Seganti's Approach (CH.11)

Craig Seganti's approach to classroom management is relatively strict and structured, but given the area he's done most of his work in (inner city L.A.) I can see why his approach works so well.  He provides four elements that weave together to ensure an effective teaching and learning environment. 

Teacher Attitude
Seganti says that when dealing with students, teachers need to remember four key things.  Actions speak louder than words, so don't waste time arguing and explaining things to students.  Instead, have a well laid out set of rules and when students break them, immediately react and hand out whatever punishment fits the situation.  Second, he believes that warnings are a waste of time, just like arguing, and that the only warning a student has is on the first day of class when the rules are explained.  Any infraction after that is met with consequences.  Seganti also believes that rewarding students is just like bribing them to get an education and is ineffective in the long run.  Lastly, he emphasizes the importance of communicating with the students.  He doesn’t ask questions in disciplinary situations, instead, he states the rules and consequences and simply moves on.
Student Accountability
The teacher must establish effective rules and then make sure the students understand them clearly.  He lays out several recommendations on what the rules should entail, including procedures for entering and leaving the room and behavior expectations while under instruction.  I specifically like his point on student readiness.  He says that the rule should center on how students enter the room, what materials are necessary for the class, and how to move about the classroom during instruction.  While his examples are a good starting point, they are by no means the absolute law in creating classroom rules. 
Leverage
Seganti says that rules are ineffective if there are no set consequences for breaking them.  He recommends a short 15 minute detention after school as the first step in his consequences.  The teacher will most likely be in the school at least 15 minutes after the final bell rings anyway, and while it isn’t necessarily a long time, it inconveniences the  student in a way that he will not like to have to repeat.  There are other alternatives, he says, depending on the school system’s rules and guidelines for punishment.  However, most administrators will agree with a strict and consistent punishment.

Management Tactics

Seganti also emphasizes the importance of organizing and maintaining the type of classroom you wish to see every day.  His recommendations include dressing professionally, insisting on silence and compliance, using good organization, listening to students, speaking only in statements, holding students accountable, keeping them busy, and never give in to manipulation tactics. 

I like this approach to discipline, although I can see times when it would be hard for me to follow my own rules.  I like being sarcastic sometimes, I like being loud and laughing in the classroom, and especially don’t consider myself to be a strict disciplinarian like Seganti.  However, if his approach works so well in such a difficult place to teach, it should also work well everywhere.