Ask any teacher about the biggest challenge they face and the response is likely to be: maintaining classroom.
The philosophy of inclusive education has many advantages but it has also made it more challenging for educators to promote positive behaviour among students with different levels of motivation, disposition to learn and disparate social backgrounds.
It is sobering that teachers today have to deal with vulnerable students who experience social, emotional and communication difficulties and associated challenging behaviour. Many students exhibit behaviour that acts as a barrier to learning and inclusion. Yet, teachers are expected to show acceptance and respect for all students irrespective of the vast differences in the behaviour and disposition of students in their classrooms.
It is, therefore, a positive step to define in very broad terms a context for understanding student behaviour in Maltese schools and the causes of misbehaviour. The strategic document launched by the Ministry of Education should help teachers to cope better with the challenges that diversity and inclusiveness brings in the classroom.
What is more difficult is defining the best strategies to deal with student misbehaviour simply because there are various theories promoted by different education experts. The policy document compiled by the Ministry for Education states: “Through a democratic process students are to be involved in the formulation of a school philosophy outlining rights and responsibilities. It is not about forcing students to comply with teacher demands but allowing them to assume ownership and success in all aspects of their schooling.”
It is indicative that the word ‘discipline’ is rarely used by those promoting more democracy in our education system. Similarly, we hear more about students’ rights than about student responsibilities. Hopefully, this document will redress the imbalance that has been created in recent years when a more liberal approach was taken to educational strategy.
Some educators today disagree that well-behaved students should be rewarded. They maintain: “When you offer rewards in return for good behaviour, you create in your students a peculiar sense of entitlement. They’ll feel entitled to receive something for merely doing what is expected.” Real life is not like that. Students need to be prepared for real life from an early stage in their school years.
Good schools promote the intrinsic merit of being a valued citizen of your class. Good educators develop and encourage self-confidence, self-worth, self-discipline and ultimate independence. Promoting a culture of entitlement will never encourage students to excel in what they do but, rather, to demand more ‘rights’ and less discipline, which is wrongly perceived as an affront to their freedom.
Teachers also need the help of school psychologists and the cooperation of parents to get to the root of behaviour problems that affect some students. Many psychologists insist that as many as 10 per cent of adults have some form of personality disorder and that the first symptoms start to appear in the early school years.
Our schools need more psychologists to work with parents as well as teachers to identify personality disorders in students and provide guidance on how best to deal with these behavioural issues.
Good behaviour in the classroom is its own reward. It offers students self-respect and confidence that makes them capable of understanding, from an early stage, their role within society. It teaches them respect for authority and helps them to eventually integrate in the workplace.