Reflective Diary: Maths Class Incident - Teacher Development

This assignment presents a reflective diary entry detailing two incidents in a maths class involving disruptive student behavior. The student utilizes Gibbs' reflective cycle, describing the incidents, personal feelings, evaluations of the situations (identifying good and bad aspects), and an analysis of the events. The conclusion outlines alternative actions that could have been taken, and an action plan is provided, detailing how the student would respond differently in similar future situations. The diary entry highlights challenges in classroom management, the impact of disruptive behavior on the learning environment, and strategies for handling such situations, including seeking assistance, implementing proactive teaching methods, and using different approaches to engage students. The student also reflects on the importance of adapting teaching practices based on these experiences and references external resources on managing disruptive students.

Reflective Learning Diary Sheet
Gibbs, G. (1998) Learning by Doing: a guide to teaching and learning methods. London: FEU
Activity/ Event:
Date:
Description: Describe factually what happened during your critical incident or
chosen episode for reflection.
Reflection 1
This is to describe an incident that took place in one of my Maths class, where I was
teaching only 2 students. One of those 2 students were extremely troublesome and was
disturbing the entire setting of my class. Resultantly, I asked that disruptive student to
leave my class for creating disturbance. However, another student was continuing the work
in a very focussed manner. He competed his work truly well without getting distracted
from whatsoever happened in the class.
Reflection 2
Here also, I was taking a maths session of 2 students and amongst those, 1 was very
disruptive and directly started walking away from the class. He was also using cursing

language and thus, I found myself unable to take any proactive actions to prevent him from
doing so.
Feelings: What were you thinking and feeling at the time?
Reflection 1
This section is to demonstrate my own feelings when this incident took place where I became
very stressed about continuing in such unsettling environment of my class. Although, another
student showed a very supportive presence and duly contributed in carrying out a focussed
study. His concentration truly amazed me and I was very much impressed from that student
who timely completed his task.
Reflection 2
I felt very helpless at the time when the student behaved in such unacceptable manner and was
thinking about getting assistance in the form of some tips to deal with such intolerable
behaviour in the classroom.
Evaluation: Identify what was GOOD and what was BAD about the experience.
Reflection 1
This is to ascertain both good and bad aspects of my experience where the existence of such
disturbing student disturbed my mental peace where I was also overwhelmed from the student
who was very much attentive towards his work and completed it on a due period of time.

Despite of the troubling situation created by the disruptive student, his hard work paid off my
efforts really well and I finally felt good about it. This taught me the power of concentration
without getting affected from any awful situation going around while working. Although, I felt
really bad for the student who couldn’t attend my class and I have to remove him, at last.
Reflection 2
The good part of my experience was an extra support from the staff members to help me get
rid of that student from the class. However, I together felt bad for not being able to stop him
and take relevant actions to make him study in a focussed manner without being disruptive in
the class.
Analysis: What sense can you make out of the situation? What does it mean?
Reflection 1
This is to analyse the current situation that reflected two distinct instances of disruptive and
well- behaved students. It has together revealed the fact where one should adopt a strategic
way to manage distinct type of students in the classroom and handle them well, without getting
affected from any type of nuisance created by them in the class.
Reflection 2
On analysing this situation, I understood the principal importance of being suitably informed
about the ways in which, one can deal with such disruptive students in the class where it is a
very common scenario and a teacher must be vigilant enough to handle such situations. It is
basically on considering the fact where there exists different type of students with a distinct
nature of all and thus, a teacher should be enough potent to deal with such difficult
circumstances, without getting affected in a negative manner.
Conclusion: What else could you have done? What should you perhaps not have

done?
Reflection 1
It is on the basis of the above carried analysis where I could have referred to some tips for
handling disruptive students in the class and take assistance of my senior colleagues, etc. Also,
I could have avoided to remove the troublesome student from the class and have instead
rewarded the obedient student in front of him. Beside this, teaching some more interesting
lessons could have assisted me in fetching the interest of the disturbing student in the class.
Apart from this, I should have used the white board quite more by together asking the student
to work on it with factual illustrations.
Reflection 2
I could have taken some relevant steps myself with no assistance of other staff members. Also,
I should not let the student walk away from the class by encouraging him to write on the white
board.
Action Plan: If it arose again, what would you do differently? How will you adapt
your practice in the light of this new understanding?
Reflection 1
In case, such similar incident takes place again, I will ensure being prepared by going through
certain class management tips from my seniors and will also search for some assistance on
internet regarding the same. Furthermore, I will emphasis more on applying several
affirmative practices while teaching students and enlighten their knowledge in every possible
way.
Reflection 2
I would definitely take assistance of scaffolding learning to avoid any such disruptive situation
in the future while taking class where troublesome students must get a quick and instant

reaction by the teachers itself. It should together incorporate some corrective measures by
using accurate tone to interact and handle a threatening student in an effective way.
REFERENCES
Lorain, P., 2017. Handling Disruptive Students. [Online]. Available through:
<http://www.nea.org/tools/handling-disruptive-students.html>.