Classroom Management Practices: Methods and Approaches Applied for the Purpose of Student’s Personal Development

Abstract

Classroom management practices which teachers apply in their everyday practice are focused on creating positive environment which will enable students to effectively work and learn on a daily basis. Additionally, some practices familiar in the educational theory, known as methods of educational work, can have much bigger impact and contribute toward long-term changes related to student’s overall personal development. Their application influences on developing and strengthening some personal qualities like: positive beliefs and attitudes toward learning and personal improvement, self-control, self-discipline, diligence, responsibility, positive work habits etc. This paper examines the use of the methods of educational work, through the frequency of use of different approaches and strategies in teachers’ everyday classroom management practice, focusing on praise, reward, and training, as a part of the process of developing habits; inhibition and punishment in situation when negative behaviour occurs, and others. The sample includes 364 secondary school teachers in North Macedonia, with different length of working experience in the teaching profession. The application of these methods is seen as an important part of teachers’ practice, and due to this it should be considered as a necessary component of the initial teacher education, as well as teachers’ continuous professional development. The paper stresses the importance of teacher education in this domain, emphasizing that their appropriate or inappropriate use can lead either to long-term positive outcomes or to negative consequences.