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Comparison Paper 1

Comparison Paper

Nathan L. Tamborello - 1613591

The University of Houston

CUIN 6375 - Classroom Management


Comparison Paper 2

I think it would be unfair to say over the course of 5 weeks, my entire teaching

philosophy has changed or miraculously altered in some way. I wouldn’t even go so far as to use

the word “changed”; maybe solidified is more apt in this scenario, but even so I came into the

class with a rather solid world view of who I was as both a person and as a future teacher. A lot

of the theorists presented in this class were refreshers for me, and even one of them I have had as

a professor during my tenure at the Univeristy of Houston. However, I will concede the fact that

in working closely with my fellow graduate students, being introduced into various classrooms

of learners, and through group presentations, I have been able to have a more concrete mastery of

the skills I have been working towards in my Master’s degree, and I have garnered more clarity

and confidence in my abilities as an educator.

My personal philosophy of education aligns closely with Glasser’s Choice Theory and

Freiberg’s CMCD model of classroom management. Choice Theory postulates that student

choice can be a powerful motivational tool by helping fulfill five basic human needs: survival

and security, love and belonging, power through cooperation and competency, freedom, and fun.

By understanding and attending to those needs, I hope to customize and manage a classroom

environment where students learn to motivate and monitor themselves. The CMCD approach

has ties to Choice Theory in that it sets the student up as active participants, or citizens of the

classroom, rather than tourists. As the teacher, my aim is to create a consistent but flexible

learning environment in conjunction with the students, establishing a cooperative plan for the

rules and procedures that govern the classroom. By expanding leadership roles towards students

and allowing them to semi-self-govern, I recognize the student as a mature adult, which leads to

students feeling more respected and showing more consistency in their behaviour. In essence, I
Comparison Paper 3

believe in treating students like human beings, who have a voice and are able to have an outlet to

have that voice heard.

During lecture throughout the semester, I put asterisks next to information I deemed vital

to my future classroom; most of these were ideas and ideals that I had never considered before:

 You can be demanding without being demeaning

 Students’ needs are no facilitated around your moods

 If you’re feeling bad about a decision you’ve made [in the classroom], make more

decisions

 What you permit, you promote

These bullets are things that I feel are detrimental to certain scenarios within the classroom,

and things that I feel are often overlooked or totally ignored by teachers. Through my literature

review, I found that research supported most of these ideas, especially the idea that your mood

does not need to dictate the mood of the classroom. I realize that as a teacher, if my mood

controls the classroom, it can be detrimental to the overall community mental health if I am

constantly bringing shade into the classroom.

So after this course, what does effective classroom management look like to me?

 An organized teacher and classroom

 Good balance between discipline & reward

 Inspiring

 Consistent

 Student leadership enforced by a sense of belonging to a community

 An authentic teacher who is a mentor as well as instructor


Comparison Paper 4

 A flexible and adaptable teacher who promotes creativity and innovation through a

collaborative classroom

I think my strengths for teaching lie within my ability to empathize with students,

choosing to be an affective teacher who is ready and willing to listen, but at the same time as

someone who is an effective disciplinarian that can separate my relationship with the student

from their behavioural problems.

My classroom philosophy supports the ideas that I have aforementioned by me setting

goals to strive to be a teacher who fosters a collaborative classroom that institutes student choice

over tradition, treats students as leaders rather than a body in a seat, and provide an environment

where students can feel respected, valued, and loved. I believe teachers have a duty to their

students and to themselves to attempt to be the best role model, mentor, and educator that they

can be. Fulfilling this duty requires that a teacher never stops learning and continues to evaluate

their performance among colleagues and students, leading by example inside and outside of the

classroom. But the key to my educational philosophy still rests on the fundamental idea that

students should actively be involved in the classroom, working with the teacher to create a

collaborative experience that fosters growth and mutual respect.

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