Traditional classroom management practices are typically characterized by the teachers' strict and rigid imposition of classroom rules on the students, which are designed to evoke fear in students so that they would adhere to the teachers' expectations (Erwin, 2004). However, the rise in chronic behavioral problems in the classrooms such as disruptive behavior and noncompliance in recent years testifies to the ineffectiveness of this type of classroom management approach (Lohrmann & Talerico, 2004). Over the last few decades, theorists, researchers and educators have developed various innovative classroom management models, which have been proven to be effective in helping teachers address students' problem behaviors in a fun and positive way (Bucher & Manning, 2001).
In the remainder of this paper, three different effective classroom models that are based on different theoretical approaches will be presented and discussed. They are the Good Behavior Game, the Classroom of Choice and Positive Discipline. Each of these classroom models will be explored separately.
The first classroom model described hereùthe Good Behavior Gameùis a group-oriented contingency intervention that is based on B. F. Skinner's behavioral modification theory. According to Skinner (1948, 1970), desirable behavior can be promoted by providing immediate and appropriate reinforcement (in Bucher & Manning, 2001). The Good Behavior Game that was developed by Harriet Barrish, Muriel Saunder and Mont Wolf (1969) essentially integrated this theoretical principle into a game and group format to extrinsically motivate students to engage in positive behaviors (in Embry, 2002; Lohrmann & Talerico, 2004). Apart from the game format, the use of the group is also critical to the design of this program. It encourages students to act as change agents to promote the changes in behavior of their peers (Lohrmann & Talerico, 2004).
Three basic steps are in...