JMU/PPG/TSL1

PART B ( Individual) Situation 2

Miss Syika is teaching in a primary school situated near a busy road. She is teaching Year 1 Mawar classroom. The temperature inside the classroom is rather hot because the fans are not working. Behind the classroom there is some rubbish thrown around. Some girls try to focus on her teaching while the boys are busy playing by themselves at the end of the classroom. The pupils achievement in the subject she taught is getting worst year by year

Based on the situation above, what are the factors that may cause the pupils achievement to deteriorate and suggest ways for Miss Syika to create a condusive classroom.

EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 1

JMU/PPG/TSL1

a) Definition A conducive classroom environment refers to the environment that promotes effective learning process. It is environment which promotes and motivates pupils to enjoy and participate in the teaching and learning process actively. A conducive classroom is a must in order to achieve effective learning. It is a combination of good class control, teaching skills, appropriate behaviour for both students and teacher, good rapport between teacher and students as well as strategies used in dealing with classroom issues. b) Miss Syikas Problems Miss Syika is teaching in a primary school which is situated near a busy road. She is teaching Year 1 Mawar classroom. However, the classroom is very hot due to some broken fan. The class is also quite dirty and there are boys playing by themselves at the end of the classroom.

Through the given situation we can identify that Miss Syika has numbers of classroom problems. Though the problems seem simple and little in numbers but it has actually lead to bigger problem with cause her poor performance as a teacher.The problem is a nuisance to her teaching process. If there is no action taken to solve this problem Miss Syika will continue to perform poorly and this will affect the pupils performance as well. The most important factor to solve the problems is Miss Syika must think positively. First of all, she must identify the problems and find the factors that lead to such problems, whatever the findings are she must take it positively and admit it honestly. Then, she must set up her short and long term goal and understand that the problems cannot be solve overnight. One of the possible factors that lead to all of these problems is poor classroom management so in order to solve and perform well in the future, Miss Syika should learn how to create a conducive classroom environment. A conducive classroom environment is an environment that provides pupils with positive surrounding that help the pupils to engaged and enjoy the learning process actively.

EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 2

JMU/PPG/TSL1

A good teacher should manage his/her classroom creatively by combining good teaching skills and various strategies to build good rapport with her pupils. By building good rapport it will be easier for teacher to control inappropriate behaviour which occurred in the classroom and implementing rules because good rapport will develop pupils sense of respect. Failure in developing good rapport and implementing rules normally leads to inappropriate behaviour.

A good teacher has to understand that the environment in classroom will change from moment to moment and that her pupils have a very short attention span because they are young learners. Sometimes, the young learners have some emotional issues. Therefore, the teacher should be focus and creative in dealing with all the classroom issues.

Creating a conducive classroom is not merely about planning activities that is interesting but must cater the pupils needs as well. Comfortable and safe environment is a also one of the key role to promote conducive learning environment. Without comfortable and safe surrounding it is going to be difficult for the pupils especially young learner like Year 1 to be engaged to the learning process therefore it must be monitor from time to time. Sometimes, even the simplest thing such as broken fan and dirty classroom can disturb the whole teaching and learning process.

In creating a conducive classroom, a teacher like Miss Syika for instant must understand that one problem can lead to another bigger problem if there is no immediate action taken to deal with the problem. Therefore, there is a problem occur immediate action must be taken.

EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 3

JMU/PPG/TSL1

Creating Conducive Classroom As we know, for the learning to take place effectively, the surrounding or the learning environment plays an important role as it helps to prepare the pupils before the actual learning. It is also one of the key factors to promote the ongoing interest towards the learning process as well as the classroom. So, as a teacher, Miss Syika needs to promote a conducive and safe environment for her pupils. Conducive and safe environment means...... It is a must for the learning to take place. We have to understand without conducive and safe environment pupils will easily feel threaten and this will de -motivated them. Threaten means that they are afraid to learn and make mistake , therefore this feeling will block their interest in learning and encourage them to team up with other pupils who share the same feeling. As a result, it will disturb the whole class and the teaching and learning process. To create a condusive and safe environment, Miss Syika has to act effectively as a classroom manager, it means that Miss Syika need to create and nurture a positive attitude for herself. She needs to be more patient because it is a necessity especially when dealing with young learner such as Year 1 pupils.By being patient, Miss Syika will be able to main good relationship with her pupils. Effective Classroom manager As an effective classroom manager, Miss Syika must possess some skills which allow her to manage the classroom well. Some of the skills are a) Patience Miss Syika must demonstrate her patience because patience is not only a virtue but a necessity in classroom management. It should be demonstrate by Miss Syika while conducting not only during her lesson but in whatever situation which occurs in the classroom and which involved her pupils. Therefore, she can understand her pupils better and the pupils will build their trust on her so it will help her to maintain good relationship with her pupils. In order to achieve this skill, she should be more relax and avoid snapping at her pupils as it will deteriorate their teacher pupils relationship.
EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 4

JMU/PPG/TSL1

b) Determination Dealing with young and naughty learners is not an easy task therefore Miss Syika needs to be determined and stay positive while dealing with such problem. She must establish her authority and make the pupils realise and recognise their authority in the classroom. By establishing authority, the pupils will understand that there are certain rules that have to be followed. Miss Syika has to know that a good classroom manager is a teacher who is determined to follow and apply their rules in whatever situation. In that way, she will not give up on her pupils easily when more problems occurred and take longer time to solve. c) Alert While dealing with young learners such as Year 1, it is essential for Miss Syika to be alert at all times. Sometimes the simplest thing such as lighting and broken fan, could lead to failure in implementing lesson. Therefore, Miss Syika should always monitor the classroom facilities and take possible action as soon as possible to guarantee comfortable and conducive learning environment. d) Consistency However, effective classroom management is hard to achieve and normally take longer time to work. Therefore, Miss Syika has to be consistent in whatever she is doing to achieve an effective classroom management. When same problems occurred especially when it involved pupils, she must treat it similarly so that the pupils will eventually understand the pattern of her management. Should she broke the consistency rules, there is a possibility that the pupils will return back to their old habit which will occurred more problems. Classroom rules implementation Explaining the rules One of the reasons identify is failure in implementing classroom rules. Rules are very important in developing sense of respect and responsibility in pupils especially for the young learner. They have to be introduce to the rules so that they
EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 5

JMU/PPG/TSL1

will realised there is a boundary in everything they do. Strict and firm implementation is a must. It means that Miss Syika has to explain to the pupils what are rules and what are the consequences for breaking the rules. But again, it is not necessarily in plain explanation, Miss Syika could use some creativity since her pupils are very young. For example, she can use demerit system. Cleanliness The cleanliness of the classroom are also factors that affect the pupils mood and motivation, messy and poorly maintained classroom are enemy to conducive learning environment. Miss Syika should maintain neat and tidy classroom to continuously promote conducive atmosphere. However, instead of doing it herself, she could assign her pupils to monitor and taking turn in maintaining neat and tidy classroom. Pupils must be given an opportunity to be responsible in managing their classroom. Pupils love it when their teacher entrusted them with something because it makes them feel special. So, Miss Syika has to take this advantage to install the responsibility in the pupils. Duty roster for instant whereby they share the same responsible in making sure the class is in good condition. Sharing the responsibility in taking care of the class will provide them with sense of joy and aid them to be more cooperative as well as building good rapport among each other. Dress code Besides having the effective classroom management, Miss Syika also need to implement a dress code rules to achieve a conducive classroom. It does sound nonsense and less important but it actually has a very close knot with the pupils behaviour. For example, if the pupils failed to dress appropriately to school it means that s/he has fail to follow the school rules and it is also a hint that more rules will be broken in the future.So, Miss Syika must start with the basic step and that is implementing the appropriate dress code. By implementing appropriate dress code, pupils will realised that there is certain rules that need to be follow in school and classroom apart of it, it will definitely help Miss Syika to establish effective authority in her classroom but once again Miss Syika must hold her consistency.

EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 6

JMU/PPG/TSL1

Managing behaviour problem We understand that from the given situation that pupils behaviour is one of the major problem in Miss Syikas classroom. We also understand that the inappropriate behaviour has caused unnecessary stress to both Miss Syika and the female pupils who were trying to focus on Miss Syikas teaching. What should Miss Syika do to deal with this behaviour problems is to plan how to reduce negative classroom behaviour and be firm and consistent in her way of dealing with it as pupils especially young learners need to be familiarise by the pattern. She has to observe the pupils and identify what are the problems and find the best method to deal with the disruptions rather than just punishing. One of the effective way for the young learner is to behave well is through what they like such as praising. a) Praise Praise her pupils loudly whenever they did something good and do it often as it will attract their attention and build their interest towards the lesson. By such encouragement, they will try their best to behave. So, it will help to reduce unnecessary stress and behaviour problems. Young learners need to be train to behave good before they become used to it and practice it in their daily life. Before we know it, her pupils might be competing to behave well and get her praise in the healthiest way. It will definitely provide desirable changes in her classroom. b) Giving incentives Giving incentives like pencil, eraser or sharpener when the pupils participate actively in lesson will aid her in creating positive and conducive environment. It will also encourage the other pupils to participate actively in the future. It is also a part of extrinsically motivation which will help Miss Syika to retain pupils desired behaviour.

EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 7

JMU/PPG/TSL1

c) Stay calm and collected To deal with young learner is not an easy task apart from disciplinary problem, Miss Syika also needs to deal with some emotional issues of the young learner. For example, there will be a time when they feel insecure, frustrated and etc. When these occurred it is likely to cause havoc and disturb the learning process. Therefore, she must always ready to face unexpected situations or changes in her teaching process at time. She must be able to stay calm and collected at all times because in whatever situations, she must be able to gain her pupils trust. d) Be prepared and organized Another way to deal with inappropriate pupils behaviour is to be an organized and well prepared teacher. Being an organized and well prepared teacher will help Miss Syika to promote a positive attitude to the pupils as well as creating a positive learning environment. It will also help Miss Syika to more stay calm and collected at all times even if there is any unexpected problem occur and most importantly, Miss Syika get to deliver her lesson more effectively. Those are just some of the suggestions which Miss Syika needs to create a conducive classroom however amazing classroom management cannot be achieve overnight it will required more time, patience and consistency but as time goes by through the consistent implementation Miss Syika will see deterioration in her pupils inappropriate behaviour. Classroom control The pupils playing at the back also causes frustrated experience to Miss Syika and it shows her lack of class control. Apart of it it also interrupting the flow her lesson which also affected other pupils.However, Miss Syikas lack of class control is not the only problem; the pupils emotions could also be a factor. Normally, for a young learner going to school is excited meeting new friends, they does not realised the objective of going to school and to some being away from their parents and expose to new things will cause them to feel threaten by the new surroundings. All

these factors will cause the pupils to find friends that could console their feeling. So,

EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 8

JMU/PPG/TSL1

monitoring the pupils need from time to time is very important because without monitoring, there is a possibility for a teacher to become unorganized and unstructured in her teaching as well as losing control of her class. Explain the activity So,what she can do to improve on this situation is before she starts her lesson, she should call the pupils attention by explaining what she expects her pupils to do for the day and explain it again in each activity done. She should also emphasize that she is willing to help them if they do not understand the activity. After the explanation, she can give the pupils some times to share their ideas and ask questions. She has to remember that her pupils are very young and they have a very short attention span as well as some emotion issues. Knowing what they will do and there is help offered, will help to build their interest and reduce their sense of being threaten. Walk around Sitting at the back sometimes cause pupils to feel that they are being out cast by their teacher, they feel that they are less important than the other that sit on the front. This situation could also be the reason to Miss Syikas problem with the boys sitting at the back row. Miss Syika should walk around the class during her lesson and smile at them often. Letting them know that she care about them as much as she care about the other. Give them chance to answer question and praise or applaud for them when they get the answer correct. Words of encouragement are a magic word in a classroom especially for the young learner. It will encourage them not only to behave but do the positive things as well as enjoying the learning process. Emphasizing moral values Another way is to manage pupils behaviour at all times. Other than explaining what she expects her pupils to do in each activity, she must also emphasize on the politeness in classroom and treating their friends. For example, tell the pupils to raise their hand if they want to answer or to ask question and wait to be call. In that way,
EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 9

JMU/PPG/TSL1

the pupils will subconsciously learn to be more respectful not only to the teacher but also to their peer. The class will be more organized and the lesson can be carrying out more effectively as the disciplinary problems deteriorated. In this case, Miss Syika should proactively explain what good behaviour is through various techniques for example ,story, movies or puppet show rather than plain explanation. She must also consistently explain what she expects her pupils to do for each activity. However, she must avoid redundancy because it will bore the pupils, meaning to say that Miss Syika must know the suitable time to install the moral values. Through the consistent in implementation, Miss Syika will be able to develop her pupils good behaviour. Promote Good and positive behaviour to the young learner As a teacher, Miss Syika should gain and portray a positive attitude. If she is positive about her teaching then the pupils will also be positive. It will promote positive behaviour in her pupils. To remain positive is a big challenge but it is rewarding because the end of the day, Miss Syika will be rewarded by an improved pupils behaviour. a) Highlight the good behaviour Whenever a pupil demonstrates good behaviour in class, she should immediately highlight it to the class and tell them why it is good so that they know example of good behaviour. It could be quiet group work or a pupil who portrays good behaviour to his/her peers. Miss Syika should bare in mind that young learner needs not only to learn but see the examples; if they does not know what good behaviour is how could they behave like one. So, by highlighting the good behaviour, they will learn through excellent example. Using such encouragement will actually training her pupils to imitate and practice the good behaviour. b) Be a role model However, Miss Syika too, as a teacher should be a good model of good behaviour herself because young learner are pretty much influence by their teacher.

EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 10

JMU/PPG/TSL1

So, if Miss Syika wants good behaviour in her pupils, she should models it first through her actions, only then the classroom will be more conducive and enjoyable. Being a good and excellent teacher and classroom manager are definitely essential in creating a conducive learning environment. But, apart from it, sitting arrangement is also playing a very important role as it will help the pupils to develop their sense of responsibility and good rapport among friends. Seating arrangements Seating arrangements are also very crucial for a teacher to manage his/her class efficiently as well as to guarantee the teaching and learning process can occur as efficiently as possible. Like being said before, one of the ways Miss Syika can manage her pupils inappropriate behaviour is by walking around the class frequently. In order to achieve it, the seating arrangements of her class must support her method. So, suitable seating arrangements must be planned carefully because to manage suitable seating arrangements, Miss Syika has to take pupils age and ability, size of the classroom as well as numbers of pupils into account. Pupils sitting in the centre or front of the class tend to interact more with the teacher compare to the pupils sitting farther from the teacher, the possibility for inappropriate behaviour to happen in the classroom also increases. So, Miss Syika must plan a suitable seating arrangement that promote and encourage two ways communication for a teacher and students and student to student. Such seating arrangement will help the teacher to manage the classroom better as well as decreasing the behavioural problems. Unsuitable seating arrangement will normally lead to more classroom problems. Here are few examples which Miss Syika can use to arrange the pupils seat. Those sitting arrangement will help Miss Syika to promote good learning environment as well as creating conducive classroom. Help Miss Syika to manage her classroom well and implement her classroom rules successfully. There are many seating arrangements that Miss Syika can use for her Year 1 Mawar classroom, six common arrangements are
EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 11

JMU/PPG/TSL1

a) cluster Cluster consists of four to five desks put together and every desk is facing one another. Each cluster must be far enough from another cluster so that the pupils chairs would not bump each other. Normally, pupils with different learning ability are put together in a cluster so that they can help each other to learn more effectively rather than sitting by themselves. This seating arrangement provides the pupils with more space and opportunity to communicate with each other and their teacher. It is also effective in promoting and developing teamwork spirit among the pupils. By using cluster arrangement, teacher will have better control on their pupils as they are sitting in groups and encourage group work activities such as experiments and group project. However, cluster arrangement does have some cons because it is not very good for activities like quizzes or test because pupils can cheat and copy their friends answer easily. Moreover, teacher may face difficulties when giving instructions during lesson as some pupils have their back on the teacher and some pupils might not be focussing on the lesson as they are busy talking with their peers. So, it could cost the teacher some valuable time to call the pupils attention. b) desk rows Desk rows arrangement is a traditional and classic seating arrangement, it has been practising long ago. It consists of rows of desks lines up in rows and colums facing the teacher. This type of seating arrangements allow teacher to move easily to the front and back of the class. A teacher however has to take pupils interaction with each other into account before placing the pupils in this kind of arrangement but this arrangement aids the teacher to monitor the pupils as a whole better. However, desk rows arrangement is not suitable for the young learners such as Year 1 because it restrains the teachers movement. Teacher is only able to move to the front and back of the class but not the centre.
EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 12

JMU/PPG/TSL1

The arrangement also encourages more behavioural problems because it will cause boredom as they participate and interact less with each other during the lesson. However, this arrangement is great with older learner as they have better self control and require a lot of individual task. c) semi- circle This arrangement requires all desks to be arranged in a semi circle shape facing the front and all the desks are touching each other. Implementation of semi circle arrangement encourages collaborative learning to take place effectively and helps the teacher to deliver direct instructions or even conduct meaningful discussion better as the pupils can have direct interaction with their teacher and their peers. It also provides pupils with better view to the blackboard. The teacher could also move freely in this type of arrangement and have better control on the pupils and monitor pupils as they do their work, in that way, teacher has better access to all of the pupils. Therefore, this arrangement makes hands on activities and collaborative learning possible. However, the teacher would not be able to give individual attention to the pupils as they were sitting closely to each other and the arrangement take most of the classroom space so there is not enough space for other classroom activities that require bigger space.

c) Pairs To have this arrangement, two desks are put together facing the front of the class and spaced away from other pairs. Therefore, the teacher will be able to move around the class and monitor all the pupils. Teacher would have better access to the pupils with this kind of arrangement. However, before arranging the class in this

EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 13

JMU/PPG/TSL1

manner, teacher has to consider the suitable pair for each of the pupils so that it would be able to accommodate the pupils learning. Sitting in pairs allow pupils to work together as a team or independently. However, this arrangement does not encourage communication and interaction between peers because if the teacher is doing some discussions, it will be difficult for them to see who is giving opinion at the back. Therefore, this arrangement is not really suitable for the young learner as this arrangement required better self-control. In the hindsight, Miss Syika needs to take a lot of factors into consideration such as pupils age, learning ability as well as emotional factors before making selection. Teaching and Learning Techniques Miss Syika must realise that in order to maintain good classroom management and to improved pupils behaviour take a lot of work and time. Therefore, she must be able to deliver and conduct her lesson creatively rather than plain explanation or talk and chalk techniques. There are various ways that she can use to vary her teaching method and make it much more interesting for her pupils.. For example she can do whole class, group work or individual work activity based on her teaching objectives of the day and pupils needs and ability. Whole class activity . Miss Syika can sit in front of the class and get the pupils to sit in half circle or in a circle because itll help her to be able to monitor all of her pupils better and encourage healthy two ways communication between pupil-pupil and pupil teacher. Example of activity: a) Singing b) Conversation c) Drawing and colouring d) Story telling Group work
EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 14

JMU/PPG/TSL1

Miss Syika can divide the pupils into 3 or 5 groups which consists of some pupils based on the suitability and the activity she wish to conduct for the day. Group work is very important as it is one of many ways to develop pupils cooperation skill as well as building good rapport with their peers. Example of activity: a) Scrap book b) Tradisional game (e.g ketinting, konda kondi) c) Jigsaw puzzle d) Eksperiment Individual work Individual work is a kind of activity which require pupils to work alone or with teachers guide. More interaction is done with the learning material. We can say that individual work is an opportunity for the pupil to test their ability in understanding what they have learnt. It is also a chance for them to get individual attention. Example of activity: a) Writing, reading and counting b) Drawing picture c) Cutting newspaper d) Playing with dough

EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 15

JMU/PPG/TSL1

Activities that could improve pupils behaviour

Sponge Activities and Bell Work

Wong says that the effective teacher makes sure that no time is wasted. "Sponge activities" soak up extra classroom time, and they also keep students busy during times when they are more likely to misbehave. Have a table with several sponge activities ready for students. These activities can be basic worksheets that complement the current unit of study, or they can be extracredit projects students might enjoy. When students complete their current assignment, they can search for a sponge activity to keep them occupied. Also, Wong says that the effective teacher has the day's agenda posted so that if students finish a task early, they can start the activity. Keeping students occupied at the beginning of the class is important, too. When students first walk into the classroom, they can be distracted when they first see their classmates. Keep students focused and avoid misbehavior by having an assignment posted for students to complete as soon as they walk in. This "bell work" should build on the previous day's lesson.

Living Bar Graph

Spencer Kagan, author of "Cooperative Learning," suggests using classbuilding activities to create a positive atmosphere the classroom. He says many teachers object to these activities because they take extra time, but the payoff is huge, he says. Students who feel connected to their class are more likely to focus later during lessons. Acquaint students with one another by having them create a living bar graph. In a living bar graph, students line up and get acquainted based on a certain topic. For instance, if students were lining based on how many siblings they have, students with zero siblings would line up on one side, while students with the most would line up on the other. Students have to communicate and figure out where they stand on their own. Another variation is to have students complete the activity completely silently.

Class Calendar

Kagan suggests making all students feel appreciated and valued in the class with a classroom calendar. Include students' birthdays but also other important events in the students' lives, such as the anniversary of an important day. When it's a student's birthday, create a celebration that allows the student to choose a special game to play and possibly even allow him to play his favorite song. After a student's birthday, Kagan suggests allowing him to choose another student to help prepare the next student's birthday celebration. Students who have behavior problems will enjoy being put in charge of a classroom

EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 16

JMU/PPG/TSL1

Read more: Activities to Help Change Classroom Behavior | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6545180_activities-change-classroombehavior.html#ixzz1pRoabk00

Seating Arrangements
From: Alexandra Ramsden Email: alexr@udel.edu Course: EDUC 390 College: University of Delaware Instructor: Eugene Matusov ClassWeb: http://ematusov.soe.udel.edu/EDUC390.99F Date: 12/16/99 Time: 9:45:29 AM Remote Name: 128.175.52.104
Paper

EDU 3103 MURID DAN ALAM BELAJAR

Page 17