The Purpose of Education

“The purpose of education is to produce not just good learners, but also good people” (Hardin, 2008, p. 142).

Mindful Behavior

“The ultimate goal of classroom management should not be on simple obedience, but on having students behave appropriately because they know it’s the right thing to do and because they can understand how their actions affect other people” (Hardin, 2008, p. 142).

Disciplinary Purpose

“Effective classroom discipline… should be a means of helping students become caring, ethical individuals” (Hardin, 2008, p. 147).

Student-Centered Decision Making

“If the goal is to have children take responsibility for their behaviors, teachers must allow students to make decisions about what is right and wrong” (Hardin, 2008, p. 143).

Collective Rules Setting

“Rather than creating rules, (the) students (will) engage in conversation about the type of community they wish their classroom to be” (Hardin, 2008, p. 150).

Caring Atmosphere

 “Students must know that they are cared about and valued regardless of their behavior” (Hardin, 2008, p. 147).

Praise without Judgment

“Only praise that places no judgments on a student’s character or personality makes the classroom a safe place in which students are free to try and to make mistakes” (Hardin, 2008, p. 145).

Inappropriate Behavior is a Community Issue

“Inappropriate behavior (is) a problem to be solved together in a supportive classroom community” (Hardin, 2008, p. 145).

Importance of Perspective Taking

“Students should be provided explicit opportunities to practice perspective taking, through which they can imagine how the world looks from someone else’s point of view” (Hardin, 2008, p. 148).

Interesting Curriculum

“A huge proportion of unwelcome behaviors can be traced to a problem with what students are being asked to learn” (Hardin, 2008, p. 144).

Collective Activities

“Classrooms should have classwide activities in which students are provided an opportunity to work together toward a common goal. Students acquire a sense of significance from doing significant things, from being active participants in their own education” (Hardin, 2008, p. 148).

Reference

Hardin, C. J. (2008). Effective classroom management (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.