Models of Classroom Management as Applied to the Secondary Classroom

Difficulty managing behavior in the classroom is frequently cited as a source of frustration for teachers and a common reason why new teachers leave the profession (Ingersoll 2001, 2003). Concerted attention to issues of classroom management is important to the health of education; attention to these issues at the middle and secondary education level are especially important, given that many of the strategies and methods of managing behavior in the elementary school years are perceived to become less effective with older populations of students. A cohesive and thoughtfully constructed personal philosophy of classroom management can provide the foundation from which teachers make classroom management decisions and respond to instances of student misbehavior. In this article, the authors describe the major tenets of three well-established models of classroom management: (1) Assertive Discipline; (2) Logical Consequences; and (3) Teacher Effectiveness Training. In addition to the description, an example of applying each model to a behavior management situation in a secondary classroom is supplied.