Kounin is de bedenker van het concept klassenmanagement. Hij begon als onderwijspsycholoog aan de Wayne State University in 1946. Zijn onderwijsvisie en onderzoek dat hij heeft verricht heeft betrekking op de wijze waarop leerlingen leren. Zijn bekendste studies betreffen klassenmanagement.
Hij deed in eerste instantie onderzoek naar de wijze waarop docenten omgaan met leerlingen die zich niet gedragen in de les. Gaandeweg kwam hij erachter dat die reactiewijze veel te maken heeft met de wijze waarop de school is georganiseerd en hoe docenten de regels hanteren, dit vormde zijn besluit om verder onderzoek te doen naar de randvoorwaarden om regels te kunnen hanteren.
WithitnessToen Jacob Kounin begin jaren zeventig onderzoek deed in klaslokalen ondervond hij dat de experts in klassenmanagement beschikten over withitness. Geen gebeurtenis ontsnapte aan hun aandacht en ze lieten voortdurend blijken aan de klas - soms via minuscule bewegingen of gebaren - alles te overzien.
Withitness“Withitness” is a term created by Kounin to describe the teacher’s awareness of what is going on in all parts of the classroom at all times. We commonly refer to this as “having eyes in the back of the head.” To be effective, the students must perceive that the teacher really knows what is going on in the gymnasium. If students are off task and fooling around, the teacher needs to send a clear message that communicates to the students that the teacher sees that they are not working and they need to get started. Withitness can be improved with practice, such as learning how to effectively use systematic techniques to scan the class. Keeping your “back to the wall” as you move throughout the class helps you see the broader picture and be more aware of what is going on.
The effectiveness of withitness is increased when the teacher can correctly identify the student who is the instigator of the incident. Teachers who target the wrong student for a desist or a reprimand are perceived by the students as not knowing what is really going on (i.e., not “withit”). When several incidences of misbehavior occur at the same time, it is important that teachers deal with the most serious incidence first. Timing is another aspect of withitness. Teachers should intervene early and quickly in dealing with misbehavior. Failure to do so allows the misbehavior to spread.
RimpeleffectKounin bedacht ook de term Rimpeleffect. Hij ging uit van het idee dat de wijze waarop een docent reageert op de misdraging van één leerling dit tevens de andere leerlingen beïnvloedt.`
Ripple EffectThe “ripple effect” occurs when the teacher corrects a misbehavior in one student, and this positively influences the behavior of other nearby students. The ripple effect is influenced by the clarity and firmness of the correction. The effect is greater when the teacher clearly names the unacceptable behavior and gives the reasons for the desist. Firmness, that is, conveying an “I mean it” attitude, enhances the ripple effect. The ripple effect is greatest at the beginning of the year and diminishes as the year progresses. At the high school level, Kounin found that respect for the teacher along with high motivation to learn lead to the greatest student involvement and minimum misbehavior by students.
