INTASC Standard #5
Classroom Motivation and Management Skills
The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
[Headings for INTASC standards are taken from - Campbell, D.M. et al. (1997). How to develop a professional portfolio: A manual
When considering classroom motivation and management in instrumental music education, one must realize that the typical class size of a band or orchestra automatically puts the instrumental educator in a position to need to be very effective at motivation and management. I believe that there are many strategies for classroom management and motivation but that in the end it all comes down to the teacher. The most effective thing you can do to improve motivation and management is to be excellent. Teachers that are engaging, fast-paced, effective and very knowledgeable are the teachers who struggle the least with management and motivation.
In instrumental music, where strong relationships are built between teacher and students, teachers also can help with management and motivation by demonstrating that each students matters, being honest, fair and always having integrity. Many management issues result from students' lack of confidence and respect in a teacher. By being an exemplar human being that is competent in planning and executing instruction, instrumental music educators can overcome the difficulties presented to us by the overwhelming class sizes inherent in our field.
Students are motivated both intrinsically and extrinsically and as teachers we can strive for students who are intrinsically motivated in music through demonstrating the value and reward in music making for the individual. We can also utilize extrinsic motivation knowing that students respond to positive and negative reinforcement. If your students are motivated, your classroom management becomes infinitely easier because students have a desire to learn.
From my experiences teaching, I have seen many different management styles. I have witnessed teachers that control their class due to simple affection from the students. The students really like the class and the teacher and therefore behave, generally, in an acceptable way and when they don’t the teacher addresses it on a case-by-case basis. I have also seen very detailed systems of discipline that provide students with concrete steps of discipline and that is also very effective. In the end, it is all up to the teacher and what works for them and their style.
In the future, I will continue to hone my classroom management skills, as it is something that only experience can teach you. I will develop a vocabulary of verbal and non-verbal actions and develop and management and motivation style that works for me through experience and observation of other teachers who have effective management and motivation.
In instrumental music, where strong relationships are built between teacher and students, teachers also can help with management and motivation by demonstrating that each students matters, being honest, fair and always having integrity. Many management issues result from students' lack of confidence and respect in a teacher. By being an exemplar human being that is competent in planning and executing instruction, instrumental music educators can overcome the difficulties presented to us by the overwhelming class sizes inherent in our field.
Students are motivated both intrinsically and extrinsically and as teachers we can strive for students who are intrinsically motivated in music through demonstrating the value and reward in music making for the individual. We can also utilize extrinsic motivation knowing that students respond to positive and negative reinforcement. If your students are motivated, your classroom management becomes infinitely easier because students have a desire to learn.
From my experiences teaching, I have seen many different management styles. I have witnessed teachers that control their class due to simple affection from the students. The students really like the class and the teacher and therefore behave, generally, in an acceptable way and when they don’t the teacher addresses it on a case-by-case basis. I have also seen very detailed systems of discipline that provide students with concrete steps of discipline and that is also very effective. In the end, it is all up to the teacher and what works for them and their style.
In the future, I will continue to hone my classroom management skills, as it is something that only experience can teach you. I will develop a vocabulary of verbal and non-verbal actions and develop and management and motivation style that works for me through experience and observation of other teachers who have effective management and motivation.
Artifact 1- Classroom Rules and Expectations
This artifact is a sample Classroom Rules and Expectations document that I created as part of my coursework for my Secondary General Music Methods class. We were asked to take what we had learned about adolescents through the course and develop a set of Rules and Expectations that reflect the needs of adolescent students. This artifact demonstrates my ability to create rules and expectations specific to the needs of the students that will assist me in classroom management and motivation.
Artifact 2- Topic Paper on Student Engagement
This artifact is a paper that I completed as part of my coursework for my Practicum Field Teaching Experience. We were asked to come up with an issue that was relevant to what we were observing in our placement and write a paper discussing the issue and potential solutions based on our experiences. This artifact demonstrates my attention given to keeping all students engaged in classroom activities as it pertains to management and motivation and some potential solutions and experiences I have had with the issue.