Emily Clapp

Professor Williams
EDF 310-08
17 November 2015
Management Theory
William Glasser, a psychiatrist, originally developed the Choice Theory in
1998. The choice theory proposes that every human contains five basic needs in order to
feel satisfied. These needs are survival, freedom, power, belonging and fun. The main
component associated with this theory is that human reactions and choices are motivated
from inner desires rather than outer desires. In other words, our behavior is driven by
what is most important to us and what will satisfy us. Another big concept associated
with the choice theory is the idea that we always have a choice in the way we behave. It
does not mean we have unlimited choice but we have more control than people believe
we are responsible for. William Glasser was a firm believer that education is motivated
by behavior there for the students have a choice to learn, however he feels that students
do not care to learn because they their five basic needs are not met. To help motivate
these students to learn, Glasser believed teachers should provide a curriculum that meets
the five basic needs. In other words, if teachers are able to influence the student to use the
skills that have been taught in the curriculum, students will have motivation to learn.

Glasser also highly believes that boredom is the major contributor to misbehavior;
therefore Glassers idea is to involve students in the learning process. Discussing the
curriculum with the students, demonstrating ways in which the work can be done, using

models that reflect quality, emphasizing the importance of students work and continually
checking for quality are all examples of how the teacher can involve the students in the
learning process. Furthermore, if a student is able to seek guidance, be involved in the
learning process and truly trust their teacher they will more likely want to learn. This
theory puts more of the focus on the way the teacher acts in a classroom rather than the
student.
Jonathan Erwin (2004) discussed the importance of using these sme ideas in the
classroom he said, Managing is first creating the conditions for students to be interested
in learning or performing, and then providing the structures, strategies, and activities that
will encourage quality learning and quality performance. Teachers manage the learning
space, time, materials, and the mental, physical, and emotional states of individuals,
partners, small groups, and large groups. Effective teachers must be effective managers.
In other words, Erwin believes that the success of students relies heavily on the teacher
rather than the student, just like a job, the teacher has the ability to set the mood for the
classroom. If the teacher is laid back and easy-going, the students will be the same. Just
like I the teacher is strict the students will behave accordingly. In 1998, Jeff Irvine
conducted a study to research the implications of the choice theory in a classroom. He
found that the theory was extremely successful and students loved coming to class.
Student achievement in comparison to years prior was much higher. This information
shows us that the theory is an excellent choice to use in my future classroom.

References
Erwin, J. C. (2004). The Classroom of Choice. Alexandria, VA: Library of Congress
Cataloging-in-Publication Data.
Irvine, J. (2015, January). Enacting Glasser's (1998) Choice Theory in a grade 3
classroom: a case study. Case Studies in Education, 1(14).