REFLECTIVE WRITING

Regardless of how dedicated a teacher is, there are often students who test our

patience and stretch our classroom management skills. How one manages the classroom is

the primary determinant of how well your students learn. Conversely, when students are

successful and actively engaged in their work, they tend to be well behaved. I have

conducted my School Based Experience (SBE) at Sekolah Kebangsaan Piasau, Kota Belud.

The school is currently under the care of Puan Biteh @ Betty Linggin, the headmistress of

the school. There are currently 32 teachers teaching in that school and each of them has

their own way of managing the classroom and pupils’ behaviour.

What did the teachers do in order to have good class management? From my

observation, the teachers will prepare all materials ready and organized ahead of time. The

quickest way to lose control of a class is to spend five minutes trying to find the markers and

to put your notes in the right order, or to spend time talking to your co-teachers discussing or

arguing about which order to do things in or which activity to cut when time runs short.

Besides that, the teachers will make sure that the activities and teaching materials

are at the appropriate level. If the materials are too difficult, students will become frustrated,

and may choose to act-out rather than face failure at a task that is portrayed as being fun,

interesting, and easy. If materials are too easy, students become bored and will begin to

spoof on you or make fun of the activities.

Behaviour and classroom management are very important parts of teaching.

Throughout carrying out this coursework, I have gained some understanding in the

behaviour and classroom management. As a teacher, having a positive relationship with our

students makes everything easier, particularly classroom management. When our students

like us and trust us, they will surely want to please us.

In our profession, it is easy to point the finger at outside circumstances rather than

ourselves. We made many justifications for why our students misbehave, why they are

disrespectful, or why they don’t listen or do their homework or work together. But in the end,

blaming parents, video games, or the neighbourhood they live in solves nothing and it makes

impossible for us to have our desired classroom. Therefore, we must take responsibilities for

our students, both learning and behaviour.