Class Management and Curriculum

Differentiated Instructional Practice for Novice Teachers Successful and unsuccessful management strategies for students from diverse learner groups Successful Classroom Strategies * Setting clear and specific rules. With a rule such as “Learn to be respectful” learners often get confused. Every rule should be clearer and should guide learners on how to behave appropriately. A teacher can illustrate to learners through specific phrases, for example, "Please raise your hand before speaking" or "Be quiet and listen attentively when others are talking. These are clear and specific rules. * Teachers must consistently use positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcements such as the use of praise and rewards for following the set rules and routines work best for diverse learners. According to Larson et al., (2018), positive reinforcement is one of the best techniques to help diverse learners not only learn but also succeed in and outside the classroom. Used appropriately, the reward and praise make diverse learners feel focused and comfortable in and outside class. * Consistently enforce rules and routines. As a teacher consistently enforcing rules and routines conditions learners to operate by those rules over time. When a teacher applies rules and routines fairly over time, learners integrate the rules into their day-to-day learning. Unsuccessful learning strategies * Developing vague rules. Rules such as “Do your best as a learner” is a vague rule. The “rule" is highly subjective and can be enforced differently by different students. It does not establish a precise, achievable criterion. As such, a teacher must transform the rule into a series of small steps such as "Submit all home tasks in the stipulated time" and "Participate actively in group discussions.” * Inconsistent rules and routine enforcement. Enforcing rules today and forgetting to enforce them tomorrow breeds inconsistency and therefore reduces the likelihood that learners will stick to the rules or routines. * Punitive strategies without teaching learners about the expected behaviors. Punish learners only when they fail to do as instructed. Learning Activities to avoid and reduce Avoid: * Ignoring differentiation. Teachers must always differentiate teaching instructions by adjusting the process, content, and product based on learners’ interests, levels, and learning profiles. * Teachers should avoid failure to build relationships: build rapport with learners to increase learner engagement. * Not establishing rules and routines as this can lead to a chaotic classroom. * Negative reinforcement as learners can find it hard to engage. * Overloading learners with information. * Tasks that are challenging without dire...