The theory in which I follow the closest in my management technique deals with

student choice and internal discipline. It is important to give students a choice to help
them see the consequences of their actions and teach them the skills they will need as
adults. To do this, it is important to instill an environment in the classroom built upon
love and compassion. The students must know Colorosos Critical Life Messages for
students (Hardin 2012). They are I believe in you, I trust you, I know you can handle
this, you are listened to, you are cared for, and you are very important to me (Hardin
2012). For the students, knowing they are cared about in the classroom is most important
despite the learning that occurs. If students do not feel like they belong or are cared
about they will not be as responsive to the learning and not as engaged. This theory of
internal discipline revolves around giving students real world consequences to their
actions. For example, if a student throws a piece of paper they should be required to pick
it up, but not clean up the whole classroom. Consequences should be reasonable, simple
and valuable (Hardin 2012). In this theory, problem solving through choice making is an
emphasized component. Every classroom will have conflict but how it is approached is
very different. By modeling and practicing steps to address a conflict and strong feelings,
it will help students in the future to deal with the problem between cooperation and
competition in a classroom (McClowry 2014). The framework to problem solving in the
instance of this particular theory involves various avenues that a teacher can choose. The
steps include, identifying and defining the problem, listing possible solutions, evaluate
the options, choose an option, make a plan, and finally reevaluation of the problem and
the student (Hardin 2012). This theory emphasizes the student as the choice maker and is
designed to give every student a fair chance at learning. If a student is being distracting

to another, intervention and choice making should occur prompted by the teacher. Over
time students will learn what is expected of them and create a respectful classroom
community (Belvel 2010). Leaving the choice in the students hands will eliminate
additional hassle to the teacher and allow the educator to move on and recommend
solutions and problem solving steps to lead the student in the right direction.

Works Cited
Belvel, Patricia. Rethinking Classroom Management. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: Corwin,
2010. ProQuest 5000. Web. 16 Apr. 2015.
Hardin, Carlette. Effective Classroom Management. 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson Education,
2012. Print.
McClowry, Sandee. Temperament-Based Elementary Classroom Management. Lanham:
Rowman and Littlefield, 2014. EBL Reader. Web. 16 Apr. 2015