Diffusion - from control to cooperation

I believe that the goal of a teachers should be to work to diffuse their power base through the building of a strong classroom identity and sense of community. Diffusion in the scientific sense (Kinesiology 101) refers to the movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of lower concentration. Equilibrium exists when the molecules are at an equal concentration. In the sense of classroom management this to me refers to the idea that students seek to gain power over their lives and choices. It is our responsibility as teachers not to control them but to guide them and to facilitate their own social and intellectual growth. If our longterm goal is to empower our students to be independent problem solvers than we need to allow them the freedom to make choices, learn from their successes and failures, and teach them how to incorporate those experiences as they grow and blossom into strong and capable individuals.

I have learned through my students and children that they only person I can control is myself. I can influence and act as a facilitator for others but I am not in control of them even though I might feel responsible to and for them. We have spent a large part of this course disscussing how to handle power struggles with students, colleagues, and even other teachers. Mamchur's book provides us with insights as to our own personalities and predispositions which hopefully will allow us to empathsize better with those individuals who see the world in a different lense.

If we seek to empower students then I think it is paramount for us to create a cooperative learning environment where decisions and responsibilities are shared. It may seem hokey but I do believe in TEAM- that together everyone achieves more! Cooperative learning is a valuable preventative strategy and while we know that all students can or will misbehave, setting up a positive learning environment can lessen the need for discipline interventions. The text refers the five basic elements as being: individual accountability, face to face interaction, positive interdependence, social skills, and discussion and review of social skills performace (B&S, pp. 125). I beleive that a teacher needs to leesen the need to control the class and in doing so promote the self control of the class community. I see it as a balancing act between control and independence or choices for the student. In a cooperative environment the teacher has less control as they function as a facilitator rather than the authority. While they maintain the organizational and academic direction they empower their students to be involved and engaged.
As a future teacher the idea of allowing my students to direct their learning is both daunting and invigorating. Being in control is perhaps far easier than facilitating independence.

"We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails."

Diffusing Power

Cgedak has mentioned in her blog that, “consistency is key”, when diffusing power in the classroom and I totally agree. I think that if we let something “slide” one day and then react to it the next, the child will obtain mixed ideas about what he or she has done. I just finished reading an article written by Karen Paciotti, who is a doctor in education leadership, and she also mentioned the importance of consistency and frequency when implementing management strategies. Her philosophy was based on caring behavior management which included ideas such as, student-teacher collaboration, expressing a joyful and caring spirit, attainability, consistency, and encouragement. I think that all of these factors combined would help diffuse a power struggle in the classroom.   

In addition, I believe that teachers must also use positive body language, facial expressions and an overall positive demeanor to indicate to students that they are valued. I think that teachers need to work together with their students to create a caring, nurturing environment in the classroom.  

Diffusing power

As Rochelle mentioned, I don’t like confrontation and “I will do anything possible to avoid it”. So I should develop positive relationships with these students. There are many ways to accomplish this. I can have positive conversations with these students. I need to become more aware of keeping my facial expressions as well as the tone of your voice neutral. Students who are confrontational have a sixth sense and can pick up negative energy from their teachers. And the most important is to be a fair person in the classroom.

As a future educators, we will enjoy learning who the students are, to what they aspire.  We know that strong relationships with students motivate students to learn, prevent and diffuse disruptive behavior and give us more energy and capacity in our work. I think, we will be successful by creating a healthy needs satisfying classroom where the expectations are clear. Sometimes just explaining the rationale behind your expectations can help student see why they are necessary. Sometimes it may be necessary to engage in a process of problem solving to achieve understanding. For example, a teacher may have a homework policy that makes perfect sense to them, but a good number of their students do not do most or all of their homework. In cases like this, it is important that we listen to the students’ needs. Ask them what they would change in the policy to ensure that everyone came with their homework completed. After listening to suggestions, you can find a practicable compromise that works for all parties. This process helps meet the students’ basic need for power and brings another level of clarity to the expectations.

Diffusing Power through Empowering

I dislike confrontation and will do anything possible to avoid it. I believe most power struggles could be head off before they even begin. As a teacher, I think is it important to learn strategies that will avoid confrontation in the first place. Adopting a proactive versus reactive approach to classroom management will help fend off most power struggles. I believe as a teacher I must commit to developing positive relationships with each student, especially those students who may become the source of a power struggle. Getting to know these students, having conversations with them, showing interest in their activities outside of the school setting and spending quality time with them will show that I sincerely care about them. It will help build a relationship that they will not challenge. After all, everyone wants to be cared for, including the teacher! Bennet &Smilanich state that in order to increase chances of effectively preventing and responding to power struggles, teachers need to attend to students’ four needs; belonging, power, freedom and fun (page 59).

This was evident for me during my short practicum. I was teaching grade 7 and some of the students were challenging me every chance they could. I made a commitment to spend time getting to know each student. This would happen randomly throughout the day. I would ask questions when they were in small groups (when they were with their peers with whom they were comfortable) or would take advantage of one-on-one opportunities when they came available. I would intuitively read the students’ level of comfort and let them guide the way. Some students took longer to get to know than others due to the differences in personalities and learning styles. I even shared some of my own interests outside of school to allow the students to view me as a person with many facets rather than just as a teacher. I found that this built trust in the student-teacher relationship and the students were more likely to give me the respect that I wanted if they received the respect that they wanted in return.

I believe another strategy is to empower those students who are at the centre of power struggles. It seems contradictory... to give power when all you want to do is take it away...but by making make these students leaders in the classroom they will have the sense of power they desire while still maintaining control of the class. Also, if a teacher is not consistent and fair in their discipline, then students will be more likely to continue to act out, especially if the students think there is favouritism involved.

When a power struggle does ensue, as did with three boys one morning during my short practicum, consistency and being fair as an authority figure has already developed trust in the relationship making it easier to diffuse the power. By not reacting to the attention seeking from these three boys, and checking my body language and tone of voice as I continued teaching, I was able to head off the power struggle. I made a point of speaking with each boy one-on-one during break. I explained to them how much I appreciated them and the ideas they bring to class before I went on to explain that their speaking out in class made it difficult for me to teach, and how it made me feel frustrated. Later that afternoon, I allowed these three boys to work in a group together (which either could have been a disaster or might just work!). They were the most engaged students in the lesson. I showed them that I trusted them and they in turn showed me that they could be trusted. I was able to diffuse the power struggle by giving power (or empowering) the students.

“Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.”
Epictetus

Discipline or Punishment

As Zohreh mentioned in her blog, "Discipline is different from punishment because it teaches students to learn from their mistakes rather than making them suffer." I agree with Zohreh that discipline is about setting limits with children and helping them identify inappropriate behaviour. Punishing a child in front of their peers humiliates a child. As a result of being punished a child will start to hate school and he or she won't want to learn. Teachers must be proactive by going through the classroom rules with the students so they know what is expected of them.

In our textbook "Classroom Management" Bennett and Smilanich state that, "There should be a class discussion of rules and for arrival at acceptance through some form of consensual process (page 207). Which would allow the students to be accountable for their behaviour in the classroom.

I feel it is important that a teacher wins over their students. Which will increase the chances that students respect and like you as a teacher (Classroom Management Page 214). From my personal experience I respected my teacher more when he or she was polite and demonstrated a personal interest in the students. As a result, students will be inclined to learn and not be a disruption in the classroom.

Finally, it is important that young teachers be assertive and deal with misbehaviour as soon as it happens. Otherwise, if the misbehaviour is not dealt with than it undermines a teacher's authority in the classroom. Punishment only leads to students hating a teacher and creates a hostile learning environment.

Written By: Sagar

Diffusing Power

I think in, diffusing a power struggle in a classroom, there are important things to consider. First, there are often discussions around what power is in a classroom. Many individuals feel that teachers should be careful not to exert their power over students in negative ways. While I certainly agree with this, I must add that teachers have the responsibility to maintain a certain degree of management and “control” over students. This does not mean that teachers should exercise negative power over students that restricts their opportunities to grow, learn, and feel safe and comfortable; rather, teachers should exercise enough power students that helps to guide and teach them. Yet, defiant or troubled students will often test the power of teachers in negative ways. Issues of power in a classroom are expected and teachers must therefore have strategies for combating them and preventing them.

As a teacher, it is important to identify when there is a power struggle and be prepared to diffuse this power in effective ways. In my opinion, diffusing power will not be dealt with in the same way from teacher to teacher. So, it is important to recognize what works best for you, your classroom, and students. In my practicum experience, I was often challenged by students and had to learn how to diffuse the power. Though I learned the hard way, this was a valuable experience for me because I learned effective strategies in dealing with defiant students who challenged power. One thing I learned: consistency is key. It was very important to do what I said. Students came to understand that plans of action and consequences would be followed through. For me, though, the most important thing I learned in diffusing power was to be proactive. This means learning to detect student behaviour problems early on so that appropriate action can be taken. To avoid power struggles, I would provide opportunities for students to play important roles in the classroom such as having classroom jobs, group leader, special helpers, sharing and community circles to have a voice, and so on. Overall, I think diffusing power struggles involves constantly refining classroom management skills to both prevent and handle power struggle issues. Equally important, educators need to be aware of how to be proactive to avoid power struggles as well.  

Diffusing Power

As a teacher I realize I have different types of power in the classroom and in my relationships with my students. There are types of power that I can not diffuse. I can not let the power I have to discipline students be diffused. Other students should not be allowed to disipline their fellow students if classroom or school rules are broken. This can lead to resentment and can cause the classroom atmosphere to deteriorate very quickly. Anyways, students "punish" other students via exclusion and peer pressure to conform. I have to be perceived to be the main arbitrator when misbehaviour occurs. My subject (Socials Studies) has a curriculum that is rigid, and for the most part does not allow for improvisation. Little can be changed. Thus, I can not diffuse power to the students to choose what they wish to learn. I can do my best to incorporate their ideas to fit the IRP and the PLO's. I can diffuse power to the students in the layout of the classroom and what goes on the walls and billboards. As well, I can diffuse power to the students in formulating class rules where the students can decide what is considered proper behaviour and what is not. Furthermore, as a new instuctor I feel I have to be more in control of the classroom environment until I am confident enough to believe that students will not take advantage of being given some say in the running of the classroom. Eventually, I believe I must diffuse power so that students have a higher sense of belonging to the class and to school. This will benefit me because students may become more interested in learning and there maybe less classroom management issues.