Running head: CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT 1

Classroom Management Assignment

Taylor Petrus

ITL 608

Professor Serdyukov

December 20, 2018

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENT 2

Abstract

This assignment consists of 2 parts. Part 1 of the assignment consists of an explanation

of the type of approach(s) we would use in our own classroom and why. The approach chosen

was the behavior approach. The four approaches to choose from are the behavioral, cognitive,

humanistic, and social psychological approach. It also has a real-life scenario in a classroom,

and an explanation of how I would use the behavioral approach to deal with the issue and to

prevent future instances similar to the situation from happening. Part 2 of the assignment

consists of a letter to the parents of the students involved in the scenario and explains the

classroom rules, classroom transition management, classroom supplies, strategies for student

behavior, parent-teacher communication, and accommodations for students.

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Introduction

There are four approaches to use as a teacher in the classroom. The behavior approach

focuses on reaching desired behavior from students, the cognitive approach uses counseling

techniques, the humanistic approach gives the student control over their learning, and the social

psychological approach focuses on a student’s social skills. The goal of this assignment is to

have the student recognize their personal teaching approach and how they would use it

realistically in the classroom. The purpose of the assignment is to apply real world scenarios to

our philosophy of teaching.

Part 1

The approach I would use in my own classroom would be the behavioral approach. This

approach focuses on managing student behavior in order to receive a desired outcome. This

type of approach uses conditioning, whether it is operate or classical. According to Oben (2015),

“The basis of conditioning is that a reward following a desirable response acts as a reinforcer and

increases the likelihood that the desirable response will be repeated” (para. 1). The reason for

choosing this approach is because I will be working with elementary students, and I feel that this

age group works well with positive reinforcement because they have high desires for recognition

from their teachers and through materialistic objects such as toys or treats.

The management scenario I chose to use my approach with is with the two students in the

back of the room that became engaged in a heated argument that threatens to escalate into a fight.

I believe in the motto, “Give respect, get respect”. To me, this motto means that if the students

feel respected in the class and feel safe, they will be less hesitant to break into a fight in the

classroom. However, this scenario could still happen.

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The first step in what I would do is immediately intervene and stop the lesson. My

intervention would not be aggressive physically or emotionally, it would rather be calm, cool,

and collected to control the heated atmosphere of what is going on. I would verbally separate the

students and tell them to cool off. If this still did not work, I would ask an onlooking student to

grab the nearest adult for help. Once the situation de-escalates, I would reinforce my rules

within the classroom, specifically focusing on my reinforcers for good behavior.

If this scenario happened within an individual or group activity, I would explain to the

students that they no longer will be able to participate in these activities and will have to work

with the teacher instead and can join the class once I see their improvement to work with others.

I would also not give tangible or material reinforcers to these students, such as classroom money

for candy, which would be on a regular day a reinforcer for good behavior. It is important

though with this approach to still keep positive reinforcement in some way in order to keep the

students spirits up and still motivated to have good behavior in the class. I would still keep

positive social reinforcement and recognize these students for their help or participation in class

and also make sure they know I see their progress. It is important to make sure the students

know there is still respect for them from their teacher. According to Burden (2016) it is

important to… “have a specific set of strategies to stop the misbehavior, keep students positively

on track, and preserve good relations” (p.228).

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Part 2

Dear Parents,

Recently we had an incident in the classroom that caused tension and a feeling of uneasiness as two students got into
a heated argument. Fortunately, this issue was resolved and there was no physical harm done to either student. I
wanted to inform you of the approach I use in the classroom to prevent these issues from happening. This approach
is called the Behavioral approach to teaching. It includes positive reinforcement, establishment of clear rules for
good behavior, and monitoring behavior. With our students being in the elementary level, they thrive off of positive
reinforcement whether it is through material items or just social recognition from the teacher. Giving this to our
students and recognizing them for their positive behavior and accomplishments and giving them recognition or
reward for it only promotes ongoing positive behavior in hopes to continue to receive these rewards. In our
classroom, students may receive “classroom dollars” to redeem for candy or toys at any time. These are only given
for recognized positive behavior or participation, including following the classroom rules.

The following is a list of classroom rules the students are expected to follow in order to promote positive behavior
when engaging in the classroom, with teachers, and students:

 Students must wait until the teacher dismisses them to line at the door in order to exit for any reason or to
use restroom.
 Students must take out or retrieve necessary supplies for the next lesson and in their chairs within 1 minute
of the timer before being set off.
 Students must always remain in their seats unless told otherwise by the teacher. Only times a student may
get out of their seat is to grab a tissue or supplies needed.
 Students will keep desks organized with all needed supplies.
Students must put all borrowed supplies back after a lesson is completed back to its original state.
 All students will keep their hands to themselves and only use positive language in the classroom towards
other students.
 Students who have an issue with another student will inform the teacher instead of handling it on their own.

Parents who want more involvement in the class can call or email me if they have questions. Parents are also
encouraged to have scheduled visits in the classroom in which they can sign up for on the parent classroom visit
sign-up sheet. Parent involvement in the classroom promotes positive behavior of the students. Weekly emails will
be sent out to inform what the students have learned and on any updates in the class/school.

Students will IEP’s or special needs will be accommodated by receiving double “classroom dollars” for noticeable
accomplishments that is in their hands more challenging for them due to their special needs or disabilities.

Best always,
Ms. Taylor Petrus
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References

Burden, P. (2016) Methods for effective teaching. New York. Pearson.

Oben, N. (2015, March 10). Behavioral, cognitive, humanist approaches. Retrieved December

22, 2018, from https://www.euromedinfo.eu/behavioral-cognitive-humanist-

approaches.html/