Classroom Management: Teacher vs. Student Perspectives

In her twelfth podcast, Anita Woolfolk discusses different views of classroom management. It is obvious to say that a classroom with good management offers an orderly environment with fewer distractions, where more learning can occur. To get a better idea of why some classrooms had better classroom management, researchers began to observe classrooms on the first day of school. Then they returned to the classrooms throughout the year to see how each was progressing. They noticed one common thread between classes that were succeeding: planned and taught rules and procedures. These procedures were introduced on the first day of class and were modeled, practiced, and retaught by the teachers.

One issue researchers noticed was a difference in belief between students and teachers. Students feel that good teachers: 1) care about their students, 2) exercise authority fairly, 3) are creative. If they believe they have a good teacher students are more motivated and less likely to drop out. They want fair rules that protect and respect the students. They don't want teachers to be excessively harsh, and expect differentiation between students.

The problem lies in how respect should be earned and given. Students feel that they need to see that a teacher cares about them before the will give that teacher respect. However, teachers feel that students need to earn respect and caring. Many teachers believe that they need to be mean at the beginning of the year to command respect for their students, operating under the idea "Don't smile until Christmas." When this method is used, students feel the teachers become more rigid and less creative. This disconnect creates what Woolfolk calls, the downward spiral of mistrust. Students hold out on cooperation until the teacher earns, while the teacher becomes more stern because the students aren't responding. In situations where students have been let down by teachers before, it is particularly difficult to break this cycle because they are expecting to be treated unfairly. Students will be even more defiant, and in turn teachers off more punishment, pushing the student further away.

I will need to be aware of this balance in my classroom. It will be important to make sure my students feel respected and comfortable, while making sure they also respect me. Starting the school year with a specific set of rules and procedures to uphold in the classroom is the first step in creating this balance.