Teachers are required to follow certain curriculums for their classes that are set either by the school or the state, but neither of those governing bodies instruct them on how to manage their classrooms. So, teachers have a few options: They can either take complete control of their classroom, let their students run free, or do something in-between. Here are some of the most popular classroom management styles that teachers use today.
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The Totalitarian Regime
In this classroom management style, the teacher has all of the power and control in the classroom, no questions asked. There are strict rules to follow, such as assigned seating, and if students don’t comply, there are consequences. Some benefits of this style include: high efficiency, stability for both teacher and students, and very little room for nonsense. On the other hand, a downside to this style is that students may feel powerless because they don’t have much room for creativity.
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The Toned-Down Dictatorship
This style is similar to the totalitarian regime in that it incorporates a lot of the same practices, but it also gives the students more independence. This type of teacher explains the rules and the decisions made, and if a student has a respectful and relevant point to make about it, the teacher listens and will engage them in a debate. One major advantage of this style is that students grow in their communication skills while still learning in a structured environment.
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The Democracy
Think about the “cool” teachers you had in school; they were the ones who used the democratic approach to classroom management. This style gives the students more power when it comes to setting rules and punishments and other major decisions. Teachers who employ this technique give their students more freedom and rarely enforce punishments. Students like this management style because their feelings and opinions are taken into account, but there is a chance that learning may be hindered because of the lack of structure and discipline.
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The Free-for-All
This is probably not a style that most teachers would brag about using in their classroom, but quite a few teachers do use the free-for-all management style. In this classroom, teachers have little to no control over their classroom and allow their students to do as they please. They do not plan out concrete lessons and generally do not give many assignments to the students. As a result, the students do not learn very much and other behavioral issues can arise between them because of the teacher’s lack of intervention.
