Why Is It Important To Have Control In The Classroom?

A saturated, complex and potentially chaotic environment in the classroom leads to problems that can disrupt the student’s education. Therefore, educational psychologists believe that promoting a positive environment in the classroom is very important.

To be able to manage a classroom, we must first understand how it works. For this purpose, we need to explain the characteristics that can lead to problems in a classroom.

Walter Doyle’s six characteristics in the classroom

Psychologist Walter Doyle created six characteristics that reflect the complexity of a classroom. In addition, he also explained how these characteristics are related to the manifestation of problems. Knowing them will help us understand a classroom and how teachers should handle it.

• Classrooms are multidimensional : Classrooms are a place with many activities. They house academic activities (reading, writing, math, etc.) and social activities (games, talking to friends, etc.).

• These activities take place at the same time : In a classroom, activities take place at the same time. For example, one group of students may write while another group discusses an assignment with the teacher. On the other hand, one student may harass another while others talk to each other.

• It happens fast : Things happen fast in the classroom and often require immediate response. As experienced teachers know, many conflicts can occur simultaneously without warning. For example, two students may start arguing over a notebook.
• Events are often unpredictable : Although teachers carefully plan well-organized daily activities, unforeseen events always come up. For example, an alarm may go off, a computer may not work, a heater may be damaged, and so on.

• There is little privacy : Because classrooms are public places, students observe everything that happens. The teacher’s way of managing the classroom is continuously assessed by the class. Values ​​of justice or injustice to the teacher’s actions will affect the class.
• Classrooms have history. Students have memories of what happened in the classroom on previous occasions. Understanding how the past affects the future is important for understanding the function of a classroom. It is important that teachers know how to manage the classroom today in order to influence tomorrow’s learning.

How to manage a classroom?

A teacher must take advantage of the first days and weeks of the school year to try to manage their classroom. During this period, they have to do two very important things:

• Talk about the classroom rules and procedures with the class to promote collaboration.

• Get students actively involved in all learning activities. In this way, you encourage a positive learning environment.

Classroom management requires effort throughout the year

Having a good start will not mean everything. Throughout the school year, it is important for the teacher to take care of all the requirements that arise. If this does not happen, discipline problems will hinder students’ learning. To meet these requirements, teachers must have two main goals:

• Help students spend more time learning and less time for meaningless activities. In fact, the management of academic time is important for both the teacher and the students. There can be many disruptions in classrooms that can make students lethargic and thus hinder learning. The teacher must encourage students to stay motivated and not choose activities other than learning.

• Prevent students from creating problems. Students are exposed to academic and emotional problems. A cold and distant classroom can make them feel disconnected. In addition, we must keep in mind that the presence of problems or disorder affects both the individual and the group’s performance. Therefore, leadership in the classroom also consists of promoting a positive environment where students feel comfortable and motivated.

Finally, there must be an evaluation system to know whether a teacher keeps these goals in mind or not. Continuous and complementary evaluations help teachers to see possible errors and give them the opportunity to correct them quickly. It would be irresponsible not to adequately monitor whether the management is in accordance with the students’ needs.