A Philosophy of Classroom Management

Assignment 3: What’s your emerging model of classroom management?

Prepare a written description of your beliefs about classroom management. Include reference to the nature of human beings and how they develop, students’ capacity for self-direction, how children and young people react to different situations and treatments, the degree of control or coercion that should be used by a teacher , the degree of choice students are permitted and the role of the teacher. Provide a description of the principles on which you have based your model.

“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi

The pivotal role of the teacher underlies my model of classroom management. The classroom is a dynamic social system-‘an environment in which individual membership impacts upon the whole, and in which the nature of the whole influences the individual.’(1)
The teacher takes the role of the responsible adult who lives by example and therefore has the potential to impact existentially on the lives of the students.

Students look for inspiration from adult mentors who personify their ideals, who demonstrate passion, compassion and conviction. Students have an acute awareness of the inner motivations underlying a teacher’s classroom management strategies. If a teacher is perceived to use his/her power fairly, for and with the students, in order to maximize learning with an attitude of respect, the students will respond positively. Authenticity is crucial.

A good teacher understands the principles of meaningful learning, based on a sound understanding of human development. They have a sharp sense for accessing the students’ ‘Zone of Proximal Development’, even in situations of extreme diversity.

Young children love to be active and truly engaged with the real world. They are instinctive imitators and my work in the field of Steiner education draws strongly on the principle of imitation and example to imbue children with healthy social attitudes.
In nurturing a spirit of sharing and community, the culture of a Steiner school fosters relationships which promote a healthy classroom and school ecology. Independence is cultivated, step by step. Intellectual explanations and agreements are kept to a minimum in the early years. Instead, stories and rich imagery are used to provide inspirational living examples of meaningful life journeys. Story -telling is a time-honored tradition the world over for its powerful potential to speak both to the head and the heart.


As a child grows older, he/she is increasingly able to understand and articulate his/her rights and responsibilities. The student’s capacity for self-direction needs to be fostered through an intrinsic love of learning. This is the art of inspired teaching, beautifully expressed here by Antoine de Saint-Exupery:

“If you wish to build a ship with others,

Do not begin by gathering timber with them;

Rather, awaken in them

Longing for the sea.”


By fostering interest, imagination and curiosity, I try to cultivate a sense of strong student motivation. I value the qualities of silence and focused attention and will use these both to begin and conclude my lessons. I believe strongly that relationships are deepened through good communication and listening skills. Listening requires an attitude of acknowledgement,it is a genuine sign of respect:

“The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when one asked me what I thought, and attended to my answer.”
Henry David Thoreau

I expect students to both work well and strive to make learning a thoroughly enjoyable process, acknowledging their need for fun (Glasser).Within a fundamentally ordered learning environment, I gladly make space for the class clown, the eccentric, the devil’s advocate, the rebel, the drama queen… the world would be both a dull and dangerous place if it were full of conformists.


I try to pre-empt disruptive behaviour, use proximity and rarely sit down whilst teaching.
My lessons are organized but not over-planned in order to allow for spontaneity and students’ expressions of interests.
I ensure fluid transition between activities because I have learnt that “gaps” in lessons often give rise to disruptive behaviour.
My teacher training involved extensive speech training. A teacher’s speech should be clear and expressive. A good teacher also knows when to stop.


I allow for choice in learning activities so that students have the opportunity to pursue special interests. My learning tasks cater to multiple intelligences (Gardner) and thereby foster inclusiveness. The principle of ‘head-heart-hand’ wholistic learning has been fundamental to Steiner education since its inception:

“Waldorf Education embodies in a truly organic sense all of the intelligences that Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner speaks about. … Steiner’s vision is a whole one, not just an amalgamation of the intelligences. Many schools are currently attempting to construct curricula based on Gardner’s model simply through an additive process. Steiner’s approach, however, was to begin with a deep inner vision of the child and the child’s needs and to build curricula around that vision”
http://www.waldorfschool.london.on.ca/index.cfm?PID=13978&PIDList=13978&SynPID=16254&SynPIDList=13324,16254


As a Steiner teacher, I follow a student’s development for many years, have a good picture of his/her family life and can usually discern whether difficult behaviour is a passing phase or an expression of an underlying problem. Those students who have serious social or psychological problems are guided to seek the help of professionals (Pain model).

Within these teaching strategies, I strive to convey a sense of belonging, both within the classroom and in a far broader sense:

“A human being is a part of a whole, called by us 'universe', a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
Albert Einstein


I believe that this fundamental experience of deep belonging, which finds expression in every aspect of the Waldorf curriculum, gives students security, self-esteem as well as feelings of acceptance and empowerment, as advocated by Glasser. Both Glasser’s Choice Theory and Dreikur’s Democratic Learning ideals emphasise the unequivocal importance of a sense of belonging.

The classroom ecology I have described fosters cooperative, self-motivated learning. Yet different students have different starting points on their paths to responsible, respectful behaviour. When disruptions occur, I remind students of the mutually agreed upon standards of behaviour. If a student is unable to choose to work constructively, I give him/her ‘time out’ and arrange to have a talk. In this talk, I help the student find replacement behaviours and arrange a future meeting for feedback. The tone of this interview is friendly yet assertive. In almost all cases, the strength of our relationship will lead us towards a resolution; however this process does require time, patience and a sense of humour! In extreme cases, I will resort to consequent punishment or reward withdrawal as a temporary solution only. I encourage self-evaluation and keep written documents in which challenging students can assess their progress.


I believe it is of invaluable importance that the students are aware of my expectations of constructive behaviour and high achievement. I communicate that ‘near enough is not good enough’. I encourage a striving for quality and offer both support learning and extension opportunities. I aim to foster learners who are critical thinkers and whole-heartedly engaged with the task at hand. I have experienced the value of ‘raising the bar’ and supporting every student to succeed. I encourage group activities and students helping each other. As a ‘digital immigrant’, I am discovering the woes and joys of ICT learning and highly value the wealth of resources which open access (connectivism) makes possible.


The tests I give are fair and well-prepared for. My feedback consists predominantly of comments. I favour rubric-based assessment activities and discourage competition, whilst nurturing a climate of striving for a ‘personal best’. I try to promote creativity, intellectual risk-taking, ‘thinking outside the box’ and communicate that it’s fine to make mistakes.


I believe that students need to understand inclusiveness in a global sense and embrace the cause of social justice, as advocated by Paolo Freire. The consequences for classroom ecology are the development of a sense of compassion for others and of gratitude for the opportunities we would otherwise take for granted. Both compassion and gratitude are essential facets of emotional and moral intelligence.

“Howard Gardner, author of Frames of Mind, notes that while the word "intelligence" has a positive connotation in our culture, there is no reason to believe that intelligence will be put to good purpose. Logical-mathematical, linguistic, or interpersonal intelligence can be used for good or for ill-motivated or downright destructive ends.
It is on these grounds that Joseph Chilton Pearce asserts that love proves to be our principle survival intelligence. The intelligence of the heart enhances all other aspects of intelligence for the good of the whole, as the heart always and inevitably strives for a holistic intelligence.”
http://thewellspring.com/TWO/32intellectual_love.html

If children are to hold positive and hopeful feelings about the future, they must experience a sense of competence and purpose in balancing the complexities of
21st century life. My observation is that more and more young people are rejecting the economic-rationalist attitude to ‘human resources’ so prevalent in our society. They are yeaning for a sense of renewal, for a genuine sense of spirituality:

“By the larger and ever-growing numbers we see today, it is clearly not a matter of individual cases, but that a new generation of souls we have never met before is coming to earth – children who have great maturity, are dissatisfied with the adult world as it is today, and are coming to earth with a powerful spiritual impulse. We cannot close our eyes to this event any longer.”
http://www.cygnus-books.co.uk/features/star-children-georg-kuhlewind.htm


My personal striving for quality education has found a sense of belonging within the Steiner education stream. This is an art of teaching that embraces a reverence for the mystery of life, a respect for the human individual and the potential for the transformation of society.



“Never regard your study as a duty, but as the enviable opportunity to learn to know the liberating influence of beauty in the realm of the spirit for your own personal joy and to the profit of the community to which your later work belongs.”
Albert Einstein




(1) p106 (4) Brady and Scully, (p.122) 2005, Engagement: Inclusive Classroom Management Sydney: Pearson Education Australia
(2) Rosenthal, R., & Jacobson, L. 1968. Pygmalion in the Classroom. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.