This case study is based on ESL classroom incident in which a couple of my students acted comically to draw attention, chatting with classmates, and distracting other students. Although I drew the pupils’ attention to the fact that they were upsetting the whole class, their disruptive behaviors persisted in every class.
Disruptive behavior
Students’ disruptive behaviors, such as taunting, talking out of turn, leaving one’s seat, and insulting others, are a rising worry for teachers and parents (Kaplan, Gheen, and Midgley, 2002) (cited: Todras, 2008).
Effective classroom management focuses on preventative rather than reactionary processes and creates a positive school atmosphere (Lewis & Sugai, 1999). According to Marland (1947) (cited: Zerin, 2009), classroom disruptions are reduced when pupils are seated appropriately. Jones (2004, p. 54) (cited: Hamilton, 2019) states that“A good classroom seating arrangement is the cheapest form of classroom management. It’s discipline for free.”
Research design
Action research is a way teachers use to examine their own practises and solve classroom problems (Zambo, 2007). It has the potential to raise both instructor efficiency and the standard of student learning. This case study will use Dickens and Watkins (1999) and a Lewin’s (1946) model to conduct action research. It includes four stages: plan, act, observe, and reflect, to examine the relationship between seating arrangement and the level of disruptive behaviors.
Plan: A collaborative approach with the manager and the colleagues was taken to address the current issue and the practices of the classroom to deal with the disruptive behaviors in the language classroom. The physical layout of the classroom has the effect of promoting or contributing to pupils’ inappropriate behaviors (Daniels, 1998). Having chosen the component we wanted to study, we opted to test the impact of frequent seating changes on minimizing disruptive behaviors.
Act: In this study, we looked at how a change in seating arrangements used as an intervention technique helped to reduce students’ disruptive conduct in an English language classroom. We followed the pupils for a whole month, in every lesson they took. This was done by rearranging chairs frequently as part of the program. Students sat in various configurations throughout the week, including pairs, groups, rows, U shapes, circles, and more. The first week of class, the teacher gathered each student’s name tags to facilitate this process. For the duration of the procedure, each student’s seat was marked with a tag bearing his or her name. Before class began, the teacher distributed these name tags at random. The pupils were reminded in every class to locate their name tags and take their assigned seats. The educator avoided grouping kids who were either too submissive or too assertive with one another.
Observe: A weekly checklist system was developed to record all observations, which were done by the teacher and sometimes by the manager. Since the classroom size was small, the paired row seating arrangement seemed viable. According to the findings, pupils who are particularly disruptive tend to behave better when seated in rows (Wannarka, 2008).
Reflects: After completing the observations, student impressions of classroom disturbance were obtained via questions. The purpose of the questions was to get an in-depth understanding of how students perceive undisciplined conduct when their classmates display it. Based on the answers from the interview, the seat arrangement intervention helped students focus in class, however, it eventually caused a minor decline in their social standing.
Conclusion:
The classroom seating patterns help minimize pupils’ disruptive conduct. After the intervention, the pupils socialized with other classroom peers and maintained a higher level of concentration in the class.
References:
Dunbar, C., 2004. Best practices in classroom management. Michigan State University, pp.1-32.
Lewis, T.J. and Sugai, G., 1999. Effective behavior support: Systems approach to proactive schoolwide management. Focus on exceptional children, 31.
Hamilton, L., 2019. Banish the Graveyard: How Does Classroom Layout Affect Students’ Engagement?. In Reflective Practice in Teaching (pp. 21-25). Springer, Singapore.
Todras, P., 2008. Teachers’ perspectives of disruptive behavior in the classroom. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Wannarka, R. and Ruhl, K., 2008. Seating arrangements that promote positive academic and behavioural outcomes: A review of empirical research. Support for learning, 23(2), pp.89-93.
3(2), 130-141. https://doi.org/10.22437/ijolte.v3i2.7701
Zambo, D., 2007. The Fuel of Educational Psychology and the Fire of Action Research. Teaching Educational Psychology, 2(1), pp.1-12.
Zerin, S., 2009. Classroom management: Seating arrangements in ESL classroom.
Feedback
You developed a case on classroom behaviour, which is suitable for this assignment.
Knowledge and Understanding
You demonstrate a superficial understanding of the Reflective Practice theoretical field of knowledge. applied to your approach to conducting action research.
Argument/evidence
The development of the argument emerges descriptive rather than analytical. You might need to justify how conducting action research will inform effectiveness and improvement for that particular case.
Communication
Clear style and presentation of the discussion are generally coherent and well‐structured. You might need to rephrase the title for accuracy and cohesiveness of the task.
