CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
This
study focuses on the analysis of classroom management approaches in secondary
school level. Classroom management is a significant part of an
effective teaching learning process. Due to an effective classroom management,
students flourish in a positive class climate and a compassionate environment.
From a student’s perspective, effective classroom management provides them the
opportunities to socialize themselves while learning. From a teacher
perspective, effective classroom management involves precautionary discipline
and fruitful teaching. Okoli (2008) concluded that physical environment of the
classroom and seating arrangement are interrelated and managed alongside.
The ability to manage, lead and supervise
students during the learning process has been shown to be an indispensible
component of effective teaching and learning, more so in Nigeria where the
challenge of overcrowded classrooms hinders effective teacher instruction in
the classroom. For the classroom to serve its purpose, the teacher must be able
to establish order. This requires him/her to have the knowledge, attitude and
skills necessary. He/she must be able to establish rapport with the students
and their parents, involve students in the processes of establishing ground
rules for behavior and being accountable for their actions, manage transitions
during instructions, and motivate students to maximize time-on-task, supervise
students in their learning activities and lastly deal with students’
misbehavior effectively. This study is expected to help students master these
key skills. It will also equip them with the ability to be open-minded and
creative about the application of these techniques to their challenges.
The phenomenon of overcrowded
classroom as well as poor quality and inadequate furniture in the classroom due
to unlimited expansion has taken its toll on the educational system. Only few
people will deny that the quality of teaching and learning is on the decline at
all levels of the educational system. The poor result of the Senior Secondary
School examination (SSCE) in almost all subjects in recent years is one potent
indicator. The increase in examination malpractices cannot be divorced from poor
seating arrangement in classrooms. The quantity and quality of interaction in
the class are likely to be adversely affected due to lack of space for moving
round the class and the over whelming number of students that the teacher has
to deal with within a forty-minute lesson.
Effective classroom management is much more than just administering
corrective measures when a student misbehaves; it's about developing proactive
ways to prevent problems from occurring in the first place while creating a
positive learning environment. Establishing that climate for learning is one of
the most challenging aspects of teaching, and one of the most difficult skills
to master. For those new to the profession, failure to set the right tone will
greatly hinder your effectiveness as a teacher. Indeed, even experienced
faculty may sometimes feel frustrated by classroom management issues.
Strategies that worked for years suddenly become ineffective in the face of
some of the challenges today’s students bring with them to the classroom.
Classroom management is the process
of organizing and conducting the business of the classroom. Many perceive it as
the preservation of order through teacher control. Classroom management is much
more than that, however! It also involves the establishment and maintenance of
the classroom environment so that educational goals can be accomplished (Savage
& Savage, 2010).
Effective classroom managers create
orderly, safe environments where students feel valued and comfortable, thus
setting the stage for teaching and learning. To achieve that, they
strategically arrange classroom space to support a variety of independent,
small and large group activities (Crane, 2001). Elementary teachers also
designate a large area of floor space where students can gather for read a louds,
demonstrations, and class meeting. In all classrooms, there should be no
“blind” areas in the room where students can be out of view. To structure
“traffic flow” and minimize disruption, teachers separate high-traffic areas
such as group work areas, learning centers, students’ desks, and the teacher’s
desk.
Effective classroom managers provide a structured, caring environment
that meets students’ personal and academic needs. Such teachers are perceived
as authority figures in the classroom. They share high behavioral expectations,
design/implement developmentally appropriate lessons, and establish and enforce
behavioral guidelines. Because effective teachers respect students as
individuals with rights, values, and feelings, they carefully choose their
words and actions to protect students’ dignity. They actively engage students
in meaningful, challenging educational experiences and provide plentiful
positive feedback. In short, they set their students (and themselves) up for success.
Ineffective
teachers are poor planners. They do not start class on time; become sidetracked
easily; use limited, low-interest teaching strategies; create a disorganized
environment; and hold unclear academic and behavioral expectations. Furthermore,
they abdicate responsibility for helping students to make good behavioral
choices by trying to be the students’ friend instead of their teacher. When
that approach generates misbehaviors, ineffective teachers use ridicule,
sarcasm, and put-downs to “put students in their place.” Students’ disrespect
for these teachers is evidenced through increasingly frequent classroom
disruptions and exceedingly poor behavioral choices.
Statement of the problem
The
classroom is the heart of any educational system. No curriculum planning is
complete without implementation and evolution, both of which are mainly carried
out in the classroom. Most of the class activities take place while students
are seated. The seating arrangement is therefore too important to suffer the
kind of neglect being experienced by many secondary schools in the country. As
rightly observed by Cohen and Manion (1983 p.221) "a careful attention to
seating arrangement contributes as effectively as any other aspect of classroom
management and control to overall success with a class subsequently".
Adesina (1990 p.73) also affirms that one potent index for evaluating
educational standards and quality is an examination of the physical facilities
available for learning experiences". The seating arrangement can make or
mar any lesson. Ideally, in a secondary school, especially in a mixed ability
grouping, as found in Nigeria schools, seats should be arranged in rows with a
reasonable amount of space between them to allow for proper teacher-student and
student-student interactions as well as allow for individual and group work
(Cohen and Manion, 1983).
To this end, the ratio of teacher to students should not exceed 1:30 or
at most 40 judging by the size of the classrooms. But what one finds in many of
these classes is between ratios 1: 50 and 1: 150 in certain cases. This study
was therefore interested in identifying the major problems caused by
overpopulated classes in Nigeria growing towns and cities with a view to making
suggestions that could help to alleviate the problems.
Observation reveals that in recent
times, there has been astronomical rise in class size due to increase in
enrolment of students in public secondary schools in Cross River State. Some
schools have as many as eighty (80), hundred (100) or above 100 students per
class as against the teacher-student ratio of 1:40 recommended by the National
Policy on Education (FGN 2004). This situation has had multiple negative
effects on teaching and learning as well as students’ academic outcomes.
This
is evidenced in the failure rates recorded by students in external exams like
W.A.E.C in a core subjects like English Language between 2004 and 2006 (Osim
2009). Apart from this, students no longer have confidence in writing exams on
their own without examination malpractice (Mgbekem, 2004). This also is
consequent upon the fact that small class sizes do no encourage effective
teaching and learning environment.
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