Week+2+-+Jessica+Hossack


 * Issues in Education - Week 2 - Classroom Management and Student Rights - Jessica Hossack - 23/3/09**

When examining student responsibility and classroom management, the concept of classroom rights is essential. These include both the right for physical safety, as well as that for learning. Students have a personal responsibility, which means ensuring that they do the right thing, as well as a communal responsibility, which involves encouraging others to behave appropriately, in order to support classroom rights.

Student behaviour can be considered in four categories, which are explained below.

· A. Students can manage themselves effectively in order to learn. · B. Students are disruptive or distracted infrequently, and can be managed within the class. · C. Students are often distracted or disruptive and cannot be managed within the class, and therefore need to be isolated from other students, sent out of the classroom, or referred for action to a non classroom member (e.g. principal, or school counsellor). · D. Students commonly seem unmanageable despite the best efforts of teachers, principle, counsellor, etc.

These types of students are likely to respond differently to the ways in which teachers use power to manage behaviour. Five types of power are suggested for classroom management by teachers.

· 1. Coercive: The student’s want to avoid punishment results in the teacher’s power. · 2. Legitimate: The teacher’s power is a result of their position and role in the classroom. · 3. Referent: Students give power to teachers in response to a valued relationship resulting in trust, respect, and a liking for the teacher. · 4. Reward: Recognition and/ or reward for positive behaviour give the teacher power, in response to the student’s desire to gain something favourable. · 5. Expert: The teacher’s power comes from student’s confidence in the teacher’s ability to provide knowledge and skills that will result in something desirable.

Dreikurs’ theory (Lewis on Dreikurs) suggests that teacher’s reactions to undesirable behaviour are likely to reinforce the behaviour, therefore it is necessary to address this in order manage the classroom. The importance of separating the student form the behaviour is also expressed in Dreikurs’ theory, as are several other suggestions for managing behaviour. This theory is a valuable resource for teachers of how to manage student behaviour in a more positive and encouraging way.

Also concerning the management of student behaviour, Freiberg, Moores, and Moores (2007), explore a person-centred approach to classroom management, focusing extensively on five factors which contribute to classroom management. Freiberg et al., (2007) also examine three studies which consider a person-centred approach teaching.

Lewis et al (2005) provides an examination of ‘Teachers’ classroom discipline in Australia, China and Israel’. This study examines data from teachers and students from the countries mentioned previously, and interestingly found that Australian classrooms are perceived as having the smallest amount of student recognition and discussion, and as having the greatest amount of punishment. This suggests that, in particular, Australian teachers (and future teachers) need to be aware of the implication of this, as well as to actively attempt to be in contrast to these trends and aim to provide a classroom where recognition and discussion are pivotal.

Classroom discipline in Australia is also explored by Lewis (2006), in which the implication of teacher discipline in classrooms is examined. Disparity between teacher and student perceptions of beneficial classroom discipline is also investigated, as is how a range of discipline methods effect students.

Classroom management and student rights are important concepts, of which all teachers need to be aware. Firstly because classroom discipline is a well known cause of teacher stress, and secondly because teachers, as professionals, need to respond in the best interest of their students (Lewis et al., 2005). A well managed class, in which student rights are respected and upheld, will result in greater learning, as well as a positive wellbeing of both teacher and students.

Jessica Hossack.