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Classroom Management and Discipline
Perhaps the single most important aspect of teaching is
classroom management. You can't successfully teach your students if you
are not in control. This is also a concern of your principal and your
students' parents. Many teachers have lost their jobs due to poor
classroom management.
There are many reasons why discipline can be a problem in your
classroom. One of the reasons could be your teaching style. If you
aren't reaching every one of your students, they can become bored,
disinterested and restless. As mentioned in the section on instruction,
every student has their own learning style and an area where they
excel. If you are reaching these students by using a variety of
methods, they are motivated and less likely to cause trouble.
Another reason for discipline issues is that you may be dealing with
students with many personal problems. I have personally dealt with
students who witnessed their fathers being gunned down, their mother
throwing them out of a moving car on the expressway, their fathers
beating them so much they were hospitalized, a family member (usually a
step-father) molesting them, being forced into the drug trade by their
parents, and rape. How can a student learn when all they can think
about is what they are going home to later that afternoon? Will their
rage transfer to the classroom?
Any abuse you discover must be reported to the proper authorities. In
most states, the department of child protective services are overworked
and understaffed. You will probably get little help from them. What can
you do to address the issues? Will you have time to act as counselor in
addition to your regular teaching duties? Following are a few
strategies to deal with troubled students:
- Refer
them to the school counselor. If your counselor is unable to squeeze
the student in or is relegated to performing administrative duties by
the principal, go to step 2.
- Refer
them to a local social services agency. There are many that are either
free or low in cost. For example, the Fan Free Clinic offers low cost
substance abuse services, affordable housing, medical treatment, and a
food pantry. Many local churches also provide free services.
- Contact your local United Way agency. They distribute their money to many social organizations and can give you a list of potential agencies. The Salvation Army is one of the largest social care providers in the world. They can also give you important advice.
In
larger urban areas, gang activity affects discipline. As part of
initiation, students who become members are forced to perform a crime.
This crime may occur in your school. Students involved in gangs should
be immediately referred to the school administrator. There are ways to
recognize students involved in gangs and head off problems early.
Following are helpful websites:
Your principal will expect you to take care of discipline problems
and only send students who either have severe misbehavior or habitual
offenses. Gum chewing and talking out are not reasons to send a student
to the office. I have heard many principals say, "I knew that this
student must have been a big problem because Mrs. ___ rarely sends
students to the office and when she does it's for a good reason." You
will get much more support from your principal if you take care of the
vast majority of your discipline problems.
If your principal doesn't ask you for a copy of your discipline plan,
give him/her a copy of your plan so they know exactly what a student
has to do to be sent to the office. Sending a student to the office
should be a last resort.
Unfortunately, there are many philosophies and styles of discipline and
it can be hard to decide what works best for you. What works for one
teacher may not work for another. The best thing to do is to pick one
that you think will be successful and make adjustments later if you
have problems. Most experts will say it is better to error on the side
of being too strict because it is much more difficult to later raise
the bar.
Teacher Ideas
The following discipline ideas have been posted on the art education list group:
"I give "quiet lotion". Just a small squirt of lotion to remind them
to be quiet (they can smell it to "remind" them to be quiet) really
works! Kids just say no thanks if they don't want it. Suave in the big
bottles is what I use sandalwood/cinnamon rocks. I also erase one of
three smilie faces on the board for noise control..." Ali
"I found that if I started with the expectation that the kids needed
to get quiet before we started as well [as] quiet before I left (5
minutes each) the students were responsive. I would have an activity to
begin with, such as looking at a work of art, a "silent game" where
"winners" could get their supplies first (and thus get the "best"
supplies -- sharpest crayons, best choice of paper color, coolest
instrument... or just get the chance to start sooner, which is
rewarding in itself!). I would have clean-up about 5-10 minutes before
the end (depending on media) and then another "silent game"... such as
turn lights off, put heads down, and surprise their teacher by being
still and silent, acting like we don't exist." Becky Hopkins
"...To transition students, we gather in meeting area-children
called over by table as soon as they are quiet- for
discussion/demonstration-then when done, tell class that quiet "ready"
children get their paint or clay/supplies first-everyone wants to get
going,
so this works-Second idea I do in classes with teachers who need strict
order upon return is to carry a little booklet of stickers; after clean
up children who are quiet and ready at their desks get one-this seems
to work well too." Georgia in Boston
Following are some of the most common discipline methods:
Assertive Discipline- This is the one I used for
classroom discipline. It was created by Lee Canter. Canter believes
that if you "catch" a student being good by recognizing them when they
behave, they will work harder at behaving. He also believes that there
should be consistent consequences of breaking the rules that are very
clear.
In a nutshell, the teacher comes up with no more than five rules for
the classroom. Each time a rule is broken, a consequence is given. If
the misbehavior continues, the consequences get more severe every time.
At the same time, students are rewarded for behaving properly. This can
range from a field trip, pizza party, and a snack.
More on Assertive Discipline...
A Primer on Classroom Discipline- Thomas R. McDaniel
published an article that has become a very popular manual for
classroom management. There are eleven techniques that are explained
that help you achieve control. The methods are Focusing, Direct
Instruction, Monitoring, Modeling, Non-Verbal Cuing, Environmental
Control, Low-Profile Intervention, Assertive Discipline, Assertive I-Messages, Humanistic I-Messages, and Positive Discipline.
More on Primer on Classroom Discipline...
Discipline With Dignity- This controversial discipline program, created by Richard L. Curwin and Allen N. Mendler,
is based on the premise that students are treated with dignity at all
times. It is meant to build self-esteem and encourage responsible
behavior. This program is especially helpful in severe situations that
frequently occur in inner-city schools. Typically a contract is created
by both the student and the teacher. The contract includes prevention,
"action dimension," and resolution. Your rules must make sense and be
fair.
Prevention is done with preplanning to eliminate possible areas of
problems. Make sure students are aware of what is expected of them. The
action consists of record keeping and classroom management. Finally the
resolution component is dealing with the continual rule breaker.
Discipline should not interfere with motivation. Teach responsibility
rather than obedience.
The controversy with this method is the length a teacher goes to
protect student dignity and the fact there is no punishment. Students
frequently select their own consequences. Teacher responses to severe
discipline problems is unusual. In this author's opinion, use this
program when others fail. Read more about the program here.
Reality Therapy (RT)- This program was created by
William Glasser. The emphasis of this program is to help students
connect behavior with consequence. This is done with class meetings,
clear rules, and contracts. This also includes Positive Approach to
Discipline (PAD), which is based on Reality Therapy.
More on Reality Therapy...
Transactional Analysis (TA)- This program
by Dr. Eric Berne, is based on the premise that every human has a
child, adult, and parent psyche. Students and teachers are encouraged
to stay in the adult domain and avoid a parent/child relationship.
Problems are dealt with cooperation and goodwill. Like Discipline With
Dignity, there is a strong focus on self esteem and motivation.
More on Transactional Analysis...
Teacher Effectiveness Training (TET)- This is another
popular student discipline strategy. The purpose of TET is to increase
time on task. There are seven skills that are taught in a TET
classroom. The curriculum design is based on a four-step learning
model, SIPA.
More on Teacher Effectiveness Training...
Other Methods
There are many other discipline methods out there. Some teachers may
find that they do best by combining several methods together. Every
teacher is different and go with what works for you. Following are
other methods:
Golden Rules About Classroom Management
1. Ensure that
you have clearly stated rules and procedures with established
consequences that are expected and reviewed regularly. All students
must know the rules, routines and expectations.
2. Never continue
on with instruction when the rules are being broken - pause, delay and
ensure that you have your student's attention.
3. Catch your students using appropriate behavior and praise them!
4. Use behavior contracts when necessary and follow up with appropriate incentives.
5. Be sure that your instructional periods are NOT too long, students need to be mobile throughout the day.
6.
Provide individual , personal cueing and prompts to certain students as
needed. Sometimes just touching a student's shoulder will bring them
back to task.
7. POST the important rules - keep it short, no
more than 6 and refer to it often. These should be posted after the
class has brainstormed them.
8. Make
sure you are teaching to all the various learning styles your students
have. A students who is not being reached is more likely to be a
problem.
Consistent approaches to classroom
management will work, effective classroom management takes time and
should be seriously implemented at the beginning of the year. Show your
students respect at all times, students who think they're not liked
will become your biggest behavior issue. For tips on dealing with
specific behaviors (aggression, tattling etc.) try the tips here.
Children with ADHD present unique problems. These students have short attention spans and need to be in motion. There is a great article by Harlan Brownlee that offers tips for managing them in the artroom.
It offers suggestions to control movement so that chaos doesn't ensue.
Links
