Kounin's Theories In The Classroom:

After reading through Kounin's theories, one aspect that I derived from him was his characteristic of teachers demonstrating withitness. I can include this into my philosophy of classroom management because I believe that it is very important for teachers to be organized and attentive. Withit teachers can handle more than one situation at a time. They can promptly detect a disturbance, know who caused it and how to react appropriately to the situation. Another part of Kounin's theory that I can implement into my classroom is that of overlapping. Teachers must be able to deal with more than one matter at the same time. Multitasking is an essential part of maintaining a classroom. Teachers must be able to do more than one thing at a time and handle more than one situation simultaneously.

Kounin's term group focus, which involves group alerting and accountability, means that a teacher is maintaining all the student's attention in her classroom. Group alerting is when the teacher is involving and engaging each of the students in the discussion and keeping them on their toes. When teachers state a question and then randomly call on a student to answer the question, it requires that all the students pay attention because they do not know who will be called on next. Group accountability refers to teachers when they hold the students to certain expectations and keep them responsible for their actions. By doing this, the student will know what is expected of them and what behavior is appropriate. If a teacher keeps a record of the students behavior and maintains accountability, then there will be less occurrences of misbehavior.

I believe that instructional management can address student's cultural, gender, and social class diversity, but the teacher must be aware of the situation and the student's family background. If a teacher knows the student's family situation, then she can be more aware and more accurately respond to the problematic situation. Kounin's model placed primary responsibility on the teacher and how to prevent misbehaviors, but he does not address how a teacher should respond or appropriately react when a serious problem does arise. A teacher's teaching technique has an effect on a student's learning and sometimes their behavior as well. The teacher must lead by example and teach her students the appropriate behavior. A teacher will have an influence on her students and must choose whether it will be a positive or a negative one.

Keeping Children Safe:

As a future teacher and future parent, one thing I will want to make sure that it happens, is that my children are in a safe and protected enviornment at school. I will do everything I can do keep my children safe, and therefore as a teacher it will also be my responsibility to see that the children in my classroom especially are kept safe as well. So, then the question would be: What constitutes a "safe" classroom enviornment ? Well, according to M. Lee Manning and Katherine T. Bucher's book on Classroom Management, a safe school is a place where the business of education can be conducted in a welcoming environment free of intimidation, violence, and fear. I want my classroom to be a safe and welcoming environment where children feel comfortable and want to be there.

As a teacher one way that I would model safe behaviors, is to have classroom rules that my students know and obey. I will also make sure that I apply those rules in my classroom and if they are at any time broken, then there will be consequences of that choice that was made. I will respect my students and in return expect them to respect me. I will model and teach my students to respect each other and each other's belongings and space. I will teach the students to solve conflicts without making the problem worse.

The establishment of a safe classroom environment is extremely important to my classroom management plan. In order for the students to learn you must make sure that they have a safe and comfortable learning environment. One way I will impliment safety into my classroom is that I will not leave my class unattended even if it is for a minute or two. If I must leave the classroom, I will make sure another teacher knows and can oversee the classroom until I get back. I will not allow or put up with bullying or any other form of violence or misbehavior. Without a safe classroom environment, children will not be able to learn as effectively as they could. As a teacher, I will model appropriate behavior and hope that my students will follow by example.

As it was stated in the paragraph above, learning is dependent on a safe classroom environment. If there is violence, bullying, or conflicts in the classroom then the children will not be able to learn in that type of environment. Children should feel comfortable and safe at school. They should be able to focus on learning and doing assigments in class. If other outside things are happening in the classroom, it will only hinder the children from learning. Having a safe classroom environment is an essential part of a child being able to learn and pay attention in class. As teachers, we should do everything in our power to make sure that our students have the best possible learning environment that we could possibly give them.