Democratic Teaching: Rudolf Dreikurs
A key theory of the democratic discipline is that students should be given a choice rather than be forced to behave as directed. Good discipline occurs best in a democratic classroom, one in which teacher and students work together to make decisions about how the class will function
Teacher’s Role & Responsibilities
In creating a democratic classroom, a teacher must commit to several beliefs;
1. View students as social beings who want to belong & find an accepted place in society.
2. Identify the goals of misbehaviour instead of simply reacting to students’ behaviours by imposing punishments or rewards. Consequences need to have a clear & logical connection to the misbehaviour.
3. Allow & encourage students to take an active, participatory role in decisions that will affect them: what they will study, behavioural consequences, how they will govern themselves.
4. Provide a caring classroom community, using student centred instructional techniques, and promote collaboration between teacher & students.
4 key concepts (Manning & Butcher, 2007):
Democratic Teaching: teachers use democratic rather than autocratic classroom procedures to develop a spirit of trust & cooperation.
Encouragement: Teachers should encourage rather than praise students
Logical Consequences: Teachers should establish classroom rules & implement logical consequences rather than punishments for broken rules & misbehaviour. Punishment should only be used when all logical consequences have been exhausted
Mistaken Goals: Students misbehave to achieve one of four purposes: attention getting, power seeking, revenge, and feelings of inadequacy.
Identifying & Addressing Mistaken goals.
Underlying notion of this model is that all students desire & need social recognition. When this need is not filled students’ exhibit misbehaviours Dreikurs refers to as “mistaken goals.” By understanding theses behaviours teachers can take more decisive action and implement specific strategies to change mistaken goals into positive ones.
When seeking attention students talk out, show off, interrupt others, and demand teacher attention. When seeking power, they drag their heels, make comments under their breath, and sometimes try to show that the teacher can’t make them do anything. When seeking revenge, they try to get back at the teacher & other students by lying, subverting class activities, and maliciously disrupting the class. When displaying inadequacy, they withdraw from class activities & make no effort to learn (Charles, 2008)
Disadvantages of the Model
· It may be difficult for teachers to identify & understand the student’s reasoning for misbehaving. Teachers without psychiatry training are expected to correctly diagnose ‘faulty’ behaviour.
· Logical consequences may be difficult to apply in challenging “on the spot” issues.
· Teachers who are inherently autocratic or permissive might have difficulty adopting democratic perspectives eg. Putting an immediate stop to disruptions, aggression and defiance.
· While negotiating the curriculum and allowing students to have input into school governance is a worthy goal it is often difficult to achieve this in practice. Teacher responsibility includes adequate supervision and the safety of students at all times, how successfully the students achieve and the curriculum taught. Students may have some input in some areas but there are other areas that are exclusive rights of the teacher (Edwards & Watts, 2008)
Conclusion:
In summary Dreikurs emphasises the importance of meeting student’s needs for acceptance while also highlighting the role of consequences in shaping behaviour.
Democratic teaching and management demands effective teachers to have a genuine commitment to democratic classrooms, logical consequences, and the use of encouragement.
Overall, Dreikurs’s theories of democratic classroom management have considerable potential for practical application in schools at all level.
References:
Charles, C. M. (2008). Building Classroom Discipline (Ninth ed.). Boston, U.S.A: Pearson.
Dreikurs, R., Grunwald, B., & Pepper, F. (1998). Maintaining Sanity in the Classroom. Philadelphia, USA: Accelerated Development.
Edwards, C. H., & Watts, V. (2008). Classroom Discipline & Management (2nd ed.). Milton QLD: John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.
Larrine, B. (2005). Authentic Classroom Management: Creating a learning community and building reflective practice. (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc
Malgrem, K., Trezek, B., & Paul, P. (2005). Models of Classroom Management as Applied to Secondary Classrooms. The Clearing House, 79 (Sept/Oct), 36-39.
Manning, M. L., & Butcher, K. T. (2007). Classroom Management Models, Applications and Cases (2nd ed.). New Jersey: Pearson Education.