Standard 4: Create and Maintain Supportive and Safe Learning Environments

1. A critical reflection of one classroom management strategy you trialled.

During my time at James Fallon High School, I was able to observe, and teach one of the lower
level year 7 classes for History. This class consisted of numerous students with diagnosed disorders,
such as autism and oppositional defiance disorder, as well as those with learning disabilities, such as
dyslexia. Many behavioural issues were evident is this classroom primarily because of the students
with diagnosed disorders and difficulties, were in a class with students who were at a low academic
level as they didnt like school, and often refused to do the work. To improve the learning
environment in this classroom, I made a star chart, whereby students could receive a total of three
stars a lesson for meeting the English/ History classroom expectations: Respect, Responsibility, and
Achievement. I would assign students stars each lesson based on if they demonstrated they were
respecting their classmates and teachers, they were behaving responsibly in the classroom, and for
partaking in, and competing set tasks. By implementing this classroom management strategy, the
behaviour, and work in the classroom excelled, as students now felt they had a purpose, and reason
to complete their work. Students demonstrated that they wanted to be acknowledged for working
well, especially if they were not assigned a star in a particular lesson. In some occasions, students
who did not get a star in one lesson, worked very hard and behaved positively in the next, to ensure
that they could make up the stars they had lost. I believe this classroom management strategy was
very successful, as, when implemented, students in this classroom applied themselves positively to
learning.
1. Annotations providing further explanation for the management plan and how you could
create safer and more challenging environments in the future.
The implementation of a star chart in the year 7 history classroom gave the students motivation to
complete their work and present positive classroom behaviour. By assigning stars on the chart
during class time, students were reminded that their good work could come with reward, as, when

students received twelve stars, they were promised a prize. To create safer and more challenging
environments in the future, expectations of classroom behaviour and work ethic need to be detailed
at the beginning of the year, to ensure students are aware of what they are required to do, and how
they are expected to behave. As well as this, attempting to understand how each student learns will
allow me to develop a space where each student can learn in a way that is comfortable, and
beneficial for them, such as working on the floor, rather than sitting at desks, or learning through
hands-on activities rather than reading from a textbook. By making the effort to get to know each of
the students, and respect their needs, a positive classroom environment can form, allowing students
to be challenged in their learning, and achieve to the best of their ability.