Question

Read the two cases below then answer the questions that follow. Case 1: Ms. Karen was working with a reading group when she noticed two boys on the other side of the room poking each other. She abruptly got up, walked over to the boys, berated them at length, and then returned to the reading group. By the time she returned, however, the children in the reading group had become bored and listless and were tempted to engage in mischief of their own. Case 2: Mr. John often flip-flops from an activity to another. While the students are solving a worksheet, Mr. John remembers that question 3 requires further explanation and has to regain the pupils’ attention. After the explanation, it was very difficult to get the pupils back to where they were before the interruption. 1. Identify, according to Kounin, what went wrong in each case. 2. Explain what would an expert classroom manager do instead.​

Answer 1

In Case 1, Ms. Karen's inadequate classroom management resulted in a loss of engagement and discipline in the reading group. In Case 2, Mr. John's lack of smoothness and momentum caused a disruption in the students' focus and engagement.

Step-by-step explanation:

In Case 1, according to Kounin, what went wrong was
that Ms. Karen displayed inadequate classroom management skills. By abruptly berating the two boys and leaving the reading group unattended, she failed to maintain effective discipline and attention in the classroom. An expert classroom manager would have used proactive strategies, such as implementing clear rules and expectations, providing engaging activities, and addressing misbehavior discreetly.

In Case 2, the problem identified by Kounin is that Mr. John lacked smoothness and momentum in his teaching. His frequent interruptions and failure to keep the students on track caused a disruption in their focus and made it difficult for them to regain their initial engagement. An expert classroom manager would have planned the lesson more effectively, anticipated potential interruptions, and used strategies to transition smoothly between activities.