Theories of Democratic Teaching (Rudolf Dreikurs)

Definition & Description

Rudolf Dreikurs ideas in classroom discipline

All students have inborn need for belonging

Learning occurs best in democratic classroom

Turn to think that

Lead students to

Students unable to satisfy the needs

Mistaken goal can help them satisfy the needs

Seek attention, seek power, seek revenge, withdraw from class activity

To solve this problem, Dreikurs suggest Democratic teaching.

Definition of
O Democratic teaching
O A theory which allows students to take part

in the teaching and learning activities along with the teacher.

Key concepts of Dreikurs Theory

O Identify and address mistaken goals of

misbehaviour. O Act as democratic rather than autocratic or permissive. O Use logical consequences rather than punishment. O Understand the difference between praise and encouragement.

Democratic teachers
O Democratic teachers are neither permissive

nor autocratic. O Democratic teachers provide firm guidance and leadership by establishing rules and consequences. O For democratic teachers, freedom comes from discipline.
O To the extent that students understand that

consequences follow behaviour, they are then free to choose behaviour that will attain their legitimate needs.

Democratic Classrooms
O Democratic classrooms are where the

curriculum actively engages students in collaborative inquiry O Example:

O decision making is shared between students

and staff O students choose their daily activities

O Democratic classrooms help students

become active citizens and preparing them for participation in a democratic society.

Source: RMC Corporation, Denver, CO, May 200

O In democratic classroom;
O Students and teachers work together to

make students learning a contribution to their community O Students demonstrate their learning in public settings and receive public feedback O Students have choice, both as individuals and as groups, within the parameters provided by the teacher O Students actively work with problems, ideas, materials, and people.

The approaches The strategies

Approaches
O Teachers withdrawing as an authority figure
O teachers can redirect students ambitions for power

by having them participate in making decisions or giving directions.

O According to Dreikurs, logical consequences

referred to reasonable results that follow behaviour either desirable or non-desirable.

O typically require students to make right of what they

have done wrong

For example,
O If students do not complete their work

during class, they are required to do it for homework. In a democratic classroom, the students would know in advance the consequences of their misbehaviour because as part of the classroom they helped formulate the consequences.

One of the example of Democratic Teaching approach that can be used in the classroom is

Class meetings

Class meetings
O opportunities for students to engage

in open talk and debate O time for the entire class community to come together O discuss topics that didn't have to connect directly to what we were studying in other parts of our curriculum.

O talk about a wide variety of

topics and issues O Some meetings were about current events, others focused on news from our lives O Some meetings emphasized problem solving, and many were on topics my students raised.

O Students can voice out opinions

O Other students can agree or

disagree with the opinions

Strategies
O Provide lessons with social interest in

mind. O Provide a teaching environment that supports students sense of belonging. O Come up with a set of classroom rules as a group.

O Support responsibility through freedom

of choices in lesson plans. O Encourage students rather than praise them. O Provide students with logical consequences to mistaken goals to support responsibility and avoid punishment.

Dreikurs's claims that the following 8 conditions foster a democratic classroom:

1. The establishment of order. 2. The setting of limits. 3. The use of firmness and kindness: Firmness from teachers shows that they respect themselves. Kindness shows their respect for others.

4. Involving student when establishing and

maintaining rules.

5. Leadership from the teacher.

6. Inviting cooperation and eliminating

destructive competition. 7. Promoting a sense of belonging within a group. 8. Encouraging an atmosphere of freedom to explore, discover, and choose acceptable behaviour through understanding the responsibilities and consequences associated with it.

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths
O Democratic classrooms and teaching styles.
O Gives opportunity for the students to participate

in the teaching and learning process. O The power is not restricted for teacher only (authoritative).
O Mutual respect motivates students to

behave constructively.
O This occurs out of their heightened sense of

social interest.

O Praise supports completion. O Encouragement supports the

process. O Logical consequences produce better results than punishment. O Promotes respect and communication among teacher and students.

O Allows students to take responsibilities

for their own actions to help establish class rules.

O Compliments good teaching by

providing a caring classroom community using student centered techniques.

Weaknesses
O Might be difficult for teachers to identify

and understand students reasons for misbehaving. O Teachers may not be able to respond properly and to provide logical consequences for all misbehaviour.

O Some deep emotional problems that

lead to serious feeling of inadequacy or to elaborate plan for revenge might require professional counseling skills.
O Teachers who are inherently autocratic

or permissive might have difficulty adopting democratic perspectives.

Practicality

Practicality of Democratic Teaching in a Malaysian primary ESL classroom.

O Suitable to be used in dealing with

problematic students. O Uses different approach. O Gives students opportunity to correct their misbehaviour.

There is always a reason behind most difficult behaviour

Students with difficult behaviour should be treated with dignity, respect and compassion

~In conclusion, Dreikurs' greatest contribution lies, not in how to suppress undesired behaviour in the short term but in how to build in students an inner sense of responsibility and respect for themselves and others.~

References
O 29/01/2013 Teacher Matters 2013.
O O

http://www.teachermatters.com/classroomdiscipline/models-of-discipline/the-dreikersmodel.html RMC Corporation, Denver, CO, May 2004 30/01/2013 New World Encyclopedia http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Rudolf_D reikurs 30/01/2013 Prezi.com http://prezi.com/94yr1dc3p1d/exploring-the-theories-of-democraticteaching-rudolph-dreikurs/ 02/02/2013 http://ulyarosyita.blogspot.com/2011/03/what-isdifference-between-strategy.html

THANK YOU
By
Nurul Ain Binti Rahman Ahmad Muhaymin Bin Ishak Ahmad Syafiq Bin Harazi