Field Post 3

Throughout my time at my field placement I have thought more about classroom management. As highlighted from one of the speakers at our panel discussion, discipline in the classroom is highly emphasized throughout the entire school. She made it clear that she personally thought it was necessary to establish a sense of control in the classroom before it was possible to effectively teach students. In my placement classroom, I have seen a similar model being employed. The classroom management style a teacher employs really dictates the atmosphere of the classroom and the relationship they can develop with the students. In my placement classroom students would be expected to sit silently for most of the class, working independently. There is a reward system that the teacher used where she would give students tickets for behaving well or completing work correctly. While students seemed excited to receive tickets, I never saw them exchange these tickets for any kind of prize or even discuss the prizes they could/wanted to get. Class time is clearly blocked off and a schedule posted on one wall describes how every minute of class will be spent. Some readings we have had this semester have challenged this type of strict structure, while others point out the benefits of models with clear and high expectations for students. For my paper I would like to consider the classroom management and structure of classes that I observed in my placement and explore the benefits and shortcomings of such models.