Muslim Teacher Tips: Getting the Basics Right
Wednesday, December 23, 2009 Read more → Advice, teaching, top tips In the name of God, entirely Compassionate, especially Merciful | Peace be with you
In the name of God, compassionate & merciful | Peace be with you السلام عليكم
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
Part 2 of the MUSLIMNESS Muslim Teacher Feature series highlighted three varying styles of human behaviour; which one do you use in life? As a practical Muslim my advice is to get updated with the correct social character before expecting it from others.
Today MUSLIMNESS lists the basic skills you will need within a classroom. Again, these are fundamental guidelines to living a productive life and interacting with others - especially those who don't get along with you.
Influence rather than control - use your magic, teacho
Remember - You CANNOT directly control the behaviour of your students, or anyone for that matter.
You CAN control some, but not all such as:
- How you greet students
- How & where you display children's work
- How you initiate conversations
- How you use seating plans & establish entry routines etc.
You have little control over other antecedents such as lack of appropriate parenting skills, poor housing etc. These are things 'outside' your domain and not in your control. Leave them be insha'Allah.
You do however, have 100% control over how you choose to respond emotionally to child behaviour within schools. By controlling your response, you can influence children's behaviour but you cannot control it, so don't even TRY!
Sanctions, *ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK!*
The most important message here is sanctions do not change behaviour.
Effective sanctions simply limit behaviour lonng enough for you to reward the new, desired behaviour.
It isn't how sever the sanctions are that makes them effective limiters; it is their inevitability - the certainty that you will do something. A good 'control' procedure and consistent system.
Classroom sanctions are best arranged as a hierarchy, e.g.
Effective sanctions simply limit behaviour lonng enough for you to reward the new, desired behaviour.
It isn't how sever the sanctions are that makes them effective limiters; it is their inevitability - the certainty that you will do something. A good 'control' procedure and consistent system.
Classroom sanctions are best arranged as a hierarchy, e.g.
1. A warning
2. Moving seat
3. Five minutes behind at the end of the lesson
4. Parents/carers are informed
5. Exit classroom
Punishments and threats are not effective when they're given with force and anger. This only implants a hatred towards both the sanction and the teacher applying it. Think about the last time you were yelled at, painful or what?
Sanctions should always be applied as a choice: 'Saim, if you continue to stop Mahmood working you will be choosing a warning' - and therefore a logical consequence of the child's actions. Even if the student still dislikes the sanction, they maintain some respect towards you for being consistent.
Rewards - gold stars, pink flowers and stuff ★ ✿ ✔
Here you must remember the message that unlike sanctions, rewards do change behaviour, it is a general rule with few exceptions.
- The emotional feedback you give is the most effective form of reward, for example smiling, saying thank you and gestures such as a 'thumbs up' AT the students. {Pro-Happy reactions}
- Tangible rewards (stars, stamps) are not effective in the long term unless they're linked to emotional feedback. We grown ups like to hear responses that are sincere, not just 'well done' notes copied and pasted. This is the same for children.
- Once they're given, rewards should not be taken away from the child. If they make a "poor choice" (i.e., misbehave) after the reward then apply the appropriate sanction. Avoid being a meany pants.
- Rewards must be given fairly - not used as bribes with troublesome children (parents do this often - bad, bad habit).
- It's an interesting psychological study that 16 year olds respond to stars and stickers as well as six-year-olds provided that they're given in an age-appropriate way (perhaps discreetly). Girls love starry things though, right?
Seating - A house of Lords
Always have an established seating plan for all students; this regulates order.
- When students agree to sit according to your plans they're agreeing that you set the key agendas in the room. They know who's in charge. Print this out as a wall display for a visual 'rule'.
- Don't spread all the most difficult children around the room - they will simply start shouting to each other across the room. ← Tried & tested.
- If you choose to sit children in groups, you must accept a certain level of social behaviour. Remember: You still cannot control their every move.
- Change your seating plan every so often to vary working pairs and maximise learning.
- Make sure that children with poor concentration sit near you and away from distractions such as windows
Positioning, important for 'sinking their battleships'
Where you position yourself in the classroom can have a significant impact on your effectiveness.
Consider these ideas:
- Don't always teach from the front as the rest of the classroom can become the students' territory.
- Move around the classroom to establish the whole room as your territory.
- Where you are 'up front', position yourself towards one corner - you can scan the whole room more easily from here!
- Where you are working with individuals or groups, position yourself so that you can look up and scan the whole room easily.
- Move over to the child when you want to correct their behaviour instead of trying to intervene from the other side of the room.
- Don't invade a child's personal space. If you get too close, you will dramatically reduce the chances of turning a discipline transaction into a confrontation. This is a scary place to be at when the student is a 6ft tall 15 year old boy with rage. *back away*
Establish a climate of 'good manners'
Good manners are the social 'glue' that day-to-day, forms cohesive groups. As a role model aim to:
- Demonstate through your own hebaviiour what appropriate social behaviour you expect from your children. Simple examples are:
- Always saying "Please" and "Thank you", or the Arabic phrase shukran!
- Holding doors open for children. (ahlan wa sahlan! - Arabic for welcome)
- Greeting them with smiles.
- Saying 'thank you' when a child opens a door for you.
- Gently correct children who forget good manners: "Yahya, remember to choose to ask politely, say please when you ask for something"
- If you have to break off a conversation with a child to deal with another's inappropriate behaviour, apologise first: "I'm sorry, I need to have a word with Kasim, I'll be back in a moment". It helps that child wait in patience and appreciation.
Invest to receive
There is a basic law of human relationships that says, 'if you want to receive something it is better to give it first'. This principle applies at all levels in your interactions with children.
- If you show respect to students, you are much more likely to be treated with respect yourself
- If you choose to respond in a calm, rational manner you are less likely to be met with confontation
- If you take time to understand your students as people rather than 'learning machines' you are much more likely to be able to establish good working relationships
- If you demonstrate a 'firm but fair' approach to discipline you are much more likely to have children who comply with your behavioural expectations.
- If you greet them with a smile and give 'salam' - a peaceful greeting - when calling the register, you are more likely to get a friendly reply rather than the usual grunt.
Begin and end positively
The lesson beginning and end routines set the social tone for the lesson and pre-frame the next; it's important to be upbeat for effective behaviour management.
- Greet children at the start with smiles and have an activity ready for them to engage in (planning is everything). This sets a positive social AND work agenda, particularly important for children who find it hard to settle or like to challenge teachers.
- At the end of a good lesson, tell the class what you particularly liked about the lesson. Don't dwell on what didn't work: "And you didn't do this, and you didn't do that", I used to do this to express my disappointment - unfortunately children don't sympathise, they feel guilty and blame each other expecting the next lesson to be just as grumpy. Focus on what went well!
- Ideally, dismiss children by standing at the classroom door sending out two or three at a time. This help to 'filter' them into busy corridors.
- Say something positive as they go past you, even a smile and 'goodbye' helps. In a Muslim faith school I worked at the whole class and teacher would pack up, stand and recite a prayer together lead by one student, then leave the classroom in small groups greeting the teacher with 'salam - peace'. That really did calm everyone and remind students of good behaviour, as well as encouraging teachers to 'let go of grudges'.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
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