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Andrew Foley Andrew Foley EDUC 531 Dr. Williams Chapter Reflections 10-13 I liked some of the aspects of Marvin Marshalls theory on activating internal motivation in chapter 10. This theory allows for students to observe the choices they make and self evaluate. It also allows for teachers to manage the classroom wiithout using punishment. The students are given that internal motivation to become responsible enough to make the right choices. I enjoyed the form that Marshall suggests that gives the students choices when bad behavior occurs. This guided choice again allows teachers to use authority without punishment. This form allows the student to reflect, and to pick an alternative way to handle the situation next time. I did also like Marshall’s hierarchy of social development. These different levels of behavior give the students an idea of where they should and shouldnt be in regards to behavior. When they are acting in a way that is not concordant with level C or D, they are asked to evaluate what level they are at during that time. This not only brings the student back to where they should be, but also raises the responsibility of them as well. There were some aspects of Craig Seganti’s theories that i liked as well as disliked. I did appreciate the fact that clear rules are to be established immediately when students enter a room. They are to become aware of these rules, and the teacher should not be lenient when it comes to reprimanding students for breaking these rules. Also the fact that this approach allows no room for argument between the student and a teacher. It is good to use when you are dealing with students who simply try to argue their way out of everything. You shut them down immediately, and allow for no discussion of the matter. This I believe will prevent future misbehavior. What I didn’t like about Serganti’s theories was the excessive authoritative attitude from the teacher. I felt as though Serganti made these teachers seem unapproachable, or completely superior to the students. I feel you should treat students as equals, and teach them responsibility, instead of being a dictator. Also he states that your main goal is to educate the students, and that you are not there to counsel them or deal with there problems. I agree that your main goal is to educate them, but I also feel like a huge responsibility as a teacher is to help students grow emotionally. You are not only a teacher, but you are also a surrogate parent, social worker, and guidance counselor. I really enjoyed the theories presented in chapter 12. Many of these theories deal with establishing good relationships with your students. This I feel is essential to gaining respect and trust from your students. I really enjoyed Dave Hingsburger’s idea of grasping the student’s point of view. This type of approach can help for a teacher not to conform a student to be the way the teacher wants them to be, but rather to see where their outlook on life is different and work off of that. Constantly asking for the students point of view will not only give the teacher an idea of where the student is coming from, but also lets the student know that the teacher is there to help. Also Stephen Covey explains that teachers must understand their own point of view as well as their student’s. This I feel will give the teacher the opportunity to compare views, and possibly find ways of interaction with students through similarities. The theories presented in chapter 13 show many ways to instill kindness and manners into students. This I feel is something that needs to be in a classroom. This will not only help the students in the classroom, but out of the classroom as well. This kindness will not only be directed toward the teacher, but other students as well. It could even create a more cohesive classroom, making it much easier for the teacher to manage his or her classroom. Diane Gossen’s theory of self restitution really gives the students an opportunity to take on a responsibility for their actions. Also reducing the number of interventions in the students behavior will allow students to make choices instead of being completely restricted and explore options. This I believe is good in a sense, but in turn could also produce problems. This type of freedom could give students the idea of leniancy, and could cause misbehavior. In all though I believe that creating a social contract will help to reduce some of these problems. This contract is what the class believes in and will make them aware of what the expectations are.

EDUC 513 Dr. Williams Reflections Chapters 6-9

In Chapter 6 it really emphasizes the importance of responsibilities and procedures in regard to classroom management. Harry and Rosemary Wong believe that it is crucial that you establish procedures immediately in order to gain order in your classroom. Their theories suggest that responsibilities are to be given to students the first day of class. They are to know exactly what is expected of them, and how they can be successful in this particular classroom. I really agree with the procedure that they suggest to always have something for them when they walk in the door. Whether it be a worksheet or simply to analyze an article, this type of procedure will prevent the mayhem that may otherwise occur when students are entering the classroom. Making sure your rules are clearly stated, and making sure students know what type of behavior is acceptable I believe will help to lessen behavioral problems. As stated by the Wongs “ The main problem in teaching is not poor discipline, but poor classroom management”. The implementation of responsibilities and procedures I believe could help to lessen the disciplining students, and have behavioral problems stop before they even start. Chapter 7 focuses on some major problems that occur in the classroom on a daily basis. Psychologist Fred Jones states the problems as student passivity, massive time wasting, and aimlessness. He has provided certain ways to deal with some of these problems, and how to keep students engaged in the lesson. Fred Jones puts an emphasis on body language and location when it comes to dealing with behavioral problems. I feel as though if body language is used properly, you shouldn’t have to open your mouth to reprimand the students. I enjoyed how he mentioned “working the crowd”. I feel as though this ability will decrease the amount of misbehaviors. By maintaining physical proximity, interacting with students, and using correct body language, you can decrease the amount of energy expended and increase the efficiency of your lesson. I also agree with providing incentives. This I feel is crucial when dealing with students who are unmotivated. Group incentives i believe are just as important. This allows the students to gain a sense of responsibility, and find themselves reprimanding fellow students in order to gain something that they want. Also Constant student output after teacher input will keep students occupied and does not allow time for students to become bored or uninterested. Chapter 8 focuses on William Glasser’s theories on misbehavior. He makes a good point in that you cannot force students to pay attention or do things that they do not want to do. By forcing them to do things only temporarily engages them until they are uninterested again. Glasser feels that the core curriculum should be appealing to the student so that he or she will want to learn by choice and not by force. The curriculum must be organized to meet students’ needs. Glasser’s theory on lead teaching instead of boss teaching is a different approach, but I feel can really bring out quality work in students. As a lead teacher you realize that the genuine motivation to learn is within students, in the form of needs and interests. I thought it was interesting how Glasser urges student involvement in making decisions on class rules of behavior. This I feel could be beneficial while at the same time cause some problems. It could be beneficial because the students could make these rules with their needs in mind. This in turn could allow them to establish punishments, which takes away some of their needs and wants, making it effective. It can also be troublesome because these students could make these rules with the punishments not as intimidating as they should be. Establishing good relationships with your students I believe is very effective in managing a classroom. Some of these students are simply not happy in school, and it is our job as teachers to make them happy and comfortable. this will in turn increase motivation and decrease misbehavior. Chapter 9 describes Spencer Kagan’s Win-Win Discipline. This approach is not much different than that of Williams Glassers. They both agree that rules should be constructed together between teacher and students. They also both agree that the classroom should be welcoming and satisfying to a students needs. The structure that Kagan’s approach states can be very effective in the classroom. It allows the students to look at their own actions, and make responsible decisions to better the classroom. When students are acting up, you simply ask them questions such as “are we living up to the way we want our class to be?” This type of questioning gives students a sense of responsibility and lets them know that it is not only the teachers classroom, but theirs as well. This responsibility I believe can really help students to maybe appreciate their classroom a little bit more as well. The idea is to try and have everyone’s needs met. All the different positions that students might be in have a need behind them. The goal is to try and meet those needs and hopefully prevent long-term misbehavior. Coming to agreements on behavior I feel is an effective way to manage a classroom. It allows for the students to fell as though they are an important part of the classroom. This Win-Win strategy enables the teacher to establish a relationship with students, and also to be on the same side as them, instead of at odds.

Chapter 2 gives a run through of the different stages of development, and the type of behaviors that come with those new developments. There are many different factors that go into why misbehavior occurs, and much of it I believe comes from a misunderstanding that the teacher has with their students. Whether it be the student is “economically disadvantaged” or they are just simply used to a different culture, it is pertinent that the teacher has sufficient information that will help to adequately provide for these students individually. This Chapter really gives good suggestions on how to deal with these different groups of students. What i also noticed about many of the different conditions shown in this chapter was that many of them could simply be resolved by asking the students reflective questions, and having them take a look at their own behaviors. This is found very interesting. In Chapter 3 Neurological-based behavior is discussed. Neurological disorders are extremely common these days. According to our book you can expect one out of five students suffering from one or more mental health condition. This chapter goes through the different types of disorders and how to deal wit them when they arise. All of the disorders, although different, most times will bring about some sort of altered behavior in the classroom. All need to be understood and handled accordingly. Knowing ways to calm situations down, or how to prevent situations before they even occur is something that will be very useful in a classroom setting. The key i believe is to look for signs early on. The main indicators for NBB are stated clearly in this chapter, and i feel as though if you are well informed on these disorders, than you may be able to effectively inhibit certain misbehaviors. Also when the author talks of Sensory Integration Dysfunction, i feel as though this shows how to be proactive as a teacher. Doing things in your classroom that will adhere to those particular students’ needs while preventing future misbehavior is a very effective way to deal with these disorders. Also discussed in this chapter was the fact that teachers need to develop a sense of empathy for these students. This i believe is also an effective way to deal with potential problems. In Chapter 4 it discusses the best forms of discipline. I found it very interesting at the beginning of the chapter when it was discussing Fritz Riedl and William Wattenbergs’ idea of group dynamics and their approach to humane classroom discipline. I can understand why this approach was not exactly accepted with open arms. I believe that you need to have a happy medium of rewards and punishment, where you are not too loose and not too firm. This will allow teachers to have their authority known, while at the same time be viewed as somewhat of a surrogate parent. I enjoyed Jacob Kounin’s discipline strategies. His strategy involved “withitness” which i believe is a major part in managing a classroom. This shows that the teacher is well aware of their classroom, and they are able to take control no matter what they are doing. Also Kounin’s strategies included a nice steady flow of lessons. This does not allow time for misbehavior. If there are steady transitions from one element of a lesson to the next, then this should hopefully cut down the opportunities for misbehavior. I believe that Hiam Ginott’s idea of congruent communication is another great influence on student behavior. By speaking to your students as equals, it not only gives them confidence in making good decisions independently, but it also gives them a sense of responsibility that they may not have received before. Chapter 5 describes Robert Morrish’s approach to discipline. His approach is definitely a little more authoritative than many of the others. He feels as though the students should not be able to make decisions until they are mature enough. This i feel is a good way to establish complete authority, and to develop skills that will not only help prevent misbehavior in the classroom, but in the real world as well. I enjoyed the quote by Morrish saying “never give students a choice when it comes to limits”. This i feel is essential because if you allow these students to test the limits of your classroom, who knows how far they are willing to take it. I also like the fact that when students do misbehave they are not immediately scolded for it, instead they are asked to redo the behavior in a more proper manner. This type of repetitious approach will be effective in that students will know the proper way because they had to practice it. It seems as though much of this approach is geared towards making the students not only better behaved students, but better people as a whole in and out of the classroom. Setting standards is also something that is very essential when managing a classroom. As the author states “standards are essential if students are to recognize success and maintain their determination to improve”.