Three Current Trends in K-12 Classroom Management

Introduction to Classroom Management Trends

Effective classroom management is a central concern for educators at every level. Three current trends — defined goal-setting, assertive discipline, and technology-enabled student independence — reflect evolving approaches to creating productive learning environments.

Goal-Setting and Defined Expectations

One recent trend in classroom management is a stress on defined goals and expectations. The popular classroom behavioral management program known as Wong's Pragmatic Theory "stresses that classroom procedures and rules are clarified at the very beginning of the school year. Teachers are to instruct students how to follow rules and procedures. The teacher prepares lessons about the rules and procedures so that he or she can thoroughly teach the kids about the classroom procedures and rules" (Miller, 2013).

This emphasis on predictability is also consistent with behavioral theory, which holds that student behavior can be shaped and reformed through goal-setting. Students are given goals to strive for and are then rewarded for reaching them. For students with behavioral issues, this approach can be particularly useful because it provides concrete, reward-based mechanisms for improvement. The need for greater adherence to a standardized curriculum and for meeting standards in a diverse classroom makes this kind of regimentation more necessary, although critics argue that it lacks spontaneity.

Canter's Behavior Management Cycle is another theory built around a highly structured approach. "First, teachers must acknowledge that they can and do affect student behavior. Second, teachers must learn to display an assertive response style, which is the most effective style they can have. Third, teachers must make a discipline plan that contains good rules and clear, effective consequences. Fourth, teachers must provide student instruction on the discipline plan. Finally, teachers should instruct students on how to behave responsibly" (Behavior Management, Sage Publications, pp. 10–11).

Assertive Discipline and Canter's Behavior Management Cycle

This is a teacher-directed behavioral model that places teachers squarely in the driver's seat of the classroom. This approach is often referred to as assertive discipline and represents a strong tradition of top-down classroom control.

Despite these trends in favor of more disciplined, controlled, and centralized approaches to classroom management, there is also an equally strong countervailing tendency to give students greater independence, driven by the explosion of technology in the classroom. Students can use self-directed methods to learn, empowering them over their own educational experience. This also gives teachers greater flexibility when dealing with students of mixed ability levels. While teachers help struggling readers in a first-grade classroom, for example, they can simultaneously challenge highly competent readers to conduct Internet research on a topic.

"Because of the increased use of technology in the classroom, we can certainly expect to see more of an integration of technology within the classroom, in part as a management approach but perhaps also as a discipline approach" (Lynch, 2012). During vacations or snow days, teachers can stay in contact with students through educational technology and reduce the risk that critical learning time will be lost, thereby lessening the need for review when school resumes.