How can I use my dominant character strengths in the classroom?

Classroom management is a complex and multifaceted issue, that can pose many challenges for teachers. It is important that as teachers we understand our own strengths and adopt a strength based approached to identify the “resourcefulness and resilience that exists in all students” (McDonald, 2019, p. 2).

Creating a positive well-structured learning environment that is inclusive of students diverse learning capabilities, cultural, diverse linguistic and religious backgrounds assists in supporting students’ academic, social and emotional growth. My signature strengths are spiritually, curiosity, bravery, honesty and love (VIA Institute on Character, 2020), and as a teacher with Aboriginal heritage, I ground my spirituality in the 8 ways of learning by connecting students with meaningful learning experiences through culture, local values, needs and knowledge (Yunkaporta, 2009). Specifically, in relation to classroom management, there are examples where schools have consulted with local community Elders to develop meaningful symbols in a learning framework that describes desirable values and behaviours in the classroom (NSW Department of Education, n.d.).

Linking the 8 ways of learning pedagogy into my teaching practices provides me with an authentic ethical teaching style, strategies and resources to better support student engagement, positive behaviour and establish meaningful relationships while addressing the individual learning needs of each child.

Disruptive behaviour can cause stress within the classroom dynamic, increasing stress levels and disrupting the lesson flow, and can create a level of conflict between the learning process and the student. Incorporating the 8 ways into daily classroom practice enhances my spiritual connectiveness to culture and I am able to build on students’ curiosity and sense of belonging, encouraging exploration, positive behaviour, self-discipline, self-regulation and responsibility (McDonald, 2019) through connecting ideas and engaging students learning to their world. Thus, through the use of “frequent verbal and non-verbal cues” (Parsonson, 2012, p. 17) I can create a sense of calmness and peace in the classroom, decreasing daily stressors, and increasing student engagement. This approach strengthens my capabilities to make me a caring an efficient teacher, where I feel comfortable redirecting student behaviour, through creating meaning and helping to shape positive conduct.

Embedding curiosity into my teaching practices, allows me to incorporate inquiry-based learning that encourages student thinking, risk-taking and problem solving (McDonald, 2019). Responding to my own curiosity about students own personal expectations encourages me to allow students, the freedom within the classroom dynamic to set their own expectations and classroom guidelines. This is a strategy that will help to gain effective classroom control (Parsonson, 2012), as students can be held accountable for their own actions against the standards they have set out, effectively “taking ownership for their [own] behaviour and learning” (McDonald, 2019, p. 72).

As a teacher, having the courage to confidently act in accordance with my beliefs, values and attitudes, despite difficulty, ridicule, fear or opposition provides me with the strength to engage positively with my students, colleagues and community. Being able to set clear expectations, establish routines, easy to follow rules and guidelines in the classroom that are “consistent and fairly applied” (Parsonson, 2012) demonstrates my courage and helps students to learn despite adversity. Through my bravery, I am able to encourage and support good choices helping students to build on their own strengths in self-regulation, fostering self-esteem to work towards becoming confident learners.

As a teacher with a deep sense of personal honesty, drives me to incorporate, a high level of fairness and integrity, reinforcing a strong code of ethics in the classroom culture. This helps to establish good values and attitudes and sets a moral vocabulary that teaches student to respond appropriately to situations and ignite meaningful learning experiences. Through demonstrating honesty, respect fairness and integrity I am able to guide student behaviour by “explicitly breaking down what values and attitudes” (NSW Department of Education, n.d., para 7) are important in the classroom and scaffold students towards making those positive choices.

As a caring and responsive teacher, sharing a “significant responsibility in preparing young people to lead successful and productive lives” (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2011, p. 2) is extremely important to me. Love brings a sense of nurture, compassion, patience and understanding to my teaching practice, allowing me to see students as individuals. This is demonstrated through teaching the “whole child and helping children flourish” (Hough, 2021, para. 5), and wanting each student to perform at their best, in an environment that is functional and “minimises disruptive behaviours” (Parsonson, 2012, p. 17). This can be demonstrated through using hand gestures, appropriate body language, direct eye contact and facial expressions that encourage a strong sense of engagement, motivation, predictability and a love of learning (Hough, 2021).

As my key strength is transcendence, this perhaps can be viewed as an opportunity to intertwine other key strengths such as wisdom, courage, humanity, temperance and justice.

Understanding how transcendence can be applied to classroom management, gives me a holistic overview of what limitations I might have as a teacher. I often try to go above and beyond my teaching duties, and do not like to say no to students as I feel I may be disappointing them, re-enforcing a message of being somewhat of a push over. Recognising this trait gives me the wisdom to overcome this limitation, by remaining focused and bringing a strength-based approach to my teaching practice.

My courage and temperance can be demonstrated through self-regulation and managing my emotions, teaching students the value of perseverance, facing those challenges and overcoming obstacles with authenticity and being true to oneself. Allowing students, the opportunity to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes heightens curiosity, creativity and draws an enthusiasm for lifelong learning.?

Linking justice and humanity I am able to model self-reflection, strong leadership skills, fairness, kindness, teamwork and compassion. This can be demonstrated by teaching students the value of positive behaviour and self-awareness through establishing clear objectives, and classroom structure and addressing conflict or undesirable behaviour by reducing negative emotions and “using indirect, innovative and interdisciplinary approaches” (NSW Department of Education, n.d., para 6). Approaches such as these engage the students in their learning, making learning meaningful, addressing the learning needs of the whole child in a safe and inclusive learning environment.

Reference?

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, (2011). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers: Retrieved from https://www.aitsl.edu.au/docs/default-source/national-policy-framework/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers.pdf?

Hough, L. (2021). What’s Love got to do with it: Harvard ED Magazine: Harvard Graduate School of Education: Retrieved from: https://www.gse.harvard.edu/news/ed/18/08/what%E2%80%99s-love-got-do-it

McDonald, T. (2019). Classroom management: Engaging students in learning. ProQuest eBook Central: Retrieved from: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com

NSW Department of Education, (n.d). 8 Ways for Behaviour Management: 8 Ways: Retrieved from: https://www.8ways.online/behaviour-management?fbclid=IwAR1B4Hmvb86G_ubvbq3zzPMzhxO9mGDM93Uqc78VinuWKiuQh14JoOhlTC0

Parsonson, B. S. (2012). Evidence-Based Classroom Behaviour Management Strategies. Weaving Educational Threads. Weaving Educational Practice. Ministry of Education: Special Education: Hawks Bay Region, Kairaranga – Volume 13, Issue 1: 2021

VIA Institute on Character. (2020). VIA Classification of Character Strengths and Virtues. Retrieved from: www.viacharacter.org

Yunkaporta, T. (2009). Our Ways of Learning in Aboriginal Languages: Department of Education and Training NSW. Retrieved from: https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/10974/4/04Bookchapter.pdf