THEORIES IN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Democratic Teaching

THEORIES IN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Democratic Teaching

Rudolf Dreikurs

Main Argument/Tenets Strategies/Techniques Personal Reflection/Usefulness

Democratic classroom and teaching style

Social interest—condition in which students come to see that it is to their advantage to contribute to the wellbeing of the group as a whole

One of primary reasons students come to school is to develop that social interest, and it would continue outside of school

Thought it was essential to establish a sense of belonging for students

Discipline is based on mutual respect which motivates students to behaving constructively out of a heightened sense of social interest

An autocratic teacher is one who lays down the law in the classroom, feels a strong need to always be in charge, and doles out harsh consequences when rules are broken.

A permissive teacher is one who fails to insist that students comply with reasonable expectations and consequences

A democratic teacher is one who tries to motivate students from within, helps students develop rules of conduct that will enable the class so prosper and allows students to exercise freedom couple with responsibility

When students are unable to attain the genuine goal of belonging, they turn to mistaken goals. (trying to get attention, seeking power, seeking revenge, displaying inadequacy)

Encouragements vs Praise—encouragement->wods or actions teachers use to convey respect for students and belief in their

Of the three, I can see why Dreikurs would feel as though a democratic teacher would be the most effective.

I find it imperative for students to feel like they belong in the classroom—like they are wanted and needed there, but both their peers and their teacher(s)

If this doesn’t happen, the student simply won’t want to be there, and may act out in order to either:

o Try and feel like the part of the group

o Just simply create a situation in which they are no longer in that environment

I don’t agree however, that a primary reason for students to come to school is develop social interest. I think they come to school to learn, and building social interactions with other students happens along the way.

abilities. Praise-> only happens when something is completed successfully. Encouragement >> Praise

Logical consequences versus punishment—logical consequences->results the teacher consistently applies following certain behaviors, arranged jointly by teacher and students

THEORIES IN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

Instructional Management Jacob Kounin


Theories/hypothesis

Desists—reprimand to stop unwanted behaviors

Ripple effects would be causes by desist of others

Found

No correlation between desist techniques and ability to stop behaviors (doesn’t work in high school level, and minimal effectiveness at elementary level.)

“With-it-ness”—teachers need to know what is going on in all parts of the classroom at all times

“momentum”—good lesson momentum helps keep students on track

“smoothness”—smoothness in lesson presentation helps keep students involved

“group alerting”—effective teachers have systems for gaining student attention and clarifying expectations

“Satiation”—teachers must see to it that students are not given over-exposure to a particular topic

“student accountability”—effective teachers keep students attentive and actively involved

“overlapping”—teachers good in behavior management are able to attend to two or more events simultaneously

“enjoyable and challenging”—teachers should make instructional activities enjoyable and challenging

As the research found, I am not sure desists would have any kind of ripple effect

If anything, it may have an opposite effect… if a student does something that gets under the teachers skin, and gets a reaction, other students may actually try it to see if they can get reactions as well—they may use that to fit in the group as dreikurs would believe.

However some of the terms kounin has shown, I got see as very useless

Classroom plans should be very smooth, and should be challenging and enjoyable for the students in order to keep their attention


Discipline with Dignity Richard Curwin and Allen Mendler


Strategies for improving classroom behavior through maximizing student dignity

Found it important that students had hope, felt respected, and had dignity

Students without hope need special consideration and care

Kinds of consequences:

Conventional (timeout, suspension, removal from room)

Generic (reminders, warnings, choosing/planning)

Instructional (teaching students how to behave properly, etc)

Help students regain hope by:

making learning more attractive,

change lesson plans to fit certain students learning styles,

allow creativity of artistic expression

Grading systems that do not damage effort

Discipline methods:

Scolding, Lecturing, sarcasm, detention, extra homework, names on board, trips to principal’s office (bad ideas)

Creative responses (role reversal, humor, nonsense, role reversal)

Teacher must create lesson plans to allow for dignity

What does it mean to create a lesson plan that allows for student dignity?

Grading systems that do not damage effort, is an idea that I completely agree with, however, it is also an idea that is very difficult to impiment

When students are working on projects, papers, homework, labs, etc—you don’t want them focusing on “what grade am I going to get”, but focusing on what they are learning, what it means, and how it can apply to other situations in the real world

BUT grades are always there, and always looming around students’ minds. How to make the grades less important is something I am not sue how to do yet


Noncoercive Discipline William Glasser


Getting students involved

Classroom meetings—students have a say in “classroom norms”

Only about 15% of high school students did ‘quality work’.

Basic needs/meeting students basic needs:

Survival (food, shelter, safe environment)

Belonging (security, comfort, membership within a group)

Power (sense of importance, sense of stature)

Fun (good time, interesting, engaging)

Freedom (opportunity to exercise choice and responsibility)

Students find pleasure when their needs are met. Otherwise, they will be frustrated.

Try to make lessons enjoyable, engaging, meaningful, and interesting

Let students talk about their actions and solutions/ consequences about their behavior

Make sure to build connection with students

QUALITY TEACHING: o Provide a warm and

supportive classroom o Make useful and

meaningful work o Ask students to do their

best o Asking students to

evaluate their work and make improvements

o Help students see that quality work make students feel good

Boss Teacher vs Lead Teacher

Boss -> lays down the rules

Leader -> allows more student envolvement

Overall, I find Glasser’s ideas to be pretty straightforward and useful, but also seem like common sense to me

Of course every teacher should want their classroom to be a warm supportive environment for learning

If students’ work isn’t useful and meaningful, they will have issues finding out why it needs to be done—other than they are getting graded for it. And for some students getting a grade just doesn’t matter

Maye having students evaluate their work, and see how they can improve it, will help them take pride in what they can do

And maybe that will help them focus less on what grade they get and more on what they are learning


Assertive Discipline Lee & Marlene Canter

Main Argument/Tenets Strategies/Techniques Personal Reflection/Usefulness Students have clear rights and

needs that must be met if they are

to be taught effectively. These

students rights and needs include a

caring teacher who persistently

works to foster the best interests of

students.

Teachers have rights and need in

the classroom as well. Teachers’

rights include teaching in a

classroom that is free from

disruption, with support from

parents and administrators as they

work to help students

The most effective teachers are

those who remain in control of the

class while always remembering

that their principle duty to help

students behave responsibly

Teachers must continually model

through their own behavior the

kind of trust and respect for

students that they want students to

show towards others

A good discipline plan, build upon

trust and respect, is necessary for

helping students limit their own

counterproductive behavior. Such

a discipline plan contains rules and

Showing teachers how to establish a classroom

climate in which needs are met, behavior is

managed humanely, and learning occurs as needed

by: attending closely to student needs, establishing

good class rules of behavior, teaching students how

to behave properly, regularly giving students

positive attention, talking helpfully with students

who misbehave, establishing a climate of mutual

trust and respect

Clearly, confidently, and consistently express class

expectations to students

Attempt to build trust, teach students how to

behave so learning can progress, and they

implement a discipline plan that encourages student

cooperation

Help students understand exactly what is

acceptable and unacceptable, and make plain the

consequences that will follow student misbehavior

Recognize students’ needs for both:

o Consistent limits on behavior

o Warmth and encouragement

o Developing a solid basis of trust and

respect

Listen carefully to students, with

complete attention

Speak respectfully to students

I really enjoyed the canters’ ideas

Teachers and students both have rights and responsibilities in the classroom, and it seems the Canters were the only group that found both teachers and students rights and responsibilities to be just as important as the other

I could see myself setting up a management plan based on these ideas

I personally, would like my students to know exactly what can happen if they act inappropriately in the class

That way if for some reason, they do have a ‘punishment’ used, they can’t argue that they didn’t know what was coming. In this case (as wong said in his video) it isn’t necessarily a punishment.

It’s a consequence!

They knew what would happen if they acted in a certain way.

They acted that way…

consequences, and it must be fully

understood and supported by

students and their parents.

Most teachers need practice in

making positive repetitions (PR).

PR involve repeating directions as

positive statements to students who

are complying with class rules, for

example, “Fred remembered to

raise his hand. Good job.”

Negative consequences are

penalties teachers invoke when

student violate class expectations.

They are brought to bear only

when all else fails. Negative

consequences must be something

students dislike (Staying in after

class, being isolated from the

group) but must NEVER be

physically or psychologically

harmful.

Positive consequences are rewards,

usually words or facial expressions

that teachers offer when students

comply with class expectations.

The Canters consider positive

consequences to be very powerful.

Teachers must both model and

directly teach proper behavior. It

is not enough for teachers simply

to set limits and apply

consequences. They must go well

beyond that to actually teaching

students how to behave

Treat everyone fairly

Great students by name, with a

smile

Acknowledge birthdays and other

important evens in students’ lives

Learn about students’ interests and

what motivates them

Chat with students individually in

and out of the classroom

Send positive notes home with

students

Make occasional phone calls to

parents with positive comments

about the student

o Teaching students how they are expected

to behave

Teaching students how to follow

directions

Best time to do this is

immediately proper to the

first (or next) time the

activity is to take place

For younger children, give

demonstrations and have

children act them out

For older students, explain

the reasons behind the

directions and the benefits

they provide

Using positive recognition to

And the consequence are exactly what they expected!

responsibly in classroom

Teachers can have success with a

majority of students deemed

difficult-to-manage. They can

accomplish this be reaching out to

those students, learning about their

needs, interacting with them

personally, and showing a constant

willingness to help.

motivate good behavior

Praise is most effective

technique teachers have

for encouraging

responsible behavior

Guidelines:

o Effective praise is

personal.

Student’s name is

mentioned along

with the desired

behavior


genuine. It must

be related to the

situation and

behavior, and the

teacher’s

demeanor should

show that it is

sincere


descriptive and

specific. It lets

students know

when and why

they are behaving

appropriately


age appropriate.

Young

children

like to be

praised

publicly

Older

students

like praise

but

usually

prefer to

receive it

privately

Methods:

o Scanning—

looking around the

classroom

regularly to find

students who are

working

appropriately

o Circulating around

the classroom to

give one-on-one

attention

o Writing names on

the board of

student who are

behaving

responsibly

THEORIES IN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Teaching with Love and Logic

Jim Fay & David Funk


How to manipulate your students

Make your job easier, by making students think about what they were doing wrong

Consequences/approaching students right after action happened is not necessary

Advanced warning of punishment does not help

Make the student think/work/about what they did

3 main rules o Use enforceable limits o Provide choices within

limits o Apply consequences

with empathy

Ask questions! Make them think about what they did and why it may be wrong

Delay consequences, allowing for student and teacher to both calm down

Be patient with student before giving out punishments/consequences

Possible method. If student disagrees with consequences (as unfair), students are allowed to defend their view

Do not be commanding o Suggest what to do, not

say this is what you should do or be doing

Relationship building—encourage students with something positive and do not make more withdrawn students distrusting of compliments

I am all for making students do the work, and saving my own energy

BUT, I don’t think I could use this type of classroom management.

I can see how it could potentially work and make students think about what they did , and why it was wrong but at some points a teacher has to immediately dole out consequences..

Being inconsistent in the way your classroom is managed is just going to cause confusion, and mistrust between the students and teachers

THEORIES IN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Beyond Discipline

Alfie Kohn


Important to have democracy, community, and discussion in the classroom

When you show that you care for and respect your students, they will be more likely to respect you

Rules have no practical value in the classroom

Each teacher needs to know what they expect from their classroom and what they want to be

Take away the threat/ reward/ punishment system

Encourage conflict in the classroom because it allows students to problem solve, discuss, and learn to disagree

When finding structure and limitations in class be aware of

o Purpose o Restrictiveness o Flexibility o Developmental

appropriateness o Presentation style o Student involvement

Class meetings are necessary and important; they help sharing deciding, planning, and reflecting

With-it-ness—attentive to what all of the students in the classroom are doing and make sure the students are aware that you are attentive to the entire classroom

I am not sure I can agree with Kohn’s premise that rules have no practical value in the classroom

Rules exist everywhere…in sports the students play, in jobs the students will have one day…simply everywhere

Encourage conflict? I don’t think so.. sure it can allow students to learn how to problem solve and see that disagreements are going to occur

But allowing conflict to happen in your classroom, is going to take up ALL of your classroom.

It simply won’t allow the time for students to learn what you want them to learn—about your individual topics.

THEORIES IN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Positive Discipline in the Classroom

Jane Nelsen, Lynn Lott, and H. Stephen Glenn


Discipline problems become insignificant with classrooms that have good atmosphere, etcetcetc

3 empowering perceptions o Personal capabilities o Significance in primary

relationships o Personal power to

influence one’s life

4 essential skills o Intrapersonal skills o Interpersonal skills o Strategic skills o Judgemental skills

8 building blocks to effective class meeting

o Form a circle o Practice compliments

and appreciations o Create an agenda o Develop communication

skills o Separate realities

(everyone’s different) o Ask student’s if they have

ever wondered why people do what they do

o Practice roleplaying and brainstorming

o Focus on non-punitive solutions

This group seems that if you act like the world is perfect, your classroom will be perfect

I just don’t see it working

I understand that you want to have a very positive atmosphere in your classroom, but that doesn’t mean there will be no classroom interruptions or issues

Of course students should believe that they have the power to influence their own life—they do!

But everything around someone can influence them as well.

Class meetins have seemed to be a theme through a few different management ideas, and I can find them useful. But a lot of time there is so much topical material to cover, when can you have these meetings?

5 minute meetings won’t do much, so they would need to be a good chunk of time, and fitting them in may not allow for all topics to be covered. It may also be a time when students just feel they don’t have to pay attention!

THEORIES IN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Cooperative Discipline

Linda Albert


Students choose their own behavior

Should involve parents (collaborative effort)

Teachers can only influence behavior (students have to choose themselves)

Avoidance of failure behavior—students would rather look lazy than stupid

3 C’s

Let students feel capable o Build confidence o Focus on past successes o Make learning tangible

Allow them to connect (with positive relationships

o Acceptance o Attention o Appreciations o Affirmation o Affection

Let them contribute o Encourage students to

help other students, the community, the class, and the school

o Make sure each student has a positive influence

Conflict resolution plan (6d) o Determine problem

without blame o Declare solution to

problem o Describe feelings o Discuss resolution o Decide on a plan o Determine the plan’s

effectiveness

I have seen situations that students help build the classroom rules and consequences, and I love that idea.

They can’t argue with a rule they, themselves, found important in the classroom.

I could potentially use this, but I would have to ‘influence’ the idea of a few rules that I find most important. Most students would most likely agree with those rules as well.

Making sure parents are involved in the classroom process is important as well. Many students take on the views of their parents when it comes to school! So having parents on your side, most likely students will be as well!


The First Days of School Harry K. Wong & Rosemary T. Wong


What helps students learn?

1. Classroom management (#1

thing)

a. It is the teacher who

makes the difference in

the classroom

b. What the teacher does in

the classroom is the most

important thing when it

comes to student learning

2. Learning Processes

a. Teaching students how to

learn?

b. Like how to take notes

c. How to read a textbook

d. How to work in groups

3. Home & Parental Support

4. Teacher and Student

Interrelationships

……

28. District Demographics

First day: I. How to greet students

a. Welcome them when they get

there, shake hands, make sure

they know they are in the right

place

b. Gives index card with random

letter and number

i. (seating assignment)

ii. Why assign seats?

iii. Effective teachers assign

seats on the first day of

school

iv. That can be shuffled

later!

v. Want seating chart

1. Facilitates roll

taking

2. Aids name

memorization!!

3. Keeps potential

trouble makers

from sitting

together in the

I had never really thought about how important the first day of school—and the first week of school—really could be

I can see how they would set the tone for the entire semester/year!

It seems as the wong, and myself, agree with some of the other authors when saying students want to know how they are supposed to behave, and what they need to do

Giving students procedures for how they will act during class gives them a very specific way that they need to act every single day

Students know what is going on, there is no confusion.

And best thing yet, the teacher doesn’t have to get upset, raise his/her voice, and make students feel like the teacher is against them

I could easily see myself using some, if not many of the different methods Wong used himself, or other teachers used that Wong shared

What affected student achievement in his classroom

1. How he managed his classroom

2. His expectations of his students

First day of school

Very important (or most important

day)

First day cannot be repeated!

All students want to know the

following:

1. Am I in the right room?

2. Where am I supposed to

sit?

3. What are the rules in this

classroom?

4. What will I be doing this

year?

5. How will I be graded?

6. Who is the teacher as a

person?

a. Are you

competent?

7. Will you treat me as a

human being?

back of the room

II. Must be assignment posted before

student walks in

a. Should be posted in same

location every single day!

b. Immediately get to work!

c. The very first thing that must

happen when students first walk

into the class, they must get

directly work!

III. OWN IT

a. I take responsibility for doing it

How do you get students to succeed, and how to run a class that is very effective?

Has a discipline plan posted in class. Also gives students in class 2 copies (one for them, and one for their parents). Must have a plan!! Make sure the office has that plan as well! 3 parts:

1. Rules (3-5)

2. Consequences

3. Rewads

The number one problem is classrooms is a lack of procedures and routines!—NOT lack of discipline! Discipline—concerns how students behave Has penalties and rewards A rule is a dare to be broken! Deals with behavior Procedures—concern how students get things down Does not have penalties and rewards A procedure is a do, a step to be learned Deals with doing Make the students do the work!

An effective teacher manages a classroom. An ineffective teacher disciplines a classroom. Student achievement as the end of the year is directly related to the degree to which the teacher establishes good control of the classroom procedures in the very first week of school.

Documents

THEORIES IN CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Democratic Teaching