Importance of Knowledge on Student Background
Fundamentally, teachers should know the background of students as well as what occurs in their environments. The need to know the background of student environment is because the understanding presents several benefits to the students and the teachers. Some of the benefits associated with an understanding of student occurrences include development of a positive child behavior, improved educational performance, and professionalism.
Other benefits that accrue from the knowledge on student background include development of a high self-esteem, confidence, and motivation. Hannay, Kitahara, and Fretwell (2010) explain that teacher student relationship is paramount as it has rewarding outcomes for teachers and students. Therefore, for a successful learning process, teachers need to know the background of their students and the events that affect their lives.
Benefits
Development of Positive Child Behaviour and Improved Academic Performance
When teachers know the background of a student, they can successfully engage in learning practices that boost the behavior of the respective student. After acquiring the requisite knowledge concerning the student character, the teachers execute personalized teaching practices. It is important to assert that personalized teaching practices are essential in matching the expectations of the students and minimizing instances of rudeness.
While several students engage in juvenile activities due to absence of attention from teachers to handle their unique personalities, knowledge on the events occurring in their environments can solve the challenge. According to Baker (2006), amplified knowledge on student background and their environment leads to a good relationship between the students and teachers and an eventual improvement in behavior. Therefore, knowledge of student background as well as the events in the environment is crucial in learning institutions.
Improved academic performance is another benefit associated with enhanced knowledge of students’ background and their environment. In effect, when trainers understand the events around the students, they undertake their teaching practices with professionalism, a factor that results in improved performance. Improved performance emanates from the personalized services that students receive from their trainers after the trainers understand their backgrounds.
The fact that students come from different backgrounds is an implication that trainers or teachers need to deliver their services in a professional manner (Libbey, 2004). As such, students need to receive personalized services in a way that focuses on meeting their expectations at personal levels. Enhanced student knowledge boosts the relationship between the student and the trainer and improves the understanding that the trainer has in relation to student requirements.
Professionalism, Development of High Self-Esteem, Confidence, and Motivation to Study
The importance of professionalism emanates from the services delivered by trainers after they acquire amplified understanding of the students. Amplified understanding of the students and their environment, leads to professional services. Professional services delivered by the trainers result from the knowledge that teachers receive concerning the students and their backgrounds. Importantly, learning is highly dependent on the events that take place within the environment where the students live, and hence, by understanding the environment, the trainers employ practices that match student requirements.
Hannay, Kitahara, and Fretwell (2010) outline that increasing the knowledge on students’ background and meeting their requirements are acts that depict professionalism among teachers. As a result, knowledge on the students’ background and their environment is an importance that initiates professionalism among trainers in learning institutions.
High self-esteem, self-confidence, and motivation to study transpire when the trainers understand the background of their students. Unique personalities and other issues that emanate from the environment and affect the learning process become manageable when trainers receive amplified knowledge about their students. The implication of amplified knowledge is a teaching process, which encompasses divergent needs of individual students.
It is imperative to state that, while some students are quick to understand what the trainers teach in classrooms, others require consistent revisions. As such, knowledge on their backgrounds and their environment improves the level of training that they receive. In the explanation of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (2011), when students receive a high level of training, they develop the required self-esteem, confidence, and motivation to learn. High self-esteem, confidence, and motivation to learn are critical developments that facilitate an overall improvement in performance, which is the main objective of every learning institution.
Classroom Management Styles
There are various classroom management styles used by trainers in management of classrooms during the learning process. While the styles are numerous, some do not provide the expected motivation and performance to the students. Good management styles are important and lead to development of a supportive and safe learning environment. In the quest to create a classroom climate, which is conducive, safe, and supportive, teachers should employ effective management styles. Practical management styles boost the academic performance of students in classrooms and encourage cooperation and good relationship between teachers and students.
Awang, Ahmad, and Ali (2013) elaborate that as professionals, teachers need to ensure that the management styles utilized target the desired category of students. When teachers apply practical management styles in classrooms, they enjoy good relationships with their students and an eventual academic success. Some of the classroom management styles include interventionist, interactionist, indifferent needs, and non-interventionist.
Overtime, classroom management styles have evolved to espouse various styles used by parents in child management. As such, several classroom management styles that teachers employ in management of students demonstrate a close relationship with parenting styles. While some classroom management styles lead to high performance and motivation from students, others lead to unsatisfying results (Djigic & Stojiljkovic, 2011). Some of the results include high performance and poor motivation or high motivation and poor performance. Interventionist management style associated with low level of care and love from trainers and high pressure to perform, results in high performance and low motivation.
Indifferent needs classroom management style supports high freedom and low teacher influence. By applying the style of indifferent needs, students enjoy lots of freedom and limited teacher influence. Consequently, non-interventionist management style linked to issues like low academic press and high amount of teacher caring leads to poor performance and high motivation from the students. Therefore, interventionist, indifferent needs, and non-interventionist styles are not very effective in classroom management and development of a safe and supportive learning environment.
Interactionist Management Style
Interactionist management style is useful in classroom management. The essence of the style emanates from the fact that it emphasizes on motivation and performance of students. When trainers utilize the style, they can motivate their students, while instilling the need to perform well in their minds. In effect, high performance and motivation make up the core ingredients that trainers expect out of a learning process.
Since interactionist style of management encompasses the elements of teacher caring and academic press, it encloses the components of interventionist, indifferent needs, and non-interventionist styles. According to Dever and Karabenick (2011), interactionist or authoritative style is one of the best styles that trainers can use to achieve the best results in classrooms. The implication of the focus on motivation and performance means that students strive to achieve the best in a motivated and positive learning environment.
For interactionist management style to materialize and gain the desired results, trainers should provide care and affection that students expect from them. On the other hand, teachers also have to instill the feelings of high performance on the students. By providing care, warmth, and instilling the need to perform on the students, trainers not only develop a positive learning environment, but also ensure that the learning environment supports high performance. Fundamentally, students need care and love from a trainer so that they can learn and perform well.
Djigic and Stojiljkovic (2011) assert that in the absence of motivation to work hard as is the case with non-interventionist management style, students cannot succeed. Consequently, when trainers place lots of focus on the performance of the students as is the case with interventionist or traditional management style, students perform well but lack the motivation and support. As such, the components that the interactionist management style entails, which include love, care, and motivation makes it practical in classroom management.
Importance of Interactionist Management Style in Creation of Supportive and Safe Learning Environment
Interactionist management style is useful in development of supportive and safe learning environments. When teachers utilize the style professionally, students work hard and perform better in a supportive environment. Support and safety emanates from the emphasis that interactionist style has on student teacher relationship. By compelling trainers to provide love, warmth, and care to their students, the style facilitates creation of supportive and safe learning environments. Interactionist style also minimizes instances of rudeness, which characterize poor learning environments (Board of Studies, Teaching, and Educational Standards, 2011).
When trainers provide support, care, and love towards their students, they develop a positive attitude, and therefore, challenges become manageable. With a good relationship between teachers and students, openness improves and leads to solution of problems and high performance. Therefore, interactionist management style is important in creation of a supportive and safe learning environment.
References
Awang, M., Ahmad, A., & Ali, M. (2013). Professional Teachers’ Strategies for Promoting Positive Behaviour in Schools. Asian Social Science, 9(12), 205-211.
Baker, J. (2006). Contributions of teacher–child relationships to positive school adjustment during elementary school. Journal of School Psychology, 44(1), 211-229.
Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards. (2011). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Sydney: BOSTES.
Dever, B., & Karabenick, S. (2011). Is Authoritative Teaching Beneficial for All Students? A Multi-Level Model of the Effects of Teaching Style on Interest and Achievement. School Psychology Quarterly, 26(2), 131–144.
Djigic, G., & Stojiljkovic, S. (2011). Classroom management styles, classroom climate and school achievement. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 29(1), 819-828.
Hannay, M., Kitahara, R., & Fretwell, C. (2010). Student-focused strategies for the modern classroom. Journal of Instructional Pedagogies, 1(1) 1-17.
Libbey, H. (2004). Measuring Student Relationships to School: Attachment, Bonding, Connectedness, and Engagement. The Journal of School Health, 74(7), 274-283.
The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2011). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Carlton South: AITSL Limited.