Session Three Activity Two-3 Metaphors
Paper (Manage, Guide, and Mediate)
There are three metaphors that describe
classroom management: manage, guide, and mediate. Each teacher will
decide which one is right for them or a combination of all three. Some
teachers prefer management because it is a traditional teacher-centered style,
while others prefer mediation for its learner-centered approach, but some
teachers just act as a guide. I have chosen to use a combination of
all three in my classroom.
Management as a metaphor in the social curriculum explains
a more teacher-centered approach. The teacher has total power through
positional authority. Using the management metaphor the teacher decides
what the students will learn and how they will learn it. Activities
such as bookwork, worksheets, or lecture are often part of the teacher-centered
management. It is the teacher who makes all the decisions. This
metaphor of management establishes the organization necessary in the classroom.
The guided and medication metaphors allow for some student input, whereas
management does not. Guide and mediation often leave some areas where
organization and control are reduced. An example of this metaphor in
my classroom is my rules and procedures. My rules, procedures, and
consequences are not negotiable. Students are informed of the guidelines
and they are expected to follow them. The first offense is a warning,
the second offense is a personal conference, the third offense is detention,
and the fourth offense the student is sent to the office. Management
plays a large roll in my classroom.
The guide metaphor in the social curriculum establishes
some student responsibility. Unlike the metaphors of management or
mediation, the guide metaphor allows for some teacher control and some student
input. A balance is attempted to give the teacher the power necessary
and the students the responsibility and ownership of their education.
The teacher acts as a guide to helping the students discover or solve a new
world of information. Activities such as science labs, group projects,
and demonstrations are often used with the guide metaphor. In my classroom,
I predominately use the guide metaphor. I teach a sociology class where
we do a large number of projects. At the beginning of the project I
set guidelines that I am looking for and I set out some resources, like websites,
to assist my students. Each cooperative learning group can decide if
they want to do a poster, a skit, a paper, a song, or any other form of a
project over a given topic. During the project I will meet with each
group privately to discuss their progress and help guide future progress.
Often, I will pose questions during these private group meetings to guide
my students to additional learning. The freedom with control that the
guide metaphor posses, allows for motivation from the students, but moderate
control from me.
Working with at-risk low-income students, the mediation
metaphor is less prevalent that the other two. Negation is often taken
in the form of an argument with my students. In an average setting,
however, mediation can help form compromises that all students and teachers
find acceptable. The mediation metaphor coincides predominately with
a student-centered approach. Students are expected to take and active
role in planning their educations and accepting responsibility for their
actions. I use mediation in the form of student and peer evaluations.
After every project the students are given a chance to grade their group
mates and themselves. Students often give reasonable statements for
why they deserve the grade they do. As a teacher, I take the students
evaluations into consideration when assessing the grade they should receive.
After the grades are given, the students are allowed the opportunity to dispute
the grade or request a conference. Mediation can be useful if used
appropriately, but careful consideration to too much student control must
be given.
All three of the metaphors are ways to manage a class.
Teachers have to decide if management, guidance, or mediation is right for
their teaching style. Some teachers use a combination of all three.
No matter which classroom management style that is chosen, the metaphors
will always be helpful for teachers.