Challenges and Strategies in Managing Elementary School Information Technology Classes: A Case Study of Teaching Windows Paint to Third Graders

Abstract

Against the backdrop of digital transformation in education and with the evolution of information technology curriculum philosophy, classroom discipline issues in elementary school information technology courses have taken on new complexities and challenges. Taking the teaching of the “Windows Paint” module in a third-grade class at a certain elementary school as a case study, this research analyzed classroom video recordings using ELAN multimodal annotation software to systematically examine students’ disciplinary behaviors, teachers’ response strategies, and the effectiveness of classroom management in information technology classes. The findings reveal that student discipline issues primarily manifest as inattention, careless operations, and a weak sense of rules, and are closely related to the organization of instructional content, the use of reward and punishment mechanisms, and students’ cognitive developmental stages. Based on the case analysis, this paper proposes eight management strategies, including establishing classroom routines, designing point-based reward and punishment systems, optimizing instructional content, utilizing verbal commands for management, and strengthening home-school collaboration. The study indicates that effective classroom discipline management should facilitate a transition from external control to internal self-discipline, thereby supporting the development of students’ self-regulation skills and their adaptation to digital learning environments.