My classroom management philosophy has been developing for thirteen years; it began the year I had my first child. Raising kids has transformed me into a confident, natural teacher. The classroom has become an extension of my world as a parent. Diana Baumrind, a clinical psychologist, published four parenting styles based on the “[balance] of two dimensions: control, or enforcing demands for appropriate behavior, and nurturance, or supporting children’s individuality and agency” (Walker, 2009, p.123). She identified the authoritative parenting style as high control and high nurturance working together. Walker (2009) conducted a study on multiple classrooms and found the best student outcomes came from this same style. As a parent, I have been developing my authoritative methods for years and now I can use these same ideas in my classroom.
In parenting, Baumrind defined control as “establishment of consistent demands, and scaling up those demands according to children’s developmental capacities for autonomy” (Walker, 2009, p.124). In a classroom, control is based on how I establish procedures, routines, and behavior expectations and how I consistently and fairly enforce them. In my opinion, the key lies in the first week of school. Establishing routines and practicing them every day that week ensures students remember them. For example, I will use an entry task and the first week students will learn where it is kept, when to get it out, and how to work quietly when the bell rings. By practicing this and correcting any behavior in opposition to the procedure, I set up the habit for the rest of the year. Similarly, I will teach them the procedures for hall passes and tardies so that no instructional time is lost on students coming late or asking to leave the room. The other element of control in the classroom is behavior. In my experience, the most common is calling out or chatting among peers. By setting the noise threshold the first week, students know what is allowed and what is inappropriate. I will use verbal and physical cues to establish these boundaries, such as phrases like “I will wait until you’re quiet” or physical proximity to a noisy student. As the year progresses, students will need less support from me to accomplish daily tasks, aiding their autonomy and ownership over their actions and choices.
For the nurturing side of my authoritative classroom management, I will focus on relationally connecting to students. Walker’s (2009) study found that “adolescents who viewed their teachers as mean or distant described their academic work as coercive and irrelevant, whereas students who had positive relationships with teachers viewed their tasks as fun and meaningful” (p. 127). Nurturing students with positive talk and meaningful conversations creates a constructive learning environment and confident, engaged students. When students know I care and recognize them as individuals, they are more likely to buy into what I’m teaching as important and relevant. Furthermore, I will make the effort to understand the families and communities they come from and how this impacts their learning and their engagement. Reaching out to families and spending time involved in the community shows again that my students matter. Grand Canyon University’s textbook acknowledges that comfortable students are less anxious or stressed, and these “positive emotions…[enable] the retention of knowledge” (St. Arnauld, et al., 2016). Students will struggle learning and growing if their social and emotional needs are not met first. Establishing a positive environment and nurturing relationships with my students will be the first step in meeting their diverse instructional needs.
References
References
St. Arnauld, E.M., Simpson, J., O’Donnell, C., McCabe, C., Akard, J., Kosier, K.,...Murray, V. (2016). Teaching with a Purpose: Learning, Leading, and Serving (2nd ed.). Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/eed480na/teaching-with-a-purpose-learning-leading-and-serving/v2.1/index.php#/help
Walker, J.M.T. (2009). Authoritative Classroom Management: How Control and Nurturance Work Together. Theory Into Practice,48 (2), 122-129.
