AboutJacob Kounin was an American educational psychologist who is best known for his works in the 1970’s which incorporated both the instructional and disciplinary aspects of the classroom management. Kounin believed that there must be something a teacher could do to prevent misbehaviour, which in turn would lead to more effective classroom management. Kounin developed the theory of Lesson Movement which he felt was necessary to ensure effective connection between management and teaching.
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Lesson Movement
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Kounin described five key behaviours that maximised students on-task time. The five key behaviours (as cited in Brophy 1983) are:
“Withitness” Effective managers are able to cut short problems before they escalate into a disruption. Effective teachers are therefore able to monitor the whole classroom and are able to position themselves so that they can see all students. Overlapping Kounin observed that effective teachers are able to do more than one thing at a time. For example whilst working with an individual student an effective teacher is able to maintain observation of the classroom. Signal Continuity and Momentum in Lessons Kounin observed that effective teachers are well prepared and therefore are able to move at a brisk pace. An organised lesson results in few interruptions from failure to bring resources. Effective teachers also maintain momentum and do not stop to reprimand inattentive students, rather a minor inattention is ignored and a major inattention is noted through asking the inattentive student a question to get them back on topic. Group Alerting and Accountability Kounin observed that effective teachers use presentation and questioning techniques designed to ensure that the whole group remains alert and accountable. This may include randomly selecting who will answer the next question. The basic premise of group accountability and alerting is to keep students accountable for their learning and attentive because something new or exciting may happen at any moment. Variety and Challenge in Seatwork Kounin noted that classwork should be designed such that it is simple enough that it is achievable but difficult enough that it will provide a challenge. Kounin also noted that there should be enough variety in the classwork to stimulate students' interests. |
Critique
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A number of the approaches presented by Kounin resonate with me and my pedagogical stance. In particular the variety in seatwork, withitness and the group accountability. Kounin's model means that students are less likely to test the limits as boundaries have been clearly defined and the teacher's withitness will identify any issues before they escalate.
Kounin's model is though very teacher focused and assumes student compliance. Kounin's model may also have limitations with particular students in particular the use of group accountability with students who require time for reflection before answering. Brophy (1983) found that group accountability only stimulates attention in the short run and that it should be used sparingly. |