TeacherMatters - Classroom Management and Discipline

Teacher Teasers

The Teacher Teasers are designed to act as a stimulus to make teachers rethink some of the basic classroom management and discipline concepts that we may have just forgotten about. They are also designed to create an awareness of how teachers might approach some behavioral problems.

The Teasers cover topics such as Behavioral Consequences, Behavioral Goals, False assumptions and Praise versus Encouragement.

Identifying Goals of Behavior (1) Teachers need to constantly remind themselves that they are the targets of disturbing classroom behavior	Identifying Goals of Behavior (2) You have seen an animal use a 'play dead' reflex, children have a similar reflex which may be referred to as a 'play stupid' reflex.
False Assumptions Perceptions about the underlying cause of behavioral problems are mostly based on false assumptions.	Behavioral Consequences Few would argue that a major task confronting our schools is to induce individuals to behave responsibly and to demonstrate a degree of self control.
Praise versus Encouragement The words and actions of teachers can act as encouragement when the focus is on the learner and the process of learning, or they can act as praise when the focus of teacher attention is on the product or outcome of learning.