Internship Report. Classroom disruptions and their prevention

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
1.1 Tabular timetable
1.2 Presentation of the school

2. Observation task
2.1 The observation task
2.2 The theoretical background for the observation task

3. Evaluation
3.1 Observation
3.2 Evaluation of the observation task

4. Personal comment

5. Bibliography

6. Appendix
6.1 Selected partially formatted protocol
6.2 Selected narrative protocol
6.3 Observation task on the topic

1. Introduction

1.1 Tabular timetable

1st week:

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2nd week:

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3rd week:

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4th week:

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1.2 Presentation of the school

I completed my orienting internship at the abc-Gymnasium. Since I graduated at another school, I did not know the teachers, the buildings and rooms. In addition, I first had to familiarise myself with the special features of the school. During the first days, it would probably have been nice to have known each other a little better, but in the end I can say that it was also a great experience to get to know another high school’s, besides my former school, mode of operation.

The teachers' staff at this school was very nice and helpful. When I asked questions, they were available to me and came up to me on their own and talked to me. After the lessons, I sat in on, I always had conversations about the lesson and the occurences. In addition, I was informed before the lesson or before a planned activity, what the topic and the goal was. I was particularly pleased that the teachers reacted very positively to my question as to whether I myself could give a lesson. I was also told that they would sit down with me to plan the class together. There were four interns in total and we were all looked after enough so that we felt welcomed.

I was able to create my own timetable. However, I was given help with the creation. In the first week we were able to find out which classes and in which subjects we would like to sit in. The last three weeks I had a fixed timetable. In doing so, I should make sure that I then sit in on a class, in a particular subject, continuously. For example, if I had Catholic Religious Education (RE) in year 12, I was supposed sit in on all of the lessons of this subject and not just occasionally. This was supposed to make it easier for the teachers, the students and myself to be able to follow the lessons better or to be able to plan them.

Unfortunately, Spanish was not offered at Abc-Gymnasium. That's why I focused on in RE and also looked at the German and English lessons. In addition, when i created the timetable, I made sure that I had classes from the lower level, as well as from the intermediate level, as well as from the upper level. This allowed me to distinguish and compare the behaviour of students and teachers in the different grades.

In the first week I was allowed to sit in on a subject that I did not know before. The so-called PP, practical philosophy. This subject is intended for students who are not baptized or do not practice the Christian faith and therefore do not participate in regular RE. In this subject, students will then learn about ethical aspects and decision-making that they can use well in their own lives and are important for their development and life in society.

The Abc-Gymnasium is considered to be a very quiet school, which is why there were hardly any incidents. The building is quite large and partly recently renovated or newly built. There are about 1250 students. The year before, there were as many as 1,350 students. Accordingly, there number of teachers is high.

The first thing I noticed was the large glass box on the wall next to the staffroom. There were pictures of all the teachers with the respective combination of subjects they teach. I found this very helpful, both for the students and for myself. This way I was able to pick out the teachers directly with the "right" subjects and could then recognize them from the pictures in the staffroom and didn't have to ask everyone for too long.

Because I have sat in on lessons in different grades, I was also able to gain different experiences in terms of the motivation and the disturbances of the students. I will explain this further in the main part, i.e. in the evaluation of my observation task.

2. Observation task

2.1 The observation task

For my internship report, I chose the observation task with the topic of disturbances in the classroom and its prevention.

I think this topic is very important, as the learning process can only take place in a calm and trouble-free environment.

However, it is also necessary to distinguish between the respective disruptions. There are both disturbances caused by the pupils and those that can be caused by the teachers. If the disturbances occur on the part of the students, the teacher must decide how to respond to them. So whether it is enough to calm the students down with non-verbal communication, or whether they want to address the disturbance and thus end it. However, the latter can lead to further disturbances, as this disrupts the flow of the lessons.

However, one cannot find a general answer or solution to the question of how to react correctly or how to prevent the disturbances beforehand. Each situation is individual and must be treated accordingly.

During my internship, I specifically focused on these questions:

- How does the teacher react to disruptions? Nonverbal, short announcements or detailed?
- What does the teacher do to avoid disruption in advance?
- What are the rules and how consistently are they obeyed by teachers?
- Does the teacher make smooth transitions between different activities?
- Are there long waiting times? If not, how is this being employed?
- Are there any unnecessary comments on disturbances or are they prevented?
- How present is the teacher in the class?

2.2 The theoretical background for the observation task

Today, teaching interruptions are a major issue and should therefore be taken seriously.

In general, students can be divided into two groups: those who are constantly disturbing and those who are rather quiet and reserved.

However, assuming that the disturbances are only due to the behaviour of the pupils, is a very one-sided approach.

The teaching problems are also related to teacher behaviour.

A survey conducted in 2002 by Nolting found that most teachers are unaware of how best and most effectively to prevent disruption. Most teachers act intuitively correctly in different situations and are unaware of it.¹

Moreover, it is not important to ask yourself what to do when a disturbance has already occurred, but what to do and can do to prevent the disruption from happening in the first place. Only effective class leadership and good learning management lead to keeping the rate of disruption low and improving cooperation.

This was also found out by Jacob Kounin (1976)², thanks to his research. He was the first to empirically examine the issue of discipline³ and made it known that the type of response to disturbances, for cooperation and a low rate of disturbance is relatively unimportant.⁴

To prevent disruption, Nolting has created a checklist that can be used to prevent disruption.⁵

On the one hand, there is prevention through broad activation, which means that the entire class should be included in the classroom. Even the students who are not focused should not wander off the subject, but should remain on the subject. This can be achieved, for example, by choosing interesting topics and methods and by giving a lively lesson, which will not have a soporific effect. It is also helpful if the teacher "walks" through the class and does not only look at one individual student.⁶

On the other hand, one can consider the flow of lessons for prevention. The teacher must ensure that they do not interrupt or delay the lessons themselves. This can happen, for example, while preparing devices or giving out worksheets. It is also not advisable for the teacher to respond to disturbances in a very long and detailed way. This is because it is possible that teachers, in the attempt to prevent disturbances, cause the disturbances themselves. It is better to only briefly and concisely say that the students should continue with their work and to not explain in detail, why they should do so. If the teacher ensures smooth transitions between the individual actions, then it seems that the lesson "takes care of itself". Therefore it is important that the lessons are well prepared and in some cases the routine also plays a big role.⁷

Clear rules are also an important aspect in the prevention of disturbances in class. However, one should ensure that there is a manageable number of rules, which also seem clear and fair to the students. It is also important that the teacher also complies with the rules or takes them seriously. This means that they should pay attention to whether they follow the rules and, if not, also make a note of it and react accordingly.⁸

The fourth point on the ‘checklist’ contains the presence and stop signals. You should show the students that you have everything under control and you are aware of everything, even if you are writing something on the board and have turned your back towards the class. The teacher should also, if they have to tell someone off, address the right one and thus directly prevent the disturbance. It is already effective if the teacher simply looks at the student or moves through the ranks. This is usually more effective than giving long speeches and also promotes the class climate. These methods are also called non-verbal signals or controls.⁹

But if there is a conflict in the class, the teacher has different ways to solve it. There are two basic types, one being teacher-centered and the other cooperative. However, it is not possible to say which method is the better method, it always depends on the situation. In the following the two types are described in more detail.¹⁰

In the teacher-centred method, as the name suggests, intervention is in the hands of the teacher. In this case, the teacher talks to their colleagues about the students, but not with them. The teacher sets rules, gives instructions and can, for example, make the students switch seats. Another common method is the threat of consequences or a reward. It is more effective to offer a reward to the students than to punish them. For example, it can be said that there is going to be less homework if the students work diligently enough. These positive incentives also have a positive impact on the teacher-pupil relationship.¹¹

In the cooperative type, the teacher discusses the problem together with the class. There are three main phases: 1. joint diagnosis, 2. joint planning and 3. joint intervention.¹² In the beginning, the teacher describes what the problem is, and the students then have the opportunity to explain their own view. This can also be done, for example, by means of an anonymous survey, so that everyone can and really want to express their concern. This is followed by the so-called cooperative planning¹³, in which the common objectives and ideas for a solution are recorded and agreements are made. Then the intervention phase is next¹⁴, which means that you comply with and check the newly set rules. These checks can be recorded, for example, in lists. In general, it is important that both sides, teachers and students, work together and contribute to this method. In addition, the students learn about social interaction with their fellow human beings through this way of resolving conflicts¹⁵. This is how they can learn how to solve problems correctly and sensibly.

[...]

¹ Nolting, H.P. (2003):Opportunities for troubleprevention and conflict resolution. School magazine 5 to 10, Jg. 71, p. 53

² Ibid., p. 54

³ Ibid., p. 54

⁴ Ibid., p. 54

⁵ Ibid., p. 54

⁶ Ibid., p. 54 & 55

⁷ Ibid., p. 54 & 55

⁸ Ibid., p. 54 & 55

⁹ Ibid., p. 54 & 55

¹⁰ Ibid., p. 55

¹¹ Ibid., p. 56

¹² Ibid., p. 56

¹³ Ibid., p. 56

¹⁴ Ibid., p. 56

¹⁵ Ibid., p. 56