Controlled Chaos: Teacher Tom's Guide to Classroom Management

I'm excited to announce that registration is open for my brand new 6-part course -- Controlled Chaos: Teacher Tom's Guide to Classroom Management.

The phrase "classroom management" has always bugged me. Most of the time, when people use it, they're talking about adults who have "managed" to make their preschool classroom into a quiet place populated with well-mannered, attentive, motivated children, who raise their hands, walk in lines, and obey the teacher. 

More often than not, when people use the term "classroom management," what they're really talking about is some sort of system of behavioral mangement involving rules, schedules, punishments, and rewards: classic behaviorism. The adult's role is that of a benevolent dictator. As an educator once put it to me, "I'm their best friend until they cross the line, then I come down like a house of bricks." 

As an approach to both behavior and learning, behaviorism is an archaic oversimplification of human cognitive processes. It centers the relationship between adults and children on adult power and external motivation (rewards and punishments), ignoring what we know about how the human brain learns. Not only that, but command, control, and manipulation, the core of behaviorism, is an incredibly disrespectful way to interact with our fellow humans, even if they are children. It teaches that obedience, not thinking, is their highest calling.

My play-based classrooms have never been like that. Indeed, visitors have often used the term "controlled chaos" to describe what's they see happening. 

Sure, it can get loud and even a bit rowdy, but are the kids engaged? All of the time. Are they motivated? All of the time. Are they learning? At full capacity.

. . . But are they well-behaved? Perfectly. They are behaving like preschoolers who are engaged, motivated, and learning. You see, disobedience isn't a problem if obedience isn't the goal. 

A well-managed classroom is one in which the children are free to follow their curiosity, in the company of others, while getting real-world practice in living in a world with other people. Instead of learning to obey, the children think for themselves, make their own agreements with one another, and learn how to get their own needs met while also creating the space for others to met their's. It's no place for rewards or punishments, but rather an opportunity to learn through the natural consequences of their behavior. A well-managed play-based classroom may well look chaotic from the perspective of behaviorism, but that's because the "control" is discovered through self-regulation (the gold standard for behavior) rather than external force.

This course is intended for play-based educators, directors, and owners who are committed to respecting and honoring children as they learn through experience rather than rules. This course is especially for preschool and kindergarten teachers who find themselves overwhelmed by behavior management. And even if you're not a purely play-based practitioner (yet), I promise that once you've taken this course, you'll never go back to your old behaviorism system of classroom management.

I've based this course on nearly three decades of experience, my pedagogical philosophy, best practices, and on-the-ground practical methods, tips, and ideas. You will learn how to "manage" your classroom in a way that maximizes children's freedom, learning, and fun, without slipping into actual chaos (at least most of the time!). Not only will the children be empowered to develop intellectually, emotionally, and socially, but as an educator you will spend far les time dealing with so-called "challenging behaviors" and a lot more time focused on supporting what maters most: learning.

True play-based learning involves treating young children as fully formed humans with the attendant rights, responsibilities, and freedoms, and that's the kind of classroom management children need and deserve.

If this sounds interesting, check it out by clicking here. I'd love to see you in the first cohort for this course.

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Click the link to register and learn more about my new 6-week course -- Controlled Chaos: Teacher Tom's Guide to Play-Based Classroom Management. 

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