TSL3109 Managing The Primary ESL Classroom

Week 4

Management TheoriesBuilding the foundation

• Skinner, Glasser, Gordon

Theories of Assertive Tactics

• Lee Canter & Marlene Canter

Theories of Democratic Teaching

• Rudolf Dreikurs

Theories of Instructional Management

Jacob Kounin

Theories of Congruent Communication

Haim Ginott

Theories & Models Of Classroom Management

• Building the foundation (Skinner, Glasser,Gordon)

• Theories of Assertive Tactics (Lee Canter & Marlene Canter)

You should be able to:

• Identify and discuss the major theorists who laid the foundation for contemporary classroom management.

• Describe the basics of their theories.

• Explain the classroom management ideas that can be drawn from each model.

BUILDING THE FOUNDATION (SKINNER, GLASSER, GORDON)

Theories & Models Of Classroom Management

B.F. SKINNERBuilding the foundation

• When we perform an act & are rewarded (reinforced) for doing so, we become more likely to repeat that act & even try harder in the future.

• Skinner used the term reinforcing stimulus. A stimulus (stg the individual receives) affects a particular behaviour only if it is received very soon after that behaviour occurs.

• Behaviour modification is widely used today to shape student behaviour in desirable directions through systematic reinforcement.

• Skinner did not advocate using punishment in shaping behaviour, as he considered its effects unreliable.

• Although Skinner did not concern himself with classroom discipline per se, his ideas affected it strongly.

WALLACE GLASSERBuilding the foundation

Noncoercive Discipline

• Helping troubled individuals learn to resolve their problems within the context of present reality.

• Provided a means for troubled people to connect or reconnect with others important in their lives.

Noncoercive Discipline

• Guidelines for using the principles:

1. Focus on the present

Avoid discussing the past. Talk about what one might do here & now to resolve the problem.

2. Stay away from criticising & blaming.

These are harmful external control behaviours that destroy relationships.

Noncoercive Discipline

• Guidelines for using the principles:

3. Remain nonjudgmental & noncoercive

Emphasise the value of appraising everything one does in terms of the results.

4. Don’t get bogged down in excuses.

Whether legitimate or not, excuses stand directly in the way of making the needed connections with others.

Noncoercive Discipline

• Guidelines for using the principles:5. Work toward specific workable plans for

reconnecting with people as neededFollow through on plans & evaluate results & efforts.

6. Show patience & support for the troubled individual, but keep focusing on addressing the source of the problem. Whatever the difficulty might be, reconnecting is the best possible solution to the problem.

Noncoercive Discipline

• 3 contributions with a major impact on teaching & discipline.

• Came at a time when people were beginning to question the overall value of Skinner’s theory.– Failure is one of the most disheartening things that

can happen to students in school.

– Students choose to behave as they do. No one makes them misbehave & no one can force them to learn. Teachers should view behaviour as choice & influence students to make better choices in how they behave.

Noncoercive Discipline

• 3 contributions with a major impact on teach ing & discipline:

– Behaviour tends to improve when students are asked to participate in reflecting on difficulties in the classroom & taking steps to resolve them.

– Glasser proposed classroom meetings as the vehicle for involving students meaningfully.

Noncoercive Discipline

• Approach to discipline:• Emphasises rules students were to follow, combined

with consequences for breaking them.• Students, not teachers were to assume responsibility

for proper behaviour.• When students misbehaved, they were asked in a

friendly tone to state what they had done & to evaluate the effect their actions had on the students, classmates, & teacher.

• Students were further asked to identify & commit themselves to subsequent behaviour that would be more appropriate.

Noncoercive Discipline

• Students who saw themselves as failures would only improve if they had on going supportive involvement with people who provided positive influence & accepted no excuses for improper behaviour.

THOMAS GORDONBuilding the foundation

• Teacher Effectiveness Training (T.E.T.)• Based on philosophy of Carl Rogers, i.e.,

children are inherently rational and, if directed and forced by teachers, will be stifled

• “Use of coercive power damages relationships.”

• Assumptions: student is intrinsically motivated to be good, should be supported by an accepting relationship and is capable of solving own problems.

• Power-based methods of discipline are ineffective in the long run.

• Traditional interventions, such as rewards and punishments, are power based authority and a win-lose conflict resolution.

• Teachers should use non controlling methods to promote behavior change. Teachers should strive for cooperation with students.

• When power is used, effectiveness is lessened

Rewards

• Negative behaviors are likely to occur when rewards are used to influence behavior.

• Students become concerned with getting the reward, not learning the desired behavior.

• Students tend to revert quickly to undesirable behaviors when the reward is removed.

• When students are used to receiving rewards and are not rewarded they consider it punishment.

• Students receive more of a reward from their classmates for behaving improperly than from the teacher for behaving properly.

Punishment

• Ineffective in producing self discipline and causes long term negative effects.

• Students experience feelings of belittlement, rage, and hostility.

• Punished students lose their desire to cooperate willingly with the teacher.

• There is an increased likelihood the punished students will lie and cheat in order to avoid punishment.

Change the Environment:

• “Modify the environment” (rather than the student).

• Enriching the environment or limiting distractions.

• Teachers are taught to observe the behaviour, identify who owns the problem, demonstrate understanding, confront if necessary and use win-win problem-solving.

• Skills to be applied to handle any situation:– Confrontive skills – teachers own the problem.– Helping skills – students own the problem.– Preventive skills – prevent possible problems.– Participative planning – teachers and students share in

planning and decision-making.

I-Messages Communicate:

• The behavior that is presenting a problem for the teacher.

• What the teacher is feeling about the behavior.

• Why the behavior is causing a problem.

Shifting Gears

• Change from an assertive /sending posture to a listening/ understanding posture.

No-Lose Method of Conflict-Resolution

• Defuse conflict by bringing about a solution acceptable to everyone.

• Avoid having a winner and a loser.

When The Student Owns The Problem:

• Use listening skills – listen carefully but do not attempt to solve the students problem.

Improving Student Behavior

• Teachers can improve student behaviour by:

– Using student ideas in instruction

– Praising students when appropriate

– Using more real and genuine teacher talk

• Show interest in student work.

• Ignore minor misbehaviours.

• Understand reasons for misbehaviours.

THEORIES OF ASSERTIVE TACTICS (LEE CANTER & MARLENE CANTER)

Theories & Models Of Classroom Management

Assertive Discipline

• The most popular discipline system in US schools from 1979-2000.

• Urged teachers to “take charge” in the classroom & showed them how to do so.

• Provided a simple but well-structured plan that enabled teachers to interact with students in a calm, insistent, & consistent manner.

• Students had a right to learn, & teachers had a right to teach.

Basic Rights of Students

Students have the right to: – Have an optimal learning environment– Have teachers who help them reduce

inappropriate behavior– Have teachers who provide appropriate support

for appropriate behavior– Have teachers who do not violate the students’

best interests– Choose how to behave with the advance

knowledge of the consequences that will consistently follow

Basic Rights of Teachers

Teachers have the right to:

– Maintain an optimal learning environment

– Expect appropriate behavior

– Expect help from administrators and parents

– Ensure students’ rights and responsibilities are met by a discipline plan that:

• Clearly states expectations

• Consistently applies the consequences

• Does not violate the best interests of the students

Assertive Discipline

• Students to choose to conduct themselves properly in school. The following were needed:

• A clear set of rules for class behaviour

• Positive consequences when students complied with the rules

• Negative consequences that became progressively more unpleasant if students continued to break the rules

Assertive Discipline

• The teacher’s response style sets the tone of the classroom as well as impacting on the student’s self-esteem and success.

• The Canters identified three basic response styles used by teachers when interacting with students.

Response Styles: Nonassertive

• Overly passive

• Fail to specify clear & reasonable expectations for class behaviour

• Wishy-washy - inconsistent in responding to misbehaviour

• “I’ve asked you repeatedly to stop talking, and you continue to do it. Please stop.”

Response Styles: Assertive

• Clearly, confidently & consistently model & express class expectations.

• Work to build trust with the class.

• Teach students how to behave so they can learn & relate to others more productively

• “Justin, that is your warning for leaning back in the chair. Put the chair down now or you will face a loss of classroom privileges.”

Response Styles: Hostile

• To maintain order & teach properly – lay down the law, accepting no nonsense, & using commands & stern facial expressions.

• Put that comic book away or you’ll wish you had!”

• “Sit down, shut up, & LISTEN!”

Task

• Compare & contrast the strengths & weaknesses of the foundational theorists of classroom management.

Tutorial

• Drawing from all of the foundational models, how would you have reacted and what classroom management strategies would you have employed to deal with or to prevent the misbehaviours in the case-studies provided.

Main References

• Larrivee, B. (2009) Authentic Classroom Management. Pearson.

• Charles, C.M. (2011) Building Classroom Discipline. Pearson

• To expand your knowledge of some of the theorists, visit the following Internet sites:

• B. F. SkinnerB.F. Skinner . . . A Brief Autobiographyhttp://www.lafayette.edu/allanr/autobio.html

• Positive Reinforcement: A Self-Instructional Exercisehttp://server.bmod.athabascau.ca/html/prtut/reinpair.htm

• The Explorations in Learning & Instruction: The Theory Into Practice Database has information on Skinner. http://tip.psychology.org/skinner.html

• Why Positive Reinforcement Workshttp://familyeducation.com/article/0,1120,2-160,00.html

• W. GlasserRogha: An Introduction to Reality Therapy and Choice Theoryhttp://www.angelfire.com/ab/brightminds/

• William Glasser Institutehttp://www.wglasser.com/

• T. GordonGordon Training Institute Internationalhttp://www.gordontraining.com/