Melissa Matheny
September 18, 2015
Philosophy of Classroom Management and Discipline
The purpose of education is to develop student’s knowledge, by providing them with a
well rounded curriculum that will prepare them for a future that is ripe with possibilities.
Additionally, education should strive to create citizens that will contribute in a meaningful way
to society, establishing and raising the bar on society’s standards and success. Both goals require
a large investment into the student’s development and lives, as well as a large amount of
forethought, implementation, and reflection from teachers who are working to achieve this goal.
Therefore, in order to meet the goals of education, teacher education is crucial in ensuring that
students are receiving the education that will prepare them both intellectually and culturally.
As I undertake the enormous responsibility of preparing my students to be well equipped
for the future, I must ensure that I am taking the role of teaching seriously, and doing my best to
impart good teaching. In order to achieve good teaching, a significant understanding of
pedagogical knowledge must be in place. Employing a variety of tools, that will create
meaningful and developmentally appropriate instruction in my classroom, is vital to the student’s
success. To achieve this goal, I will need to commit to being a lifelong learner, continuously
striving to educate myself on the process of teaching, as well as maintaining an understanding of
developing techniques. This will assist me in constantly adding a variety of teaching methods
that will achieve the objectives and goals that I have for all of my students. A good teacher will
reflect on their pedagogical knowledge, and examine what has been successful, and what needs
to be augmented in the future.
Good teaching is vital to cognitive development, but in order to develop good citizens,
the classroom needs a good teacher. I cannot expect to improve student learning through
teaching methods alone. As a teacher, I will be a role model for the behavior and characteristics
that I want to see in my students. Therefore, I will try to demonstrate the types of attributes that I
want to see in my students. Through my actions towards my students, I will show them to be
respectful, reliable, and trustworthy. I will strive to be judicious without stifling creativity and
inspiration. I will maintain a systematic classroom, while aiming to be flexible to accommodate
for the unpredictable. Patient as students go through their own learning process, while
representing an enthusiasm for learning. I aspire to encompass these character traits, however; a
good teacher has a classroom management plan that will structure the classroom, and provide
guidelines that will assist the students in understanding what is expected.
The goals of a classroom management plan are to set in place rules and remediation that
provide a classroom environment that promotes safety, equality, and maximizes instructional
time. To meet these goals, I would align my classroom management plan with the Assertive
Discipline model, created by Lee and Marlene Canter. In this model there is a high level of
teacher control to maintain structure. This in turn, provides a classroom in which students are
aware of their expectations. Conversely, student control is low, but gradually increases as the
year progresses and the classroom procedures are well known and followed.
The Assertive Discipline model has a few specific strategies that appealed to me. Teacher
control is gained by establishing and teaching a “specific discipline plan” (Canter, 1993). During
this time, the teacher not only establishes the rules, but explains the reasoning behind them,
checks the student’s understanding, and repeats the process through role playing, and group
discussion until the discipline plan is well established Although the classroom structure is set in
place by the teacher, the teacher also maintains a classroom that values student’s personal needs
and interests. This model encourages the teacher to take an interest in each student individually,
and model respect and positive support towards their students (Canter, 1993). By interacting with
each student individually, celebrating their personal accomplishments and events in their life, the
teacher can begin to know each student, and work towards meeting their needs. This helps to
prevent misbehavior before it can begin. In this way, the model works toward using “positive
support” by utilizing “verbal recognition” (Canter, 1993). This is accomplished by using genuine
and descriptive praise when a student’s behavior is aligning with the goals of the classroom.
However, in the event that students are not demonstrating the desired behavior, verbal
recognition can be used to praise students who are on task while letting the students who are not
on task know that you are aware of their behavior. Additionally, physical proximity can be
utilized to discourage disruptive student behavior (Canter, 1993). When situations arise in which
a student is consistently displaying disruptive or negative behavior, the model focuses on the
teacher working to provide the environment that is necessary for this student. This is achieved by
following the steps of “reaching out to the student, meeting the student’s needs, and
communicating with the student (Canter, 1993). While ensuring the safety and structure of all
students, the teacher should calmly enforce corrective actions outlined in the specific discipline
model, but ultimately focus on finding a way to successfully connect and communicate with the
student.
As I begin to teach there will be many considerations to make in regards to classroom
management. Each class will be composed of individuals who learn in a myriad of ways, and
require specific teaching and interpersonal methods. However, the Assertive Discipline model
allows for the teacher to alter their classroom to meet the needs of each individual student, while
still maintaining classroom structure that will provide guidelines for the students to follow.
Additionally, the high level of respect that the teacher models toward each member of the class
aligns with my personal goals for teaching, and allows me to model characteristics that will
achieve the goal of producing students who are not only educationally prepared for the future,
but also exceptional citizens.
Works cited
Canter, L., and Canter, M. 1993. Succeeding with difficult students: New strategies for
reaching your most challenging students. Santa Monica, CA: Lee Canter & Associates.