Running Head: Classroom Management Philosophy

Alaina Tuberville

Classroom Learning Theory

Professor Oramous

11 December 2017

Classroom Management Philosophy

An effective classroom is one in which the teacher is in control, clear expectations are

set, and real learning can be measured. These factors all work together to create a healthy

environment where students can truly excel. Contrastingly, a classroom lacking these structures

can lead to severe behavior problems that disrupt the teacher’s plan for the entire learning

process. However, classroom management is not only about influencing student behavior. More

importantly, it is about shaping students’ learning processes, their teamwork with peers, and their

development as people. According to Woolfolk, “the third goal of class management is to

increase academic learning time by keeping students actively engaged in worthwhile, appropriate

learning activities.” The monitoring and regulating of behaviors is only something that helps or

hurts the academic learning time. The teacher must be the adult in the classroom at all times and

must learn how to manage each student and each situation. While the teacher should have the

ultimate authority, they should allow students to have autonomy and make many decisions on

their own too (Woolfolk, p. 491, 496).

My classroom philosophy is to inspire students to self-management and self-motivation

to learn. My goal is to get students to where they do not need me anymore. Rather than give

rewards or prizes to my students when they are excelling, I will emphasize big goals, student

effort, student exploration, and have high expectations. In contrast, the psychologist B.F. Skinner
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and his theories relate more to extrinsic motivation and rewards. I disagree with this theory

because it does not teach students to be self-motivated, creative, or excited about learning.

According to Woolfolk:

Intrinsic motivation is the natural human tendency to seek out and conquer challenges as

we pursue personal interests and exercise our capabilities. When we are intrinsically

motivated, we do not need incentives or punishments, because the activity itself is

satisfying and rewarding. . . Extrinsic motivation has been associated with negative

emotions, poor academic achievement, and maladaptive learning strategies (p. 492).

However, many times, teachers must use extrinsic motivation with their students to support

learning (Anderman & Anderman, 2014; Brophy, 2003). The most important factor in

motivating students is affected by the way a teacher presents the information. According to the

cognitive evaluation theory, the more controlling a teacher is in their instructions, the more

extrinsically motivated the student will be. If a teacher gives more information and more choice

to the students, then they will be more intrinsically motivated as a result. In my future classroom,

I will be less controlling, so students will be able to make choices (Woolfolk, p. 445-450).

The way a classroom is organized is a very important aspect to classroom management.

For instance, in the beginning band room, students should be seated in rows with enough space

between them for the teacher to freely walk around and among them. This is important because

the music teacher will be able to give crucial corrections, more specific instructions, and better

explanations about concepts being taught. Without examining each student, the teacher will miss

many of these things and learning will be much slower for the students. In addition, students may

be learning things incorrectly and the teacher would never know. At this stage of learning, each

student needs individualized instruction and attention to succeed. Furthermore, walking around
Running Head: Classroom Management Philosophy

the class will help with discipline issues by keeping students focused on learning (Woolfolk, p.

319, 498)

According to Morrow and Weinstein (1977), designing areas of interest in the classroom

can improve interest in learning. In my ideal music class, there would be different sections in the

room separated by various topics. For instance, one section would focus on rhythm and would

have different activities or educational materials for students to engage in. Another section would

be devoted to performance. A tiny stage would be constructed for students to play in front of

their peers on. A different section of the room would be for research about an instrument or

about music history. There would be chairs, desks, a few computers and a large library of books

for students to gleam information from. These are just a few of the different sections that I would

create in my music room (Woolfolk, p. 498).

Clear rules, expectations, and consequences must be explained and enforced from the

first day of class. These rules must follow school policy as well. According to Emmer & Gerwels

(2006), positive statements of rules are better than negative ones because they explain what the

student must do. For instance, rather than “do not speak while someone else is speaking”, it

could be positive by saying “be polite and quiet when others are speaking.” Furthermore, all

rules must be observable by the teacher, since things like motivation or thoughts cannot be

observed. When giving consequences, it is important to use natural or logical consequences that

focus on the behavior and its solutions rather than shaming the student and focusing on them as a

‘bad’ person (Woolfolk, p. 494-496).

During this semester, my definitions of teaching and learning have been modified.

Throughout the Classroom Learning Theory course, my ideas about these words have been

shaped by the theories and examples we have studied in class. Teaching is the act of leading
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someone else into an understanding of some information that you already know. Learning is the

acquiring of an understanding about a specific topic. When students completely and fully learn

something, they can manipulate it and give it correct meaning in other contexts like studied in

Piaget’s cognitive development theory.

Teaching and learning are dependent on one another. Without true learning by the

students, no teaching has happened. This may seem obvious, but I never realized it before this

class. For example, a teacher who simply lectures in front of students who are falling asleep,

doing other work, or simply not paying attention is not actually teaching. In fact, the title speaker

rather than teacher could be applied. If the students are not learning, the teacher is not teaching.

Another example is when students memorize facts to get a good grade on their test but forget the

information as soon as the test is taken. In this example, no teaching and no learning has

happened. All in all, the best teaching happens whenever teachers prioritize the students’

learning over their actions. To do this, it is crucial that teachers use research based approaches to

improve learning in their classroom (Woolfolk, p. 9-15, 320).

As a teacher, I will take many cognitive development theories and apply them to my

teaching. For instance, Piaget’s cognitive development theory says that students in different ages

are in different stages of their thinking. In my beginning band classes, students will be in the

concrete-operational stage in which they are just starting to think critically and abstractly. It will

be important that I show models, props, and visual aids to help students grasp concepts even

more, taking each students’ cognitive development into consideration.

Even more impactful to my teaching philosophy are Vygotsky’s social learning theories.

He believed that social interaction in cultural settings create students thinking processes. First,

students learn concepts through interactions with others and then they learn them on the
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individual level. This social and cultural interaction in the music classroom is vital for student

growth. While Piaget focused more on peer interactions, Vygotsky believed that cognitive

development is fostered more when children interact with those that are more cognitively

advanced, such as teachers and parents. Both theories are significant, but I agree more with

Vygotsky’s theories. For instance, the Zone of Proximal Development is the area between what a

student can currently achieve and what a student is capable of. As a teacher, it is important to

assess this middle ground and learn how to get students to the next level. Working with more

advanced peers and teachers can help bridge these gaps and propel student learning. Teachers

can guide students into learning what they want them to understand. In the end, concepts will

connect, build off one another, and help students achieve even greater heights in their learning.

As a future music educator, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life (Woolfolk, p. 44-63).