What Were They Thinking? Adding a Bit of Psychology to Your Classroom Management

I came into education as a mental health counselor and play therapist. In reaching into my psychology bag of tricks for assistance in effectively managing my students, I have found the most help from my play therapy training, particularly the strategies I learned from noted Adlerian Play Therapy founder Dr. Terry Kottman and the strategies offered by Foster Cline and Jim Fay, co-founders of the Love and Logic Institute. The goal of my classroom management approach is to interpret student behaviors and then respond appropriately in order to minimize classroom disruptions and improve the learning process.