Jason Armstrong

Introduction

There has been much said concerning the use of classroom discipline

“methodologies” that are learned in an academic setting, as being somehow

opposed to, or inferior to, those that are “learned” via the job of teaching a

class. There is only some tending evidence that there is a rift between what

is learned in school, and methods that are actually practiced by teachers.

However, there exists enough anecdotal evidence that this rift may exist,

that one is prompted to assume it a worthy subject of investigation.

The idea of determining whether or not this discrepancy may exist is

partially a subjective exercise. While concrete facts can be learned, it is also

a process of determining teachers’ perceptions of their classroom

management as influenced by academic training and/or by their specific

classroom circumstances. Hence, the research will be concerned not just

with results shown by teacher activities, but with how those teachers feel

about their performance.

In terms of this research, a few key terms need to be defined. A “new”

teacher is defined as one who has held a full-time teaching position in one

particular school for a period of less than five school-years. A “veteran”

teacher is one who has worked at a full-time teaching position in the same

school for a period of ten years or more. All other teachers will be

categorized as “experienced”. These summary titles are entirely arbitrary

and done for sake of convenience. In cases where there is some question as

to definition, it will be assumed that the greater type of experience is

precedent, i.e., a teacher will be assumed to be “experienced” rather than a

high-level “new” teacher.

Armstrong

Furthermore, the term “effective”, when applied to classroom

discipline, must be defined as “ultimately defusing the inappropriate

behaviors in such a way both students as a whole, and the teacher, are able

to continue with the appropriate lesson plan, with the minimum level of

interruption needed to effect this defusing”.

[Jason: I removed the section you had inserted, here, and took it to the

Methodology section]

Armstrong

Problem

The issue at hand is to discover whether there is, as anecdotal

evidence [which evidence? You do not have those anecdotes yet? That will

be your study] seems to state, a great deal of difference in the content of

what is taught academically as “effective” classroom management, and what

classroom management techniques are actually practiced . What are the

reasons for the presumed divide between what is taught as effective

classroom management, and what is, by necessity, actually done?

Review of Related Literature

The literature currently referenced seems to be, to some degree,

ambivalent about the overall issue. Though some sources state that there is

a vast gulf between the “idealism” of classroom management as taught

academically, and what actually occurs in terms of everyday discipline, there

are definite gray areas. For instance, in the article “Teachers’ perceptions…”

in Education and the Treatment of Children Lopes et al [please list all

authors] (2004, Nov.) mention that one of the biggest hurdles for many

teachers dealing with the new policies on inclusion was a naturally-formed

inclination not to collaborate with one another across the (presumed)

general-education/special-education divide. While this particular difficulty

obviously will have some effects on classroom discipline and management,

one cannot lay any real fault at the discipline methodologies of the schools

where these teachers learned their craft. Presumably, however, one might

lay some fault at the door of rather rigid assumptions of teachers’ roles, as

promulgated by academia. [Refrain from making your own inferences at this

point? Please report findings, and make connections among them]

The Siebert article, “Promoting Preservice Teachers’ Success…” in

Education (Spring 2005) notes decisively that there is a great divide between

the fundamentals of what is taught in undergraduate education classes, and

what the terminology- as-

 Armstrong

taught actually means in the real-life school classroom, as opposed to what

many students assume that it means. In a particular example, Siebert

mentions (389-390) a student teacher who is entirely surprised by what the

term “anti-social behavior” actually means in regard to what students do, as

opposed to the imagery that the term conjured within the confines of the

academic lecture-hall. Only through intensified in-the-field experiences of the

type Siebert highlights are misunderstandings such as these banished.

[Jason: two articles are not enough for a literature review. You need at least

five resources]

Research Questions

[Write your research questions below]

According to the literature reviewed, there appears to be a discrepancy
between what is taught as “effective methodologies” for classroom
discipline, and what is actually done in practice. The incongruence between
the two is, in some fashion, both influenced by teachers’ perceptions of their
disparity, but also by the actual circumstances in the field. Therefore, this
research will attempt to answer the following questions:

1. To what extent is there disparity between what is taught in teacher

preparation courses, and what teachers’ experience shows as
“effective” management and discipline, once they are in the field?
2. ….
3. …..

Methodology

Subjects
 Only full-time teachers will be part of the sample; in this case, “full-

time teachers” are defined as teachers who possess full state certification,

work at the salaried level, and are presiding over the curriculum of one

particular class (or series of students) for an entire school-year, five days a

week. For purposes of this study, no personnel designated as”

ESP/Paraprofessionals” under Chicago Public Schools guidelines will be

considered a “full-time teacher”, regardless of hours worked per week or

yearlong schedule.

Only teachers employed within the Chicago Public Schools system will

be part of the sample. This includes any schools that may be considered

magnet or charter schools, or fulfill any other scholastic definition, as long as

they are considered part of the CPS infrastructure. Both open- and selective-

enrollment schools will be considered, though their status as one or the other

will be noted.

Only teachers of grades 6 through 12 will be part of the sample [how

will these teachers be selected?].

Instruments

Procedures
 Works Cited
[Jason: Only list the works that you have cited in-text]
Johnson, S.M., and the Project on the Next Generation of Teachers [PNGT]
(2006, Summer). ...and why new teachers stay. American Educator.
pp. 8-9,
13-15,18-21,45.

Malmgren, K., Trezek, B.J., Paul, P.V. (2005, Sep/Oct.). Models of classroom
management as applied to the secondary classroom. The Clearing
House
(vol.79, no.1). pp. 36-39.

Siebert, C.J. (2005, Spring). Promoting preservice teachers' success

in classroom
management by leveraging a local union's resources: A
professional
development school initiative. Education (vol.125, no.3) pp.
385-392.

Lopes, J., Montero, I., Quinn, M.M., Rutherford, R.B., and Sil, V.
(2004, November). Teachers' perceptions about teaching
problem
students in regular classrooms. Education and Treatment of
Children
(vol 27, no.4). pp.394-419.

Yoon, J.S. (2004, Feb.)Predicting teacher interventions in bullying situations.

Education and Treatment of Children (vol. 27, no.1).