Philosophy Project

Kristine Davis

October 26, 2020

Classroom Management

Delaware Technical Community College

Primary Goal of Discipline

One way I would make sure my classroom is disciplined is when they come into school

in the mornings, I would greet them at the door before coming into the classroom. Before the

students enter the classroom there would be a couple way’s I would greet them. I will let the

students pick between a high five, first bump or a hug. This is a great way to start the morning

off and interact with your students on a personal level every day. This sets a positive tone for a

lesson or for the day. Another way I would create discipline in my classroom would be getting

the students focused before I begin any lesson and the way I would do that would be clapping my

hands in a pattern and then have the students repeat it back in the same pattern. You always want

to make sure you have their attention before you begin the lesson.

2 Classic Models of Discipline I Like

One classic model of discipline that I like is Cooperative Discipline. Cooperative

discipline enables teachers to apply specific strategies to reach individual students. Linda Albert

believes that teachers need to learn how to interact with their students so that they’ll want to

choose appropriate behavior and comply with the rules. (Albert, 2017)) Albert states that the

teachers and students work together to determine consequences for when a student does not

follow the class code of conduct. When the students are involved in the determining the

consequences, Albert feels the students are more likely to follow them because they are

connected to them. (Albert, 2017) I like this classic model because I feel like students need

discipline when they do something bad, there should always be consequences and I like how

albert says that all the students should determine what their consequence should be because that

will give them a sense of responsibility and also it will show them not to do something like that

every again and to always have good behavior in school.

 Another classic model that I like is, Positive Discipline by Fredric Jones. The teacher

should model appropriate behavior; be confident, and mature; and convey dignity and

cooperation. Misbehavior stems from misunderstood rules, poor setting arrangements, poor

teacher modeling, and/ or poor routines. Rules must be set with student input and be visible in

the classroom for the students to see and look at. There are four elements to Jones model.

1.Classroom structure- having seating, rules and routines. (Kids facing board-Teacher back of

room) 2. Limit setting- effective discipline begins on. emotional level; calm=strength;

upset=Weakness. 3. Responsibility training- Building patterns of cooperation- PAT should be

activities that are enjoyed by tied to academics. 4. Back-up system- Pull a card, letter home,

administrative involvement. (Jones, 2017) I like this classic model because you are in control of

this more than the students. From the way you set your classroom up to having a back-up system

in place when a student misbehaves is a must. These rules need to be set because you want every

student to succeed in your classroom.

1 Classic Model of Discipline I Disagree With

The classic model I choose that I do not agree with is, Love and Punishment Model. This

model talks about how if there is no adult control, the bullies take control of the classroom. Now

the less able/strong suffer. Because of this, students like a teacher who is strong and can control

the class. Students love to be treated justly and equally. Therefore, they like teachers who can

implement and enforce an equitable system of rules. Classrooms that are not discipline tend to be

chaos. With this, the classroom environment will be tiring/irritating. (Dobson, 2019) This means

that Dobson believes that the teacher has to intervene to create an environment capable of

propelling effective learning. Thus, the teacher should put in place conditions such as the

punishment to get students to behave appropriately (Corporal Punishment). (Dobson, 2019) I do

not agree with model because I don’t think teachers should corporal punish their students for

misbehaving. Yes, I do think that they should have some type of consequence for whatever they

have done but using a paddle, spanking and/or making students stand motionless for long periods

of time is unacceptable. Students won’t want to come to school after that and learn because they

would be afraid of their teacher. Consequences should be determined by the student but needs to

be something they will seriously learn from and do better next time.

Self-Assessment of your Effectiveness

To check my self-assessment for effectiveness in individual data, I would use homework,

quizzes and or tests in the classroom. When I use these things, it will give me information to

whether or not my students are understanding what I’m teaching to them and lets me know what

students need more help especially on the quizzes or tests. When I’m checking for effectiveness

in small group data, I would be using table groups. I would put students in groups of 2-3 with 4-5

students in each. I would be working on math while the other students work on completing

assignments in their folders that they have not already completed. While the students are with

me, I will be working on counting money. This gives the students one-on-one time with the

teacher, especially when there is a student or two struggling in math. This gives them the

opportunity to really focus and understand the lesson while only with 4-5 students instead of 15.

Lastly, to check my effectiveness on classroom data, I would be focusing on how my students

are doing while they are in their specials or even when they go to lunch. I would gather this

information from the teachers in the specials that the students go to and I would have one student

be the line leader on the way to lunch and report back to me if everyone behaved at lunch on our

way back to the classroom.

Quote

“I used to think great teachers inspire you. Now I think I had it wrong. Good teachers inspire

you; great teachers show you how to inspire yourself every day of your life. They don’t show

you their magic. They show you how to make magic of your own.” -Alfred Doblin

I like this quote because teachers are only providing students’ knowledge and depending on how

the students use that knowledge will determine how they will continue their like to something

great (making your own magic).

Leaders in the Classroom

My question is how can students be leaders in the classroom? Well one way that I think students

can be leaders in the classroom is having a job chart. When the school day starts and when the

school day ends, each student can have a chore and or job. One student may be handing out

papers throughout the day, another student can a line leader for when they are on their way to

lunch, special or recess. I feel like this gives the students responsibility in the classroom where

everything doesn’t have to be always on the teacher. Also, this helps students learn

responsibilities, promote positive behavior, and ensure that all students are contributing to the

classroom.

Technology in Classrooms

Technology is important in education because students interact with technology off-

campus, so integrating the tools into the classroom can help make the learning process much

easier. Technology simplifies the way teachers do their jobs, providing effective ways to forge a

relationship between teacher and student. Technology simplifies access to educational resources.

This helps students stay engaged during class by using a familiar tool for academic learning. It

also improves the learning experience. This can help teachers develop more creative and
innovative lesson plans to hold the attention of their students. It helps students prepare for their

future careers. Technology is widely used by professionals across a wide range of fields and

industries. Some students demand technology, students will feel confident in their ability to learn

the new material and may even feel empowered to help their classmates learn. I choose this

philosophy because technology is continuing to grow, I think it should be a part of education. For

example, when I created fake lesson plans for school, I found it so cool because you can use

technology to make it interesting for the kids if you were to use a smart board, which most

schools have these days.

References:

http://faculty.washington.edu/cadavis1/503%20Readings/AlbertChapter.pdf

http://faculty.msmc.edu/frm6763/pdf/positive_discipline.pdf

Yussif, & *, N. (2019, July 01). What is Dobson's Model of Classroom Management. Retrieved
October 26, 2020, from https://classroommanagementexpert.com/blog/dobsons-model-of-
classroom-management/

TOP 20 QUOTES BY ALFRED DOBLIN: A-Z Quotes. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2020,
from https://www.azquotes.com/author/4013-Alfred_Doblin