The Kounin Model of Discipline

The kounin model of discipline

"Handling the correct deviant on time is more important to classroom control than is firmness or clarity of a desist"

Withitness

When teachers know what is going on in the classroom at all times

The Ripple Effect

-Students must be convinced

-Students are less likely to misbehave if their teacher is with it

Can either occur as the teacher gives encouragement or gives reprimands

Most powerful at the early childhood or primary level

Key Components of Withitness

Occurs when a teacher corrects a misbehavior of another child, which inspires the other kids to correct their own behavior

-Taking action

-Deals with most serious problem first

-Handles off task behavior effectively

-Stays calm and collected

-Doesn't allow disruptions to learning

-Constant monitoring without pestering

Is this teacher "with it"?

Reasons must be clearly stated each time a child is corrected, so the others know what not to do

In higher levels of learning it is often better understood already, because students have more involvement and less misbehavior problems

The Kounin Model of Withitness & Organization Starter Kit

Overlapping

The ability to address two issues at once

Loses it's effectiveness without also having withitness

The Kounin Model: addresses the relationship between teacher's classroom management and student misbehavior

Students working independently should know that the teacher is aware of what they are doing in order to keep them on task and help them if they need help

OverLapping

Teacher should never be so focused on one student or a group of students that she she neglects other students.

Example: Having an activity and gameplan for students that may finish their work early so that they do not get bored and disrupt the rest of the class.

Example: Teacher is working one-on-one with a student and notices another student misbehaving. She attends to the misbehavior from speaking to them from across the room and then goes right back to what she was doing one-on-one with the other student.

Example: If a student comes in late, teacher should make eye contact with student, but not interrupt the lesson to speak to the student. After teaching the lesson, the teacher can go to the student's desk and tell them what they may have missed.

Kounin's Key Ideas

Jacob Kounin

• Born in 1912 in Ohio
• He was an Educational Psychologist at Wayne State University
• He focused on incorporating discipline and learning in the classroom
• His main focus was preemptive discipline

1. When teachers correct misbehavior in one student, it often influences the behavior of other students.

2. Teachers should know what is going on in the classroom at all times.

3. The ability to provide smooth transitions between activites, and to maintain momentum within actives to create efective group management.

4.Teachers should strive to maintain group alertness and to hold every group members accountable for the content of a lesson, which allows optimal learning to occur.

5. Student satiation (boredom) can be avoided by providing a feeling of progress and by adding variety to curriculum and environment.

Movement

Management

Kounin did not mean physical movement

Meant: Pacing, Momentum, Transitions, Smoothness

Smoothness and momentum are two of the main factors that play into controlling student behavior.

PAcing

transitions

Establish routines and procedures

Let students know expectations and let them know that you are in charge

Having a thorough set of rules helps

Progress through lessons at a steady speed

Make predictions on how long certain parts of a lesson may take and plan accordingly

Important to pace short-term (daily) and long-term (unit/month/school year)

https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/smooth-transitions-in-classroom

Solutions:

1. Use the ripple effect. "I see many people have already completed half their work." Look at Donna, later comment "I'm afraid a few people will have to stay late to complete their work."

2. Let Donna know you are aware she is not working. Say something like, "I see you have barely started. This work must be done today!"

3. Call on Donna in discussion preceding independent work, as a means of involving her in the lesson

4. Give her positive feedback when she does her work. "Good job. Keep up the good work."

5. Provide a variety. Continually challenge Donna to accomplish more.

6. Hold Donna accountable with group focus techniques. Don't leave her out just because she hasn't be productive.

Comments on Kounin's Model Cont'd:

Application of the Model

Donna, in Mr. Jake's class, is quite docile. She never disrupts class and does little socializing with other students. But despite Mr. Jake's best efforts, Donna rarely completes an assignment. She just doesn't seem to care. How would Kounin deal with Donna?

momentum

smoothness

• Know what is happening in every area of the classroom at all times and let students know it.
• Be able to deal with more than one issue at a time
• Correct the target before misbehavior escalates
• Ensure smooth transitions and maintain group focus
• Provide non-satiating learning programs

Steady movement throughout the lesson

Don't dwell too much on a certain task

Effective teachers are ones that move smoothly from one activity to the next.

Attention is turned from one activity to another easily.

Keeps students on task because there is no down time to be off task.

Divide time up and plan beforehand how long activities may take

Kounin's suggestions have tremendous value in maintaining a good learning environment. These suggestions fall under the preventive facet of discipline.

Teachers do not find the suggestion helpful when it comes to supportive discipline or techniques of corrective discipline, where misbehavior must be stopped and redirected positively

Other's Opinions

Positives:

-Good at maintaining a focused learning environment

-Preventative

Comments on Kounin's Model

Negatives:

-Doesn't have strong corrective techniques

-Less help in supportive discipline situations

Recap

1. Know what is happening at all times

2. Make it known that you "see all"

3. Correct behaviors before they get out of hand

4. Aim for smooth activity transitions

5. Keep focus with alerting and accountability

6. Have the ability to handle more than one issue at a time

7. Emphasize progress, challenges, and variety

The techniques advocated by Kounin for class control are all intended to create and maintain a classroom atmosphere conductive to learning.

By keeping students busily engaged, behavior problems are reduced to a minimum in order to deal with the entire class, various subgroups, and individual students, often at the same time.

Kounin doesn't believe that teacher's personalities are particularly important in classroom control. Instead, it is a teachers ability to maintain a group and lesson that is important.

By Julie Patterson, Krystle Williams, and Kira Castle