Student-teacher positive relationships while maintaining effective management in the classroom is essential. There are several theories that have been made to ensure this. A few of these theories I will be implementing in my classroom. I agree most with the theories of Jacob Kounin, Fredrick Jones, and Rudolf Dreiker. Jacob Kounin's Theories include withitness, Ripple Effect, overlapping, smoothness, and momentum. Fredrick Jones's theories include opening routines, room arrangement, and proximity. Rudolf Dreiker has a theory called Roots of Behavior that states that if the initial need is not met it will progress. These are all theories that will be applied in my class.
Fredrick Jones's theory of opening routines says to start the day with a bell ringer that students are able to do for at least 5 minutes. Students should start the day working to get them in the mindset for the rest of the day. The room arrangement is also important in the classroom. The room will be arranged in a way that it is easy for me to walk around and get to each student if they need help. I will also use proximity to motivate students to do their work. ( Jones, 2000)
Withitness is an important theory to apply to the classroom. This is when a teacher is paying attention and is on top of everything that is going on in the classroom. Any misbehavior will be addressed when it happens. This ensures that the students will respect me as the teacher and know how to act appropriately. When I do have to address a misbehavior I will clearly label the misbehavior and the consequence which creates the Ripple Effect. Other students will now know that the behavior will not be tolerated and stop acting out. I will also use overlapping to ensure that the classroom is under control. This means that while I am assisting one student I am still paying attention to what is happening around the room and able to help or discipline multiple students at the same time. It is also essential to maintain smoothness and momentum of the lessons to keep the kids busy and learning. This way they will be engaged in the lesson, learning, and out of trouble. This means that the lessons flow without any pauses or disruptions. (Kounin, 1970)
Dreiker's theory of Roots of Misbehavior states that the initial behavior (good or bad) is caused by need for attention. If this is not met then the behavior progresses to a need for power. If this is not met then they move to revenge, and then to a feeling of inadequate. (Dreikers, 1964)The way I will avoid this is by using positive reinforcement and punishment. Students who are acting in a positive way will be acknowledged with positive reinforcement, and students who misbehave will be acknowledged with punishment. This will satisfy their need for attention and prevent them from being inadequate.
Theories from Jacob Kounin, Rudolf Dreiker, and Fredrick Jones will be implemented in the classroom. These Theories will maintain a positive student-teacher relationship in which the students respect me and have a positive relationship with me. This is essential to have in the classroom. These theories will ensure the learning success of the students in my classroom this year.