AEG5110 Approaches to Teaching and Learning

Case Writing
Lee Maieron 3831159
During my first teaching placement at Victoria University Secondary College
(VUSC) I was responsible for teaching a group of year 8 students Health and PE, in
this instance risk management. At VUSC due to timetabling and other priorities
Health and PE are combined into one subject, here they are allocated 2 x 72
minute periods per week. Due to this, the semester is split into a theory and
practical block, meaning either Health or PE is being undertaken in class and not
both at the same time. Due to this, a number of students dont look forward to
health as it is seen as a replacement for physical activity and a painful hurdle for
students to complete before they are rewarded with practical classes. Towards
the end of the risk management unit students are becoming frustrated at the
deprivation of their physical outlet for the week and tensions in class have begun
to rise.
On a Thursday afternoon I began to teach my final lesson on risk management
(perhaps if I had looked more closely over my subject matter the following may
not have occurred). All seemed normal as students made their way to their usual
positions in the classroom. Today in particular we were covering the effects of
decision making and harm minimisation in the youths of today. The aim of the
lesson was to inform students of the possible outcomes of poor decisions and to
arm them with strategies to help them avoid or deal with these risks. Whilst
introducing the topic of drugs I heard an exchange between two of my students.
Ahmed called Tahi (a friend of his on his table) a druggy. I deliberately ignored
the comment and continued to teach the lesson. Shortly afterwards Ahmed
repeated his statement, this time the response from Tahi was not so passive.
Before I could finish the sentence Ahmed I dont think that is an appropriate thing
to say in class, of which I completed half, Tahi stood up, grabbed his table and
flipped it in the air dispatching any stationary or belongings that were on the
table. Speechless, I continued to watch Tahi in awe as he walked out of the
classroom and flipped another empty table on his way out. After a short exchange
of looks between my mentor it was established that he would go and take care of
Tahi. Still in shock of what had just happened, it was now my job to settle the
class, reclaim power of the situation and continue with my lesson.
I believe with a better understanding of class dynamics and personalities I would
have been able to predict the event and put a halt to any escalation in the matter.
Upon hearing the initial remark druggy there were a few factors that influenced
my decision to ignore the remark and not acknowledge it. At the time, before any
reflection, I thought this was the correct decision for several reasons. Tahi and
Ahmed were friends, I had observed them work well together over the weeks and
perhaps this was just some inappropriate banter between friends. Perhaps you are
asking if it was something that was deemed inappropriate at the time, why would
I let it slide? Using the little information I knew about Tahi and his family situation I
made a decision to not address it in front of the whole class while there was both
a stage for Ahmed and increased attention for Tahi. At the time I felt that if I had
addressed something that 80% of the class didnt hear that I may give the
remainder of the class the idea that Tahi is in fact a druggy. Due to this
reasoning I made the decision to ignore the statement for now and talk to Ahmed
at a later time in private to discuss his wrong doings. Upon hearing the second
statement it was all too late to intervene in the matter and my power as a teacher
had been lost and the safety of my class had been compromised due to my
mismanagement. I do believe that I was able to regain control of the class by
continuing with the lesson promptly. Reflecting now I wonder if I should have

taken some time away from the lesson plan to discuss the events that had
occurred in the class and explain to students that this is not an acceptable
interaction or response. It would have been beneficial to my own learning to
understand students viewpoints on the situation, yet at the same time it still
would have been beneficial to be a part of the consequences and mediation of
students. Unfortunately the matter was escalated straight to a co-ordinator where
the decision was made to give both students an in house suspension.
Upon reflection of the above case and research of current literature I believe there
are certain aspects of my practice, which could be refined, and certain aspects in
which I believe my reasonings behind the decisions made were appropriate but
the situation should never have exceeded a point where I no longer had control. I
have come to the understanding that with a better knowledge of students and
individual personalities I would have been able to intervene much earlier, instead
of guessing and hoping things would not escalate. Possible interventions could
have been to ask to speak to Ahmed quietly outside or acknowledge his wrong
doings in some way to show some support towards Tahi. Nizielski et al. (2012)
discusses how teachers with high emotional intelligence can form greater
relationships with students by understanding a students needs. Nizielski states
that we considered that attention to student needs would help teachers manage
student misconduct because it would convey the teachers concerns and thereby
foster empathy and effective communication with students and establish an
appropriate emotional climate and an atmosphere of caring and collaboration. In
this situation I believe Tahis needs were not met by myself, support was not
offered to him in a time of embarrassment and exclusion. In future practice I
would make sure that students felt my classroom was a safe environment to learn
and collaborate in without being excluding, feeling vulnerable or having to defend
their reputation in the classroom. I believe as a full time teacher I would be able to
build a greater relationship with students (which I believe was achieved by my
second round of placement) and classroom respect and expectations would be
established as early as possible. I would also have the opportunity to speak to
both students to resolve any confrontation and on going issues.
Reference:
1. Nizielski, S, Hallum S, Lopes, PN & Schutz, A 2012, Attention to Student
Needs Mediates the Relationship between Teacher Emotional Intelligence
and Student Misconduct in the Classroom, Journal of Psychological
Assessment, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 320-329.