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EDFD260 Assignment 2 - Essay

Certain behaviour management techniques have significant
implications on the learning of a student, in both positive and
negative aspects. Hockey (2010) explains that some teachers
concentrate too much on their students behaviour and not enough
on their students learning (pp.14). This can be extremely
detrimental in the classroom, as the teacher has a responsibility to
teach. Victory (2014) describes that teachers need to demonstrate
that they care for the learning of each student, as this is the most
vital aspect of teaching. An example of punishment being put in
front of teaching is when teachers often place the misbehaving
males at the back of the classroom when it has been proven that
females typically have better hearing than males (Hockey, 2010,
pp.14). This is a common strategy for purely behaviour
management, which disregards the actual learning of the students.
Hockey (2010) explains that teachers do not need to be dictators in
order to teach well; they simply need to have enough control over a
topic that the students value what is being taught. Behaviour can
impact on student achievement however a clear direction, purpose
and feedback are what have the most significant effects on student
learning (Victory, 2014). If the strategies implemented in a
classroom are well thought out, they can tackle both behaviour and
facilitate learning, such as having mixed gender grouping, as girls
have generally been proven to have a calming effect on boys as well
as being able to model how to learn (Hockey, 2010).
Again, one of the most influential strategies for behaviour
management is intrinsic motivation, which can in fact be just as
influential on student learning (Nagel, 2011). Even a well-behaved
student will not learn to their potential unless they are interested,
motivated and can see a purpose to the learning (Nagel, 2011).
Intrinsic motivation allows students to build their own desire to learn
and it therefore gives the student ownership over their own learning
(Nagel, 2011). As discussed previously, extrinsic motivation such as
rewards and punishment can be overused which leads to the loss of
interest in the task at hand (Nagel, 2011). If the focus for both
teachers and students is on the tangible rewards, the class will soon
believe that tasks are not done for their own self-improvement, but
for others satisfaction. It is the responsibility of the teacher to
motivate the students in a way that triggers their own desire to
succeed as this gives the greatest results. Hockey (2010) states that
enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm (pp.14), which demonstrates how
behaviour can be managed purely by the teacher modelling the

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EDFD260 Assignment 2 - Essay
desired behaviour and attitudes. Although tangible rewards can
eventually have little effect on students, meaningful praise in the
form of recognition and encouragement can act as an even greater
reward, which can continue to have a lasting positive effect on
academic behaviour (Roache & Lewis, 2011). This builds a positive
relationship between teacher and students that rewards do not
necessarily create (Victory, 2014).