Classroom Management Philosophy

Braden L. Anama

School and Education and Behavioral Sciences, Chaminade University of Honolulu

EDUC 632 Learning Environments

Dr. Brina Ganigan

December 9, 2022
 2

Classroom Management Philosophy

Do you feel that your high school education adequately prepared you for success in life after

high school? Throughout my four years of high school, I only had three classes that demonstrated an

effort to achieve this while the other classes felt like busy work or teachers seeking to assert control

over students. After learning about classroom management, I have come to realize what separated the

three classes from the others. The teachers of those three classes had deliberately developed,

implemented, and maintained classroom management plans with the goal of preparing students, while

the others did not. My classroom management philosophy is to prepare my students for life after

graduation by developing students’ inner discipline, creating a positive classroom community, and

teaching students to value their time.

Developing Inner Discipline

The core of my classroom management plan is the theory of inner discipline, which contends

that teachers should teachers should focus on empowering students by developing their inner discipline,

or self-discipline, rather than traditional classroom control (Hardin, 2012, p. 182). This is done by

teaching students problem-solving skills and teaching students how to think rather than what to think

(Hardin, 2012, p. 182). This approach is important to my classroom management plan because it gives

shape to my goal of preparing students for life after graduation. This approach impacts overall

classroom management by establishing a purpose to my class, while also providing proactive and

reactive procedures to respond to misbehavior.

The strategies used to implement inner discipline are rule setting, teaching problem-solving

skills, and encouraging the use of problem-solving skills by using Doug Lemov’s (2015, pp. 164-169)

Name the Steps technique and Lemov’s (2015, pp. 188-189) At Bat technique. Regarding rule setting, I

would follow the recommendations of the developer of of the inner discipline approach, Barbara
 3

Coloroso, and develop rules that are often found in life’s expectations and falling into the categories of

show up on time, be prepared, do assignments, and respect others’ and your own rights (Hardin, 2012,

p. 186). Developing classroom rules using Coloroso’s recommendations would help to teach and

reinforce expectations that students will encounter in their lives. To teach problem-solving skills, I would

teach Coloroso’s six steps to teaching problem solving (Hardin, 2012, pp. 187-188):

1. Identify and define the problem.

2. List possible solutions.

3. Evaluate the options.

4. Choose one option.

5. Make a plan.

6. Reevaluate the situation.

Although Coloroso describes these steps as the process teachers should follow to address problems in

the classroom (Hardin, 2012, p. 187), they can be applied universally. Therefore, I would teach my

students these steps rather than simply apply the steps. Teaching inner discipline empowers my

students to tackle any complex issue by breaking it down into six manageable steps, then acting on

these steps. After I have taught students Coloroso’s six steps to problem solving, I would encourage the

use of these steps by using Lemov’s (2015, page 164), Name the Steps technique, which takes a complex

question, then breaks it down into smaller steps which is exactly what Coloros’s steps do. I would then

reinforce their problem-solving skills by utilizing Lemov’s (2015, p. 188) At Bats technique, which entails

repetition to get students to master their newly learned skills. Utilizing these four strategies, students

will develop inner discipline, which will help them to succeed after graduation.

Creating a Positive Classroom Community

 4

Creating a positive classroom community is a classroom management approach, developed by

Alfie Kohn, which seeks to “produce not just good learners, but good people” (Hardin, 2012, p. 140).

Kohn contends that teachers should focus on intrinsic motivators, and veer away from extrinsic

motivators such as rewards or punishment (Hardin, 2012, pp. 140-142). If I chose to use extrinsic

motivators, the developments I make with students would end when the motivators are no longer

present. Therefore, the use of intrinsic motivators aligns with my goal of preparing students for life after

they leave my class. Another benefit of creating a positive classroom community is that the class

becomes a safe space for students. This benefit synergizes well with inner discipline, as Coloroso also

emphasized the development of a save environment, which “encourages creative, constructive, and

responsible activity” (Hardin, 2012, p. 183). Safe spaces enable students to make mistakes and learn

from these experiences. Overall, creating a positive classroom community helps to set the tone of my

classroom, which is a positive place where students learn to be good people.

The strategies used to create a positive classroom community would be Lemov’s (2015, pp. 442-446) Joy

Factor technique and the research-based best practice of building positive relations with students

(Hardin, 2012, pp. 264-265). Lemov’s (2015, p. 442) Joy Factor technique “celebrates the work of

learning as you go”, helps to build a positive classroom community by helping students enjoy class and

making students feel welcome. Specific activities that would help students enjoy class would include fun

and games, and suspense and surprise (Lemov, 2015, p. 443 and 445). Specific interactions such as using

inclusive collective nouns (i.e. we, us, etc.) and humor would help to make students feel welcomed and

included in the classroom community. The research-based best practice of building positive relations

with students is a good reminder for me, as the teacher, that I am still responsible for my students and

that I should maintain a certain level of control over the class. If I become too laxed, I will lose control of

my class, which could endanger my students (Hardin, 2012, p. 265). Utilizing these two strategies, I
 5

would be able to create a safe space for my students. They would be able not just learn to be good

learners, but also good people, which will benefit them for their futures.

Teaching Students the Value of Time

As the saying goes, “time is money”. Most students do not realize the value of their time. I

hazard to guess this is because most students do not have a job to develop an opportunity cost

comparison, or if they have a job, the opportunity cost is low because they minimum wage or close to it.

In teaching students to value their time, I would teach students time management skills, which is a

highly valuable skill in the workforce, be modelling good time management skills. Time management

skills is important for teachers because instruction time is a limited resource. Good time management

maximizes our instruction time, which would allow teachers to provide more value to students.

To model good time management skills, I would utilize Lemov’s (2015, pp. 143-152) Double Plan

technique, Work the Clock technique (Lemov, 2015, pp. 220-222), and Every Minute Matters technique

(Lemov, 2015, pp. 224-229). Lemov’s (2015, p. 143) Double Planning technique states that great

teachers plan not only what they will be doing, but also what students will be doing at each point in the

class. As Lemov (2015, p. 143) suggests, I would utilize lesson packets, consisting of carefully designed

and coordinated lesson materials, which allows me to take the student’s perspective and plan

accordingly. When lessons are correctly planned and executed using this technique, instruction time is

maximized and teachers are able to keep students accountable at every point of the lesson (Lemov,

2015, pp. 143-152). Lemov’s (2015, p. 220-222) Work the Clock technique proposes that teachers

intentionally, strategically, and often visibly measure time. In applying this technique, Lemov (2015, pp.

220-222) recommends that teachers show the clock, use specific and odd increments, and set goals.

Showing the clock demonstrates a time-sensitive culture and lets your students know that you value

time (Lemov, 2015, pp. 220-221). Using specific and odd increments demonstrates that the time
 6

constraints that you set are exact, not estimates, and will encourage students to respect time

constraints that you set (Lemov, 2015, pp. 221-222). Setting goals for time restraints helps to increase

efficiency because you make time management a “team sport” by letting them strive to manage their

own time to accomplish the goal you set out (Lemov, 2015, p. 222). Overall, this technique is the most

important strategy in teaching students time management, because this technique is the one that allows

students to practice time management on their own. Lemov’s (2015, pp. 224-229) Every Minute Matters

technique encourages teachers to utilize every minute of instruction productively by keeping back-

pocket questions and activities, which could fill up any small increment of instruction time. Some

questions that could be used could by questions that review new terminology discussed in the preceding

lesson, or “math chains” consisting of sequential math problems (Lemov, 2015, p. 227). This technique,

like showing the clock, demonstrates that you value time and want to maximize instruction time by

using every bit of it. Utilizing these three strategies, I would be able to model and teach students time

management and encourage students to value instruction time.

Conclusion

My goal as a teacher is to prepare my students for life after they leave my classroom by

developing students’ inner discipline, creating a positive classroom community, and teaching students

that time is valuable. Developing inner discipline will teach my students how to think and how to

methodically solve complex problems. Creating a positive classroom community will encourage my

students to be good people. Teaching students that time is valuable will encourage good time

management and efficiency, which are desirable skillsets in nearly every occupation. Throughout this

course, I have learned about the various classroom management approaches and techniques to

implement these styles of teaching. However, my current classroom management philosophy is still

untested. I will need to implement, reassess, and reconstruct my classroom management plan as I begin
 7

my journey as an educator. I will utilize the various concepts that we learned in this class to develop my

classroom into one that successfully prepares students for life after leaving my class.
 8

References

Hardin, C. (2012). Effective classroom management: Models and strategies for today’s

classroom. (3rd edition) Boston: Pearson.

Lemov, D. (2015). Teach like a champion 2.0: 62 techniques that put students on the path to

college. (2nd Edition) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.