Developing your philosophy of classroom

management
John De Nobile
School of Education, Macquarie University
With adaptations by Roberto H Parada, School of Education, University of Western Sydney

This resource consists of a series of linked activities chapter-by-chapter to Lyons et al.

Classroom Management: Creating positive learning environments 4E. These activities enable
you to progressively work on and develop your own philosophy, plan and style of classroom
management.

A classroom philosophy, simply put, is a statement of what you believe about how to best
manage a class and how you will go about achieving that vision. This resource will help you
build it bit by bit. Complete the activities linked to each chapter of the text and by the end
of chapter 10 you should be able to bring your work together to form your classroom
philosophy.
(Week 1) Chapter 1: Modelling classroom management
In this chapter you have gained a small insight into the hectic world of teachers starting out,
and have been exposed to the bases of a good classroom management plan through the
Lyford Model. The following activities are designed to get you thinking about your own
model of teaching and classroom management.

1.1 What is a ‘good teacher’? Think about the teachers from your days in primary and
secondary schooling. What qualities did they have that made them ‘good’? Make a list
in the box below.

Enthusiasm, Guidance, Humour, Intelligent, Expressiveness and Communication

1.2 Using the Lyford Model as a starting point, what do you think are the key considerations
when a teacher is planning their strategy for classroom management? After making
some rough notes, pick out the most important ones and list them below.

Engagement with student knowledge and interpretation.

Considering interrelationship between schools, students, their families, and local/wider
communities
Psychological and Sociocultural perspectives on education.
Relationships and communication
Using reflexivity for changes and new strategies
theoretical approaches
Professional teaching with a safe environment
Bring together theory and practice

1.3 With your responses to the last two activities as a source of ideas, complete the
sentence in the box below.

I believe good teaching is about considering what classroom strategies and/or approaches
are required to cater towards students’ needs for effective learning. The Lyford Model is an
essential tool that teachers may use for classroom management with theory based
knowledge and understanding.
(Week 2)Chapter 2: Classroom management theory
In this chapter you have been introduced to some theories of behaviour/classroom
management. More are presented in the online companion. Some of these might have
caused you to react in some way, either negatively or positively. Of the ones you developed
a positive feeling about, was there a particular theory that stood out? Was there a theory or
approach that you felt might fit your view of how children should be treated and how
teaching happens? Think about this before responding to the activities.

2.1 In the box below, list the theories that you think are ‘not for you’ under the heading
‘Not me’, and the theories that you think are more favourable under the heading ‘More
like me’.

Not me More like me

Applied Behavioural Analysis Psychoeducational Theory
Assertive Discipline Goal Centred Theory
Cognitive Behavioural Theory
Choice Theory

2.2 Now take a closer look at the theories you placed in the ‘More like me’ column. Read
the suggested readings provided in this chapter and the online companion. Get to know
the theories more intimately. Use this new knowledge, specifically the key philosophies
behind the theories (or theory), to develop your own statement of belief about the sort
of places classrooms should be. Complete the following sentence and perhaps add
another to accompany it.

I believe classrooms should be places where … there is value for the students, high
expectations, reward on personal merit, and a safe learning environment. Students should
be allowed to have respective choices towards bettering their learning and further
understanding.
(Week 3)Chapters 3 & 6: Relationships, communication & Professional
reflexivity
Effective communication is a key component of effective classroom management, and
quality teaching depends on it. This chapter describes some very useful skills for dealing
with inappropriate student behaviour in a non-confrontational and positive way. Being
aware of non-verbal cues will lead a teacher to be more sensitive to how their messages are
being received as well as how to send messages and provide feedback more effectively.
Active listening allows teachers and students to interact with minimal interference from
underlying emotional factors. I-messages provide the teacher with a tool to convey to
students how their behaviour is affecting the class in a non-submissive, informative and
positive manner.

Teaching philosophies often describe the way a teacher will interact with their students and
this, in turn, provides a window into the classroom climate that a teacher is trying to
establish. The following activities should help you to identify your preferred way of
communicating with the class generally as well as in dealing with inappropriate behaviour.
After completing them you should have a better idea of how your classroom philosophy will
describe your communication style in the classroom.

3.1 After reading this chapter and doing some of your own follow-up reading, list in the
boxes below which communication methods you are most attracted to, and which ones
you have not tried but would not mind practising to see if they might work for you.

My preferred communication style Things I’d like to try out

Active Listening I-messaging
Open Questioning Assertive Communication
Negotiating
Non-verbal Communication
Feedback
Interpersonal Communication

3.2 You will need to pre-empt the communication paragraph in your philosophy with a
sentence or two underpinning or justifying it. Using your readings of the chapter, in
particular the Relationships and communication, Interference, Communication process
and Non-verbal communication sections, complete the sentence in the box below. You
might need to add a second or even a third sentence.

I believe that good communication between teacher and student is vital to a positive
classroom climate because this creates a positive relationship between teacher and student.
This positive relationship enhances effective communication by understanding students
cognitive and behavioural engagement and acting upon them accordingly with various
communication methods. The communication process entails sending and receiving
messages with feedback acknowledging teachers to know their students and how they
learn.
3.3 To complete your paragraph on communication you will now need to identify the key
strategies you will use. Take another look at the lists in 3.1 and pick the most suitable of
these to complete the section below.

Therefore, I will … engage in active listening a strategy most effective to deal with problem
behaviour and for negotiating solutions. Using open questioning helps the student address
any issues they haven’t raised to better their understanding and the use of negotiating
emphasises mutual respect and the interference caused through emotion and message
contamination.

This week you also looked at how personal beliefs can help or hinder in your relationships
and communication with students.

3.3 Briefly outline your understanding of how beliefs can help or hinder your ability to
create positive learning environments:

Teacher personal beliefs affect the way we create Positive Learning Environments by … not
considering other beliefs or wanting to use effective change that may assist in effective
teaching. A teacher, I believe, requires control, guidance and care to manage behavioural
problems that occur in lessons. These teaching approaches assist students in effective
learning by providing a safe environment and considering psychological and physiological
behaviours of students learning ability.

Chapter 6: Professional reflexivity

The last of the four positive practices is professional reflexivity. Good teachers reflect on
what they do frequently, during lessons as well as afterwards. Examining how well things
worked, or how things didn’t work as well as planned, helps teachers to inform their future
teaching and consequently improve their practice. This chapter discusses at length an action
research model that can be used to encourage professional reflexivity. There are, of course,
other models to consider as indicated in the reference list at the end of the chapter.

Your teaching philosophy should describe how and for what purpose you might engage in a
cycle of professional reflexivity, be it through critical analysis using various perspectives or
an action research model, or both.

6.1 Why should teachers engage in professional reflexivity? By reading this chapter you will
get a clear idea about the benefits of reflection on and in action. Once you have given
this some thought and done some further reading, complete the following sentence.

I believe professional reflexivity is important to my teaching because …I reflect on my own

beliefs and actions, searching for explanations and change to differentiate my teaching
strategies.
6.2 Having thought up a justification for it, how will you go about engaging in reflection
about your practice in your teaching career? Once you have thought this out, think of
some practical and achievable ways you can engage in professional reflexivity and
complete the next sentence.

As a consequence of this belief, I will …have to break down my strategies and approaches to
investigate other theories to construct an effective learning environment.
(Week 4)Chapter 4: Classroom organisation and Curriculum, assessment and
pedagogy
Classroom management is not just about managing behaviour. At the heart of teaching and
learning are the curriculum taught, the pedagogy used and the assessment designed to
measure how well that curriculum was taught and how well the pedagogy worked. This
chapter takes you through these three areas one at a time.

The next part of your teaching philosophy will be about how you will deliver curriculum and
assess student achievement/growth. After reading this chapter, please reflect on the
following:
 What will you take into consideration when planning your teaching program?
 How will you know what to teach and where to start?
 What are the many ways in which your students could demonstrate achievement other
than tests and quizzes?
 What teaching approaches will you use and what philosophical views will your
pedagogies reflect?

4.1 Using the PIR Cycle as a stimulus, explain how you will go about planning your teaching
program in the box below.

Plan Implement Review

Planning my teaching program requires meeting diverse needs of students and is different
with each class. An evaluation after each lesson helps identify what worked and what didn’t
to address different needs. Elaborating the syllabus and content points clarifying what
students have completed justify the level of understanding the students have.

4.2 Why is assessment important? What types of assessment will you develop and why?
Answer these two questions below.

Various types of assessment such as: quizzes, exams, practical investigations, etc., assess the
students on known knowledge and understanding of information. Revision questions after
lessons help assess the students of previous knowledge learnt and grasp onto whether the
information was understandable or not. Quizzes and exam evaluate to the teacher what
strengths and weaknesses are presented and need to be worked on.

4.3 Pedagogy refers to how you will teach the curriculum. Usually, the type of pedagogy
you implement is influenced by a basic belief about how students best learn. After
considering your pedagogical approach and strategies, complete the sentences below.

I believe that students best learn through … engagement with discussions and revision of
the lesson provided with open questioning.

Therefore I will use …assessment to evaluate on students understanding of information

learnt with social interaction and integration of different teaching approaches.
Chapter 5: Classroom organisation
As explained in this chapter, there are several dimensions to classroom organisation. Each of
these put together become the manifestation of your classroom culture. Your classroom
culture is, simply put, the way your class operates and incorporates:
 rules and procedures
 organisation of the physical space.

It is now time to think about how your teaching philosophy will describe these two aspects
and explain them in terms of an overarching set of beliefs or approaches. After reading this
chapter, complete the next two activities.

5.1 What values do you hold as important to establishing an orderly, productive and
positive classroom? Answer this question below, then list the key rules/expectations
you think flow naturally from those values and which you want to stress in your class.
Complete the section by explaining how rules and consequences will be established in
your classroom.

Class discussions and engagement are values to me that present a productive open learning
environment collaborating classroom knowledge. Expectations of the lesson is to show
respect, learn effectively and achieve the best learning outcomes of the lesson.

5.2 What should your classroom look like to visitors entering it. Why? Think about this then
answer the question and explain how you might organise:
 seating
 classroom space (displays, colours, furniture, etc).

A variation of colour, space and texture will be integrated to promote student motivation.
Displaying content related photos, diagrams, figures, facts, prints, and student work that
assist in the conceptual belief of belonging to the student.
(Week 5).Chapter 7: Interventions & Evaluation
Interventions bring the focus of your philosophy back to the behaviour management aspect
of classroom management. The first part of this chapter explains intervention as something
that is done to one or more aspects of the classroom milieu to improve a situation that is
getting out of hand (or has the potential to), usually as a result of inappropriate behaviour
that threatens the stability of the learning environment. The chapter presents approaches
to intervention according to the three theoretical orientations introduced in chapters 1
and 2.

7.1 After reading this chapter ask yourself the following questions and record your answers.

Which approach am I most Why? How would I use this in

comfortable working with?
(You can choose more than
1)
Dreikurs’ Goal-Centred
Theory
This theory encourages
responses of students when
behaving appropriately and
allowing the student to feel
significant.
practice?
Identify the goal
Break the cycle of the first
reaction
Disclose the goal
Assert the social reality
Give choices
Logical consequences

Albert Ellis’s Rational Focuses on challenging Observe student behaviour

Emotive Theory irrational thoughts (negative,
counterproductive, anxiety
producing) and replacing
them with rational thoughts
(Positive, productive).
Discuss the behaviour with
students causing the
behaviour
Monitor individual progress
Focus on maintenance and
generalisation for
encouragement and support.

7.2 Did you list more than one approach? If so, how might the two (or more) approaches
work together as a behaviour management strategy (or sequence of strategies in a
plan)?

7.3 Having thought through the approaches and how you would apply them, it is time to
nail down your intervention strategy. First, write about the approach (or approaches)
you believe will work best and why.

If intervention for behaviour management is needed, I believe that Goal-Centred Theory and
Rational Emotive Theory are sufficient approaches to treat misbehaviour. Goal-Centred
Theory is a great approach as it encourages students when they behave appropriately rather
than focusing on misbehaviour. Rational Emotive Theory focuses on challenging irrational
thoughts (negative, counterproductive, anxiety producing) and replacing them with rational
thoughts (Positive, productive) helping students restructure their thinking to self-regulate
behaviours.

7.4 Now write about how you would put the above into practice.

In line with this thinking, I will incorporate Goal-Centred Theory by identifying set goals for
students, breaking the cycle of the typical reactions to students, provide recognition reflex
of the goal, define the social impact of misbehaviour by use of the I-message format, give
students choices, and logical consequences connecting cause and effect of misbehaviour.
Rational Emotive Theory is addressed by observing student behaviour, discussing the
behaviour with the students causing the behaviour, monitoring individual progress, and
focusing on maintenance and generalisation for encouragement and support.

7.5 Having written an overview of your intervention plan, go back to your earlier
statements, particularly your responses to 1.3, 2.2, 3.3 and 5.1. In light of 7.3 and 7.4 do
you need to modify any of these? If so, make the changes now.

This week we also discussed the importance of considering evaluation for interventions

7.6 Briefly outline below how you would go about documenting and monitoring an
intervention with a student(s) or class for effectiveness.

Taking into consideration the need to have objective measures of effectiveness of an

intervention I will monitor student progress in the following ways …
(Week 6) Chapter 8: Stories from the field (Personal Reading)
In this chapter there are 10 stories where teachers and others describe an aspect of their
experience with classroom management in the real world. The online companion website
presents even more. To complete the activity below please read between three and five of
these. They will provide you with a variety of models of practice in classroom management
and might trigger new ideas to include in your philosophy of teaching.

8.1 After reading some of the case studies (E.g., 8 in the text Lisa, 9 Andrew, 10 Wendy and
16, 19, 20 etc online), what would you add about aspects of your classroom
management that have not been mentioned so far in your philosophy? Add these in the
box below in rough draft form. You can refine them later in 10.1.

Summary provides what has been used, find others that can be used for class management.
What has been mentioned:
 A professional philosophy
 Case-based learning
 Curriculum, assessment and pedagogy
 Ecological perspective
 Organised classroom
 Positive relationships and effective communication
 Psychoeducational, behavioural and cognitive behavioural theory
 Reflection and reflexion, praxis and practice

What hasn’t been mentioned:

 Sociocultural perspective
 Interrogates the social and cultural influences on the dynamics of belonging
for students in the classroom.
 Intervention practices
 Are used when your positive practices are insufficient to create or maintain a
positive learning environment, typically when challenging student behaviours
emerge or persist.
 Plan-implement-review (PIR) cycle
 Once a set or sequence of outcomes is selected, the PIR cycle is engaged. This
cycle requires beginning the lesson with motivation for outcomes, goals and
success. Implementing maximised learning through interaction with
appropriate intellectual and emotional support. Monitoring independent
learning aiding in the development in fluency and automaticity of responses.
Providing a review that evaluates the specific nature of lesson content and
proactive feedback continuing the learning process. Recognition should be
used for individual learning rates and needs connection to the reviewing and
giving feedback process.
(Week 7) Social Emotional Learning in Schools. Cohen, J. (2006) & Zins, et al
(2007).
Social and Emotional Learning brings your attention to focus efforts on promoting students’
social and emotional competencies. Many leaders in the field underscore the importance of
skills-based teaching and learning to properly address this important facet of teaching the
whole child.
8.1 After reading Cohen and Zin and reflecting on the lecture content what would you add
about aspects of your classroom management that have not been mentioned so far in
your philosophy? Add these in the box below in rough draft form. You can refine them
later in 10.1.

Collaborative problem solving (CPS) is a key aspect of Social and Emotional Learning that is
beneficial to teachers and students by effectively isolating behavioural challenges and
augmenting educational needs. The CPS process identifies different ways of understanding
challenging behaviour, communicating with challenging students, and working together to
durably solve problems that have set challenging behaviours in motion (Greene, 2011).

Greene, R. W. (2011). Collaborative Problem Solving can transform school discipline. The Phi
Delta Kappan, 93(2), 25-29. doi: 10.2307/23048940

(Week 8) Principles of Behaviour Modification. Zirporli T.J. (2012). Ch10 and

Killu, K. (2008)

This week we looked at fundamental aspects of behaviourism and learning. Ziporli and Killu
provide examples of the application of such theory and research to classroom management
and behaviour change. Important concepts such as reinforcement, functional purpose of
behaviour and behaviour shaping are discussed

7.1 After reading Ziporli and Killu and reflecting on the lecture content what would you add
about aspects of your classroom management that have not been mentioned so far in
your philosophy? Add these in the box below in rough draft form. You can refine them
later in 10.1.

The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (AITSL) (2014) engage high quality
teaching and can uncover explicit elements that are essential for pedagogy to create a
positive learning environment. Supporting student participation in lessons while
emphasising student safety and wellbeing are essential to classroom management by
addressing emotional and behavioural cues. Modifying teachers’ pedagogy to suit students
learning needs through interpretation of student outcomes and results incorporates
reflexivity through differentiating teaching needs.

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL). (2014). Australian
Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.aitsl.edu.au/australian-
professional-standards-for-teachers/standards/list
(Week 9) Chapter 9: Your theory into practice
Early in the chapter you are asked to write up a statement of your theoretical approach to
classroom management. You should read the rest of the chapter, as it takes you through the
steps of constructing a philosophy of teaching. You already started this process in activities
relating to chapters 1 and 2, but now you have a chance to refine it by altering your
responses in 1.3 and 2.2. This may require changes to sentences or even some considerable
rewriting, but as the authors say, if a job is worth doing, it is worth doing it well.

9.1 Now that you have reviewed your overarching philosophy and settled, more or less, on
your approach to teaching and classroom management, it is time to combine the bits
that you have been working on into your first (draft) teaching philosophy. It is simple
now. All the hard work has been done. Simply cut and paste your responses in the order
suggested below, into the box.

Cut and paste in the following order leaving a line space between each section:
1.3 > 2.2 > 3.2 > 3.3 > 5.1 > 5.2 > 4.1 > 4.2 > 4.3 > 7.1 > 7.3 > 7.4 >8.1> 6.1 > 6.2

My personal reflection/teaching philosophy (Draft 1)

Include The Lyford Model:
 Relationships and communications
 Curriculum Assessment and pedagogy
 Classroom Organisation
 Professional Reflexivity

References:

Greene, R. W. (2011). Collaborative Problem Solving can transform school discipline. The Phi
Delta Kappan, 93(2), 25-29. doi: 10.2307/23048940

Lyons, G., Ford, M., & Slee, J. (2014). Classroom management: Creating positive learning
environments (4th ed.). South Melbourne, Australia: Cengage
(Week 9) Chapter 10: Contemporary issues (Personal Reading)
This chapter describes some of the current issues and trends that schools and wider school
systems are dealing with. After reading the chapter, you should consider if any of these
movements require ‘presence’ in your teaching philosophy. For example, once you have
visited the AITSL website and examined the national teaching standards, do you feel the
need to address any of these standards in your teaching philosophy? After reading about
time outs, exclusion and expulsion, do you feel your classroom management intervention
approach needs to change or is it OK as it is? These are just two example of areas where
wider issues that teachers might want to address in their philosophy.

Ask yourself these questions after reading your draft philosophy from 9.1:
1 Have I covered everything I want to cover in my philosophy and if not, what do I need to
add? This might be from chapter 10, but don’t forget about things you might have
written in 8.1. Now is the time to consider how they will fit into your draft.
2 Does the philosophy read right to me? If not, then make your changes. Move sections
around if you feel they sit better.
3 Do I need an opening quote/sentence and do I need a conclusion to round things off? If
so, jot down some rough notes.

10.1 After considering questions 1, 2 and 3 above, edit your teaching philosophy. It would
be a good idea to leave the draft you had in 9.1 alone, cut and paste that here and
make the changes here just in case you need to refer back to your original draft.

My personal reflection/teaching philosophy (Draft 2)

Ready to roll …
Now that you have made the changes, read it to yourself. How does it read now?
If you are happy with the result, you have your first teaching philosophy. Congratulations!
You have done it! Now it’s time to prepare your final submission. Look at the Unit Learning
Guide and now write your own personal reflection and philosophy Ability to clearly and
coherently reflect on specific learnings in this unit and their implications for their personal
philosophy in relation to the management of student’s challenging behaviour, learning and
wellbeing in a positive learning environment.

Into the future!

However, please be aware that your philosophy may well change as you gain experience in
teaching and are exposed to other ideas from your ongoing professional development, your
interactions with peers and other sources of inspiration. It will be an interesting task for you
to go back to this philosophy you have just completed in 10 years’ time and compare it to
the one you have then. Will it have changed much? How have your approaches evolved?
What kind of teacher have you become?