Classroom Management Theories and Styles - Case Study Example

Classroom Management 1. What Classroom Management is? Before going into the details of classroom behavior management styles, let’s get a better understanding of what classroom management actually is. Classroom management is defined as a teacher’s ability to organize the student behavior, student roles, and various other related activities in order to smoothly and effectively run all the processes and activities related to teaching. Classroom management includes that set of activities which are extremely important not only for creating proper learning environment in the classroom but also enables the students to express their ideas and point of views in a professional way. If a teacher is not able to control the student behavior, time, and resources regarding classroom, he can neither gain respect and honor among the students nor can he be able to properly teach the students what he intends to. Effective classroom management is a technique which acts as the foundation for any teacher’s success. It is because a teacher can only be able to effectively transfer the knowledge to the students if the classroom has a perfect learning environment. If the students create noise, show disrespect for the teachers, or get involved in disruptive activities in the classroom, perfect learning environment can never be created. 2. How to Manage a Classroom Environment? Managing an ordered and a disciplined classroom is of extreme importance for any teacher to be successful and effective. It is because a well-managed classroom always has a direct effect on a teacher’s ability to show a professional approach towards teaching. A teacher should know what steps should be taken by him in order to create a learning environment in the classroom. Some important and major issues regarding classroom management include students’ misbehavior, students’ inattentiveness, students’ involvement in activities other than studies, and punctuality issue. There are a lot of ways through which a teacher can effectively manage the behaviors and activities of the students. These ways include checking the instructions if students misbehave, regularly monitoring the students, taking corrective measures in private, threats should never be made, care should be shown to the students, interacting with the students, and redirecting misbehavior instead of punishing the students. Let’s discuss some of those ways in detail: 2.1. Create Awareness The prime responsibility of a teacher in order to manage a class is that he should create awareness among the students about reason of their presence in the classroom. The teachers should tell the students that they should be fully dedicated towards the studies while in classroom as it in their own benefit. The students should be told that there is a lot of time for them to get involved in extra curricular activities, but when they are in a classroom, they must concentrate on studies instead of thinking about other activities. 2.2. Monitoring the Students Another important step which should be taken by the teachers is that of monitoring the students’ activities in the classroom. The teachers should keep an eye on each and every activity of the students in order to make sure that they don’t get involved in other activities. If any student is found inactive in the studies, he should be notified and even then if that student doesn’t show interest in studies, the parents of the student should be called in the school in order to discuss the behavior of the student with his parents. 2.3. Interaction with Students It is extremely important for a teacher to have interaction with the students in the classroom. A teacher should never let the students feel ignored because when the students feel that they are not getting required attention form their teacher, they get involved in other activities like creating noise, showing misconduct, and giving less attention to the studies. So it is necessary for a teacher to interact with the students and treat them with love and care because students respect the teacher who shows kindness to the students. 3. How to Deal with Misbehavior Misbehavior of the students is one of the very serious issues regarding classroom management because if any one of the students shows misbehavior or misconduct in the classroom, it not only diverts the attention of other students and the teacher from studies but also encourages other students to get involved in the unwanted activities instead of properly concentrating on studies. Appropriate measures should be taken by the teacher in order to eliminate the issue of misbehavior from the classroom in order to promote learning in the classroom. A teacher should remain focused and calm throughout the class session because if teacher’s concentration gets shifted from studies to students’ misbehavior, he can not be able to effectively transfer the knowledge to the students. But it doesn’t mean that the teacher should let the students do whatever they want to do in the classroom. The teacher should ask the students not to create any sort of disturbance in the class. Not only that, the teacher should also tell the students that disciplinary action will be taken against the misbehaving students. Disciplinary action should never include corporal punishment; rather parents of the misbehaving students can be called in the school in order to discuss the issue. During the off-task period, teachers should engage the students in healthy activities like music, sports, and other creative activities so that students don’t get frustrated and bored. Special classes should be conducted by the teachers for the purpose of educating the students about the outcomes of misbehaviors and misconducts. Students should be told that they have come to the school in order to learn some knowledge and become a disciplined citizen. It is the responsibility of the teachers to create friendly relation with the students in stead of being harsh at them. Teachers should know that difference which can be made through politeness can never be made by getting harsh at students. If the students show misbehavior, teachers should try to eradicate that factor which made the student show misconduct. Another perfect way to eliminate misbehavior from the students is by implementing a best student reward system in which that student should be given an award or a prize who prove to be the best student in the class in terms of behavior. In this case, every student will try to become the best among all students in order to get the prize. So these were some ways which are really helpful for the teachers in order to effectively deal with the students’ misbehavior. 4. Classroom Management Theories and Styles There are a lot of classroom management theories and styles which are appropriate for the teachers in order to manage the students’ behavior and create a learning environment. These theories and styles include restitution theory, Glasser’s theory, Skinner’s behavioral management theory, psychodynamic model, and IOSIE model. 4.1. Restitution Theory In restitution theory, there is a regular or constant reflection on the behavior of students. Students get to learn from their mistakes in order to achieve something. The regular reflection on the behavior enables the students to conduct their behaviors and attitudes according to their inner sense of personal ethics and moral values. According to restitution theory, the teachers perform the roles of punisher, friend, monitor, and manager. The teachers not only enforce control, give threats to students if they show misbehavior, and encourage good conduct in the classroom but also give rewards to offset negative. 4.2. Glasser’s Theory According to Glasser’s theory, students should have a choice of not only selecting their set of courses but also setting the code of conduct in the classroom. In this way, the students will gain confidence and cognition by getting involved in the classroom management. They will also have a pride in their participation in classroom management. Students will show the sense of responsibility because they will have in their minds that they own the classroom so it’s their responsibility to maintain an excellent behavior in the classroom. 4.3. Skinner’s Behavioral Management Theory In skinner’s behavioral management theory, consequences or penalty/reward is provided for both types of behaviors, positive and negative. A proper and systematic process is implemented by the teachers in order to regulate the behavior of the students in the classroom. If the students show positive behavior in the classroom, they get rewarded by their respective teachers but if they show misconduct in the classroom, they get penalized. Skinner behavioral theory has very deep roots in the success of the teachers in creating a well-behaved classroom environment because of implementation of a penalty/reward system for the students. 4.4. Psychodynamic Model When the students feel that they are dependent on their teachers, a sense of hostility and unfriendliness arises in the students. In order to reduce hostility, teachers often provide the students with such an environment where they can feel independence and freedom which results in creating a sense of self-determination in the students. Psychodynamic model is effective in a sense that it helps the teachers in establishing positive relations with the students by empowering the students to develop the sense of responsibility and self-determination. Talking about the effectiveness of the model, there are also some weaknesses which include insufficient support for teachers in dealing with misbehaving students and no existence of any specific method for dealing with a student who shows misconduct or gets involved in a violent act. 5. Literature Research regarding Classroom Management Farrell (1999) found that dealing with students’ misbehavior is one the most serious issues for the schools teachers. Ability to manage the classroom acts as the basis for a teacher’s success. Steere (1988) affirms that a teacher can only be successful in his teaching career if he has the ability to effectively manage the classroom. If a teacher has not got the skills related to classroom management, he can never be able to create a learning atmosphere in the classroom. Breaux (2005, p.5) states that “an organized environment is a breeding ground for learning”. Fontana (1994) suggested that teachers should take appropriate measures in order to eradicate undisciplined behavior from the students and create learning environment in a classroom. This is because misconduct and undisciplined behavior of students is very destructive for a learning environment. Smith (1993) found that creating a learning environment is directly related to classroom management. Wright (2005) suggests that the teachers should take steps to build confidence in the students so that they can accept responsibility for their own behavior. Bransford and Hammond (2005, p.327) assert that “classroom management is not simply the process of arranging desks and rewarding good behaviors”. Dickinson and Waterhouse (1990) found that classroom management is one of those responsibilities of a teacher which should be effectively fulfilled in order to get success in the profession. Teachers can fulfill this responsibility by using Glasser theory which really helps the cause in a sense that it provides the students with an opportunity to not only manage their behaviors but also choose their courses and decide on the rules regarding the classroom. It also promotes self independence and self assurance in the students. "Most people, however, do not believe they have a choice" (Glasser, 1989, p. 2). Glasser (1993) states, "Control Theory is a new explanation of how we choose to live our lives: It is actually a new psychology" (p. 122). Glasser theory suggests that possessing control in our life makes us psychologically and expressively healthy. Students need to be told the ways to control their behavior in the classroom. Glasser (1984) suggests that there are 4 basic human needs which are love, control, freedom, and fun. If we talk about Skinner’s behavioral management theory, we can say that it is also a very beneficial style for the teachers as it applies penalty/reward system for the students. Skinner (1976) suggests that students can be controlled by applying the correct reward and punishment mechanisms. 6. Conclusion Summing it up, it can be said that classroom management is of extreme importance for any teacher if he wants to be effective in the classroom and successful in his profession. Dealing with students’ misbehavior is one of the most critical issues which a teacher may face while taking steps to create a learning environment in the classroom. The teachers should make use of such behavioral methods and techniques which are very helpful for the teachers in order to effectively manage the classroom and establish a creative and learning environment. References Bransford, J. & Hammond, L., 2005. Preparing Teachers For a Changing World: What Teachers Should Learn and be Able to do. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Breaux, E., 2005. Classroom Management Simplified. Larchmont: Eye on Education, Inc. Dickinson, C. & Waterhouse, P., 1990. Classroom Management. Stanford: Continuum International Publishing. Farrell, M., 1999. Key Issues for Primary Schools. London: Routledge. Fontana, D., 1994. Managing Classroom Behavior. 2nd ed. Leicester: BPS Books. Glasser, W., 1984. Control theory. New York: Harper and Row. Glasser, W., 1989. Control theory in the practice of reality therapy. New York: Harper & Row. Glasser, W. 1993. The quality school teacher. New York: HarperCollins. Skinner, B., 1976. Walden two. New York: MacMillan. Smith, C., 1993. Effective Classroom Management. London: Routledge. Steerey, B., 1988. Becoming an Effective Classroom Manager. Albany: SUNY Press. Wright, D., 2005. There’s No Need to Shout!: The Secondary Teacher’s Guide to Successful Behavior Management. Cheltenham: Nelson Thomas Ltd. Read More