Statistics revealed that “50 percent of urban teachers leave the profession within the first five years of their career, citing behaviour problems and management as factors influencing their decision to leave” (McKinney, Campbell Whately, & Kea, 2005, p. 16). This worrying figure can act as an indicator to expose behaviour management as an
issue that has to be taken seriously among the educators. Students who misbehaved not only will hinder their own learning but also will affect other students’ learning around them. As an important figure in the classroom, the teacher should know how to manage student’s behaviour although different teachers might have different ways in dealing with the situation. Hence this essay will be looking at comparison and contrast between behaviour management adopted by teachers in New Zealand and Malaysia classrooms based on the writer’s observation and teaching experience in New Zealand schools and writer’s own experience during secondary schooling in Malaysia. Then, this essay will outline the writer’s behaviour management plan during the first year of teaching in a MARA school.

PART A

During NZ school observation, it can be seen that the teachers had various ways to control misbehaviours in the classrooms. There were huge differences between the ways in which the NZ and Malaysian teachers managing their classrooms. In a NZ primary school classroom, the teacher separated the student who was problematic from the other students. The students sat in a group but there was only a boy who sat alone in front of the teacher’s desk. During the lesson, the boy tended to become off-task and started chatting with his friends. It was a rare sight to see for me and I could not hold myself from asking the teacher why she placed the boy alone. She told me that the boy had some problems and he could not stay focused with his work and had tendency to disturb other students. When the teacher placed him alone, his friends can do their work and it made the students in the classroom can complete their work without any disruption from him. However in Malaysian classroom, the mischievous kids are not being separated from the other students hence they tend to interrupt their friends. During my secondary schooling, I did not recall seeing the misbehaved student sat alone like NZ teacher did.

The term classroom rule is totally new and it was my first time encountered that term when I am here in New Zealand. The teachers in New Zealand put a strong emphasis on the students to abide the classroom rules that they have agreed upon. Interestingly, the class rules were put in front of the classroom so that every single student can see and remember the class rules. On the other hand, in Malaysia, I did not remember knowing any classroom rule initiated by the teacher. During my secondary schooling, if the students did not finish their homework, the teacher will ask them to
stay after class to finish the homework before they can have a lunch. Besides that, whenever the students made noises, the teacher just shouted ‘Silent please!’ or ‘Class, please keep quiet!’.

In addition, before any lesson can be carried out by the teacher, it is vital to grab students’ attention first. It was interesting to see all the students in NZ classroom responded to the teacher when she said ‘Eyes on me’ and everyone will reply back ‘Eyes on you’. Besides, when the students were having a discussion and the time was over, the teacher just counted her finger from one to five and all the students will stop doing things that they were doing and focused to the teacher. However in Malaysia, the teacher did not use any specific technique to grab student’s attention. Usually the teacher will just say ‘Okay class’ or ‘Time’s up’.

During my practicum at Glendowie College, the teacher had a conversation with the students who misbehaved after the class finished. The two boys were talking to each other while the teacher was explaining in front of the class. Then, the teacher stopped talking and told the students to see her after class. After the class had finished, the two boys waited for the teacher and the teacher asked them what they had done during the class that made them have to wait after the class. The boys acknowledged their mistake and said sorry to the teacher. Usually in Malaysia, when the teacher confront with the naughty students, they were brought to the disciplinary master. Sometimes it is easier for the teacher to bring the misbehaved students to the disciplinary master as it will not take the teacher’s teaching time in the classroom.

One thing that struck me the most as an observer was NZ teachers always used positive reinforcement in the classroom. They always praised the students when the students achieved something. Praises like ‘Good job!’, ‘I like the way you…’, ‘You’re doing great!’ and ‘Good girl/boy’ may seemed nothing but it actually bring a huge impact to the students’ feelings. Nevertheless, the teacher always said ‘Thank you’ to the students. However, during my secondary schooling in Malaysia, the students rarely received the praise and positive feedback from the teacher. However it was quite different when I entered A-level programme at Mara College Seremban as the teacher provided effective feedback to the students. I could still remember how delighted I was when my Sociology lecturer put a smiley sticker on the paper of my essay because I fulfilled the criteria needed for the essay.

It was tough for the teacher if there were students who kept interrupting the lesson as other students might not be able to learn as well. There was one time in NZ classroom, while the teacher was asking questions to a student, there were a group of students who were competing to answer the teacher’s question too. However, the teacher just ignored the group and continued with the lesson. After the class, I asked the teacher about the group of students who interrupted the lesson and she told me that the group was quite problematic and by ignoring them, the teacher can continue the lesson or else she would not be able to finish the lesson on time. Similarly, during my secondary schooling, the teacher also used ignorance when there were students who interrupted the lesson.

PART B

As a future teacher who had seen differences between the ways in which NZ and Malaysian teachers dealt with behaviour management in the classroom, I feel the urge to outline the behaviour management plan that I will implement during my first year of teaching in a MARA school. I believe that a proper behaviour management plan can lead to successful teaching and learning for the teacher and the students. Theories of behaviour management such as assertive discipline, limit setting approaches, applied behaviour analysis, cognitive-behaviourism, Neo-Adlerian theory, humanism, choice theory and systems theory have their own solutions to offer to the teaching practitioner in dealing with students’ behaviour. Thus, for my own behaviour management plan and for my future career, I opt for authoritative/democratic style of teaching as according to Traynor (2002), being an authoritative is one of the most effective strategies that can be used by a teacher in classroom management. Thus, my behaviour management plan will revolve around humanist theory and choice theory.

Since the students in MARA schools are the cream of the cream, serious misbehaviour might not be occurring. However, some misbehaviour such as not being punctual, doing another work when the teacher is teaching at the front or sleeping in the classroom might be expected to happen. According to Gartrell (1987), misbehaviour occurs when the student’s needs are not being met. I strongly believed that prevention is better than cure thus the teacher should do possible ways that could lessen the possibility of misbehaviour from occurring.

From humanist point of view, Porter (2000) suggested that the teacher has to build relationship with the students in order for them to work together (adapted from Kohn, 1996). Knowing the students’ names and their background will make the students feel that they are being appreciated as a person. During my practicum at Glendowie College, I remembered almost all my students’ names and I strongly think that it helped me a lot in gaining student’s attention as I have built rapport with them. Once the rapport has been created, the teacher could conduct the lesson with the strong cooperation from the students hence will reduce students’ misbehaviour as the students are fully engaged with the task. Marzano, Marzano & Picketing (2003) discovered from more than 100 meta-analysis studies that the foundation for all other aspects of classroom management is the quality of teacher- student relationships. They listed particular teacher behaviours such as demonstrating appropriate levels of dominance, demonstrating appropriate levels of cooperation and being mindful of their high-needs students which make the most effective teacher- student relationships.

In addition to humanist approach, choice theory puts a strong emphasis on the work that the students will be doing at the school. Glasser (1998) pointed out that the school should be able to provide the students with highly motivating task in order to avoid student’s misbehaviour. As Malaysian education system has now been shifting slowly from an exam-oriented to a more student-centred learning, the way the lessons are conducted will also be different. In addition, the role of a teacher will also be changing. From just being a source of transmitting knowledge, I should act as a facilitator who will guide the students’ inquiry learning. According Ministry of Education (2012) in Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025, during the Wave 2 (2016 to 2020), it is noted that ‘The Ministry will roll out the new KSSM, and an updated KSSR, in 2017. This curriculum will still stress student-centred and differentiated teaching, but have a greater emphasis on problem based and project-based work, a streamlined set of subjects or themes, and formative assessments’. Thus, with the presence of revised curriculum, the process of learning will become more demanding to the students, hence will make students become involved in the classroom which will result a decrease in misbehaviour problem.

It is hoped that students can find the school as a place that they would like to be rather than a place that they hate. To achieve that, it is important for the students to feel a sense of belonging to the school. If behaviour problems still occur, I would like to utilise reality therapy method as part of my behaviour management plan. Reality therapy is a counselling method introduced by Glasser in the early 1960s and has been used utilised in counselling ever since (Robey, Burdenski, Jr, Britzman, Crowell & Cisse, 2011). In this method, students can talk about the present situation and what they want in their future. Humanists do not believed in punishment and when I became a student, I also felt rebellious when the teacher punished me. Thus, instead of using punishment, Faber et. al (1995, as cited in Porter, 2000) suggested that teachers could try one of these:

•  Identify a way that could be helpful for the students.
•  Do not attack student’s character
•  Express expectations in positive ways
•  Provide a choice for the students of how they could meet teacher’s
• expectations.
•  Let students experience the natural consequences of their actions (p. 133)

Based on the suggestions above, I think that it can be effectively done in the context of MRSM schools as the students they are all bright students and tend to be thoughtful about their own action as compared to students in the public schools.

In conclusion, it can be seen that New Zealand and Malaysian teachers have different ways in which they deal with behaviour management in the classrooms where New Zealand teachers seem to practice assertive discipline while Malaysian teachers tend to use behaviourist theory of reward and punishment. In my opinion, effective teachers should have and practise behaviour management that they believe will work to their students in order for teaching and learning to occur. I could see myself holding tight to the humanist and choice theory approach in dealing with behaviour management in the future as humanist and choice theory treat students as the centre of learning and I personally think this is how I would treat my students too.

REFERENCES

Gartrell, D. (1987). Assertive discipline: unhealthy for children and other living things. Young children, 42(2), p.10-11. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.auckland.ac.nz/stable/42725868

Glasser, W. (1998). The quality school teacher (rev ed.). New York: Harper Perennial.

McKinney, S. E., Campbell-Whately, G. D., & Kea, C. D. (2005). Managing student behavior in urban classrooms the role of teacher ABC assessments. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 79(1), p.16-20. doi:10.3200/TCHS.79.1.16-20

Marzano, R. J. (with Marzano, J. S., & Pickering, D. J.). (2003). Classroom management that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Ministry of Education. (2012). Preliminary Report Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025. Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.my/userfiles/file/PPP/Preliminary- Blueprint-Eng.pdf

Porter, L. (2000). Student behaviour: theory and practices for teachers (2 nd ed.). St Leonards, N.S.W: Allen and Unwin.

Robey, P., Burdenski, T. K., Jr., Britzman, M., Crowell, J. & Cisse, S. (2011). Systemic applications of choice theory and reality therapy: an interview with Glasser scholars. The Family Journal, 19(4), p. 427-433. doi: 10.1177/1066480711415038

Traynor, P. L. (2002). A scientific evaluation of five different strategies teachers use to maintain order. Education, 122(3), 493-510. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do id=GALE%7CA87691060&v=2.1&u=learn&it=r&p=A ONE&sw=w&asid=1114b401ac421d23f10fa02237ca0518

Written by Farah Azielia