Your
Class Management Style
Understanding
your score
.
Scoring
Add your responses to statements 1, 3, and 9 refer to the authoritarian
style.
Statements 4, 8 and 11 refer to the authoritative
style.
Statements 6, 10, and 12 refer to the laissez-faire
style.
Statements 2, 5, and 7 refer to the indifferent
style.
The result is your classroom management profile.
Your score for each management style can range from 3 to 15.
A high score indicates a strong preference for that particular style.
After you have scored your quiz, and determined your profile, read the
descriptions of each management style.
You may see a little bit of yourself in each one.
As you gain teaching experience, you may find that your preferred
style(s) will change.
Over time, your profile may become more diverse or more focused.
Also, it may be suitable to rely upon a specific style when addressing
a particular situation or subject.
Perhaps the successful teacher is one who can evaluate a situation and
then apply the appropriate style.
Finally, remember that the intent of this exercise is to inform you and
arouse your curiosity regarding classroom management styles.
The authoritarian
teacher
places firm limits and controls on the students.
Students will often have assigned seats for the entire term.
The desks are usually in straight rows and there are no deviations.
Students must be in their seats at the beginning of class and they
frequently remain there throughout the period.
This teacher rarely gives hall passes or recognizes excused absences.
Often, it is quiet.
Students know they should not interrupt the teacher.
Since verbal exchange and discussion are discouraged, the
authoritarian’s students do not have the opportunity to learn
and/or practice communication skills. \
This teacher prefers vigorous discipline and expects swift obedience.
Failure to obey the teacher usually results in detention or a trip to
the principal’s office. In this classroom, students need to
follow directions and not ask why.
The authoritative
teacher
places limits and controls on the students but simultaneously
encourages independence. This teacher often explains the reasons behind
the rules and decisions.
If a student is disruptive, the teacher offers a polite, but firm,
reprimand.
This teacher sometimes metes out discipline, but only after careful
consideration of the circumstances.
The authoritative teacher is also open to considerable verbal
interaction, including critical debates.
The students know that they can interrupt the teacher if they have a
relevant question or comment.
This environment offers students the opportunity to learn and practice
communication skills.
The indifferent
teacher is not
very involved in the classroom.
This teacher places few demands, if any, on the students and appears
generally uninterested.
The indifferent teacher just doesn’t want to impose on the
students and often feels that class preparation is not worth the
effort.
Things like field trips and special projects are out of the question.
This teacher simply won’t take the necessary preparation time
and
may use the same materials, year after year. Also, classroom discipline
is lacking.
This teacher may lack the skills, confidence, or courage to discipline
students.
The
laissez-faire teacher
places few demand or controls on the students. “Do your own
thing” describes this classroom.
This teacher accepts the students’ impulses and actions and
is
less likely to monitor their behavior.
The teacher strives not to hurt the students’ feelings and
has
difficulty saying no or enforcing rules.
If a student disrupts the class, the teacher may assume that the
student is not getting enough attention.
When a student interrupts a lecture, the teacher accepts the
interruption with the belief that the student must surely have
something valuable to add.
When discipline is offered, it is likely to be inconsistent.
NB
The
classroom
management styles are adaptations of the parenting styles discussed in
Adolescence, by
John T.
Santrock. They were adapted by Kris Bosworth, Kevin McCracken, Paul
Haakenson, Marsha Ritter
Jones, Anne Grey, Laura Versaci, Julie James, and Ronen Hammer.
Copyright
1996 Indiana
University
|
|