Task 1

Establishing ground rules and promoting appropriate behavior.

The aim of this assignment is to explore methods which will help to achieve a learning atmosphere within my teaching environment by establishing ground rules and promoting appropriate behavior. In order to achieve this task I will be required to define ground rules and explain how to establish them and promote appropriate behavior.
Being a new teacher how can I achieve a conclusive learning atmosphere and ensure that every individual gets maximum benefit from my teaching?
In order for me to be successful in my teaching, I need to set some ground rules from the onset and promote appropriate behavior. “Ground rules are boundaries, rules and conditions which students can safely work and learn”(Gravells 2012, p.91) If these ground rules and boundaries are not set, that conclusive learning atmosphere will be lost, resulting in not only the students running amok but also the devaluation of the lesson.
The ground rules can be conveyed to the students in many different ways.
I can set the ground rules by sitting the class down and dictating them from the top of my head, ensuring that the students note them down. This method is not as beneficial as all the input is from the teacher and the students don’t take part. This will result in the students not paying attention when the teacher delivers his talk.

I can also provide every individual with some post it notes and tell them to anonymously write down those ground rules which they think are essential in order to maintain a professional learning environment. In this way those students who are shy can take part and contribute towards the lesson. “People may not feel comfortable talking about themselves to a group of strangers”. (Gravells 2012, p.90) After they’ve written them down I’ll take the post it notes and stick them on the board and explain them to the class. However, this method has it’s drawbacks as it doesn’t give the students the opportunity to express themselves as well as they could by talking and personally explaining the view points.
Furthermore, there is no team work. “The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team.”(Phil Jackson 2013)

If shy students are not encouraged to express themselves from the very beginning, they may never build the confidence to put forward and explain their views. This may be detrimental to their future, as excellence in many professions, such as teaching, relies on confidence.

Another method would be for the teacher to write out all the ground rules from before and give them out to the students. Each individual would be required to write their own set of rules then compare them both together and come to an agreement.

However, the method I believe to be most effective in establishing ground rules and promoting positive behavior is to split the class into groups of five and provide each group with a flip chart.
Thereafter, I would ask each group to pen down what they think to be appropriate and necessary ground rules. Whilst the groups are engaged in discussing the ground rules, I’ll walk around and provide assistance and encouragement.
Each group would then be required to present their ideas to the class,