’ actions and unconscious activities designed to encourage a student to be engaged in productive and acceptable habits. According to Rusk (2016), a teacher can inspire students to continue with good manners through constant praise and unique reward systems. A core principle is to ensure that students are connected to their school environment so that they feel the need to be in harmony with all people. Educators also have a duty to help unruly students by reconditioning their aversive behavior. Teachers need to adopt skills that enable them to recognize students who are emotionally, physically, or psychologically disturbed and discuss if there is a concern at home. Instead of punishing a learner (which may lead to low self-esteem and further behavioral problems), educators should show respect and explain the reason for behaving. Moreover, multidisciplinary collaboration is needed for pupils with medical and mental health conditions that influence them to have antisocial behavior. It will help them adapt and feel safer and accepted.
References
Rusk, R. B. (2016). A case study of classroom management practices and the influence on classroom disruptions (Publication No. 10015230) [Doctoral dissertation, Grand Canyon University]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Sengupta, P., Shanahan, M.-C., & Kim, B. (2019). Critical, transdisciplinary and embodied approaches to STEM education. Springer.