Teacher A
Teacher A is a young specialist who has been working in the field of education for four years. She has a higher pedagogical education and is one of the youngest on the school staff. The young woman teaches elementary mathematics to primary school students and, at the same time, conducts scholarly work and involves colleagues as interested parties to develop interventions aimed at improving the level of education. After graduation, she was accepted positively by the school management because, according to the results of her learning, she showed excellent academic results and had many recommendations from professors. Today, Teacher A contacts most of the other staff effectively and perceives school work as a valuable experience.
Regarding her classroom management techniques, Teacher A stated that before resorting to specific strategies, she previously had examined all available working methods and compared them. According to her, this approach allowed her to obtain all the necessary data about the specifics of particular practices and their advantages and disadvantages in certain learning environments. In addition, Teacher A notes the importance of engaging additional academic literature in preparing the necessary plans. Based on her answers, she considered the classroom management techniques responsible methods for interacting with the target audience and could not afford to act without special preparation.
According to the responses of Teacher A, she encouraged the initiatives of students and saw this objective as one of the essential components of her classroom management plan. She also avoided punishment and promoted the idea of ​​mutual support as the essential element of the learning process. Since her target audience was of primary school age, she could not use complex and multi-stage tasks. Therefore, she resorted to simple and understandable management strategies and developed an individual reward program for those students who demonstrated high academic results. These practices were the key aspects of her classroom management strategy.
The main goals that Teacher A set for her students implied promoting interest in learning and involvement in the educational process. To implement these objectives, special tools were offered, for instance, an individual reward program. These incentives could allow children to understand the value of hard work and follow teacher guidance more responsibly, thereby expanding the range of knowledge. Initiative as one of the goals that Teacher A set for pupils implied stimulating interest in the continuous learning process, despite the younger age of students. These objectives corresponded with her classroom management plan and did not contradict the original goals of professional activity.
Teacher A noted the importance of communicating her classroom management plans to children and parents as an essential working objective that needed to be implemented adequately for stakeholders to correctly understand the specifics of communication. She argued that she offered students appropriate assignments during classes and emphasized an individual approach, focusing on the abilities of each pupil.
She used the most understandable explanations so that her target audience could understand the essence and significance of following the proposed instructions. When communicating with parents, Teacher A followed the principle of openness and was ready to discuss the academic results of each student. According to her, adults understood and approved her teaching methodology and offered help in finding specific approaches to their children. As a result, relationships with all stakeholders were positive, and a friendly learning environment was maintained.
Teacher B
Teacher B has been working in the field of school education for more than twenty years and is an honored worker in this area. She has been in the same school throughout her professional career. Today, Teacher B has authority among colleagues, managers, and parents. She teaches English to high school students and is the author of several publications in local scholarly journals. Due to working in one position, she is well aware of the professional requirements for a teacher of her profile. In the team, she is one of the leaders and serves as an example for many young colleagues. After graduation, she was recruited, although, as she argues, she did not plan to devote her whole life to teaching.
Throughout her teaching career, Teacher B has developed convenient and efficient classroom management techniques. During the interview, she noted that she appreciated students’ independence and their problem-solving skills higher than academic results, which was due to upcoming college entrances. As a result, over the years of working with high school students, she learned to single out the most independent participants in the educational process and those who could be class leaders. Based on this skill, Teacher B adapted her strategy to a specific learning environment, although, as she argued, its basic principles had been unchanged throughout the entire period of work.
One of the main work strategies that Teacher B followed was to allow students to set guidelines on their own. She explained this by the need to train the leadership skills of the target audience and develop an individual sense of responsibility for the decisions made. Non-verbal communication was another approach that, according to Teacher B, simplified the workflow and made the process of interacting with students easier and more understandable. At the interview, she stated that, during her professional practice, she had developed an individual mechanism of non-verbal relationships with students, which became her hallmark. These principles of classroom management were integral components of her teaching practice.
Based on her classroom management techniques, Teacher B set clear goals for her students. Firstly, she encouraged self-study and reviewing learning materials individually with subsequent joint discussions. This principle allowed students to learn to think critically and use their accessible academic background to analyze and compare. Secondly, she promoted the idea of ​​involving leaders as assistants during classes. In her opinion, individual pupils could motivate other students and create a productive competitive environment that contributed to increasing the interest of adolescents in achieving higher learning results. These goals were integral components of her classroom management working strategy and formed her vision of effective teaching practice.
To convey specific goals to students, Teacher B explained her requirements at the beginning of school years and demanded a responsible approach from the target audience to complying with them. During classes, she checked pupils’ preparedness and paid particular attention to the collaborative discussion process. By explaining the principles of further education in higher educational establishments, Teacher B offered students difficult tasks that they had to deal with independently to prove their ability to analyze and compare existing knowledge.
When communicating with parents, she also expressed her position with confidence and emphasized the stimulation of rigid educational methods. In her opinion, the authority of adults was a prerequisite for the transfer of social and academic values ​​to children. Parents, in turn, trusted Teacher B and respected her for her unwavering principles and work experience.
Compare/Contrast and Reflection
The approaches of Teacher A and Teacher B to classroom management plans are distinctive. Teacher A emphasized self-education to improve her skills and gain new knowledge about the principles and methods of work. Teacher B, in turn, was guided by personal experience and individual views on the educational process. Their key elements of the plans also differed: the younger employee promoted an individual approach and encouragement, while Teacher B supported students’ independence and appreciated non-verbal communication.
The goals that both respondents set for their pupils were not similar. Teacher A appreciated initiatives and mutual support, which did not comply with the principles of her older colleague, who, conversely, stimulated competition and the manifestation of individual leadership qualities. Even though parents respected both respondents, the interaction process was different. Teacher A was open, and Teacher B showed a tougher stance on educational principles and required parental participation in the formation of her authoritative image. Similar principles for communicating classroom management goals to students also prove a significant difference in teaching approaches. Each of the respondents is convinced of the correctness of her classroom management techniques and substantiates her position with students’ real academic results.
Based on the results of the interviews, one can note that classroom management techniques promoted by Teacher A are modern and more loyal than those of Teacher B. The emphasis on self-education and willingness to adapt to a dynamic learning environment characterize the younger respondent as a progressive employee, while Teacher B may be considered a representative of conservative approaches. In terms of student loyalty, Teacher A can be described as a specialist with democratic principles, and her senior colleague is more rigid and strictly professional.