Education K-12 Classroom Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'withitness' as described by Jacob Kounin in classroom management research?
- A teacher's ability to stay calm during conflicts
- A teacher's awareness of student behavior throughout the classroom at all times (Correct answer)
- Being consistent with consequences
- Using humor to defuse tense situations
Correct answer: A teacher's awareness of student behavior throughout the classroom at all times
Kounin's concept of 'withitness' is a teacher's ability to monitor and communicate awareness of all student behavior simultaneously.
Question 2: Which strategy involves acknowledging and specifying a student's positive behavior to reinforce it?
- Proximity control
- Behavior-specific praise (Correct answer)
- Planned ignoring
- Logical consequences
Correct answer: Behavior-specific praise
Behavior-specific praise names the exact behavior being reinforced, making it more effective than generic praise.
Question 3: What is a 'logical consequence' in classroom management?
- Any punishment chosen by the teacher
- A consequence that is directly related to and proportionate to the misbehavior (Correct answer)
- Detention for all infractions
- Sending a student to the principal's office
Correct answer: A consequence that is directly related to and proportionate to the misbehavior
Logical consequences connect directly to the misbehavior (e.g., a student who spills must clean it up) and teach responsibility.
Question 4: What is the purpose of a 'calm-down corner' in elementary classrooms?
- To isolate disruptive students as punishment
- To give students a designated space and tools to self-regulate emotions before returning to learning (Correct answer)
- To provide tutoring during breaks
- To separate students who disagree
Correct answer: To give students a designated space and tools to self-regulate emotions before returning to learning
A calm-down corner provides sensory tools and strategies to help students self-regulate, supporting SEL and behavior management.
Question 5: What does 'planned ignoring' mean as a behavior strategy?
- Ignoring all student behavior to avoid conflict
- Deliberately withholding attention from minor attention-seeking behaviors to extinguish them (Correct answer)
- Ignoring lesson plans during free choice
- Avoiding eye contact with struggling students
Correct answer: Deliberately withholding attention from minor attention-seeking behaviors to extinguish them
Planned ignoring intentionally removes teacher attention (the reinforcer) from low-level behaviors maintained by adult reaction.
Question 6: What is a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)?
- A standardized test for behavioral disorders
- A process to identify the function or purpose of a student's challenging behavior (Correct answer)
- A parent questionnaire about home behavior
- An observation checklist for teacher self-evaluation
Correct answer: A process to identify the function or purpose of a student's challenging behavior
An FBA identifies what triggers a behavior and what the student gains (attention, escape, sensory input) to develop effective interventions.
Education K-12 Classroom Management 2
What is 'withitness' as described by Jacob Kounin in classroom management research?