Classroom Model 1

Creating a Classroom Model that Benefits Cognitive and Behavioral Development

Ashley B. Meyer
Glen Allen High School
 Classroom Model 2

Introduction

Every child in America is given the right to a free public education. However, many teachers

face challenges in their classrooms when working with diverse classrooms and in cases of lower

income schools, tight budgets. With the face of education changing every day and the United

States dropping back in the world rankings, research suggests that there are specific learning

strategies that teachers should employ, if they are not already employed in their classroom. This

review will cover strategies that have been seen to positively contribute to growth in students’

cognitive and behavioral development that can be implemented in a cohesive classroom model for

public elementary schools.

Learning Strategies

Psychologists and teachers alike have seen the effects different learning theories have in

classrooms. B.F. Skinner drafted two theories that are well known, operant conditioning and

positive reinforcement, which state that “when a stimulus-response pattern is rewarded, the

individual is conditioned to respond similarly in the future” (Hussung). The stimulus response is

the behavior that the teacher is trying to condition, whereas the reward from the teacher towards

the student to reinforce the behavior would come in the form of “praise, good grades, a [physical]

reward, or even a feeling of accomplishment” (Hussung). By actively working to increase desired

behaviors from students and providing a means of feedback and praise, teachers will aid in the

behavioral development of their students.

Elements set forth by John Dewey’s progressive model of education align with twenty first

century skills. Morgan Williams covered Dewey’s ideas and stated:

Children will be seen learning-by doing in these classrooms and they will be
solving problems through hands-on approaches. When teachers plan for
 Classroom Model 3

instruction, student interests will be taken into consideration and curricular

subjects will be integrated with an emphasis on project learning. (93).

The Montessori model of education follows many of Dewey’s ideas, as it puts the teacher in more

of an observational role. Teachers should allow students to work on their own or in groups on

assignments that aren’t testing for an individual’s level of knowledge. By allowing students more

freedom on assignments, students will gain a sense of autonomy and it provides the teacher time

to talk with students about what they are doing and to connect to Skinner’s theory, offer feedback

and praise on the work they are producing. Including elements of choice derive from William

Glasser’s choice theory. Researcher Tricia Hussung notes that:

Glasser suggests that almost all behavior is chosen, and we are driven by genetics
to satisfy five basic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, and fun.
In choice theory, the most important need is love and belonging because
connectedness with others is required as a basis in satisfying all other needs.
(Understanding Three Key Classroom Management Theories).

John Dewey’s ideas of progressive education build off of Glasser’s theory from research

conducted by Morgan Williams that said:

One teaching approach that stresses the importance of building a community of

learners and shows evidence of Dewey’s theories in the 21st century is the
Responsive Classroom curriculum. It is a research-based approach to teaching
grades K-8, that focuses on the strong link between academic achievement and
social-emotional learning...[the four] aims include, creating a warm climate and
tone in the classroom in which students feel safe; teaching the schedule and
routines of the school day including behavior expectations within each of them;
showing students their physical learning space and the materials that they will be
using, and teaching them how to care for them; and establishing learning
expectations for the school year. (94-95).
 Classroom Model 4

Teachers actively working to engage their students and develop their interpersonal skills will

allow them to develop the social skills and behaviors necessary to succeed in 21st century society.

Another route is the methods teachers employ in their classrooms, especially when trying to keep

underperforming students engaged and on track. In research on the MSI strategy, Pfannestiel et al.

which serves as a way to help struggling math students:

The MSI is a cognitive strategy for primary-level students that can be utilized
across the types of word problems typically found in mathematics textbooks. The
strategy includes both verbal and visual (e.g., manipulatives) strategies that have
been found effective in helping students with serious mathematics difficulties
solve word problems (Swanson et al., 2014). The MSI strategy addresses six
components of word problem solving: (a) State the question being asked and the
important units in the question, (b) identify important numbers, (c) explain what
the question is trying to answer, (d) select the operation needed to solve, (e) create
the picture or computational strategy used to solve, and (f) discern distractible or
unimportant information (Swanson & Beebe-Frankenberger, 2004). (293).

Implementing and teaching strategies to students such as this one teaches students independence

and provides them with the knowledge that they can learn the same material as everyone else.

Where the United States is Falling Short

Education is monitored on the state level, but over time the national government has taken

more control by setting forth national standards for schools. According to an analysis done by

Guirguis and Pankowki, President Trump’s model of privatizing education may not cater to the

developmental needs of all students. They stated in their research:

The skill of a teacher’s perception in recognizing and accommodating various

learning styles for a diverse group of students may not be routinely exercise[d] in

charter and private school settings as they will most likely be composed of an

academically homogeneous type of student body. (107).

 Classroom Model 5

Despite having homogenous student bodies, students learn the best through a mixture of

methods. Potentially separating students based on class, gender, and race into specific

charter or voucher schools still does not account for the learning styles students

individually benefit from the most. Additionally, research completed by Saxena and Sell

regarding where the United States stacked up against other countries on the 2011 TIMSS

and 2012 PISA revealed that the instructional hours United States students are spending

in school may not be the problem due to a lack of correlation, despite lawmakers’ beliefs

(8-9). This signifies that how instructional time is being spent needs to be reevaluated.

Teachers’ strategies in lower performing school districts should be assessed and reviewed

to ensure they are implementing learning strategies in their classrooms. If learning

strategies are being used, they will need to be evaluated to see what is causing the

students to show limited growth in their cognitive and behavioral capacities.

Conclusion

Teachers are the driving force behind their students’ cognitive and behavioral development in

the classroom. In order to increase their students’ awareness and keep them engaged, they must be

willing to take steps to grant them autonomy and make an effort to get to know their students as

people rather than numbers. By gaining a sense of their students’ personalities and forming

professional relationships with their students, teachers will be able to mold their classroom model

each year by relying on the basic learning theories and find ways that best cater to the needs of a

diverse classroom. In order to further expand on this idea, more research will be completed on

where the United States compares to other countries regarding their classroom teaching strategies.

Research List
 Classroom Model 6

Guirguis, R., Pankowki, J. (2017). Potential effects of teaching strategies on students’ academic
performance under a trump administration. ​Journal of Education and Training Studies​.
5(4), 103-110.
Hussung, T. (2016, May 31). Understanding three key classroom management theories.
Retrieved from https://online.husson.edu/classroom-management-theories/
Pfannestiel, K., Bryant, D., Bryant, B., Porterfield, J. (2014). Cognitive strategy instruction for
teaching word problems to primary-level struggling students. ​Intervention in School and
Clinic 2015​, 50(5) 291-296.
Saxena, P., Sell, L. (2016). ​Performance on international assessments and learning time: A
snapshot of how the U.S. compares to other education systems on an international scale​.
Bloomington, IN: Center for Evaluation and Education Policy.
Williams, M. (2017). John dewey in the 21st century. ​Journal of Inquiry & Action in Education​,
9(1), 91-102.