Virtual Teacher

This is an excerpt from my article, “Classroom Management Strategies for Dealing with Habitually Disruptive Students: Applications of Psycho-Educational Principles and Models.” To read the complete article, click on the link at the bottom of this post. In their historical analysis of psycho-educational theories and schools of thought, Wood, Brendtro, Fecser, and Nichols (1999) listed the following models: The Psychodynamic Model. A model that developed from psychologist Alfred Adler, the psychodynamic model places the biggest emphasis on emotions in resolving inner conflicts. The Behavioral Model. This is probably the best-known model in current general and special education classrooms. With a foundation in learning theory, the behavioral model uses principles of reinforcement to modify observable behaviors. The Sociological Model. This model sees the peer group as the primary agent to change behavior, thinking, and values. This psycho-educational model has a strong foundat...

Teachers can use prompts to remind students of the classroom rules. Silent (gestures) or verbal (words and phrases) prompting reminds a child or the class either to begin a behavior that the teacher wants or to stop a behavior that the teacher does not want. The goal in prompting children is to increase the probability that the behavior that we want is the one that is going to happen. Prompts are always delivered in a friendly way, and we should restrain from showing any sign of anger, frustration, or impatience. In one sentence, with a prompt, we remind children of the rule or behavior that they have forgotten. When used this way, the prompt functions as a reactive measure, that is, we give the reminder in response to the child’s behavior, or after the unwanted behavior. Some examples of reactive prompts are: ·         Gregory, what is the rule about _____? ·         Remember Lisa, we agreed that there will be...