SEHS Classroom Management Strategies 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which approach to consequences is most consistent with a restorative justice model of classroom management?
- Immediate suspension for any rule violation
- Focusing solely on punishment to deter future misbehavior
- Having the student repair harm caused and reflect on how to do better (Correct answer)
- Sending students to the principal for all infractions
Correct answer: Having the student repair harm caused and reflect on how to do better
Restorative justice emphasizes repairing relationships and understanding impact rather than punitive measures alone.
Question 2: A teacher gives students a 'brain break' after 25 minutes of direct instruction. What classroom management benefit does this primarily provide?
- It reduces the total instructional time needed
- It resets student attention and reduces restlessness-driven disruption (Correct answer)
- It allows the teacher time to grade papers
- It eliminates the need for transition procedures
Correct answer: It resets student attention and reduces restlessness-driven disruption
Short movement or mental breaks refresh working memory capacity and reduce the off-task behavior that builds up during sustained seated work.
Question 3: What is the main advantage of using non-verbal cues (e.g., a hand signal) to manage transitions?
- They remove the need for any classroom rules
- They allow the teacher to redirect behavior without interrupting instruction (Correct answer)
- They are required by school policy in most U.S. states
- They only work with younger elementary students
Correct answer: They allow the teacher to redirect behavior without interrupting instruction
Non-verbal cues let the teacher correct behavior quietly so the flow of the lesson is not broken for the rest of the class.
Question 4: Which management framework emphasizes students having three universal needs — belonging, mastery, and independence — as the root of most behavior issues?
- Assertive Discipline (Lee Canter)
- Choice Theory / Reality Therapy (William Glasser) (Correct answer)
- Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
- Logical Consequences (Rudolf Dreikurs)
Correct answer: Choice Theory / Reality Therapy (William Glasser)
Glasser's Choice Theory holds that all behavior is an attempt to meet basic needs, and classroom disruption signals an unmet need for belonging, mastery, or independence.
Question 5: A teacher allows students to choose between two acceptable activities when they finish early. How does this support classroom management?
- It creates a competitive atmosphere that motivates faster workers
- It reduces idle time and gives students a sense of autonomy, decreasing disruption (Correct answer)
- It signals to slow workers that they are behind
- It eliminates the need for differentiated instruction
Correct answer: It reduces idle time and gives students a sense of autonomy, decreasing disruption
Providing structured choice for early finishers prevents the boredom and off-task behavior that often follow unoccupied time.
Question 6: What does 'overlapping' mean in Kounin's model of effective classroom management?
- Covering the same content in multiple subject areas
- A teacher handling two or more classroom events simultaneously without losing track of either (Correct answer)
- Overlapping bell schedules between periods
- Using peer tutoring so students teach each other
Correct answer: A teacher handling two or more classroom events simultaneously without losing track of either
Overlapping means a teacher can address a disruption or help one student while continuing to monitor or facilitate the rest of the class.
Question 7: Which scenario best illustrates a 'logical consequence' rather than an arbitrary punishment?
- A student who writes on the desk must stay after school for a week
- A student who writes on the desk must clean it and other desks as well (Correct answer)
- A student who writes on the desk loses recess for a month
- A student who writes on the desk is sent to the principal immediately
Correct answer: A student who writes on the desk must clean it and other desks as well
A logical consequence is directly connected to the misbehavior — cleaning the desk they marked ties the consequence meaningfully to the action.
SEHS Classroom Management Strategies 3
Which approach to consequences is most consistent with a restorative justice model of classroom management?