C

Classroom Management

By Milkyas Solomon (MA,LLB,B.Ed)

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 Bringing Discipline Excellence

Understanding the root causes of problems

A. Teacher Related Problems

B. Student Related Problems
C. Environment Related Problems
Teacher Related Problems
1. Poor Teaching
a. Poor mastery of the subject
b. Lack of Planning and Preparation
c. Ineffective style of presentation
d. Failure to use appropriate teaching aid
e. Failure to involve students in the instruction

2. Failure to enforce the rules set:

Student Related Problems
1. Disinterest in learning in general
2. Lack of interest in particular subject
3. Dislike to a teacher or hostility towards a teacher;
4. Attention seeking
5. Redirected Aggression
6. Ignorance of the rules
Environment Related Causes
Unsettled or disruptive home environment
Unpleasant peer relations
The absence of sufficient materials for the
classes, laboratories the workshops and fields
The class size
 Approaches to maintain classroom
discipline
1. The Authoritarian Classroom Management
Approach
2. The Cookbook Classroom Management Approach
3. The Instructional Classroom Management Approach
4. Permissive Classroom Management
5. Cooperative Classroom Management
6. The principle of Behavior Modification Approach
Authoritarian – yells, lectures, uses
harsh words, put downs, sarcasm
Leads to power struggles, revenge or
rebellion.
Consequences (punishments) are
external.
Adversary condition.
An enforcer – may use guilt to
control.
Lots of control – few choices.
Reward and punishment/fear and
intimidation.
Goal – compliance (does not teach
self discipline or responsibility).
Permissive – a “friend”, uses persuasion
and bribery (rewards)
Student is dependent on
teacher – behaves to please.

Lots of choices but few limits.

Students believe world owes

them and tantrum when world
doesn’t come through.
 Cooperative – Manager – Firm and Friendly
Enforces rules and consequences.
Consequences reasonable, related and done
respectfully.
Students learn to be responsible for their
decisions.
Manager is pro-active and prevents
discipline problems by developing: mutual
respect and meeting individual needs.
Students are empowered to solve problems.
Resolution is internal.
Behavior Modification Approach
1. People are social beings and have a desire to belong and feel
significant in the eyes of others.
2. All behavior is goal-oriented and has a purpose.
- The Primary Goal is to belong and feel significant.
- The Four Mistaken Goals of Misbehavior:

A. Attention “Notice me.”

B. Power “I’m in charge.”
C. Revenge “I’ll get even.”
D. Avoidance of Failure “I can’t.”
 Behavior Modification Approach

3. People Have Basic Needs.

(These needs will be met in a positive or negative way!)
a. Safety and Security
b. Connect (Acceptance, Attention, Appreciation, Affection)
c. Control – Power
d. Capable
e. Contribute
f. Fun – Enjoyment
4. People are Decision-Makers.
(Decision-makers must be responsible for the decisions they make.)
5. All People are Entitled to Dignity and Respect.
6. Inevitably People Change!
 Techniques to maintain classroom
discipline
A. The Preventive Techniques
1. Disciplining
2. The provision of freedom
3. Sharing responsibility
4. The provision of incentives
5. Developing good interpersonal relationships
6. Conducting effective teaching
7. Co-operative rule making
8. explaining procedures
Techniques…
B. Curative/ Remedial Techniques
1. Ignoring
2. eye-contact
3. Closing – in or Proximity physical closeness
4. Touch and Signal
5. Humor
6. Separating
7. Restructuring (the teaching methodology)
8. Intervention
9. Teacher’s Analysis
10. Open Discussion
 Setting Discipline Code
1. Punctuality
2. Dress code
3. Hairstyle
4. Lipstick and Nail polish
5. Enforce students stand and greet the teacher at arrival and
thank at the end of the period.
6. Homeroom teachers should mark carefully late comers and
absentees on the Attendance Register
7. students are not allowed to enter the Staff Room
8. Students are strictly forbidden to leave the class during
teaching hours or in between periods
Functional Analysis of Behavior
ABCs of Behavior

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The basis of functional
assessment is the acceptance
that all behavior is a form of
communication and all behavior
serves a purpose.

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The process of identifying what is
causing or maintaining behavior
is called the ABCs of Behavior.

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 ABCs of Behavior
Antecedent: What happens just before a problem
behavior occurs. Time of day, who is present, during what
event/subject/task.
Setting events: happen further away in time but still
contribute to the problem behavior: Lack of sleep, hunger,
medication.
Behavior: What the student does that is observable.
Written in concrete terms
Consequences: What typically happens after the
behavior occurs. Indicates what maintains the behavior.

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Consequences

By looking at what occurs as a result of

the behavior you are able to make an
hypothesis about what is maintaining
the behavior or what function is the
behavior serving for the student.

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Function of Behavior:

What is the student getting or

avoiding when they engage in a
specific behavior?

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Typical Functions of behavior
Attention: peer attention, adult attention
Escape: get out of an activity or away from other
students/staff.
Sensory stimulation-self reinforcing behaviors
such as thumb sucking
Access to materials or activities-something
tangible the student wants.

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Activity Examples:
 A B C

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Situation #1
When the Math teacher gives
Samuel a math assignment, he
begins to get extremely
disruptive, causing the
supervising teacher to tell him
to go stand in the hallway.
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Antecedents
What are the antecedents? What happens right
before Samuel’s behavior?

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Answer: The Math teacher
gives him a math assignment.

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ABCs

 A B C

Math assignment

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Behavior
What behavior is the result of the supervising
teacher giving Samuel a math assignment?

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Answer: Disruptive behavior.
He argues and curses.

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ABCs
A B
Math Assignment Curses and Argues

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Consequence
What is the consequence for Samuel engaging in
disruptive behavior?

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Answer: He is removed to the
hallway.

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ABCs
A B C
Math Assignment Curses and Argues removed

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What do we know?
What do we know about when
Samuel curses?
He curses when given math
assignments.
What is Samuel getting or
avoiding by cursing?
Being removed to the hallway is
allowing him to avoid the math
assignment.
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Did Samiy get what he wanted?

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If Samiy got what he wanted….
Was that the Math teacher’s intent?
Is it possible that the supervising teacher saw
removing him as a negative or punishing
consequence?
Will Sami’s cursing behavior decrease under these
conditions?

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For Samuel the act of being sent out into the
hallway is a reward…
How do we know?…Sami’s behavior doesn’t
decrease (which is the effect of punishment)
but will increase or stay the same (which is
the result of reinforcement).
(We will look at punishment and
reinforcement in more detail later.)

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Situation #2
Peter wants peer approval. When he smarts off to
his supervising teachers, his peers laugh and later
tell him how great he is. His supervising teacher
asks him to open his book, Peter smarts off. His
peers laugh and look approvingly at him. The
supervising teacher gives him lunchtime detention.
Peter serves his time in lunchtime detention
willingly.

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Situation 2
What are the ABCs of Situation 2?

A B C
(Antecedent) (Behavior) (Consequence)

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What is the antecedent?
What predicts when the behavior is
most likely to occur?

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Situation #2
A B C
Teacher Request

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What is the behavior that we
can observe?

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ABCs Situation #2
A B C
Teacher requests Smarts off

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Consequence…
What happens after the
behavior occurs?

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 ABCs
A B C
Teacher requests Smarts off Peers laugh
give approval;
Teacher gives
detention

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Function of Behavior:

What does Peter want to

get or avoid
when he uses this behavior?

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He is trying to get Peer Approval.

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Is he trying to avoid
lunch detention?
How do we know?
Because his behavior is not
decreasing despite being sent
to detention.

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Why isn’t lunch time detention
stopping Peter’s behavior?

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Peter’s need for peer approval
is stronger than the
consequence of lunch time
detention.

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 Group Activity: With a partner, look
at Activity Situation #1
Rahel wants supervising teacher attention.
Whenever the supervising teacher gives Rahel an
assignment to do she immediately puts her head
down on her desk. Seeing this the supervising
teacher walks over to Rahel, leans down and with
great care talks to her about how she knows and can
do the assignment if only she will try. The
supervising teacher normally spends at least 2
minutes per assignment getting Rahel started
What are the antecedents, behavior and
consequences?

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Activity Situation #1 Answers
What is the antecedent: supervising teacher
presents a task
What is the behavior: Rahel puts her head down
What is the consequence: supervising teacher
attention.

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What do we now know?
Rahel’s need for attention is greater than her
need for academic learning or success.
Presently the only time she gets the supervising
teacher’s total attention is for being helpless
and not working. If the supervising teacher
wants to increase the amount of work Rahel
does without assistance he needs to rearrange
the consequence. Rahel should get attention
when she is working, not when she is not
working.

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Activity Situation #2

Every day during recess Robel (who has a severe

speech and language disability) runs over to the
swings, which is his favorite piece of equipment. If he
gets to the playground late and someone else is on the
swing, he will grab the swing and or pull him/her off.

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Activity Situation #2 (continued)

Usually the student pulled off the swing will go and

tell the duty teacher/staff who will eventually come
get Robel off the swing and make him stand on the
wall. Robel’s parents are tired of him standing
against the wall during recess and want the practice
stopped. The school’s position is that they can’t let
him hurt the other kids.

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Activity Situation #2 answers
What is the antecedent: Recess, swing
What is the behavior: Pulls or pushes another
student off the swing.
What is the consequence: Gets to swing on the
swing.

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Activity Situation #3
Daniel is an 11th grader. Whenever the Math teacher
Mr. Abel gives him an assignment, which is
unfamiliar to him, he argues about why he has to
learn the material or why he has to do it. The
arguments usually last a few minutes and ends with
Mr. Abel becoming upset and sending him to Mr.
Amsalu the Guidance & Counselor .

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Activity Situation #3 (continued)
When he gets to the Guidance & Counseling, Mr
Amsalu sits down with him and explains what he
needs to do to complete the assignment and usually
Mr Asres, the Grade 12 Math teacher extends his
help and Daniel starts to work without any further
comment.

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Activity Situation #3 answers
What is the antecedent: unfamiliar work
What is the behavior: arguing
What is the consequence: being sent out of
room/getting assistance

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ACTIVITY
Lets investigate the situation by conducting SWOT
analysis of the discipline & behavior management
programs in the school.
Identify the STRENGTH
Identify the Weaknesses
What are the good Opportunities?
What are the Threats?
ACTIVITY
What is our intervention plan?
How can we build a culture of discipline?
How do we change our situation?