2.Non-Interventionist VS Interactionist VS Interventionists
The introduction of these three approaches organizes different methods to handle students discipline problems in a more systematic way. For example, detention for not handing in homework on time is a kind of interventional approach because it emphases the consequence of misbehaviour. Negotiation with students on class rules is a kind of interactional approach because it stresses on confronting and contracting. Lastly, individual counselling with students is a kind of non-interventional approach because it aims at building up a positive teacher-student relationship. Although I scored the highest mark in Interventionist in the test done during lecture, I believe I will make use all of them to cope with student’s misbehaviours depending on situations and their personality. For example, it is nonsense to use non-interventional approach when students fight in class. In such situation, teachers should use interventional approach first to stop their action and may apply the other two later in order to help them to change their misbehaviours. In short, environment, degree of seriousness of student’s misbehaviours, student’s personality should be taken into consideration in deciding the use of different approaches to deal with discipline problems.
3.Developmental Socialization Continuum (DSC)
Under DSC, students can be classified into five types: passive, physically aggressive, verbally aggressive, social-interaction-through language and conceptualization-through-language. Discipline problems arise if behaviour is continuous from one stage to another stage inappropriately. I would like to use a case from a newspaper as an example.
In this case, a primary four boy became hysterical when his teacher asked him about his argument with other classmates. Later, he kicked desks and chairs before assaulting another teacher. From the description from the newspaper and the words that boy shouted out, I think he was a physically aggressive student. He failed to express of his feeling in words, so he physically acted out his discontent. To deal with aggressive behaviour, teachers should remain clam first. Then, we can explain clearly and directly to him that his behaviours are not acceptable and the consequences for his behaviours. If possible, provide choices for him. Then, we can help him to channel those physical acts into expression of language so that he can move up to the next stage. This case also reminds me that teachers should always pay special attention to aggressive students in class because their irrational, physical outbursts of behaviour may continually explode which often endangers others and themselves.
4.Eight different approaches in classroom management
The eight approaches are: authoritarian, intimidation, permissive, cook-book, instructional, behaviour modification, socio-emotional climate, group-process classroom. By classroom discussion and reading after class, I understand each approach has its advantages and disadvantages and is suitable for different students and circumstances.
For example, for the authoritarian and intimidation approaches, the advantage is that they can control student’s behaviours immediately and classroom order can be maintained.
For permissive approach, it is more suitable for older students, e.g. university students who are more mature because the role of teacher is to maximize freedom so that students feel free to do what they want.
For cookbook approach which consists of lists of dos and don’ts describing what the teacher should and should not do in reaction to various problem situations, it is not very consistent and teachers just respond to misbehaviours passively. Therefore, it seems that this approach can only solve the problems temporarily.
In my opinion, the instructional approach is the most effective one because it prevents misbehaviours from happening instead of dealing with discipline problems when they happen. In this approach, the role of the teacher is to plan and implement interesting and motivating lessons so that students will enjoy their lessons and learning activities.
For socio-emotional climate approach, the role of teacher is to develop a positively socioemotional classroom climate through the establishment of healthy interpersonal relationships. I think this approach is effective in both preventing and dealing with students misbehaviours. It allows teachers to communicate with students and find out their reasons behind misbehaviours. An optimistic teacher-student relationship can be built up too.
The group-process approach emphases that classroom is similar to a social system. Teachers can manage a classroom by developing student’s leadership skills and their responsibilities to owns behaviours, establishing mutual respect between students and promoting sense of belongingness among students.
I put the behaviour modification approach in the last part because I would like to use two passages written by a new secondary teacher who taught in a low banding school in my discussion.
She used behaviour modification to foster desirable behaviours by rewarding well-behaved and actively learning students and eliminate undesirable behaviours such as not handling homework on time by giving additional workload to students and detention for a week. From her description, I learnt that behaviour modification; especially punishment does not work effectively. Some students simply ignore the punishment (additional workload). For positive reinforcer, it does not always work either, especially for older students. I remember our lecturer brought a lot of chocolate bars and candies to our class in order to encourage us to answer his questions enthusiastically. However, he finally left with all his sweeties. From this case, I learnt that one approach work with a group of students does not mean it will work with another group of students. This means we have to use suitable approach for different students.
5.Natural consequence VS Logical consequence VS Illogical consequence
Natural consequence is those that students experience only as a result of their behaviours. For example, if you are late for lesson, your natural consequence is that you miss the information and materials given at the beginning of that lesson. Unlike natural consequence, logical consequence is arranged by someone else and it is rational. If you are late for 30 minutes, detention for 30 minutes is a logical consequence. However, as in the case of a secondary school in Ma On Shan, the punishment for being late is not a logical consequence because those who are late have to do push up in the playground.
By using this illogical consequence as punishment, I do not think that student’s misbehaviours of being late will be improved. It may cause students to respond passively out of resentment. They may become lethargic and passive at school, or they may become active by engaging in other misbehaviours to get even with teachers. It resembles as in the case that driver who is fined for speeding rarely stops speeding. S/he simply buys a radar detector or any other possible methods or becomes more skilful in breaking the law.
6.Class rules
Similar to most teachers, I think class rules are crucial to facilitate our teaching in a classroom. From my pervious learning experience, rules should be carried out fairly to all students and consistent. Otherwise, students will simply ignore the rules. I have designed a rough class rules:
Definitely, discussion in class and negotiation between teachers and students must be carried out before the publication of class rules. Moreover, teachers have the responsibility to explain each rule in detail until everyone fully understands them. Once the rules are formed, teachers should enforce it whenever a student breaks any of them. Although the process of setting up class rules is harsh, it certainly makes the later process of teaching and learning much easier.
Besides setting up class rules, another alternative is to ask students to sign a contract which contains student’s expectation and promise on their learning and development at the beginning or a school year or when they first attend a new school. A primary school in Lantau Island uses this approach and it seems to be very effective.
7.Behaviour Modification
The underlying principle of behaviour modification is that human behaviour is learned. To enhance favourable behaviour, teachers may introduce positive reinforces (e.g. distributing chocolate to students who answer teachers questions or promise the students to go to Amusement Park after studying a poem, as Michelle Pfeiffer in the film Dangerous mind) or negative reinforcer (e.g. a teacher stops nagging the student who consistently hand in sloppy papers when s/he hands in a rather neat paper).
To discourage or stop undesirable behaviour, teachers may use various types of punishment. However, evidence shows that the use of punishment does not change student’s misbehaviours effectively. Sometimes, punishment may lead to undesirable consequence, as in the case of a primary six students who committed suicide after receiving a demerit as punishment for his fighting with his classmates.
Therefore, we can see that behaviour modification, especially punishment, should not be used alone. It can be used in cooperation with the other two approaches which will be introduced below, Reality Therapy and Social Discipline Model.
8.Reality Therapy
Reality Therapy is developed by William Glassar. The core of it is the idea of what has happened in our lives, or what we have done in the past, we can choose behaviours that will help us meet our needs more effectively in the future. Teachers can help students make better choices about school behaviours, but no punishment should be used. There are seven elements in Reality Therapy. Make friends, Identify behaviours, Identify consequences, Make a plan, Commit to the plan, No excuses, Never give up. I would like to apply this approach to a situation which I observed in my school attachment last year. A very weak student called Tony was bullied in a lesson. Another classmate called Jimmy terrified Tony by shouting loudly beside his ears. Tony was very frightened. Simultaneously, other classmates jeered at Tony. He then became so irritated that he lifted up his desk and hit Jimmy. Then, the teacher sent Tony to the discipline unit immediately and he received two week of detention as punishment.
In this situation, I agree with the teacher’s action to stop Tony’s misbehaviour immediately because it destructs the safe learning atmosphere of that class. However, I believe the teacher can do better by applying Reality Therapy to help Tony.
Firstly, an individual meeting can be arranged with Tony during lunchtime or after school. If possible, this meeting should be held in a warm environment. Then, the teacher may help Tony to identify his misbehaviours by asking question like What did you do in today’s lesson"? It should be remembered that the tone and attitude of the teacher should be warm and supportive. Later, teacher may help Tony to identify the consequence of his misbehaviour. (e.g. Is what you did helping you? Is it what you want to do") Next, the teacher can help Tony to make a plan to do better and commit to the plan. It should be emphasised that the rule breaker, i.e. Tony is responsible for what he did. Moreover, the teacher should not accept any excuse for Tony's misbehaviour such as He misbehaved because he came from a broken family and so his self-esteem was very low. Lastly, teacher should not give up despite something discouraging may happen from time to time.
I believe Reality Therapy serves a more effective method to change Tony's misbehaviours then punishment.
9.Social discipline model (SDM)
This model is proposed by Rudolf Dreikurs. According to him, students are social being who want to belong. They can choose to behave or misbehave. Students choose to misbehave because they are under mistaken goals that will get them the recognition they seek. He defined four mistaken goals: attention getting, power seeking, revenge seeking and desire to be left alone. I would like to use some cases from newspaper and my observation to illustrate them.
The first one is attention seeking. This phenomenon is very common in classrooms, especially with younger students. When I was teaching a group of children aged 3-5 last summer in an English learning centre, a boy called Carlson cried severely in the first lesson. Therefore, I took special attention on him by asking him to sit besides me. Later, he started to cry whenever I taught other children individually or I asked other children to sit besides me. Obviously, Carlson cried because he wanted to get my attention. To solve this problem, I simply ignored Carlson whenever he cried. Gradually, he did not cry any more in class.
The second one is power seeking. In one example, the author described a situation when a student threw away an examination paper and asked her, What do you want to punish me for?" Clearly, this student challenged the authority of the teacher. He resisted obeying class rule. To deal with this situation, the best way is to withdraw from the conflict. The teacher can also use the message to communicate his/her feelings to him about how his behaviour affects him/her. (E.g. I feel upset when you threw away your examination paper) Later, the teacher may redirect the student’s ambitions to be in charge by inviting him to participate in making decisions or by giving them positions of responsibility, e.g. class monitor or committee member of class club.
The third one is revenge seeking. The characteristics of this type are physically or psychologically hurting others. An example, a boy used a knife to hurt his classmates. To change his behaviour, understanding and acceptance are what the student need. The teacher may select a student with higher self-esteem to befriend with him and help him to develop constructive behaviour. If possible, teacher may set up situations that allow him to exhibit his talents or strength. Among the four types of mistaken goals, I think this type is most difficult to help. It requires utmost persistence and patience.
Students who display inadequacy by saying I can’t do it. It’s too hard for me, belong to the last type, desire to be left alone. They want their teacher to believe that they are too hopeless to deal with. This situation is very common in my secondary school. Some of my classmates were so ambitious that they set unrealistically high standards for themselves. Once the failed, they would think that they were hopeless. To help these students, teachers can help them to develop realistic expectations and eliminate any criticism of their work. Surely, encouragement should not be left. Sometimes, it is tempting for teachers to agree with these students that they are incapable and then give up changing their attitude. Though it is tempting, we should never give up.
Conclusion
From this module, I understand the significance of classroom management skills in order to have an effective classroom. I also came across different models to handle student’s misbehaviours and discipline problems. By studying different cases in class and I encountered in my independent reading, I have learnt how to bring theories into practice. This also makes me to reflect on my previous learning and teaching experience and on the news about classroom discipline.
In addition, I understand that no single method is perfect. We should use appropriate approach depends on different situation and students involved. Mostly, a single approach is not adequate to solve the problems. Therefore, an eclective approach, i.e. using different approaches flexibly according to different situation is most effective. To facilitate my professional development as a teacher, I will review different approaches from time to time to understand their characteristics, strength, and weakness so as to equip myself with a better and more comprehensive classroom management skills.
Reference:
Charles, C. M. (1981). Building classroom discipline: from models to practice. New York: Longman. (pp. 140-150)
Curwin, R. L. & Mendler, A. N. (1980). The discipline book : a complete guide to school and classroom management. Virginia: Reston Publishing Company.
Glasser, W. (1982). Reality Therapy: an explanation of the steps of reality therapy. In N. Glasser, (Ed.), What are you doing": how people are helped through reality therapy, including instructor's guide : cases (pp. 48-59). New York : Harper & Row
Wolfgang, C. H., (1995). Solving discipline problems: methods and models for today¡¯s teachers. Massachusetts: A Simon & Schuster Company.
Wolfgang, C. H. & Glickman, C. D. (1980) Solving discipline problems: Strategies for classroom teachers. Boston: Allyn and Bacon
