29 Teacher management and development issues

Prof. Surinder Kaur

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. Learning outcomes

3. Teacher Management in the Classroom

3.1. Principles of Classroom Management

3.2. Dimensions of Classroom Manage ment

4. Teacher Management in school

5. Teacher Management in community

6. Development Issues

6.1. Development of Teacher as a Communicator

6.2. Development of Teacher as a Leader

6.3. Development of Teacher as a Professional

6.4. Development of Teacher as a Technology Expert

1. INTRODUCTION

In the modern era, a teacher has innumerable responsibilities due to changing needs of our society. Teacher has to play multiple roles in classroom. The knowledge of teaching, training and instruction can be effectively used by teacher in managing classroom activities. Teacher management therefore forms a significant area for effective management of the education system. The most important qualities of a teacher are sincerity, honesty and involvement in teaching. It brings excellence in classroom management. Teacher’s behaviour which is shaped by her values, attitudes and beliefs etc. determines to a large extent the nature of interactions that take place in the classroom, in the school and in the society.

2. LEARNING OUTCOMES

After studying this module, you should be able to:

Describe teacher management and development issues
Explain the concept of teacher management in the classroom
Discuss the dimensions of classroom management
Highlight teacher management in the school
Illustrate teacher management in the community
Discuss the development issues of teacher management

3. Teacher Management in the Classroom

Management is an important function for any organisation. Classroom management is one of the major responsibilities of a teacher. A teacher has to play the role of a manager and has to organise his classroom activities. It is the most difficult job of a teacher but he has to direct and control the classroom activities. The main focus of classroom activities is to generate conducive learning situations. The quality of teaching and teacher training depends upon the quality of the classroom management. The teacher is the management expert of the class, he uses his managerial abilities, authority and leadership qualities which are the keys to classroom management.

The teacher’s various tasks are related to certain variables s uch as time available for the teacher and students, space in the classroom, learning material and resources and the form of rewards and punishments generally adopted by the teacher. Further, the concept of classroom management is visualised, mainly in terms of instruction. It could also deal with an individual student’s degree to develop self-control in connection with instruction, his behaviour with peer group and teachers outside the class or in the several activities that take place in the school. These, in turn, are affected by factors such as age and background of the students, solidarity of groups that exist in a school, the organisational setup adopted by school authorities and finally the educational goals at the tertiary level. Classroom management has a wide spectrum of tasks and activities involving mainly the teacher and the student with supporting factors such as resources available, the climate of the classroom and those of the college. It doesn’t limit itself to the management of the classroom alone but has a far-reaching aim of overall development of individual students to be independent by a sound, scientific and value-oriented system of education.

The problems of classroom management are intimately linked to the larger concerns of teaching styles, motivation, interest, strategies for ensuring success, the effect of group forces and the incorporation of mental hygiene principles into daily classroom practice. These may be desirable attributes to develop but they will not help in managing the classroom. Other practical steps have to be taken to manage the classroom.

3.1.Principles of Classroom Management

The following are some of the principles of classroom management:

Source: http://www.slideshare.net/SheeRaChocstrawberry/principles -of-classroom-management-new

3.2.Dimensions of Classroom Manage ment

The classroom management consists of four dimensions-

1. Physical dimensions or environment

2. Social and cultural dimensions

3. Psychological dimensions

4. Ethical considerations and value dimensions

In managing classroom activities, a teacher has to consider these four dimensions. A brief description of these dimensions has been discussed as such:

(1) Physical Dimensions or Environment: A classroom is a functional unit of an educational institution. The location, buildings, lawns and classrooms are designed by the manager or founder of the institution. The classroom management is also concerned with the seating arrangement, light air arrangement and black board facilities. A teacher as a manager has to look into these facilities of classroom physical setting which should be conducive to learning.

(2) Social and Cultural Dimensions: A classroom is a miniature of the society as well as of an institution. Classroom management involves social relationship and cultural environment depends on the following relations:

(a) Teacher and taught relationship

(b) Relationship among students

(d) Relationship among teachers

A teacher must know the background of his students, their entering behavior and learning abilities and interest. The new society is shaped in the classroom of an educational institution by exposing the students to desirable social and cultural environment.

(3) Psychological Dime nsion: It is rightly said that no learning takes place without motivation. The main focus of classroom management is to facilitate learning. Teacher motivates his students verbally and through actions (non-verbally). He also reinforces their desirable behaviours. In the classroom, teacher raises the level of aspiration of students. Teacher involvement in classroom management encourages student’s participation. The psychological dimension plays a significant role in the student’s participation and their learning. It is a criterion for an effective classroom management.

(4) Ethical Consideration or Value Dimension: It is one of the most important dimension of classroom management. A teacher’s role in classroom management is more than a manager. Teacher is the leader of a class. He influences the student ’s behaviour. He has to maintain classroom code and conduct which should be value based. This dimension of classroom management involves feelings, attitudes, values and affective domain of the students.

4.Teacher manage ment in School

Teacher gets opportunities to come in contact with administrators in their daily routine of work and develop harmonious relations with them. His main function as a manager of the school is planning, organising and supervising and coordinating. Supervision is considered to be an essential tool in any education system to control and improve the school functioning. Effective supervision is known to enhance quality of teaching and achievement of learners.

The teacher has to involve students in daily activities of the institute like annual functions and in co-curricular activities. They should provide two-way communication channels. There should be regular opportunities for dialogue among students, teachers and administrators. Each institute should design its own programme of student involvement and this will entail, more than giving a new life to student government. Students should be given an opportunity to lead group discussions, to participate in departmental faculty meetings, to evaluate the academic progress of their peers and class instructional programme. The mere knowledge of the availability of such opportunities encourages the student body to work in close collaboration with the teachers and the administrators rather than to stand against them. Teacher’s job is to help students in their personal and educational problems. He has to deal with these problems scientifically for providing the awareness of causes of the problem. The remedial teaching is arranged for weak students.

Today’s students are living in a very competitive and stressful environment. As such they may show up disturbing behavioural patterns like unusual angry outburst, excessive fighting, bullying, remaining in isolation, lacking friends, which may be indication of some serious problem in the child. In such cases students need counselling and teachers have to examine the academic and learning related problems of students in relation to their psycho-social and economic environment. The teachers create an atmosphere in which students feel free and are motivated to learn at school as well as at home. They also assist parents to cope with issues in their everyday lives and tell them about ways and means to spare time to note disturbing behavioural patterns of the child. A sound management of school maintains the discipline and boosts the morale of pupils to behave appropriately. Discipline plays pivotal role for smooth functioning of an institute. It also helps in providing better work culture. Schools are encouraging the teachers to use informative style rather than a dictatorial style when setting limitations within the classroom. The teacher with the help of leadership qualities, guides, helps and works with the students to achieve the common goals.

5.Teacher Management in Community

An educational institution does not exist in a vacuum. As such, educational institutions- schools and colleges form important part of the society. They reflect its characteristics in many forms. A teacher not only has to establish rapport with learners, other teachers and administrators but also, has to create sound relationships with parents and other community members. This sort of relationship will have considerable effect on the success of the students’ efforts and on the effectiveness of the teacher. The teacher’s community relations extend beyond the parent group and enable them to participate as good citizens of the community. Realising his major responsibilities in the educational institution, the teacher’s relationship with the community should be cordial, understanding and cooperative. An inter-play of a chain of relationship is anticipated in such situations and it is necessary for the teacher to avoid over committing himself with the community activities.

In addition to the classes they teach, instructors often find themse lves involved in many community projects and serving the community at large as leaders. Teachers interact with parents, students and other teachers regularly, affecting the lives of their students daily. They also regularly take leadership positions within their school districts, communities of teachers, parent-teacher organisations, professional teacher organisations, teachers’ unions and NGOs. Teachers regularly sit on the boards of and are involved in community organisation and non-profit centers such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army and Boys and Girls Clubs. Their direct involvement in the leadership of community organisations allows teachers to help change the lives of students outside the classroom.

NGOs also play a significant role in the field of education in the past. In fact by the very nature of these organisations, they are more suited for bringing about educational development at the local level. As these organisations develop from within the communities and are more flexible in their approach, they work at the grass root level and are therefore better placed to understand the people and respond to the needs of the people as compared to the government sub-systems created from outside. One can expect NGOs to reach the remote, far-flung areas where government may seldom reach. Teachers are active members of their local government and are regularly involved as leaders in the government. Within the school setting, teachers encourage their students and colleagues to become involved in their local politics and create positive change in the community at large.

These meetings should take place in the evening or at the time, convenient for the majority of families. These meetings are initiated and conducted by parents and educators and are open to all those connected with the center or the school who are interested in discussing or widening their knowledge of a specific subject. Such themes might include the role of the father, children’s fears and so on.

6.DEVELOPMENT ISSUES

6.1.Development of teacher as a communicator

Communication skills are vital for anyone who has a teaching job. Effective teachers are always effective communicators. They communicate clearly about course objectives, content and testing, making sure to provide a rationale for learning particular material and adapt instruction to their student’s level of knowledge and skill. Lack of communication means that the students will not understand key concepts at all, or they will do so incorrectly. Effective teacher can take something that is complex and present it in a way that can be easily absorbed by the students, and through different verbal and non-verbal communications.

Communication is both receptive and expressive. Teachers must be skilled at listening to their students as well as explaining things clearly. Teachers need clarity of thought to present the material. They must be able to break down complex ideas into simpler parts and smaller steps to transmit to their students. They must be able to adapt their methods of communication to all students regardless of ability or learning style. They are able to “read” their students and adapt to the individual needs. Effective communication involves transforming the content into an interesting and interconnected unit of knowledge by incorporating appropriate skills. Teachers must be able to express themselves both verbally and in writing in order to report students’ progress to parents. They need to explain the strengths and weaknesses of their students so that parents will understand the message and be receptive rather than defensive. This is especially important when the teacher conveys a difficult message about the student’s misbehavior or learning problems. The message must be delivered clearly and with tact. Teachers should be comfortable communicating with parents regularly, with phone calls and informal notes in addition to formal report cards.

6.2.Development of Teacher as Leader

A teacher is a leader who leads colleagues toward positive change. Leadership is the ability to collaborate with others. A number of values and dispositions make certain individuals ideally suited for teacher leadership. Effective teacher leaders are open-minded and respectful of others’ views. They display optimism and enthusiasm, confidence and decisiveness. They persevere and do not permit setbacks to derail an important initiative they are pursuing. On the other hand, they are flexible and willing to try a different approach if the first effort runs into roadblocks. Many attributes of good teacher leaders are fundamentally the same as the attributes of good teachers: persuasiveness, open- mindedness, flexibility, confidence, and expertise in their fields. Despite these similarities, however, working with colleagues is profoundly different from working with students, and the skills that teachers learn in their preparation programs do not necessarily prepare them to extend their leadership beyond their own classrooms. To assume a leadership role, they may need expertise in curriculum planning, assessment design, data analysis, and the like. They may also need to develop the abilities to listen actively, facilitate meetings, keep a group discussion on track, decide on a course of action, and monitor progress. These skills are not typically taught in teacher preparation programs.

Teacher-leaders place their students’ learning as their primary goal and work within their own classrooms to improve student achievement. This is and should be one of the most important practices of teacher leadership. Additionally, teacher- leaders collaborate with other educators to extend their own learning, advance successful school improvement efforts through professional development, and support shared vision and values. These four roles of teacher- leaders— 1) improving student achievement, 2) extending their own learning, 3) collaborating for school improvement, and 4) supporting shared vision and values, evolve from knowledge, dedication, and experience.

Teacher-leaders are indeed professional educators as well as intellectual and critical learners in the teaching process. The depth of their disciplinary and pedagogical knowledge empowers teachers as professionals by providing authority and credibility with students and other educational stakeholders. These teachers know that their learning did not end as they began their teaching career, but rather that teaching demands a continued commitment to the interrelationship of subject knowledge and educational practice. The current emphases on teacher expertise and effectiveness in classrooms is strongly linked to the “standards” movement in education. Standards for student achievement may be developed locally, by professional associations, states, or the federal government, but their purpose is to make classroom learning tasks clear and to hold both teachers and students accountable for that learning. To be effective, then, a teacher- leader must understand how to meet standards assigned to or adopted by his or her school district and be evaluated positively. Continuing to learn, refine, and implement content and pedagogical knowledge, as well as knowledge about learners and learning, moves a novice teacher into the effective teachers’ category. This is a vital step when, research confirms, “teachers make a profound impact on student learning” (Marzano, 2003). In fac t, “there are strong empirical grounds for believing that teachers can and do make a difference and that consistent high-quality teaching, supported by strategic professional development, can and does deliver dramatic improvements in student learning” (Row e, 2003, p. 27). When classroom teachers model best practice and develop professional expertise, they become effective teacher- leaders because they see leadership as their duty.

6.3.Development of teacher as a professional

Traditionally, teaching was a combination of information-dispensing, custodial child care and sorting out academically inclined students from others. Teachers were told what, when, and how to teach. They were required to educate every student in exactly the same way and were not held responsible when many failed to learn. They were expected to teach using the age-old methods as past generations, and any deviation from traditional practices was discouraged by supervisors or prohibited by myriad education laws and regulations. Thus, many teachers simply stood in front of the class and delivered the same lessons year after year, growing gray and weary of not being allowed to change what they were doing.

Many teachers today, however, are encouraged to adapt and adopt new practices that acknowledge both the art and science of learning. They understand that the essence of education is a close relationship between a knowledgeable, caring adult and a secure, motivated child. They grasp that their most important role is to get to know each student as an individual in order to comprehend his or her unique needs, learning style, social and cultural background, interests, and abilities. Their job is to counsel students as they grow and mature — helping them integrate their social, emotional, and intellectual growth. So, the union of sometimes separate dimensions yields the abilities to seek, understand, and use knowledge, to make better decisions in their personal lives.

They must be prepared and permitted to intervene at any time and in any way to make sure learning occurs. Rather than see themselves solely as masters of subject matter such as history, math, or science, teachers increasingly understand that they must also inspire a love of learning. In practice, this new relationship between teachers and students takes the form of a different concept of instruction. As a result students take an active role in learning.

The most respected teachers have discovered how to make students passionate participants in the instructional process by providing project-based, participatory, educational adventures. They know that in order to get students to truly take responsibility for their own education, the curriculum must relate to their lives, learning activities must engage their natural curiosity, and assessments must measure real accomplishments and be an integral part of learning. Students work harder when teachers give them a role in determining the form and content of their schooling — helping them create their own learning plans and deciding the ways in which they will demonstrate that they have, in fact, learned what they agreed to learn.

The day-to-day job of a teacher, rather than broadcasting content, is becoming one of designing and guiding students through engaging learning opportunities. An educator’s most important responsibility is to search out and construct meaningful educational experiences that allow students to solve real- world problems and show they have learned the big ideas, powerful skills, and habits of mind and heart that meet agreed-on educational standards. The result is that the abstract, inert knowledge that students used to memorise from dusty textbooks comes alive as they participate in the creation and extension of new knowledge.

Besides their primary responsibility as directors of student learning, teachers are also taking on other roles in schools and in their profession. They are working with colleagues, family members, politicians, academicians, community members, employers, and others to set clear and attainable standards for the knowledge, skills, and values that we expect children to acquire. They are participating in day-to-day decision making in schools, working side-by-side to set priorities, and dealing with organisational problems that affect their students’ learning.

Many teachers also spend time researching various questions of educational effectiveness that expand the understanding of the dynamics of learning. And more teachers are spending time mentoring new members in their profession, ensuring that the education school graduates are truly ready for the complex challenges of today’s classrooms.

6.4. Development of teacher as a technology expert

To integrate technology into their classrooms, teachers must feel comfortable with technology. Principals who wish to enhance their teachers’ readiness can provide ongoing training, opportunities for teachers to collaborate, and access to technology support, and modeling. Technology is changing the way in which schools, colleges, and departments of education prepare teachers and measure their success, both in terms of measurement used and in the actual performance expectations. Many teacher preparation programs currently require pre-service teachers to prepare well-integrated PowerPoint lessons, conduct online research projects, participate in Internet-supported projects linked with students in elementary or secondary classrooms, and demonstrate the ability to integrate technology appropriately into lesson plans designed to maximise students’ learning. Subsequently, these programs often expect students to prepare and maintain electronic portfolios and then encourage graduates to register online for possible teaching positions.

The opportunities for productive applications of technology are quite differe nt today.

They are now more interactive.

Computer-based writing labs allow students to read, question, and critique one another’s essays in a way that traditional classroom writing processes never allowed. Science lab simulations permit students to conduct experiments and to measure results individually or in small groups without expensive or potentially unavailable labs. Teachers can now be evaluated not only by the knowledge they impart but also by the appropriateness of the technological tools they have provided to the learners in their classrooms and by their personal demonstrations of the effective use of these tools. The teacher who simply tells students to surf the web for information on a general topic without additional guidance and purpose is no better than a teacher who in the past distributed word search puzzles for students to complete.

Appropriate technology use involves:

• student-centered learning;

• mass customisation with instruction to fit individual student needs;

• flexible pacing based on students’ abilities;

• distributed learning possible from any place and at any time;

• critical thinking in real- world contexts;

• collaboration and dialogue among students and between students and teachers;

• up-to-date primary information resources; and

• parent-teacher communication available daily.

SUMMARY

This module discusses the concept of teacher management and development issues. Teacher management forms a significant area of concern for effective management of the education system. The most important qualities of a teacher are sincerity, honesty and dedication towards the teaching profession. It brings excellence in classroom management. It is not only concerned with success in short-term, but also with appropriate values and success of long term achievement. Effective teachers need to have good professional and personal skills, Content knowledge, together with good planning, clear goals and effective communication, good classroom management and organisation, and consistently high and realistic expectations from the students. Besides, they need to feel responsible for the students’ learning process, regardless of the students’ aptitude to learn. The teachers, having effective personal and professional skills, serve as example of lifelong learners, and are investors of their own education. Moreover, the effective teacher will combine professionalism with care, understanding, fairness, and kindness. They also have to be passionate, enthusiastic, motivated about teaching and learning. They have to create a warm classroom environment where students feel comfortable, and have a sense of belonging, as the environment is conducive to learn. Effective teachers are innovative and invite students to approach and interact. A teacher has to involve students in daily activities of the institute like annual functions and in co-curricular activities and should provide two-way communication channels. There should be regular opportunities for dialogue among students, teachers and administrators. Each institute should design its own programme of student involvement and this will entail giving a new life to student government.

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Web links

Bibliography

Ali, Lokman. (2012). Teacher Education. New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation.
Panda, B.N. & Tewari, A.D. (2010).Teacher Education. New Delhi: APH Publishing Corporation
Sharma, Shashi Prabha (2005). Teacher Education: Principles, Theories & Practices. New Delhi: Kanishka Publisher.
Aggarwal, Pradeep. (2010). Teacher Education. New Delhi: Saurabh Publishing House.