The Article
University Distinguished Professor Jere Brophy and Janet Alleman, professor of teacher education at Michigan State University, analyze classroom management, especially as it relates to a social constructivist, or learning community, approach.

Discussion
Brophy and Alleman deal with classroom management in a social studies classroom. They tackle the issue not in the traditional classroom characterized by the teacher acting as the transmitter of knowledge, but in classrooms based on social constructivism. In such classrooms, the teacher acts as a collaborator in the production of knowledge within the classroom. The premise is that when teachers help students construct knowledge through social interaction, classroom discourse will deepen through more reflective discussion. Especially in a social studies classroom, teachers and students collaborate to develop rules, often formalizing them into a classroom constitution. Discipline emanates mostly from the individual as teachers and students share leadership roles. In raising the question of whether teachers can use established principles of classroom management, their answer is a qualified yes, if implemented appropriately. Brophy and Alleman emphasize that teachers must focus on instructional goals rather than functioning primarily as disciplinarians. They point out that teachers need to engage in thoughtful analysis to determine how to apply basic principles of good classroom management to engaging instructional innovations. Their research makes clear that to insure that the principles support the goals of constructivist or other nontraditional approaches to teaching, an educator can (1) begin by identifying what students are expected to do in order to engage optimally in learning activities, and (2) work backward from this description of desirable student roles to determine what forms of managerial instruction or assistance are needed.

What It Means To You
Classroom management must support instructional goals. A management system with rigid rules that orient students toward passivity and compliance will work against innovative instruction. What kind of classroom management principles are in place in your schools? Do they support instructional goals?

For More Information
For more information, consult Brophy, J. and Alleman, J. (1998). Classroom management in a social studies learning community. Social Education, 62(1), 56-58.

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