Personal Reflection

My teaching ethos is heavily influenced by social interaction. Humans are social beings and I

have always learned more through interacting with my peers and elders in meaningful

conversation. With this approach in mind, I seek to emulate this experience for my students

by creating a safe environment which encourages students to think outside the box and

challenge ideas through discussion and first hand experiences in my curriculum unit of

Science.

In my experiences so far, teachers are required to think on their feet and be able to use

strategies to help manage the classroom in a way that encourages student learning and

engagement in my content delivery. For this to occur I will be required to establish an

environment built on mutual respect and understanding of rules that have been constructed

together. The other required skill will be the reflection on strategies to assess the success or

failure which may need to be adjusted or modified before re-implementation. To successfully

create this environment, communication between the teacher and student is vital. Effective

communication will be the key to relaying information and setting out clear expectations for

students to follow. As a teacher I need to be fully aware of the different methods of

communication at my disposal. Including verbal, the ability to use active listening,

negotiation and non-verbal forms of communication will be beneficial for dealing with

students of various abilities and preferences. Knowing what students preferences are for

communication, and which types of communication work better for me, will be important for

giving direction in the classroom.

The way in which I would like to set up my classroom would be in an open format, similar to

a horseshoe. As a teacher, I want to promote the feeling of an open classroom that promotes

discussions and inquiry of scientific topics. This need for openness may be difficult to
manage if students with difficult behaviour are not properly addressed and given guidance.

One strategy that I would like to implement is the use of I-messages from Goal-Centred

Theory (GCT). As social connectedness is important to me, this strategy will align well with

my teaching goals. I will tell students how I feel from their specific behaviour, and will do so

in a calm manner that enables the student to be self-reflective on their behaviour. The

classroom will also be set up with mutually designed class rules. Students will design the

rules and we will place them in a highly visible area. I would like to trial giving students

some power in discipline management, with the teacher still having the final judgement. A

rotating roster for students to act as law keepers during class to call out behaviours that are

against our classroom code will be assessed against corresponding consequences that have

been outlined. The difficulty with this strategy will be if I have students with extremely

difficult behaviour, then I will be unable to establish a safe way for students to be able to call

out others on their behaviour.

The success of my classroom management will need to be recorded and improved upon. The

plan-implement-review cycle has influenced my opinion of self-reflection. Initially, I would

record my feelings and assess what worked well and what did not. However, this is where my

reflection would stop. The final step that was missing may be seen as the most important part

in terms of learning and mastery of classroom pedagogy. The ability to change plans

depending on what worked/did not work and why I have changed the plan. For example,

during professional experience I met a student that was very challenging in their behaviour. I

had tried various strategies to get them to work, however I did not stop to think why they

were not working. In future, I will need to address my shortcomings in this area.

I believe students learn best through experiences, therefore, I will tailor content to their social

context/needs so they can build experiences around scientific content. I will utilise GCT, to

supplement my classroom management. Goals will be created based on behavioural needs but
will also encompass educational facets. Students will have scorecards that allow them to

collect points throughout the term and when they hit specific achievements I will allow them

to get a reward based on previously set out rewards/consequences that the class has chosen.

The emphasis will be on positive reinforcement rather than focusing on negatives.

To me, classroom management requires teachers to try as many strategies as we can. We can

never be too prepared and no two students will be the same. Whilst they may exhibit similar

behaviours, they will react and interact to different strategies in different ways.

Us academics are required as professionals to uphold the Australian Professional Standards

for Teachers. Standard 4 requires teachers to be able to create safe learning environments and

manage student behaviour. Classroom management is an element of teaching, in which,

creating the safe learning environment, enables effective learning. Classroom management is

used to increase the effective teaching time that students have with the teacher and enables a

smooth flow of content.

Standard 6 requires teachers to be engaged in their own professional development. To me this

requires teachers to be proactive, reactive and have retrospect in their approach to research.

The experience in professional practice has taught me many things. With specific reference to

classroom management that when something does not work we should not give up and stop

trying, we, as teachers, should turn to research and see what has worked and implement these

into our classrooms. The need to continuously try strategies and not give up is important, as

the ultimate goal as a teacher to me is to create a positive learning environment that enables

learners the best possible chance for their growth and development.

The key learning for me has been the need for professional reflection, where deep critical

learning occurs and has occurred for me during these times. Without being able to assess

where I have come from, I will not know where I am going and what needs to be improved.
As important as I perceive reflection to be, it is still a minor constituent of my time which

will need to change in order for further self-awareness and growth in classroom pedagogy

and life-long learning. I will re visit my professional philosophy at the end of each semester

and either edit or revise changes to my own philosophy where change is needed. The

recording of information in an informal journal will be the way in which I can collate my

thoughts to reflect on.

Acknowledgements
Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). (2014). Australian
Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from <
http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers/standards/list>

Cohen, J. (2006). Social, emotional, ethical, and academic education: Creating a climate for
learning, participation in democracy, and well-being. Harvard Educational Review,
76(2), 201-237, 285.

Killu, K. (2008). Developing effective behavior intervention plans: Suggestions for school
personnel. Intervention in School and Clinic, 43(3), 140-149.

Lyons, G., Ford, M., & Slee, J. (Eds.). (2014). Classroom management: Creating positive
learning environments (4th ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: Cengage Learning

Martin, S. D. (2004). Finding balance: Impact of classroom management conceptions on

developing teacher practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20(5), 405-422.

Parada, R. (2016). 102082 Pedagogy for Positive Learning Environments: Lectures. Western
Sydney University. Kingswood

Sickel, A., Witzig, J., Vanmali, S., & Abell, B. (2013). The Nature of Discourse throughout
5E Lessons in a Large Enrolment College Biology Course. Research in Science
Education, 43(2), 637-665.
Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes.
Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Zirpoli, T. J. (2012). Positive behavioral supports. In Behavior management: Positive

applications for teachers (6th ed., pp. 257-287). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

Developing your philosophy of classroom

management
John De Nobile
School of Education, Macquarie University
With adaptations by Roberto H Parada , School of Education, University of Western Sydney

This resource consists of a series of linked activities chapter-by-chapter to Lyons et al.

Classroom Management: Creating positive learning environments 4E. These activities enable
you to progressively work on and develop your own philosophy, plan and style of classroom
management.

A classroom philosophy, simply put, is a statement of what you believe about how to best
manage a class and how you will go about achieving that vision. This resource will help you
build it bit by bit. Complete the activities linked to each chapter of the text and by the end
of chapter 10 you should be able to bring your work together to form your classroom
philosophy.
(Week 1) Chapter 1: Modelling classroom management
In this chapter you have gained a small insight into the hectic world of teachers starting out,
and have been exposed to the bases of a good classroom management plan through the
Lyford Model. The following activities are designed to get you thinking about your own
model of teaching and classroom management.

1.1 What is a good teacher? Think about the teachers from your days in primary and
secondary schooling. What qualities did they have that made them good? Make a list
in the box below.

The teachers that were good always made you feel included in class. The ones that were
happy to talk to you about the questions you had.
The qualities from my experience would be:
Empathetic
Caring
Good listening skills
Knowledgeable
Good Judgment
Relatable

1.2 Using the Lyford Model as a starting point, what do you think are the key considerations
when a teacher is planning their strategy for classroom management? After making some
rough notes, pick out the most important ones and list them below.

The key aspect to the Lyford model is the ability to be reflective. Whilst all elements are
important in implementing a plan of attack, without looking back and gauging the success
or failure of the plan how would you be able to improve on them for further strategies.
The inputs such as knowledge of classroom management and pedagogy and the filter to
me is contextual setting. The knowledge of the 4 positive practices overlapping and
complementing each other is also crucial in developing plans. There are additional
perspectives which provide different ways of addressing difficulties students experience
in class. This tells me that the Lyford Model does not simply apply 1 solution to every
problem but it is dynamic.

1.3 With your responses to the last two activities as a source of ideas, complete the
sentence in the box below.

I believe good teaching is about being dynamic with your approach to students, classroom
management and understanding your own content.
(Week 2)Chapter 2: Classroom management theory
In this chapter you have been introduced to some theories of behaviour/classroom
management. More are presented in the online companion. Some of these might have
caused you to react in some way, either negatively or positively. Of the ones you developed
a positive feeling about, was there a particular theory that stood out? Was there a theory or
approach that you felt might fit your view of how children should be treated and how
teaching happens? Think about this before responding to the activities.

2.1 In the box below, list the theories that you think are not for you under the heading
Not me, and the theories that you think are more favourable under the heading More
like me.

Not me More like me

Choice Theory Cognitive Behavioural Theory
Assertive Discipline Goal Centred Theory

2.2 Now take a closer look at the theories you placed in the More like me column. Read
the suggested readings provided in this chapter and the online companion. Get to know
the theories more intimately. Use this new knowledge, specifically the key philosophies
behind the theories (or theory), to develop your own statement of belief about the sort
of places classrooms should be. Complete the following sentence and perhaps add
another to accompany it.

I believe classrooms should be places where students and teachers have mutual respect
for each other. Teachers and students work together to build safe learning environments
where students are encouraged to be autonomous knowing that their behaviours will be
rewarded when they achieve and there are consequences for the opposite.
(Week 3)Chapters 3 & 6: Relationships, communication & Professional
reflexivity
Effective communication is a key component of effective classroom management, and
quality teaching depends on it. This chapter describes some very useful skills for dealing
with inappropriate student behaviour in a non-confrontational and positive way. Being
aware of non-verbal cues will lead a teacher to be more sensitive to how their messages are
being received as well as how to send messages and provide feedback more effectively.
Active listening allows teachers and students to interact with minimal interference from
underlying emotional factors. I-messages provide the teacher with a tool to convey to
students how their behaviour is affecting the class in a non-submissive, informative and
positive manner.

Teaching philosophies often describe the way a teacher will interact with their students and
this, in turn, provides a window into the classroom climate that a teacher is trying to
establish. The following activities should help you to identify your preferred way of
communicating with the class generally as well as in dealing with inappropriate behaviour.
After completing them you should have a better idea of how your classroom philosophy will
describe your communication style in the classroom.

3.1 After reading this chapter and doing some of your own follow-up reading, list in the
boxes below which communication methods you are most attracted to, and which ones
you have not tried but would not mind practising to see if they might work for you.

My preferred communication style Things Id like to try out

Open Questioning Non-Verbal Communication
Interpersonal Communication I-Message
Active Listening Negotiation

3.2 You will need to pre-empt the communication paragraph in your philosophy with a
sentence or two underpinning or justifying it. Using your readings of the chapter, in
particular the Relationships and communication, Interference, Communication process
and Non-verbal communication sections, complete the sentence in the box below. You
might need to add a second or even a third sentence.

I believe that good communication between teacher and student is vital to a positive
classroom climate because effective communication can form the expectations in which
students are to follow. Teachers need to understand different methods of communicating
as students are all different, knowing what works for some students and adapting
communication methods for others will be vital in creating a safe learning space for all
students.
3.3 To complete your paragraph on communication you will now need to identify the key
strategies you will use. Take another look at the lists in 3.1 and pick the most suitable of
these to complete the section below.

Therefore, I will try using I-messages to let them know how I am feeling and how their
behaviour impacts other people. I wish to use this strategy to promote self-awareness of
student behaviour and that every behaviour either positive or negative makes people feel
an emotion. The use of I-messages that I will incorporate will also be positive.

This week you also looked at how personal beliefs can help or hinder in your relationships
and communication with students.

3.3 Briefly outline your understanding of how beliefs can help or hinder your ability to
create positive learning environments:

Teacher personal beliefs affect the way we create Positive Learning Environments by
creating a contextual wall for the individual. The life experiences that we hold can either
give us different ways of dealing with a similar experience that we have or making a
decision that is bias due to the beliefs we hold. Knowing this, it is important for teachers
and myself to be aware of how their own pre constructed ideals affect others in both the
positive and negative aspects of the classroom.

Chapter 6: Professional reflexivity

The last of the four positive practices is professional reflexivity. Good teachers reflect on
what they do frequently, during lessons as well as afterwards. Examining how well things
worked, or how things didnt work as well as planned, helps teachers to inform their future
teaching and consequently improve their practice. This chapter discusses at length an action
research model that can be used to encourage professional reflexivity. There are, of course,
other models to consider as indicated in the reference list at the end of the chapter.

Your teaching philosophy should describe how and for what purpose you might engage in a
cycle of professional reflexivity, be it through critical analysis using various perspectives or
an action research model, or both.

6.1 Why should teachers engage in professional reflexivity? By reading this chapter you will
get a clear idea about the benefits of reflection on and in action. Once you have given
this some thought and done some further reading, complete the following sentence.

I believe professional reflexivity is important to my teaching because critical learning

occurs during reflection of self. Without knowing how we have grown and developed we
will not know what works well and what needs to be improved. As a teacher we need to
practice what we preach, to be able to develop students who actively seek knowledge
and self-development I believe that this skill should not only be practiced but encouraged
with further training time devoted to this.
6.2 Having thought up a justification for it, how will you go about engaging in reflection
about your practice in your teaching career? Once you have thought this out, think of
some practical and achievable ways you can engage in professional reflexivity and
complete the next sentence.

As a consequence of this belief, I will actively write about my professional practice

experience in a reflective log/journal. This will allow me to look at my thoughts and
feelings that I may have held during a specific moment in time and look at them with a
fresh perspective and critique or analyse my actions.
(Week 4)Chapter 4: Classroom organisation and Curriculum, assessment and
pedagogy
Classroom management is not just about managing behaviour. At the heart of teaching and
learning are the curriculum taught, the pedagogy used and the assessment designed to
measure how well that curriculum was taught and how well the pedagogy worked. This
chapter takes you through these three areas one at a time.

The next part of your teaching philosophy will be about how you will deliver curriculum and
assess student achievement/growth. After reading this chapter, please reflect on the
following:
What will you take into consideration when planning your teaching program?
How will you know what to teach and where to start?
What are the many ways in which your students could demonstrate achievement other
than tests and quizzes?
What teaching approaches will you use and what philosophical views will your
pedagogies reflect?

4.1 Using the PIR Cycle as a stimulus, explain how you will go about planning your teaching
program in the box below.

The PIR cycle is one that incorporates the need to actively review the plans that have
been put into place. The concept of going over what works and what doesnt work and
being able to analyse it has always been important to me, the difference comes into the
review step. I have never actively put into place the changes after I have dissected a
scenario. I have initially made my notations on what worked and what didnt but the
review part is very critical in knowing how to properly build a program that works and will
be adaptable when needed.

4.2 Why is assessment important? What types of assessment will you develop and why?
Answer these two questions below.

Assessments are an essential component for teaching. They are useful for providing
students with motivation to succeed and gives them a sense of pride in accomplishment.
Personally during school, I held in high regard the chance to do well in an assignment or
test for this reason, unknowingly that in the pursuit of success the development of
content knowledge inherently is gained along the way. Assessments are a good way to
measure student knowledge and understanding. The use of assessments is also beneficial
in planning for future lessons as students that struggle may require further scaffolding of
content or additional ways of teaching a concept. If assessments were not used in this
way I would not have known that a student was struggling. Formative assessments are a
type of assessment that I would like to further develop. As part of science education the
inquiry style of teaching is very beneficial for conceptual development with students.
Formative assessment allows the teacher to probe ideas on the fly and tailor content
 depending on student needs. The reason I would like this area to be a focus is due to the
need for this style of assessment in science education.

4.3 Pedagogy refers to how you will teach the curriculum. Usually, the type of pedagogy
you implement is influenced by a basic belief about how students best learn. After
considering your pedagogical approach and strategies, complete the sentences below.

I believe that students best learn through life experiences

Therefore I will use their interests to tailor content to their needs so they can build
positive life experiences with their content.
Chapter 5: Classroom organisation
As explained in this chapter, there are several dimensions to classroom organisation. Each of
these put together become the manifestation of your classroom culture. Your classroom
culture is, simply put, the way your class operates and incorporates:
rules and procedures
organisation of the physical space.

It is now time to think about how your teaching philosophy will describe these two aspects
and explain them in terms of an overarching set of beliefs or approaches. After reading this
chapter, complete the next two activities.

5.1 What values do you hold as important to establishing an orderly, productive and
positive classroom? Answer this question below, then list the key rules/expectations
you think flow naturally from those values and which you want to stress in your class.
Complete the section by explaining how rules and consequences will be established in
your classroom.

The need for an open classroom is important to me. When I say open I mean to say the
train of thought that students provide is sometimes more important than the concept
being taught. If we are discussing a scientific concept and students become engaged with
a branch off of the topic allowing an environment in which students can be autonomous
in their pursuit of knowledge is important. Now that I have understood what style of
classroom I would like I believe the rules would be mutually set out and clearly displayed
for students to be aware of and known. I would like to employ a student each lesson with
the task of law keeper (keeping myself and the class honest in their work). The rules
would be dependent on the type of lesson and the students themselves we will need to
come to a fair set of rules firstly and agree on them. After the rules are set consequences
need to be clear so students are all aware. The main focus for the classroom to me is to
engage students in meaningful learning, whilst maintaining a safe environment for all
students. This would mean students will be encouraged to actively participate, no talking
during another students question, following school policy (no phones, hats off, no putting
feet on tables), be respectful of school property. The power to give out punishments will
be ultimately on the teacher with the law keeper assisting in the role of identifying
inappropriate behaviour. This strategy will be used to help student be more aware of how
their behaviour impacts other students.

5.2 What should your classroom look like to visitors entering it. Why? Think about this then
answer the question and explain how you might organise:
seating
classroom space (displays, colours, furniture, etc).

Organised but with a flair of chaos (to me learning needs to be a bit messy, especially
when we get to discussions of content)
I would trial different seating arrangements until 1 worked with the class. I prefer open
style seating plans like horseshoe shaped. The walls would be used to demonstrate
student work or inspirational scientific endeavours that students will get to pick from so
they are more connected to the classroom.
(Week 5).Chapter 7: Interventions & Evaluation
Interventions bring the focus of your philosophy back to the behaviour management aspect
of classroom management. The first part of this chapter explains intervention as something
that is done to one or more aspects of the classroom milieu to improve a situation that is
getting out of hand (or has the potential to), usually as a result of inappropriate behaviour
that threatens the stability of the learning environment. The chapter presents approaches
to intervention according to the three theoretical orientations introduced in chapters 1
and 2.

7.1 After reading this chapter ask yourself the following questions and record your answers.

Which approach am I most Why? How would I use this in

comfortable working with?
(You can chose more than 1)
GCT When I have a task in mind I
am more focussed on
improving and beating that
goal.
practice?
I would like to incorporate a
power up styled system in
which it would work by
students getting
achievement points
throughout the term based
on what they accomplish.
(Like a game)

7.2 Did you list more than one approach? If so, how might the two (or more) approaches
work together as a behaviour management strategy (or sequence of strategies in a
plan)?

I only chose GCT, however if I had listed another, I would mix and match depending on
what works well for different students. GCT is not very good for difficult to manage
students. I may need to use a different strategy to supplement these students.

7.3 Having thought through the approaches and how you would apply them, it is time to
nail down your intervention strategy. First, write about the approach (or approaches)
you believe will work best and why.

If intervention for behaviour management is needed, I believe that positive relationships

are the first and foremost important factor. Teachers that do not have an understanding
of their students will not be able to implement any positive interventions.

7.4 Now write about how you would put the above into practice.
 In line with this thinking, I will get to know my students, find out what interests them
about my subject if anything, work on the positives behaviours they show. Every tiny
detail of positive behaviours should be encouraged, give them praise for it and say it so
others can see and hear and they are aware of what good behaviour looks like in class.

7.5 Having written an overview of your intervention plan, go back to your earlier
statements, particularly your responses to 1.3, 2.2, 3.3 and 5.1. In light of 7.3 and 7.4 do
you need to modify any of these? If so, make the changes now.

This week we also discussed the importance of considering evaluation for interventions

7.6 Briefly outline below how you would go about documenting and monitoring an
intervention with a student(s) or class for effectiveness.

Taking into consideration the need to have objective measures of effectiveness of an

intervention I will monitor student progress in the following ways writing out an action
plan, implementing the strategy, recording observations and change the plan accordingly.
Recording would be done through an iPad or pre made document to allow swift entries of
incidents/positive behaviours.
(Week 6) Chapter 8: Stories from the field (Personal Reading)
In this chapter there are 10 stories where teachers and others describe an aspect of their
experience with classroom management in the real world. The online companion website
presents even more. To complete the activity below please read between three and five of
these. They will provide you with a variety of models of practice in classroom management
and might trigger new ideas to include in your philosophy of teaching.

8.1 After reading some of the case studies (E.g., 8 in the text Lisa, 9 Andrew, 10 Wendy and
16, 19, 20 etc online), what would you add about aspects of your classroom
management that have not been mentioned so far in your philosophy? Add these in the
box below in rough draft form. You can refine them later in 10.1.

The need to be fair was something I learned from 9 Andrews experience. The need to be
fair with students has not been explicitly discussed in my log however this will be a very
important component in classroom management. From Andrews description students
are very aware of what is fair and what is not.
(Week 7) Principles of Behaviour Modification. Zirporli T.J. (2012). Ch10 and
Killu, K. (2008)

This week we looked at fundamental aspects of behaviourism and learning. Ziporli and Killu
provide examples of the application of such theory and research to classroom management
and behaviour change. Important concepts such as reinforcement, functional purpose of
behaviour and behaviour shaping are discussed

7.1 After reading Ziporli and Killu and reflecting on the lecture content what would you add
about aspects of your classroom management that have not been mentioned so far in
your philosophy? Add these in the box below in rough draft form. You can refine them
later in 10.1.

Classroom management strategies should be implemented with a key goal in mind, to

help students succeed in their educational goals. Although as a teacher I know the need
to teach content it was very informative to understand the need to improve interventions
based on educational needs.

(Week 8) Social Emotional Learning in Schools. Cohen, J. (2006) & Zins, et al

(2007).
Social and Emotional Learning brings your attention to focus efforts on promoting students
social and emotional competencies. Many leaders in the field underscore the importance of
skills-based teaching and learning to properly address this important facet of teaching the
whole child.
8.1 After reading Cohen and Zin and reflecting on the lecture content what would you add
about aspects of your classroom management that have not been mentioned so far in
your philosophy? Add these in the box below in rough draft form. You can refine them
later in 10.1.

The need to educate students in an ethical and social context adds an additional layer to
the teaching role that should not be overlooked. The importance of social and emotional
education should be a bigger emphasis than it is. The question comes down to what does
a school do for students? Are schools put in place to come first in standardized tests? Are
they designed to make all students compliant with a code? Are schools making
responsible students that are responsible citizens? The questions I ask are those that I
have personally contemplated. I would like to believe that schools are there to provide
equitable education to students who will become active members of society that interact
in a positive way and that social emotional education will assist in this role.
(Week 9) Chapter 9: Your theory into practice
Early in the chapter you are asked to write up a statement of your theoretical approach to
classroom management. You should read the rest of the chapter, as it takes you through the
steps of constructing a philosophy of teaching. You already started this process in activities
relating to chapters 1 and 2, but now you have a chance to refine it by altering your
responses in 1.3 and 2.2. This may require changes to sentences or even some considerable
rewriting, but as the authors say, if a job is worth doing, it is worth doing it well.

9.1 Now that you have reviewed your overarching philosophy and settled, more or less, on
your approach to teaching and classroom management, it is time to combine the bits
that you have been working on into your first (draft) teaching philosophy. It is simple
now. All the hard work has been done. Simply cut and paste your responses in the order
suggested below, into the box.

Cut and paste in the following order leaving a line space between each section:
1.3 > 2.2 > 3.2 > 3.3 > 5.1 > 5.2 > 4.1 > 4.2 > 4.3 > 7.1 > 7.3 > 7.4 >8.1> 6.1 > 6.2

My personal reflection/teaching philosophy (Draft 1)

I believe good teaching is about being dynamic with your approach to students, classroom
management and understanding your own content.

I believe classrooms should be places where students and teachers have mutual respect
for each other. Teachers and students work together to build safe learning environments
where students are encouraged to be autonomous knowing that their behaviours will be
rewarded when they achieve and there are consequences for the opposite.

I believe that good communication between teacher and student is vital to a positive
classroom climate because effective communication can form the expectations in which
students are to follow. Teachers need to understand different methods of communicating
as students are all different, knowing what works for some students and adapting
communication methods for others will be vital in creating a safe learning space for all
students.

Therefore, I will try using I-messages to let them know how I am feeling and how their
behaviour impacts other people. I wish to use this strategy to promote self-awareness of
student behaviour and that every behaviour either positive or negative makes people feel
an emotion. The use of I-messages that I will incorporate will also be positive.

The need for an open classroom is important to me. When I say open I mean to say the
train of thought that students provide is sometimes more important than the concept
being taught. If we are discussing a scientific concept and students become engaged with
a branch off of the topic allowing an environment in which students can be autonomous
in their pursuit of knowledge is important. Now that I have understood what style of
classroom I would like I believe the rules would be mutually set out and clearly displayed
for students to be aware of and known. I would like to employ a student each lesson with
the task of law keeper (keeping myself and the class honest in their work). The rules
would be dependent on the type of lesson and the students themselves we will need to
come to a fair set of rules firstly and agree on them. After the rules are set consequences
need to be clear so students are all aware. The main focus for the classroom to me is to
engage students in meaningful learning, whilst maintaining a safe environment for all
students. This would mean students will be encouraged to actively participate, no talking
during another students question, following school policy (no phones, hats off, no putting
feet on tables), be respectful of school property. The power to give out punishments will
be ultimately on the teacher with the law keeper assisting in the role of identifying
inappropriate behaviour. This strategy will be used to help student be more aware of how
their behaviour impacts other students.

Organised but with a flair of chaos (to me learning needs to be a bit messy, especially
when we get to discussions of content)

I would trial different seating arrangements until 1 worked with the class. I prefer open
style seating plans like horseshoe shaped. The walls would be used to demonstrate
student work or inspirational scientific endeavours that students will get to pick from so
they are more connected to the classroom.

The PIR cycle is one that incorporates the need to actively review the plans that have
been put into place. The concept of going over what works and what doesnt work and
being able to analyse it has always been important to me, the difference comes into the
review step. I have never actively put into place the changes after I have dissected a
scenario. I have initially made my notations on what worked and what didnt but the
review part is very critical in knowing how to properly build a program that works and will
be adaptable when needed.

Assessments are an essential component for teaching. They are useful for providing
students with motivation to succeed and gives them a sense of pride in accomplishment.
Personally during school, I held in high regard the chance to do well in an assignment or
test for this reason, unknowingly that in the pursuit of success the development of
content knowledge inherently is gained along the way. Assessments are a good way to
measure student knowledge and understanding. The use of assessments is also beneficial
in planning for future lessons as students that struggle may require further scaffolding of
content or additional ways of teaching a concept. If assessments were not used in this
way I would not have known that a student was struggling. Formative assessments are a
type of assessment that I would like to further develop. As part of science education the
inquiry style of teaching is very beneficial for conceptual development with students.
Formative assessment allows the teacher to probe ideas on the fly and tailor content
depending on student needs. The reason I would like this area to be a focus is due to the
need for this style of assessment in science education.

I believe that students best learn through life experiences

Therefore, I will use their interests to tailor content to their needs so they can build
positive life experiences with their content.
Goal Centered Theory, is the approach I am most comfortable with. When I have a task in
mind I am more focused and am able to achieve the outcomes. I would like to incorporate
a power up system in which students would earn achievement points through the term by
following the class rules/achieving content goals.

Classroom management strategies should be implemented with a key goal in mind, to

help students succeed in their educational goals. Although as a teacher I know the need
to teach content it was very informative to understand the need to improve interventions
based on educational needs.

If intervention for behaviour management is needed, I believe that positive relationships

are the first and foremost important factor. Teachers that do not have an understanding
of their students will not be able to implement any positive interventions.
In line with this thinking, I will get to know my students, find out what interests them
about my subject if anything, work on the positives behaviours they show. Every tiny
detail of positive behaviours should be encouraged, give them praise for it and say it so
others can see and hear and they are aware of what good behaviour looks like in class.

The need to be fair was something I learned from 9 Andrews experience. The need to be
fair with students has not been explicitly discussed in my log however this will be a very
important component in classroom management. From Andrews description students
are very aware of what is fair and what is not.

The need to educate students in an ethical and social context adds an additional layer to
the teaching role that should not be overlooked. The importance of social and emotional
education should be a bigger emphasis than it is. The question comes down to what does
a school do for students? Are schools put in place to come first in standardized tests? Are
they designed to make all students compliant with a code? Are schools making
responsible students that are responsible citizens? The questions I ask are those that I
have personally contemplated. I would like to believe that schools are there to provide
equitable education to students who will become active members of society that interact
in a positive way and that social emotional education will assist in this role.

I believe professional reflexivity is important to my teaching because critical learning

occurs during reflection of self. Without knowing how we have grown and developed we
will not know what works well and what needs to be improved. As a teacher we need to
practice what we preach, to be able to develop students who actively seek knowledge
and self-development I believe that this skill should not only be practiced but encouraged
with further training time devoted to this.

As a consequence of this belief, I will actively write about my professional practice

experience in a reflective log/journal. This will allow me to look at my thoughts and
feelings that I may have held during a specific moment in time and look at them with a
fresh perspective and critique or analyse my actions.
(Week 9) Chapter 10: Contemporary issues (Personal Reading)
This chapter describes some of the current issues and trends that schools and wider school
systems are dealing with. After reading the chapter, you should consider if any of these
movements require presence in your teaching philosophy. For example, once you have
visited the AITSL website and examined the national teaching standards, do you feel the
need to address any of these standards in your teaching philosophy? After reading about
time outs, exclusion and expulsion, do you feel your classroom management intervention
approach needs to change or is it OK as it is? These are just two example of areas where
wider issues that teachers might want to address in their philosophy.

Ask yourself these questions after reading your draft philosophy from 9.1:
1 Have I covered everything I want to cover in my philosophy and if not, what do I need to
add? This might be from chapter 10, but dont forget about things you might have
written in 8.1. Now is the time to consider how they will fit into your draft.
2 Does the philosophy read right to me? If not, then make your changes. Move sections
around if you feel they sit better.
3 Do I need an opening quote/sentence and do I need a conclusion to round things off? If
so, jot down some rough notes.

10.1 After considering questions 1, 2 and 3 above, edit your teaching philosophy. It would
be a good idea to leave the draft you had in 9.1 alone, cut and paste that here and
make the changes here just in case you need to refer back to your original draft.

My personal reflection/teaching philosophy (Draft 2)

My teaching ethos is heavily influenced by social interaction, humans are social beings
and I have always learned more through interacting with my peers and elders in
meaningful conversation. With this approach in mind I seek to emulate this experience for
my students by creating a safe environment which encourages students to think outside
the box and challenge ideas through discussion and first hand experiences in my
curriculum unit of Science.

I believe good teaching is about being dynamic with your approach to students, classroom
management and understanding your own content.

I believe classrooms should be places where students and teachers have mutual respect
for each other. Teachers and students work together to build safe learning environments
where students are encouraged to be autonomous knowing that their behaviours will be
rewarded when they achieve and there are consequences for the opposite.

I believe that good communication between teacher and student is vital to a positive
classroom climate because effective communication can form the expectations in which
students are to follow. Teachers need to understand different methods of communicating
as students are all different, knowing what works for some students and adapting
communication methods for others will be vital in creating a safe learning space for all
students.

Therefore, I will try using I-messages to let them know how I am feeling and how their
behaviour impacts other people. I wish to use this strategy to promote self-awareness of
student behaviour and that every behaviour either positive or negative makes people feel
an emotion. The use of I-messages that I will incorporate will also be positive.

The need for an open classroom is important to me. When I say open I mean to say the
train of thought that students provide is sometimes more important than the concept
being taught. If we are discussing a scientific concept and students become engaged with
a branch off of the topic allowing an environment in which students can be autonomous
in their pursuit of knowledge is important. Now that I have understood what style of
classroom I would like I believe the rules would be mutually set out and clearly displayed
for students to be aware of and known. I would like to employ a student each lesson with
the task of law keeper (keeping myself and the class honest in their work). The rules
would be dependent on the type of lesson and the students themselves we will need to
come to a fair set of rules firstly and agree on them. After the rules are set consequences
need to be clear so students are all aware. The main focus for the classroom to me is to
engage students in meaningful learning, whilst maintaining a safe environment for all
students. This would mean students will be encouraged to actively participate, no talking
during another students question, following school policy (no phones, hats off, no putting
feet on tables), be respectful of school property. The power to give out punishments will
be ultimately on the teacher with the law keeper assisting in the role of identifying
inappropriate behaviour. This strategy will be used to help student be more aware of how
their behaviour impacts other students.

Organised but with a flair of chaos (to me learning needs to be a bit messy, especially
when we get to discussions of content)

I would trial different seating arrangements until 1 worked with the class. I prefer open
style seating plans like horseshoe shaped. The walls would be used to demonstrate
student work or inspirational scientific endeavours that students will get to pick from so
they are more connected to the classroom.

The PIR cycle is one that incorporates the need to actively review the plans that have
been put into place. The concept of going over what works and what doesnt work and
being able to analyse it has always been important to me, the difference comes into the
review step. I have never actively put into place the changes after I have dissected a
scenario. I have initially made my notations on what worked and what didnt but the
review part is very critical in knowing how to properly build a program that works and will
be adaptable when needed.

Assessments are an essential component for teaching. They are useful for providing
students with motivation to succeed and gives them a sense of pride in accomplishment.
Personally during school, I held in high regard the chance to do well in an assignment or
test for this reason, unknowingly that in the pursuit of success the development of
content knowledge inherently is gained along the way. Assessments are a good way to
measure student knowledge and understanding. The use of assessments is also beneficial
in planning for future lessons as students that struggle may require further scaffolding of
content or additional ways of teaching a concept. If assessments were not used in this
way I would not have known that a student was struggling. Formative assessments are a
type of assessment that I would like to further develop. As part of science education the
inquiry style of teaching is very beneficial for conceptual development with students.
Formative assessment allows the teacher to probe ideas on the fly and tailor content
depending on student needs. The reason I would like this area to be a focus is due to the
need for this style of assessment in science education.

I believe that students best learn through life experiences

Therefore, I will use their interests to tailor content to their needs so they can build
positive life experiences with their content.

Goal Centered Theory, is the approach I am most comfortable with. When I have a task in
mind I am more focused and am able to achieve the outcomes. I would like to incorporate
a power up system in which students would earn achievement points through the term by
following the class rules/achieving content goals.

Classroom management strategies should be implemented with a key goal in mind, to

help students succeed in their educational goals. Although as a teacher I know the need
to teach content it was very informative to understand the need to improve interventions
based on educational needs.

If intervention for behaviour management is needed, I believe that positive relationships

are the first and foremost important factor. Teachers that do not have an understanding
of their students will not be able to implement any positive interventions.
In line with this thinking, I will get to know my students, find out what interests them
about my subject if anything, work on the positives behaviours they show. Every tiny
detail of positive behaviours should be encouraged, give them praise for it and say it so
others can see and hear and they are aware of what good behaviour looks like in class.

The need to be fair was something I learned from 9 Andrews experience. The need to be
fair with students has not been explicitly discussed in my log however this will be a very
important component in classroom management. From Andrews description students
are very aware of what is fair and what is not.

The need to educate students in an ethical and social context adds an additional layer to
the teaching role that should not be overlooked. The importance of social and emotional
education should be a bigger emphasis than it is. The question comes down to what does
a school do for students? Are schools put in place to come first in standardized tests? Are
they designed to make all students compliant with a code? Are schools making
responsible students that are responsible citizens? The questions I ask are those that I
have personally contemplated. I would like to believe that schools are there to provide
 equitable education to students who will become active members of society that interact
in a positive way and that social emotional education will assist in this role.

I believe professional reflexivity is important to my teaching because critical learning

occurs during reflection of self. Without knowing how we have grown and developed we
will not know what works well and what needs to be improved. As a teacher we need to
practice what we preach, to be able to develop students who actively seek knowledge
and self-development I believe that this skill should not only be practiced but encouraged
with further training time devoted to this.

As a consequence of this belief, I will actively write about my professional practice

experience in a reflective log/journal. This will allow me to look at my thoughts and
feelings that I may have held during a specific moment in time and look at them with a
fresh perspective and critique or analyse my actions.

Try as many strategies that you can, you can never be too prepared when it comes to
classroom management and students will never be the same, whilst they may exhibit
similar behaviours they will react and interact to different strategies in different ways.
This aligns with several of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, Standard 4
requires teachers to be able to create safe learning environments and manage student
behaviour. Classroom management is an element of teaching, creating the learning
environment is an important step in allowing students to be better equipped to learn.
Using teaching strategies, by learning new strategies of classroom management this is
increasing the effective teaching time as classroom management strategies are used to
benefit the learners. Standard 6 requires teachers to be engaged in their own professional
development. To me this requires teachers to be proactive, reactive and have retrospect
in their approach to research. The experience in professional practice has taught me
many things. With specific reference to classroom management that when something
does not work we should not give up and stop trying, we, as teachers, should turn to
research and see what has worked and implement these into our classrooms. The need to
continuously try strategies and not give up is important as the ultimate goal as a teacher
to me, is to create a positive learning environment that enables learners the best possible
chance for their growth and development.

Ready to roll
Now that you have made the changes, read it to yourself. How does it read now?
If you are happy with the result, you have your first teaching philosophy. Congratulations!
You have done it! Now its time to prepare your final submission. Look at the Unit Learning
Guide and now write your own personal reflection and philosophy Ability to clearly and
coherently reflect on specific learnings in this unit and their implications for their personal
philosophy in relation to the management of students challenging behaviour, learning and
wellbeing in a positive learning environment.

Into the future!

However, please be aware that your philosophy may well change as you gain experience in
teaching and are exposed to other ideas from your ongoing professional development, your
interactions with peers and other sources of inspiration. It will be an interesting task for you
to go back to this philosophy you have just completed in 10 years time and compare it to
the one you have then. Will it have changed much? How have your approaches evolved?
What kind of teacher have you become?