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Theory into Practice Assignment

Classroom Management
Student: Karleen Reynolds
Professor: Dr. Yvette Daniel
Course: Educational Foundations, Law, and Ethics 80-205

Introduction
Classroom management is a common concern which many educators face, in terms of
determining which techniques are most effective and what kind of discipline they want to reflect
in their teaching practice and methods. From my observation in practicum, reward and coercive
power are an effective power base at the primary junior level that influences students behaviour.
This reflective analysis is going to discuss several: ways in which teacher directed management
was integrated into the classroom, how and when the teacher used reward and coercive power,
and how it proved to be problematic.
School Background
The school where I was placed was considered an urban school. Many students that
attend this school come from single-parent homes or are recent immigrants who are English
Language Learners, and many of them are poverty stricken and have low socioeconomic status.
The classroom where I taught was said to have been one of the more challenging
classrooms at this school. This class had many diverse learners and student with various
exceptionalities and socio-economic challenges. For instance, some of them came to class
without jackets, with inadequate or no lunches, and insufficient clothing. Given the type of
classroom climate these social issues creates, the associate wanted to focus on having a teacherdirected classroom where she was in control, and where reward and coercive power were
extrinsically motivating students.
Teacher- directed management
In teacher- directed classrooms the task of the teacher is to set a climate where guidelines and
rules will create a productive learning environment (Levin, Nolan, Kerr & Elliot, 2012, p. 134).

With all of the learning needs present in the classroom, it became chaotic frequently if behaviors
were not quickly managed, and if rules were not being followed. I observed that managing
behaviors and enforcing rules was always at the forefront for this teacher because of how easily
the class would become unmanageable. For example, there were many occasions when behaviors
changed the classroom dynamics. For instance, one of the students was on a behaviour plan
because he was obnoxious and had moments of loud outbursts while engaging in chatter when
the teacher was teaching. This impacted the classroom negatively as conflict is seen as
threatening, non productive, and disruptive of the learning process (Levin et al., 2012, p. 135).
Given the different types of learners in this classroom an educator with a focus on
teacher directed management aims to control all aspects of classroom procedures. For
example, during observation the associate sat an autistic child with a group of social students,
which was an approach taken in order to motivate the autistic student to create friends. This
seating plan for the autistic student can be connected to the idea that the teacher makes almost all
of the major decisions, including room arrangement, seating assignment, and decisions
concerning the day- to- day operations of the classroom (Levin et al., 2012, p. 134). As
observed, student seating arrangements are important decisions controlled by the teacher to
maximize student productivity.
How reward and coercive power were used in the classroom
Rewards play a significant role in this classroom, and the teacher named these rewards
coupons. One coupon was awarded to students who were: paying attention in class, taking
initiative, being helpful, staying on task, and following directions. In the classroom students
were able to connect their behaviors to the reward or punishment established. This connection

was seen through the collection of three coupons which emphasized to students that a onetime
act of displaying appropriate behaviour was not enough to earn a coupon, and that three would.
The teacher emphasized this to highlight that modeling behaviour should be done all the times
and not during one occasion. This idea is closely aligned with the theory that teachers must
ensure that students see the connection between their behaviour and the reward or punishment
(Levin et al., 2012, p. 122). It was observed that the associate teacher modeled displaying
consistencies in rewards always. One of the requirements for this power base is to be consistent
with rewards and punishment. For instance, coupons and prizes were always awarded and the
teacher frequently stocked up the prize box and photocopied the coupon tickets daily to ensure
they were always meeting the rewards expectation. Additionally, coupons were taken away
when these behaviors were opposite of what was expected. Similarly a connection can be made
to Levin et al., (2012) when argued that the teacher must be consistent in assigning and
withholding rewards and punishment. Throughout practicum the teacher proved to be effective in
consistently issuing and withholding rewards.
Through observation I believe that children have difficulty consistently paying attention,
and maintaining a childs attention span is very difficult regardless of a well executed lesson.
Specifically, at certain times during the day I saw that the class struggled with staying engaged, it
was also noted that coupons were used more frequently in the afternoon. After lunch students
were restless, less attentive, disengaged, and disorderly, and an effective way to refocus their
attention was through the use of rewards. Initially I rejected this technique as the only way to
control behaviour in this particular classroom, until I taught a lesson and used strategies such as:
clapping twice, keeping silent, and eliminating chatter on the spot. All of these techniques did not
work, and the teacher encouraged me to issue coupons to students who were modeling

acceptable behaviour during this time. The advice to issue coupons was successful in drawing
students back to the lesson .This was a learning moment as I was able to live this theory into
practice while recognizing the benefits of reward and coercive power.
Problematic reasons with reward and coercive power
Levin et al., (2012) argued that there are some inherent dangers in the use of rewards and
coercive power. Furthermore, there are built in risk that I observed. First, as students move
towards maturity and become confident in whats required of them, rewards become ineffective
as age is a limitation to this power base working (Levin et al., 2012, p.123.) This was displayed
in the classroom by mature students who were not motivated to learn by rewards because they
naturally self regulated their own behaviour. If these students were placed into an older grade
class, I believe this would possibly disengage them from the learning process as they have
already learned how to self regulate and motivate themselves in the classroom.
Second, students are under the premise that displaying appropriate behaviour always
warrants a reward. This is problematic because it shows that students only regulate their
behaviour for a reward without always understanding the reasoning. Rewards take students
attention away from understanding and valuing intrinsic ones. When rewards are emphasized
students may never understand the actual reasons for doing something, which can result in never
appreciating tasks that can benefit their lives. For example, a child who does math worksheets or
reads a book in order to receive a sticker may miss the importance that mathematics and reading
is an important skill to have in order to succeed in life. In this case, the student is limiting their
ability to appreciate and understand the important skills in life without external rewards. This is
similarly connected to the idea that when students are awarded for engaging in an activity they

perceive the activity as less interesting in the future (Levin et al., 2012, p. 124). In conclusion,
classroom management theories and power bases should be instilled at the primary junior level
carefully depending on students and their learning styles. Rewards and coercive power proved to
be effective when used in conjunction with teacher- directed management to create a balanced
classroom that optimizes control, productivity, and learning.

Reference:
Levin, J., Nolan, F. J., Kerr, W. J., & Elliot, E. A. (2012). Principles of Classroom Management:
A Professional Decision-Making Model (3rd ed.). Pearson Canada