Running head: YOUNGMAN MANAGEMENT STATEMENT

Management Statement

Anita Youngman

Dr. Katy Spangler & Dr. Beth Hartley

University of Alaska Southeast

ED 698

YOUNGMAN MANAGEMENT STATEMENT 2

Management

A classroom where students have a clear understanding of expectations is a classroom

that can successfully facilitate learning. Teachers should use their knowledge and understanding

of individual and group motivation and behavior among students at the K-8 level to foster active

engagement in learning, self motivation and positive social interaction to create supportive

learning environments. In these vignettes about classroom management experiences, natural

consequences, practicing expectations, and choice are all techniques used that promote respectful

relationships with students and student self motivation.

In the first and third vignettes, an opportunity for natural and logical consequences were

utilized and the students made the choice to stop the behavior that would get them hurt or having

a less desirable choice in where to sit. Natural and logical consequences can be delivered

spontaneously or deliberately. In Grunwald and McAbbe’s work as cited in Azoulaygr (1999),

“Knowledge of natural and logical consequences allows the child to choose to behave in a

manner that will avoid a particular consequence.”(p. 96) In my class, I try to caution students

about possible logical and natural consequences before they happen, however some are learning

moments for us all. Natural consequences are not directly controlled by the teacher, however

logical consequences have some teacher influence. Logical consequences still allow students to

make a choice, what would be in their best interests? The strength behind this method of

management in a classroom is that natural and logical consequences allow students to have

control over their decisions.

A management strategy that I use often is having clear expectations, and practicing the

expectations as often as needed. In the second vignette, I assumed these students would be
YOUNGMAN MANAGEMENT STATEMENT 3

walking down the hall knowing my expectations, even though I had never told them what they

were, and maybe I wasn’t sure myself. However, after stating my expectations and practicing a

couple times, they understood what I expected and the problem was solved. According to Harris

(1991), setting students up with knowledge of expectations is a proactive form of classroom

management, she explains,

Teachers are encouraged to develop and set up a social system within their classrooms to

prevent misbehavior from occurring. The emphasis is on teaching students what and how

to do and when to do it-providing students with instruction and successful experience in

the “going-to-school” skills, while maintaining a positive classroom climate. (p. 156)

In my kindergarten, we learn expectations at the beginning of the year although we practice and

renew our understanding throughout the year.

The most profound management strategy I have come across that is not communicated in

the vignettes and assists in practicing expeditions is specific praise feedback. Burnett (2002)

describes,

Praise is free, and is usually seen as desirable not only because it can be an effective

reinforcer but because it is thought to provide encouragement to students, to help build

self-esteem, to help build a close teacher-student relationship, and so forth.” (p. 7)

Without acknowledging student success it is hard for them to know when they are meeting my

expectations. For example, as we are learning how to walk down the hall, I will quickly state the

names going down the line of who is following the expectations. This management strategy is

magical to me as I watch all the students stand straight and wait for their turn in specific praise

that is acknowledging their abilities.

YOUNGMAN MANAGEMENT STATEMENT 4

Classroom management is the cornerstone of a positive classroom environment. As seen

in the examples given in the vignettes, without strategies for student compliance to expectations,

learning cannot happen efficiently. Parsonson (2012) says,

Behaviour problems in a classroom increase the stress levels for both the teacher and

pupils, disrupt the flow of lessons and conflict with both learning objectives and the

processes of learning. They also change the classroom dynamic as the focus of attention

shifts from the academic tasks at hand to the distractions provided by disruptive

behaviours.” (p.16)

Giving students praise, making sure students understand potential consequences to their actions,

and practicing what is expected gives the classroom a feeling of warmth, and respect.
YOUNGMAN MANAGEMENT STATEMENT 5

Resources

Azoulay, D. (1999). Encouragement and Logical Consequences Versus Rewards and

Punishment: A Reexamination. Journal of Individual Psychology, 55(1), 91–99.

Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=9054877&site=eds-live

Burnett, P. C. (2002). Teacher Praise and Feedback and Students’ Perceptions of the Classroom

Environment. Educational Psychology, 22(1), 5–16.

https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410120101215

Harris, A. H. (1991). Proactive classroom management: several ounces of prevention.

Contemporary Education, 62, 156–160. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eft&AN=508351284&site=eds-live

Parsonson, B. S. (2012). Evidence-Based Classroom Behaviour Management Strategies.

Kairaranga, 13(1), 16–23. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ976654&site=eds-live