As a student teacher, I am constantly learning new ways to be a
professional educator. This past week in our classrooms, we learned three
methods to controlling a classroom and establishing behavior. As a teacher,
maintaining a well-behaved and orderly class is the first step to providing
great instruction. If the flow of pedagogy is constantly interrupted by a
student's cell phone going off, an off topic discussion, or any classroom
disruption, try out some of these methods.
Assertive Discipline
I grew up in a Catholic High School. The instructors commonly had a
rubber ruler on hand or a yard stick just in case one of us started talking out
of line or falling asleep. It wasn't uncommon to hear "the man"
coming down on the desk of a dozing student, one because the old nuns were
pretty good at making that wooden ruler snap and two because everyone was
scared silent. The Assertive Discipline method requires that an educator
clearly define expectations and standards to the students and act in a direct
way when those standards are not being met. There is a clear procedure to the
consequences of breaking the rules such as the "three strikes" rule
or what I call the "levels of hell" i.e. light consequences for the
first few infractions and gradually increasing. Teachers might also use logical
consequences, or rather punishment suited to the crime.
The FAIR Approach
In stark contrast to the above method, the FAIR approach recognizes the
individual student and suggests to educators that they take a more personal
method to dealing with disruptive behavior. Maybe the student has a learning
disability? Perhaps the student has family or bully problems. Whatever the
case, in order for teachers to properly diagnose and address the problem they
must first (1) understand the Function or cause of the behavior. (2) Make Accommodations.
(3) Interact and show the students are valued. (4) Respond to students who
improve behavior. This approach puts the students first.
Self-managed Communities
If the Assertive Discipline method is akin to that of a dictatorship or
monarchy where it is the one's rules whom all abide to, then the Self-Managed
Communities is the opposite. This method puts the responsibility of handling
the class almost entirely to the discretion of the students. An educator will
begin by explaining ground rules for the class and expectations for a regular
class meeting. At these class meetings, it is up to the students to evaluate
the classroom behavior status and come up with solutions to any conflicts that
arise, whether it be changing or enforcing rules that they themselves create.
The teacher takes a backseat, intervening only when necessary and being more of
a facilitator than a dictator. This method would be more like a Democractic
Republic, where the teacher is the overseeing government, but the students the
individual states.
I am not confident at this point over whether or not I can manage a
classroom. However, it helps knowing that I have a few more tools under my belt
in case the situation arises.
