The Self-Control Classroom: Understanding and Managing the Disruptive Behavior of All Students Including Students with ADHD

Don't judge a book by its cover. When I first got this book, I thought I made a mistake buying it; sad-looking on the outside, and with a disappointing layout on the inside, I thought I could never read it. However, when I looked beyond the form, I found an inspiring text based on a caring, child-centered philosophy, with plenty of well-organized advice on managing disruptive behavior. Giving every child a fair chance, no matter how difficult his or her behavior might be, and emphasizing the need to change the way you feel and think about such a student, are what make this book a great read. Add to that a clear hierarchy of intervention, and thoughts on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and this book will undoubtedly inspire you to become a better teacher.

This book reviews basic theory and applications of classroom management, emphasizing respect for the teacher and student, arriving at solutions to disruptive behavior jointly under the teacher's direction. It serves as a good supplementary book in basic teacher education classes or to Froyen & Iverson's Schoolwide and Classroom Management. The embedded educational theory is positivistic rationalism (that all disruptive students can be brought to classroom peace through basically rational interventions and natural/logical consequences). The book does not cover issues such as power struggles, except to imply that teachers should avoid them through the recommended techniques. Nor does it cover school-wide discipline, antisocial student behavior, or poorly motivated students. Therefore, there are some blind spots in this book.Nevertheless, the authors thoroughly and practically describe what good classroom management is for the main body of youngsters in school.