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Discipline in the ClassroomAn important yet, difficult aspect of classroom management is discipline. Inexperienced teachers struggle with this aspect of teaching. Imagine going into a classroom without any plans of how to manage behavior where students are misbehaving. Without a good plan at the start of the course, the teacher may struggle to get lessons done and students may not receive the adequate skills and education they could be getting. Sometimes teachers get caught up in the lessons that the discipline problems are overlooked or handled improperly. As a result, problematic students get away with misbehaving and other students get ignored.
To lessen the likelihood of situations like those, teachers must start by getting to know the students well. Every classroom is different, depending on age, personality, language level, class size, type of class, and other reasons, the teacher will have to adapt their discipline methods accordingly. A few key points are important to remember and to note down about discipline throughout the course.
A starting point for good discipline is to be consistent. Staying consistent will let students know the teacher is serious. For example, teachers should start off firm with the rules and remain firm. students will always test the teacher to see how much they can get away with. Staying firm also makes it easy for students to understand what?s expected of them, rather than changing the rules every time. Also, teachers should handle discipline problems immediately. They should not wait for students to act out another time before taking action (Anderson). Otherwise, students may think that the teacher doesn?t care and will take advantage of the situation.
Teachers should plan ahead what they expect from the students in terms of behavior. This way, the teacher is mentally prepared and ready to enforce the rules and guidelines when needed. Moreover, a teacher must set clear and simple rules from the beginning (Vance). One way to establish an understanding of the teacher?s expectations is to have the expectations written down in large fonts and posted up in the classroom. Another way is to give a list of the rules to each student and have the students and their parents sign it.
A teacher should use positive reinforcement often and make clear the consequences for bad behavior (Vance). Make sure students know that there are rewards for positive behavior and there are negative outcomes for misbehavior. Teachers must also be fair. They shouldn?t display partiality towards students because other students may lose respect for the teacher and commit to more misbehavior as a result of jealousy or anger (Elsesser). For example, a teacher could praise students for quietly raising their hands.
Furthermore, teachers should over prepare. For example, in the case that some students finish early, teachers should have extra activities as fillers (word searches, crossword puzzles, etc.) to keep students busy (Anderson). Some students may decide they can do what they wish and disrupt their classmates if they are left without extra activities.
Teachers should never yell or threaten the students. There are ways of showing care and compassion, while being firm (Vance). For example, a teacher could tell students to keeps their hands to themselves by demonstrating it first to the student. Then the students should imitate and repeat at least two times, ?I will keep my hands to myself.?
Teachers should avoid confrontations in the classroom (Anderson). For example, disciplining a student after class or aside from the class can prevent embarrassment for the student and discourage defensive behavior. students may develop more appreciation for the teacher for the one-on-one discussion.
In summary, teachers should be firm and consistent with their expectations of students? behavior. They should be well-prepared to communicate what they expect from the students. Teachers should practice positive reinforcement and immediate discipline when appropriate. Teachers can gain respect from students and establish rapport by maintaining self-discipline, while enforcing rules and expectations. While students can have freedom in the classroom, there should be reasonable bounds of structure and guidance.
