Democratic

Teaching
Rudolf Dreikurs
Goh Qin Kai
Chee Kar Mei
Lai Xianyie

Table of Content
About Rudolf Dreikurs
Definition and description of Democratic
Teaching
Approaches or Strategies
Techniques that can be used based on
Dreikurs ideas
Strengths and weaknesses
Practicality of the theory in a local ESL
classroom
Whether the theory appeals to us and reasons

About Rudolf Dreikurs

Rudolf Dreikurs
Born: February 8, 1897
(Vienna, Austria)
Died: May 25, 1972
(Chicago, Illinois)
He is
Educator
Psychiatrist

Alfred Adlers system

of individual
psychology

Democratic
Teaching

Trained at
University of
Vienna
(welfare
work and
mental
hygiene)

Dreikurs
and Adler
set up
clinics for
psychopaths
, alcoholics
and child
guidance.

In 1937,
Dreikurs
taught
psychiatr
y in the
U.S.

Dreikurs
promote
Alders
individual
psycholo
gy.

In 1939,
Dreikurs
finished
Alders
lecture tour
in Scotland.

(ULM Classroom

Definition and Description

of Democratic Teaching

Democracy
Majority rule.
The principles of social equality and
respect for the individual within a
community.
Oxford Dictionary

Classroom Management
How a teacher control a class?
What ways does the teacher
use to discipline the students?

Classroom Management requires

teacher to foster conducive
learning environment that raises
students self-motivation, social
interaction and active learning.
(Burden, 2006).

Democratic Teaching
Teacher should teach with
democratic rather than autocratic
or permissive.
(Dreikurs, 1968)

Autocr
atic
I told you to do it
now so you must
do it.

Democr
atic

Permiss
ive
No matter what you
want to do is all right. I
know you will do the
right thing.

Mistaken goals
Attention
getting
Power
seeking
Revenge
seeking
Feelings
of
inadequa
cy

Get attention from teacher and

other students.
Try to show-off or be the class
clown
Try to control or challenge the
teacher
Teacher feels threatened.
Feel lack of belonging
Thinks that everyone is against
them
Feel failure and defeat
Refuse to try
(Charles,

Logical Consequences
Teacher should set classroom rules
with the agreement of the students.
(Manning & Bucher, 2003)
Teacher should implement logical
consequences rather than
punishment if rules are broken.
(Dreikurs & Grey, 1968)

Approaches or Strategies

Democratic Teaching
involve both the teacher and pupils in the decision
making process
avoid misbehaviour in a classroom by using words
of encouragement
provide pupils with logical and natural
consequences to support responsibility and avoid
punishment (Gimbert, 2002)
provide teaching environment that supports
pupils sense of belonging (Sheffler, 2009)

Involve both the teacher and pupils

in the decision making process
come up with a set of classroom
rules as a group (Burden, 2006)
sense of understanding for the
reasons behind rules and
consequences

Developing rules
Rules define:
What behaviour the teacher expects
What the students should do
How the class is conducted or how the
day is
structured
Rules may also contain:
Consequences when rules are broken
Rewards when rules are followed

Avoid misbehaviour in a classroom

by using words of encouragement

Encourage pupils rather than praise

them
Encouragement: supports the process
Praise: supports the completion
Provide authentic encouragement as
difficult or complex tasks are occurring
(Sadson, 2010)

Encourage
ment
Nice try, I can
tell you are
working hard.

Praise
What a great job
you did on your
homework!

Provide pupils with logical and

Provide pupils with logical and
natural consequences to support
natural consequences to support
responsibility and avoid
responsibility and avoid
punishment
punishment

 Logical consequences require pupils to make right

of what they have done wrong. (Charney, 2011)
They would know in advance the consequences of
their misbehaviour because they are a part in
formulating the consequences.
Punishment is humiliating and offensive to pupils.

Two types of Consequences

Logical consequences
reasonable results that follow
behaviour either desirable or nondesirable

Natural consequences
the results following the behaviour
occur naturally

Examples of Logical Consequences

Behavior
A student writes on
a school desk.

Logical Consequence
The student must
clean the desk.

A student destroys
anothers property.

The student (not the

parent) must pay for
the property.

A student refuses to
completeassignmen
ts during class.

The student does the

work duringrecess or
before/after school.

Provide teaching environment that

supports pupils sense of belonging
Allow pupils to work in small groups
and as a large group
Pupils would have a social interest
Pupils find that it is their advantage
to contribute to the
group(classmates) and this
supports social group belonging

Techniques that can be used

based on Dreikurs ideas

Identify the goal Alter the

of misbehaviour. reactions to the
Examine the key misbehaviour.
signs of the
misbehaviour.
Disclose the
goal to the
pupils (private
session) to
confirm the
goal.

Provide
encouragement
statements.

Try to ignore the Words or actions

behaviour
that
whenever
acknowledge
possible.
pupils work.
Have a
Help pupils feel
discussion with
confident about
the pupils to
their own
identify a
abilities.
number of
alternatives.
(Burden,

Strengths and weaknesses

of the theory of
Democratic teaching

Encouragement
(Positive
reinforcement)

Logical
consequences
works better
than punishments
(Nelson, 1985)

Strengths

Form mutual respect

(Burden, 2006)

Encouragement
(Positive reinforcement)

Dreikurs - natural/logical
consequences
and
the
process of encouragement
are
the
most
useful
techniques for preventing
discipline problems.

What is encouragement?
what is praise ?
According to Dreikurs, encouragement is more
important than any other aspect of child raising.
Encouragement corresponds to childrens goals.
Encouragement focuses on effort rather than
achievement, Encouragement motivates them to
continue trying.
Praise is very different from encouragement. It
focuses on the level of achievement.

Form mutual respect

interaction and
and communication
communication process
process
An
An interaction
between
and
pupils
is often
two way.
between the
theteacher
teacher
and
pupils
is often
two
Pupils
way. are encouraged to air their opinions
discussion.
through
Pupils are
encouraged to air their opinions
Teacher
set rules together with the pupils.
through discussion.
(2003)
Sonmez
Teacher set rules together with the pupils.
Compliments good teaching by providing
Compliments
good
teaching
by
a caring classroom community using
providing a caring classroom community
student centered techniques.
using student centered techniques.

Logical consequences works better

than punishments
Punishments will never let pupils to think
logically;
Consequences enable pupils to think
before they act.
Allows students to take responsibilities
for their own actions to help establish
class rules.

Weaknessses

Difficult to
respond to
non
controllable
pupils

Trouble
determining
the actual
motives
(Morris, 1996)

Difficult to respond to non

controllable pupils
Teacher might face difficulties in
teaching non controllable pupils
because teacher is not encourage to
punish the pupils.
Dreikurs did not believe that
punishment is one of the techniques
to prevent disciplinary problems.

Trouble determining the

actual motives
Students may not admit their real
motives, either because they believe
that their motives are unacceptable or
because they do not know what they
are. (Morris, 1996)

Practicality of the theory in a

local ESL classroom

Identifying mistaken goals

Teacher must first identify why the students
misbehave (Manning & Bucher, 2013).

Relate the mistaken goals with the students

background (culture and practice,
surroundings, maturity), family relationship,
personal feelings and relationship with peers.

Example:
students
feel
incapable
of

tends to
sleep and
daydream
in class

Teacher should
approach students
personally to know
their mistaken goals.

Using Logical
Consequences
Teacher can plan rules and regulations during
the first day of class together with the students
(Garrett, 2013).
Rules planned must be based on students
multicultural background, needs and maturity.
Logical consequences need to be related,
respectful, and reasonable (Nelson, 1985).
Students must be responsible with their own
behaviour.
The logical consequences must be clearly
linked to the students behaviour (Pryor &
Tollerud, 1999).

Using encouragement rather than

praise
For every tasks done by the students, the teacher
must encourage the students more (Kizlik, 2014).
Teacher should use words that motivate students to
keep on their good work especially for the weaker
ones (Khan, 2011).
rural areas students
students who cannot speak well due to their mother tongue
students who are demotivated in learning

Praise:
You are very

Encouragement:
Keep up the good work.

Teachers roles and

Teacher must be
responsibilities
equal in all

regardless races,
religion and family
background.
(Fairness)
(Grossman, 1995) give some
View students
freedom to
as social
students in
Teachers
beings
decision
(Manning &
roles
making.
Bucher,
(Larrivee,
2013).
1988)
Develop positive
relationship with the
school, community
and the students
parents. (Pedersen
& Carey, 1994).

Whether the theory appeal to

us and Reasons

Democratic
teaching
theory appeals
to us

Can be
applied in
local ESL
classroom

Suitable for the

maturity of primary
students
Can think rationally and
logically (Piaget, 1952;
Haliza Hamzah et al.
2008)

Form mutual
respect
Students listen to
teacher and
teacher gives
quality education
(St.Martin, 2000).
Redirect

students
behaviour

Democratic
teaching
can be
applied in
local ESL
classroom

Give students
support and
encouragements.
Students

Students have
sense of belonging
(Anderman, 2011).
Students are involved
in rules making

Encourage shy
students to
speak and give
their opinions
(Richards &
Bohlke, 2011)
Learn to
communicate
with others.

Students will
be motivated
(Khan, 2011).
Students will
keep trying.

Raise their selfesteem

(Canfield,
1990).

References

Pedersen, P & Carey, J. C. (1994). Multicultural counseling in

schools: Practical handbook. Needham Heights,
Massachusettes: Allyn and Bacon.
Grossman, H. (1995). Teaching in a diverse society. Needham
Heights, Massachusettes: Allyn and Bacon.
Larrivee, B. (1988). Authentic classroom management:
Creating a learning community and building reflective
practice.
Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Manning, M. L. & Bucher, K. T. (2013). Classroom
management: Models, applications and cases. New Jersey:
Pearson Education, Inc.
Hardin, C. J. (2008). Effective classroom management: Models
and strategies for todays classroom (2 nd ed). New Jersey:
Pearson Education, Inc.

Burden, P. R. (2006). Classroom management: Creating a

successful K- 12 learning community. New Jersey: John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Haliza Hamzah, Samuel, J. N. & Rafidah Kastawi. (2008). Child
development: for Program Perguruan Pendidikan Rendah
Pengajian Empat Tahun. Kuala Lumpur: Kumpulan
Budiman
Sdn. Bhd.
Charles, C. M. (2007). Building classroom discipline (9th ed).
Needham
Heights, Massachusettes: Allyn and Bacon.
ULM Classroom Management. (2015). Rudolf Dreikurs.
Retrieved on 21 January 2015 from
https://ulmclassroommanagement.wikispaces.com/Rudolf+Dr
e ikurs

 Khan, R. (2011). How do the best teachers

speak to students or praise them to
encourage learning, effort, motivation, and
curiosity? Retrieved from:
http://www.quora.com/How-do-the-best-teacher
s-speak-to-students-or-praise-them-to-encour
age-learning-effort-motivation-and-curiosity
Kizlik, B. (2014). Education information for
new and future teachers. Retrieved from:
http://www.adprima.com/managing.htm
Richards, J, C. & Bohlke, D. (2011). Creating
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http://www.cambridge.org/other_files/downlo

 Nelson, J. (1985). The three Rs of logical

consequences, the three Rs of punishment, and six
steps for winning children over. Individual
psychology, 42, 161-165
Kesici, sahin (2008). Teachers opinion about building
a democratic classroom. Retrieved from: http://
www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Journal-Instructi
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Sonmez, V. (2003) Dizgeli egitimle Sinif ortaminda
dogrudan demokrasi. [Direct democracy in classroom
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www.freepatentsonline.com/article/Journal-Instructi
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 Morris, (1996). Chapter 5. Logical

consequences. Retrieved from:
https://www2.bc.edu/~
peck/Dreikurs.pdf