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Response to Readings: Chapter 9
Response to Readings: Chapter 9
Maintaining appropriate behavior in the classroom is sometimes a challenging task. This
chapter provided an understanding of student behavior and how, using simple interventions,
problematic behaviors can be prevented. Observant monitoring of students provides awareness
of students’ behaviors, and detecting problems in the class becomes easier and easier. The most
important technique is consistency; whatever rules are made or intervention is used to prevent
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the problem behavior should be implemented with consistency (Emmer & Evertson, 2022). It
helps to make the students learn that this behavior is always unacceptable. Additionally, as a
teacher, one should be fully aware of students’ behavior from the start of the session.
This chapter also taught strategies that help not only to prevent problem behavior but
also promote a positive classroom climate. It is necessary to foster an environment that promotes
learning. There were three strategies suggested to maintain good behavior. Many behaviors
show whether students are involved or not, such as attention in class tasks or performance on
assignments. There are two behaviors that are particularly mentioned, and I believe are
important to observe, “Student involvement in learning activities and student cooperation with
classroom rules and procedures” (Emmer & Evertson, 2022).
There are some measures available for monitoring students’ behavior in the classroom
and teachers who find it difficult to keep a record can use those tools for keeping a record.
Checking assignments and moving in the classroom to see the progress is also important because
it helps to identify students who might need help or who are exhibiting problem behavior. Early
identification of these issues is really helpful in preventing problematic behaviors in the
classroom.
This strategy that I have practiced and observed as most important is being consistent
about rules, penalties, and behavioral consequences. As it was mentioned in the chapter as well,
“Obvious inconsistency in the use of procedures or in the application of penalties usually leads
students to test the limits by not following the procedure or by repeating whatever behavior was
to have evoked the penalty” (Emmer & Evertson, 2022).
However, on some occasions, teachers need to make an exception regarding rules and
procedures. For instance, a student with special needs or an individualized education program.
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Deadlines can be flexible for that student or can be extended if a student has a valid reason.
However, it should not be a routine practice because other students will take it as a biased
attitude.
The sources that lead to undesirable inconsistency are also mentioned in the chapter and
are important to consider. For instance, when rules and procedures are unreasonable or
inappropriate, they cannot be implemented consistently. Additionally, when teachers are unable
to keep a record or cannot monitor the progress, it becomes hard to implement rules consistently.
When teachers are not able to detect the problem behavior, they cannot implement the penalty.
Thirdly, when teachers themselves are unsure about the procedure, it isn't easy to implement
them (Emmer & Evertson, 2022). All these techniques are relevant and insightful for me as a
teacher education candidate. These techniques can be used to improve learning and maintain
student behavior in the classroom.
Reference
Emmer, E.T. & Evertson, C.M. (2022). Classroom management for middle and high school
teachers (11th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.
