Running head: PERSONAL APPROACH TO CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

Personal Approach to Classroom Management

Learning Opportunity 3

Chris Mastoropoulos

260586726

McGill University
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Table of Contents

Theory of Learning …………………………………………………………………………….... 3

Philosophy of Education …………………………………………………………………............ 5

Managing the Classroom …………………………………………………………………........... 8

References ……………………………………………………………………………….......... 12
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Theory of Learning

Promoting interest in the classroom subject matter is crucial in fostering intrinsic

motivation (Ormrod, et al., 2008). In finding activities that appeal to students’ interests, an internal

desire to learn may develop. Firstly, this can be accomplished by including diverse classroom

materials and procedures in the classroom. For instance, I’ve always attempted to include various

sources of information when teaching a group of students during my third field experience. While

planning a unit for secondary one students on The Giver, then, I utilized audio, visual, and tactile

forms of knowledge. This was done by way of presenting written texts, videos, and activities

involving tangible objects.

Secondly, conveying my own enthusiasm for the topics that I teach will further promote

intrinsic motivation in my students (Ormrod, et al., 2008). As such, when asked to select a novel

for my secondary two groups, I chose the The Outsiders. This decision was based on the fact that

I am passionate about challenging social class issues in society. In turn, my enthusiasm about said

topics translated into a genuine display of passion. I believe that my students became aware that I

truly cared about what I was teaching, and so they too became engulfed in the subjects we explored.

Thirdly, providing opportunities for students to become actively involved with subject

matter assists in promoting further interest (Ormrod, et al., 2008). Through my brief experience,

this occurred most by way of small group discussions and cooperative learning activities. It’s truly

fascinating to see a group of students go from slouching on their desks to talking and moving when

asked to actively participate in any lesson. As such, students must have opportunities to become

active agents in their learning. Lastly, asking students to teach what they’ve learned can act as

evidence of mastery of learned material. It can also lead to a greater sense of attachment to the

subjects as they become responsible for teaching their peers that they learn with every other day.
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According to cognitive psychologists, students construct meaning through mental

processes as opposed to deriving it from their environment (Ormrod, et al., 2008). Construction

occurs when people take many distinct pieces of information and use them to construct an

understanding and interpretation of the world. Above and beyond promoting a genuine interest,

then, my theory of learning stresses the importance of having students construct their very own

understandings of the world. I believe that the notion of self-regulation is, in turn, essential in

fostering independent and autonomous learners. Self-regulation can be defined as learning while

one monitors their very own cognitive and mental processes (Ormrod, et al., 2008). As an educator,

I always attempt to facilitate my students’ ability to do so by giving them the appropriate tools.

These tools include giving students the freedom of planning their time effectively for

accomplishing tasks assigned to them. For example, I’ve given students mind mapping organizers

for a short story to complete prior to the completion of all other tasks (cover page, rough draft,

final draft). This way, they learn that all activities that are carried out are essentially steps in

accomplishing their final task. They also get the chance to monitor their thinking and make any

necessary adjustments before they begin writing their stories.

As mentioned, I was keen on assigning students a short story assignment during stage. I

allowed them the freedom to choose any theme or genre to write about, as long as I gave them the

green light once seeing their outlines. As such, my theory of learning also highlights the usage of

creativity and divergent thinking. Creativity involves behaviors that are new and original, and leads

to results that are productive and appropriate. Moreover, divergent thinking involves a student’s

ability to grasp one idea and expand it into many directions. Students in my classroom are always

encouraged to display such traits in order to get them interested, enthusiastic, and independent; a

recipe for authentic learning.

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Philosophy of Education

We are currently experiencing an age of instant gratification and technological

advancements. Students seek out information that is quickly accessible without accurately

analyzing and evaluating it. Education’s purpose is to prepare tomorrow’s citizens to participate

in an ever-changing society. As such, it is crucial that students develop critical approaches to

retrieve material from a vast array of sources. It is equally important to teach future generations

the significance of freedom and independence as our behaviours are progressively being shaped

by the media. After my third field experience, I witnessed both the damaging and constructive

effects of social media and digital platforms. In result, I will strive to teach my students how to

challenge the norms set forth by society and develop a multi-faceted sense of self-sufficiency as

well as care for others. I want to foster active and open-minded individuals that will work to

promote equality. As such, I approach teaching through a social reconstructionist lens as I believe

that “schools should become the primary agent for planning and directing social change” (Parkay

et al., 2012, p. 68). My first three field experiences have taught me that in order to communicate

these principles to students; we must abandon traditional approaches to teaching where students

are passive learners. Instead, we must incorporate content that is relevant to the learners’ lives and

have critical group discussions so that they begin to confront mainstream thoughts and values

(Parkay et al., 2012).

Moreover, we must constantly approach teaching from diverse angles because every

student learns differently. Parker et al. (2012) have stated that:

“students’ learning styles are determined by a combination of hereditary and environmental

influences. Some quickly learn things they hear; others learn faster when they see material in
writing. Some need a lot of structure; others learn best when they can be independent and follow
their desires. Some learn best in formal settings; others excel in informal, relaxed environments.
Some need almost total silence to concentrate, others learn well in noisy, active environments.
Some are intuitive learners; some prefer to follow logical, sequential steps” (p. 178).
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Accordingly, my philosophy of education places the student at the heart of the learning

experience as teachers must be flexible with diverse pupils. Also, every student has different

opportunities for success. As I completed my second field experience, a school where many

students fell below the poverty line, I realized that parents, teachers, and schools must cooperate

to foster caring environments. In doing so, parents must demonstrate love and support for their

children, teachers must guide students into thinking critically, and schools should act as a safe

learning space.

In the field, I recognized teachers would become engaged in students’ personal lives

through after school programs and workshops. The student-teacher relationships adopted through

such activities fostered classroom environments that were conducive to learning. As a result, my

philosophy has been shaped by the idea that “before teachers can teach, they must manage their

classrooms effectively” (Parkay, et al., 2012, p. 11). I’ve recognized that the proper management

of a classroom relates to building appropriate relationships with the students, promoting

democratic ideals and being firm when required. In addition to healthy student-teacher

relationships, proper interpersonal relationships between school staff are crucial in building safe

spaces for students. During my stage, I was invited to sit in a meeting for the school’s English

department. There was tension between the staff as they disagreed on the selection of content for

final exams. They never reached an agreement, and so my cooperating teacher was unable to

answer his students’ questions and concerns about their finals. As such, the staff’s inability to

cooperate and make collective decisions about the curriculum led to heightened student stress. In

essence, observing my host school has allowed me to develop my intrapersonal skills and improve

in competencies 1, 2, 9, 10, and 11.

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Originally, I assumed that a successful teacher needed to be authoritative, particularly when

working with high school students. However, my practice has assisted me in realizing that student

learning is stimulated when teachers are firm, patient, genuine, and inspirational; especially when

dealing with students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. One day in particular, I recognized my

students’ inability to focus. They were being extremely uncooperative and overexcited. However,

I decided to display patience with the students by allowing the final 20 minutes of class for a

discussion about trade school and employment opportunities; a tool used by my previous

cooperating teacher during my second field experience. The next class, my students worked

efficiently and seemed to listen to my instructions carefully. In result, I’ve recognized the

importance of competencies 1, 2, 6, 11, and 12 when having to adapt to a group of students’ socio-

emotional needs. In turn, I’ve realized that I’d like to be a firm, yet patient, genuine, and

inspirational teacher.

Beyond patience and assertiveness, teachers must be knowledgeable, communicative, and

aware of cultural differences to teach well (Parkay et al., 2012). As educators, we must be

knowledgeable in order to avoid presenting inaccurate information, communicative so that

students can learn to think critically, and aware of cultural differences in order to modify our

approaches accordingly. I believe such traits are vital for one pursuing a career in education, and

my first attempts at teaching certainly helped me in recognizing the importance of competencies

4, 6, and 9.
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Managing the Classroom

In essence, my values as an educator maintain a social reconstructionist approach. In order

to foster social change, teachers must act as the catalysts to reconstructing views which represent

equality. As such, my practice places the student at the heart of the learning process. In order to

do so, I consistently strive to connect to their interests and backgrounds, promote enthusiasm, and

foster the development of a multi-faceted sense of self-sufficiency as well as care for others. This

requires one to be patient, genuine, and inspirational so that students can mirror these same

behaviors. However, it can be quite the demanding task to have students act as active agents in the

classroom without a detailed and thoughtful approach to classroom management. Upon careful

consideration of diverse theories to managing a group of students, this paper calls for an integration

of Fred Jones’, William Glasser’s, and Rudolf Dreikurs’ models of classroom management.

One particular experience that has remained ingrained in my mind was with one of my

secondary two groups. I was unable to get them to settle down and work on their bell work once

the period had started. I couldn’t get a number of the students to sit in their seats and stop talking

to their friends and neighbors. I noticed immediately that they were trying to waste time, and their

failure to cooperate aggravated me tremendously. As many inexperienced teachers do, I began to

nag and yell at the group when I couldn’t get a handle on the situation by repeating the class rules

and routines we had established at the beginning of the school year. Unfortunately, I zeroed in on

one specific male student when I saw him standing up and laughing loudly. I decided to ask him

to stay after class, to which he responded, “you can’t keep me after school it’s illegal.” As opposed

to asking him to just stay for a couple of seconds, I made him move his stuff to the front row; a

punishment I regretted the moment he began distracting all of his peers between his seat and the

front desk.
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In complete opposition to my desires of being a teacher who is enthusiastic and

inspirational, the way I reacted to the aforementioned situation still upsets me today. Fred Jones

maintains that time conservation through the usage of bell work can act as a preventative measure

to non-compliant behaviors (Charles, 2014, p. 144). However, I’ve come to realize that students

oftentimes find it tedious. As such, in the future, I’d like to give students different options as to

what they can work on, whether it is silent reading, journal writing, or paragraph editing.

Furthermore, I believe that assigning classroom responsibilities could have assisted in preventing

such a situation. As stated by Jones, students who are given a chore within the classroom feel a

sense of accountability and proprietorship in the classroom, and go out of their way to ensure the

smooth operation of affairs (Charles, 2014, p. 144). If this one student was given the responsibility

of distributing and collecting the bell work folders, for instance, he might have felt personally

liable for any potential interferences of this routine.

In order to act as a catalyst of social change, I must model behaviors which represent equity

and fairness. By failing to do so, I will fail to gain the trust of my students; leading my attempts to

promote freedom, independence, and a sense of care for others to be futile at best. When reflecting

upon the aforementioned scenario, then, I can’t help but to reflect on the importance of William

Glasser’s approach to classroom management. Specifically, I’ve come to understand the difference

between lead versus boss management. By yelling and calling out one particular student while the

whole class was being non-compliant, I failed to motivate them and provide a safe space; an

essential element of a productive classroom (Charles, 2014). Responding in a way which

demonstrated frustration, led me to engage in a power struggle with the student. Rather than

remaining calm, my reaction allowed the student to believe that my authority could be challenged.

Instead, I would have liked to acknowledge the fact that the students were being non-compliant,
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and meet them halfway in recognizing that everyone can sometimes lose focus. Through asking

them for their input, I could have opened the possibility of collectively coming to an agreement of

respectful classroom expectations and procedures when such situations arise. In turn, I could have

embodied Glasser’s seven connecting habits: caring, listening, and negotiation by asking them for

their input, and supporting, respecting, encouraging, and trusting by coming to a collective

agreement towards proper classroom etiquette.

Lastly, the abovementioned scenario propelled me to consider Rudolf Dreikurs’ approach

to classroom management. Immediately upon reflecting on that one particular non-compliant

student, I began to think about the motives for his behaviors. Dreikurs suggests that students act

out in order to gain attention, exercise power, exact revenge, or display inadequacy (Edwards in

Howden, J. et. al., 2017). When taking this into consideration, I recognized that this student was

acting out to gain attention. Rather than rewarding bad behavior with my attention, helping the

student refocus and staying with him until he reinitiated the task would have been much more

productive. As per my teaching philosophy and values, classroom outcomes and student behaviors

are understood as a combination of intersecting factors. Through this lens, I’m better equipped as

a teacher to respond to my students’ needs rather than their reactions.

In summary, my own approach to classroom management is informed and guided by my

adoption of the social reconstructionist view of education. Providing students different options for

completing work in the class will ensure that students exercise their own interests rather than

wasting valuable classroom time. Assigning classroom responsibilities ensures the smooth

operation of affairs by giving the students a sense of accountability and proprietorship within the

class. Also, leading the students towards common learning goals will make them feel responsible
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for their own outcomes and motivated to succeed. Finally, considering the motives to certain

behaviors will equip me to better manage and maintain a productive classroom.

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References

Charles, C.M. (2014). Building Classroom Discipline (11th ed.). New York: Pearson.

Howden, J., Wilcox, K., Buki, C., Baurhoo, N., (2017). Classroom Discipline & Management

(5th ed.) in Secondary Classroom Practices. Montreal, McGill University.

Ormrod, J.E., Saklofske, D. H., Schwean, V.L., Andrews, J.J.W., Shore, B.M. (2008).

Principles of Educational Psychology (2nd ed.), Toronto, ON: Pearson.

Parkay, F.W., Hardcastle Stanford, B., Vaillancourt, J.C., Stephens, H.C., & Harris, J.R. (2012).

Becoming a Teacher (4th ed.), Toronto, ON: Pearson.