Classroom Management Philosophy

As an educator, I am committed to helping my students learn. However, there are many

things that can take place in the classroom that could potentially inhibit this learning. Therefore,
before any learning can take place, certain rules and procedures need to be in place. In my
classroom, consistency in these actions is key. This will allow students to trust the system, in
order to build self-discipline and make quality contributions in the classroom. In strong
alignment to the Kounin model, I will utilize the ripple effect and withitness, as well as work to
maintain momentum in my classroom. Finally, I will use positive and negative reinforcement
sparingly in order to promote intrinsic motivation.
Before moving into more specific aspects of my teaching, it is important to note the type
of environment that I hope to create. In my classroom, I hope to create an environment where
students trust that I have their best interest at heart and feel comfortable sharing ideas with
me, class related or otherwise. Furthermore, students should feel comfortable sharing ideas
with their peers, in order to fully engage in group discussions, as well as work well in small
group activities. Rules in my classroom will encourage my students to think of our classroom as
a music family, where we all play a role in maintaining the balance.
In order to create a situation where students trust my decisions and judgement, I need to
be consistent as a teacher and disciplinarian. Rules in my classroom will have logical
consequences and, aligning with Jerome Freibergs Consistency Management and Cooperative
Discipline model, I will be consistent in how I speak about these rules and carry out the
consequences. In this way, students are learning what they need to do and what the
consequences will be, so that they are learning to self-regulate their actions.

In order to maintain a functional classroom every day, I will need to make management
choices in real time. According to the Jacob Kounin model, withitness, which states that teachers
are constantly aware of everything is happening in the classroom, is extremely important in
maintaining order. I will strive to know what is going on in order to catch behavioral issues early
and maintain consistency in my handling of the situation. In addition, Kounin also advocates
utilizing the ripple effect. This means that the way in which I deal with one student, affects the
whole class. I will do this by pointing out good behaviors that I see in my classroom, which will,
in turn, encourage other students to do the same. I will also do this through the use of facial
expressions and gestures that will stop the behavior on the spot, in accordance with the model
put forth by Frederic Jones. In a performance class, like band and choir, it is very important to
use more gesture than speech in order to keep the music going, and the classroom running.
There has been much debate concerning the use of rewards and punishment in the
classroom in recent years. Personally, I feel that their use should be limited. Rewards and
punishment should be logical in their use and purpose. If students are constantly writing on
music stands, they should be cleaning music stands. In addition, rewards should be given
sparingly in order to maintain their relevance. Students should use these rewards as a bit of
extrinsic motivation, while striving to become intrinsically motivated.
Overall, in my classroom management philosophy, I greatly align with the Kounin model,
as well as take ideas from Freiberg and Jones. I hope to use classroom management to build trust
between my students and myself, as well as keep students engaged in their learning to create a
healthy classroom community.