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Leadership

Classroom Leadership Power for Totalitarian, Laise-faire, and Democratic classrooms

 A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.

Lao Tzu

Overview

  • Five characteristics which can give power to leaders
  • Observable characteristics for different sources of power
  • Different percentages of each can lead to any of three type of power or range between them

Introduction

This page describes five characteristics of leadership which can be used to explain three general types of classroom leaderships: totalitarian, laissez-faire, and democratic classrooms. Observable characteristics for each source of power is included for a classroom environment, behavioral interactions, and atmosphere. A chart is also included to identify personal leadership goals.

Five characteristics which can give power to leaders

Different combinations of these five characteristics can lead to: Totalitarian, Laise-faire, and Democratic classrooms:

  1. Attractive: charisma, good looking, socially fun to be with, has a genuine regard for people - created with positive self regard and a caring attitude
  2. Expert: have superior knowledge, enthusiasm, love of learning, academic environment, desire to solve problems and learn alone and together
  3. Reward: grades, recess, stickers, privileges, activities, praise, pat
  4. Coercive: removal of recess, time-out, stay after school, sarcasm, put downs, humiliation, damages self-esteem, reduces self-reliance, and builds barriers. Causes students to feel resentment, desire to rebel, withdraw from participation, play power games, seek retribution, plan revenge, strike back for revenge, commit vandalism, or assault to cause personal damage.
  5. Authority: student believes the educator is fair, has a risk free environment will not allow another person to harm another person physically or verbally. Empower students through goal setting with little to no use of the coercive or reward base allowed by the school system, which will vary from community to community.

 

Observable characteristics for different sources of power
Source of Power Observable Characteristics
Environment Behavioral Interactions Atmosphere

Expert

Percentage of time: 70%

  • books
  • learning center
  • map
  • experiments
  • manipulative
  • projects
  • students’ work displayed
  • computers
  • math manipulatives
  • junk boxes, and
  • other learning materials
  • monitor progress
  • give feedback
  • encouragement
  • feed forward to encourage excellence
  • students involved
  • demand unachievable
  • teach above student development and and ability
  • over critical
  • scholarly
  • enthusiasm
  • love of learning
  • challenge to learn
  • challenge to excel
  • fear of failure
  • fear of being wrong
  • seek to please the teacher
  • only one way to do a task

Attractive

Percentage of time: 25%

  • children’s work displayed
  • student helper
  • student of the week
  • pit
  • loft
  • circle
  • sofa
  • teacher is a model of decorum
  • cheerful
  • smiling
  • knows and involves parents, and other resource people
  • cooperative learning
  • discussion
  • class meetings
  • may enable self limiting behavior with fluff
  • relaxed
  • cooperative learning
  • accepting of ALL children
  • cheerful
  • caring
  • encouraging while achieving
  • fun
  • socialization
  • crafts
  • entertaining activities at the expense of learning

Authority

Percentage of time: 3%

  • short list of rules, which may encourage goal setting and self discipline
  • communicate reasons for rules and teach strategies for goal setting
  • long list of rules with many do nots
  • may be little communication
  • students understand and desire the rules
  • consistent use of rule procedures
  • students communicate how rules do and don’t apply
  • teacher dictates rules and what is right and wrong
  • students try to beat the rules
  • students believe they are responsible for their actions
  • care
  • share
  • help
  • intrinsically motivated to learn
  • students believe behavior is the responsibility of the teacher

Reward

Percentage of time: 2%

  • tokens
  • stars
  • stickers
  • recess based on condition
  • Bookit or reward ceremonies used to control students
  • General praise
  • Specific praise on quality performance by students to recognize and appreciate their accomplishments
  • smile
  • winning
  • I’m better
  • loosing
  • I’m a failure
  • What will you give me if I do it?
  • I can’t win so why try?
  • WOW look what I can do
  • enthusiasm
  • competition
  • work for reward must not be worthy task if have to give a reward
  • reward as bribe
  • withdraw
  • fear of failure
  • extrinsic
  • motivation
  • like the reward
  • intrinsic motivation

Coercive

Percentage of time: 0%

  • desire to do what is right
  • thinks before acts
  • does what leader desires
  • names on the board
  • marbles in a jar
  • time-out corner
  • lose recess
  • stay after school
  • leader suggests what to do and followers do it
  • finger pointing
  • raising voices
  • tattling
  • teacher takes away privileges
  • vandalism
  • withdrawal
  • acting out
  • mastery oriented behaviors
  • followers who don't cooperate
  • get what they deserve
  • cold
  • negative
  • rebellious
  • insecure
  • revenge
  • dislike school
  • dislike the teacher
  • dislike learning
  • use force to gain power

Three general types of classroom leaderships: totalitarian, laissez-faire, and democratic classrooms

Different percentages of each can lead to different kinds of power that can lean towards one of the three or range between them.

 

Three general types of classroom leaderships: totalitarian, lase-faire, and democratic classrooms
Totalitarian Lase-faire Democratic
Strict with excessive control Permissive with no limits: Anarchy Consistent with dignity & respect
  • Order without freedom
  • No choices
  • "You do it because I said so."
  • "Do it because I’m the adult and you are the child."
  • Attempt to control or orchestrate every move.
  • Freedom without order
  • Unlimited choices
  • "You can do anything you want."
  • Freedom with order
  • Limited choices "You can choose within limits which show respect, caring, and protection of liberty and freedom for all."

 

Personal leadership goals

Fill in the chart with your personal goals for what learners and visitors will see related to leadership in your classroom or learning space.

 

Personal leadership chart to write your leadership Goals
Source of Power Observable Characteristics as
Environment Behavioral Interactions Atmosphere

Expert

Percentage of time:

 

 

 

 

Attractive

Percentage of time:

 

 

 

 

Authority

Percentage of time:

 

 

 

 

Reward

Percentage of time:

 

 

 

 

Coercive

Percentage of time:

 

 

 

Pedagogy - curriculum, teaching, learning, human development, & planning

Management - Self Development & Individual, Group, & Classroom Management

 

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