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 Teachers 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. !. Identify the goals of misbehaviour instead of simply reacting to students" behaviours by imposing punishments or rewards. #onse$uences need to have a clear logical connection to the misbehaviour. %. Allow encourage students to take an active, participatory role in decisions that will affect them& what they will study, behavioural conse$uences, how they will govern themselves. '. (rovide a caring classroom community, using student centred instructional techni$ues, and promote collaboration between teacher students. 4 key concepts (Manning & Butcher, 2 !":

)emocratic *eaching& teachers use democratic rather than autocratic classroom procedures to develop a spirit of trust cooperation. +ncouragement& *eachers should encourage rather than praise students ,ogical #onse$uences& *eachers should establish classroom rules implement logical conse$uences rather than punishments for broken rules misbehaviour. (unishment should only be used when all logical conse$uences have been e-hausted .istaken Goals& /tudents misbehave to achieve one of four purposes& attention getting, power seeking, revenge, and feelings of inade$uacy. #$enti%ying & &$$ressing Mistaken goals' 0nderlying notion of this model is that all students desire need social recognition. 1hen this need is not filled students" e-hibit misbehaviours )reikurs refers to as 2mistaken goals.3 4y understanding theses behaviours teachers can take more decisive action and implement specific strategies to change mistaken goals into positive ones. 1hen seeking attention students talk out, show off, interrupt others, and demand teacher attention. 1hen 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. 1hen seeking

revenge, they try to get back at the teacher other students by lying, subverting class activities, and maliciously disrupting the class. 1hen displaying inade$uacy, they withdraw from class activities make no effort to learn 5#harles, !6678 Disa$(antages o% the Mo$el It may be difficult for teachers to identify understand the student"s reasoning for misbehaving. *eachers without psychiatry training are e-pected to correctly diagnose 9faulty" behaviour. ,ogical conse$uences may be difficult to apply in challenging 2on the spot3 issues. *eachers who are inherently autocratic or permissive might have difficulty adopting democratic perspectives eg. (utting an immediate stop to disruptions, aggression and defiance. 1hile 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. *eacher responsibility includes ade$uate supervision and the safety of students at all times, how successfully the students achieve and the curriculum taught. /tudents may have some input in some areas but there are other areas that are e-clusive rights of the teacher 5+dwards 1atts, !6678

)onclusion: In summary )reikurs emphasises the importance of meeting student"s needs for acceptance while also highlighting the role of conse$uences in shaping behaviour. )emocratic teaching and management demands effective teachers to have a genuine commitment to democratic classrooms, logical conse$uences, and the use of encouragement. :verall, )reikurs"s theories of democratic classroom management have considerable potential for practical application in schools at all level. Re%erences: #harles, #. .. 5!6678. Building Classroom Discipline 5;inth ed.8. 4oston, 0./.A& (earson. )reikurs, <., Grunwald, 4., (epper, =. 51>>78. Maintaining Sanity in the Classroom. (hiladelphia, 0/A& Accelerated )evelopment. +dwards, #. ?., 1atts, V. 5!6678. Classroom Discipline & Management 5!nd ed.8. .ilton @,)& Aohn 1iley /ons Australia, ,td. ,arrine, 4. 5!66B8. Authentic Classroom Management: Creating a learning community and building reflective practice. 5!nd ed.8. 4oston& (earson +ducation, Inc .algrem, C., *reDek, 4., (aul, (. 5!66B8. .odels of #lassroom .anagement as Applied to /econdary #lassrooms. The Clearing ouse, E> 5/eptF:ct8, %GH%>. .anning, .. ,., 4utcher, C. *. 5!66E8. Classroom Management Models! Applications and Cases 5!nd ed.8. ;ew Aersey& (earson +ducation.