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Classroom Management Philosophy

Gladys Soriano

Education 240

Professor Theri Forey Wyckoff, MS, LT

May 9, 2021
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Three different theories I have chosen for my classroom management philosophy are

those of Jones, Glasser, and Kagan. The reason I've chosen these three theories is that I believe

they go together well to create a cohesive, workable classroom management plan.

Jones’ Theory

Fred Jones’ theory is all about keeping all students purposefully and actively engaged in

lessons, while also empowering students to follow instructions on their own. Some of the reasons

I plan to use Jones’s theory is because when students feel wanted and a part of a

classroom/community they will willingly and happily participate. By keeping students actively

and purposefully engaged with lessons, they will feel wanted and in turn feel encouraged to be a

part of their classroom environment. This helps students follow instructions on their own because

they feel a part of a community within the classroom.

Elements of Jones’ Theory

The elements I plan to use from Jones’ theory are setting limits on behavior, creating a

few general rules, assigning responsibilities to students, consistently keeping students actively

engaged, and increasing motivation through incentives.

● Setting limits on behavior creates boundaries that let students know what

acceptable behavior is and what is not acceptable behavior. These boundaries are

verbalized as classroom rules that need to be enforced every time. As soon as

school starts, the teacher must discuss with students how rules and boundaries

ensure all students feel safe and learn.

● Creating a few general rules helps establish broad general guidelines, standards,

and expectations. For example, “treat every member of the class as you would

like them to treat you” (Charles & Cole, 2018, p. 177). These general rules need
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to be taught, discussed, and rehearsed until they are established, starting as soon

as school starts.

● Assigning responsibilities to students helps them feel a part of a

classroom/community, which in turn helps them feel wanted and a sense of

personal responsibility. Some responsibilities that can be assigned to students are

paper distributors, teacher assistants, assignment collectors, material distributors,

etc.

● Consistently keeping students actively engaged can be accomplished by giving

smaller amounts of information to students, and then allowing students to do

something about that small amount of information and repeat.

● Increasing motivation through incentives can also be seen as Grandma's Rule,

which states, “First eat your vegetables, and then you can have dessert” (Charles

& Cole, 2018, p. 182). In a classroom setting, this can be seen as first completing

your work, and afterward, you can have time to enjoy a preferred activity.

Glasser’s Theory

William Glasser’s theory relies on the use of positive influence to motivate and

encourage students. Some of the reasons I want to use Glasser’s theory is because I truly believe

that positive influence and positive encouragement bring out the best in students' abilities to

participate, learn, and communicate. As stated in Glasser’s theory, “Given a high level of

motivation, students can learn almost anything taught in school, and when fully engrossed in

learning, they seldom misbehave” (Charles & Cole, 2018, p. 206). Creating a positive

environment allows students to not only succeed, but rather creates an environment where they

can thrive academically, socially, and physically.

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Elements of Glasser’s Theory

The elements I plan to use from Glasser’s theory are quality curriculum, building a

quality classroom, and meeting the basic needs of students.

● Quality curriculum can be seen as helping students learn useful information and

use it well. This type of curriculum does not focus on memorizing facts that are

not useful to students, rather it focuses on topics that students want to learn more

about and making time for exploring these topics more in-depth with the class.

This helps build strong relationships with students and teaches topics and things

that make real changes in students' lives.

● Building a quality classroom is when teachers create a safe, positive, and quality

environment for teaching and learning. This is accomplished by helping students

learn to strive for quality, by communicating to students that you will teach in a

way that everyone can understand and do competent work. As the teacher, you

will help them accomplish this by providing resources, help, and encouragement

until they complete their work. The goal is to encourage students to work for

higher quality, so they know what it feels like to receive an A.

● Meeting the basic needs of students is ensuring their safety, belonging, power,

fun, and freedom needs are met. Safety needs can be met by creating a safe

learning environment for their emotional and physical well-being. Belonging

needs can be met when teachers and staff encourage all students to take part in

class and school matters. Power needs can be met when students have classroom

responsibilities and when they are encouraged to give their input to class topics

and procedures. Fun needs can be met when students are allowed to work and
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conversate with others and share their accomplishments with the class. Finally,

freedom needs can be met when the teacher and staff encourage them to make

responsible choices.

Kagan’s Theory

Spencer Kagan’s theory has more to do with creating structures that teachers use to

address misbehavior and teach the curriculum. While also, teaching about the emotional process

students go through when they misbehave, in other words, the “positions” students go through.

Kagan’s theory fosters a strong parent and community relationship to help students make

responsible behavior choices. I want to use Kagan’s theory because understanding the emotional

process students go through will help me help my students better. As well I can help students

learn how to make responsible behavior choices.

Elements of Kagan’s Theory

The elements I plan to use from Kagan’s theory are structures for the moment disruption,

structures for follow-up, win-win discipline, and creating parent and community alliances.

● Structures for the moment disruption are when the teacher quickly ends a

disruption by refocusing the attention to the lesson and class. The teacher can

acknowledge how the student feels, or position, but communicate that the

disruption is unacceptable and re-direct the student to the lesson or specify a

satisfactory alternative.

● Structures for follow-up are needed when students need additional help with

behaving responsibly, usually when structures for the moment disruption do not

work. Follow-up structure can include practicing appropriate behavior, making

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apologies, and time away from the lesson. If none of these work, the parents of

the student should be contacted or sent to the [principal's office.

● “Win-Win Discipline is to help students learn to control themselves responsibly

over time in various situations” (Charles & Cole, 2018, p. 255). Here teachers can

offer a variety of follow-up structures to help students learn how to control

themselves responsibly, or teachers can try and allow students to resolve problems

on their own, thus displaying responsible behavior.

● Creating parent and community alliances urges teachers to create strong parent

and community relationships with students, to help them make responsible

behavior choices. Having the support and involvement of parents and the

community, helps teachers and students succeed in positive behavior

management. Teachers can hold parent nights and open houses to help facilitate

an opportunity for parents to have person-to-person communication.

In conclusion, the three theories I have chosen for my classroom management philosophy

are those of Jones, Glasser, and Kagan. Different parts of these three theories will help me foster

a positive, cohesive, safe, and workable management plan in my future classroom to my future

students. My strong management plan will benefit me, as the teacher, by allowing me to fully

help students reach their potential.

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References

Charles, C. M., & Cole, K. (2018a). Building Classroom Management: Methods and

Models (12th ed.). Pearson.