Management and Classroom Discipline - Assignment Example

Running Head: room Management room Management of Management and room discipline can cause consternation and fear in teachers and particularly the primary school teachers. We can say that classroom management is a special skill that is not only concerned with the learning process but its something that's practiced daily. There are ten useful tips that can lead teachers to maintain successful classroom management and discipline. It's Easier to Get Easier Most of the primary school teachers make the mistake of making a poor plan for the maintenance of discipline in the classroom.(Beykont, 2002, pp-24) Young student have the ability to quickly assess the situation in their classroom and they after that they analyze and realize what they will be able to do and get away with it. If the teachers will allow too many disruptions, then it's very difficult to implement better discipline and classroom management techniques.(Beykont, 2002, pp-37) Fairness is Key Different students have different sense and judgment of what's right and what's wrong. If a teacher wants to be respected then it's important for them to treat all the students fairly, and if the teachers fail to treat all students equitably then they will be labeled as unfair and no student will bother to follow their rules. (Barrow, 2004, pp-94) Teachers should also punish the best student of the class, if he or she does something wrong, this will win the hearts of all the other students of the classroom. Deal with Disruptions with as Little Interruption as Possible Teachers must learn the techniques of dealing with disruption with little interruption as much as possible. Because if there is any kind of disruption in the classroom then teachers should imperatively and immediately deal with it taking care that the momentum of the classroom should not be interrupted. (Campbell-Rush, 2001, pp-117) During classroom discussion if a teacher observe that the students are taking to each other and not paying attention to what the teacher is teaching. Then teacher should use the technique of asking a sudden question from any student to help them to get back on track. If the teachers will stop the flow of their lesson in order to deal with classroom disruptions, then this clearly means that you are robbing those students who really want to learn their lessons during the precious in-class time. (Campbell-Rush, 2001, pp-138) Avoid Confrontations in Front of Students Most of the primary school teachers agree on a point that whenever there is confrontation in classroom is a loser and a winner. (Dean, 2003, pp-46) Teachers at all costs have to take care of maintaining discipline in their classroom. If teacher have disciplinary issues with any student then the teacher should deal with that student privately so that the will not lose face in front of other students and especially his or her friends. Those teachers who deal disciplinary issues in the classroom can cause some student to deviate from the path. (Dean, 2003, pp-54) Stop Disruptions with a Little Humor Primary school teachers should also learn the technique of stopping classroom disruption with the help of litter humor. It will allow the student to be more comfortable in the classroom. The use of humor technique will also create a friendly environment for learning. If something goes wrong in the classroom then the teachers should have a good laugh to help all the students to get back on track. Teacher should not confuse sarcasm with good humor. (Cangelosi, 2004, pp-63) The basic difference between a good humor and sarcasm is that humor can immediately disperse a situation, while sarcasm can actually harm the relationship between students and their teacher. Teachers must have a good judgment in this regard because what's funny for someone, others find it to be quite offensive. (Cangelosi, 2004, pp-77) Keep High Expectations in Your Class In order to maintain successful classroom management and discipline, teachers should have high expectations from their students. Teachers should start their class by telling their student that I am expecting all the students to raise their hand so that they should be recognized before they give answer to my question. (Cangelosi, 2004, pp-151) Teachers should also say that I am expecting that all the students will respect the opinions of each other and will listen to what other fellow students have to say. Over planning Teachers should not allow free time and all the teachers should try and avoid it. Because if the teachers will allow the students time to talk everyday then this will set a challenge to view other subjects and academics. In order to avoid this to happen teachers should over-plan they will never run out of lessons. Teachers can also utilize the free time with the help of giving mini-lessons to their students. (Cangelosi, 2004, pp-204) Be Consistent The teacher who does not enforce their rules consistently is actually not a good teacher and that teacher can not maintain a successful classroom management and discipline. For example if a teacher one day ignore the misbehavior of any student and the next day he or she jumps on a student just for a small infraction, then as a result the students will lose respect for that teacher. Because every student wants their teacher to be the same everyday, teachers can not depend on their moods to teach their students. If any teacher loses their respect in front of their students then that teacher also loses student's attention and their desire to please their teacher. (Charles, 2004, pp-83) Make Rules Understandable All the teachers and particularly primary students have to be selective in their classroom. There is no student that can follow a hundred or more rules consistently. Teachers should make all the rules clear to their students. Students should have a clear understanding of what is acceptable in the classroom and what's not. Teachers should also make sure that all the students must know the consequences for breaking any rule. (Charles, 2004, pp-94) Start Fresh Everyday The technique of starting fresh everyday does not necessarily mean that the teacher is compromising on previous infractions. But this does mean that the teacher should expect that his or her students will behave today. For example is a student have disrupted a class for the past whole week, does not mean that this student will also disrupt the teacher's class today. (Charles, 2004, pp-117) Stages of Discipline Like student function at different levels in learning new things, at the same time they also function at different levels of discipline. It is very important to set a consistent classroom discipline that operates at all stages and is the most appropriate. This will encourage them to labor their way to achieve higher stages. Today with the help of research conducted by the experts helped teachers in handling disciplinary problems in the classrooms. (Charles, 2005, pp-28) Stage 1: Recalcitrant Behavior Stage Stage 1 is the lowest stage all the students functioning at this level are basically recalcitrant in what they do. This is the main reason the students often refuse to follow the rules or directions given by their teacher. (Charles, 2005, pp-41) Students require a tremendous amount of teacher's attention. Students have their own morality, they have their own few rules but due the fear of punishment they follow the rules given by the teacher. Research have shown that most youngsters have progressed even beyond their stage when they are only at the age of three or four, but there are some elder students who function at the same level. This stage is the power stage for the young students and it entirely works by the imbalance of power between the person in authority like teachers and power of the child. In young students the imbalance of power between the child and his or her parent is vital. If the young child is not aware of the higher stage the imbalance of power disappears as the child grows up. Fortunately one good thing is that very few young students are functioning at this stage. (Charles, 2005, pp-59) Those students who are still functioning at this stage follow rules until there is imbalance of power exist. Teachers having good eye on their students can keep them in track. If their teacher will turn their back on them and there is a great chance that their students will be out of control. If these kinds of students want something they straight away go for it. They behave in a way that they show that they have no concern with the feeling of others. Generally these students are constantly finding extension of power. Rulers and pencils become a type of weapon in their hands. (Charles, 2005, pp- 73) Stage 2: The Reward and Punishment Stage The reward and punishment stage is considered to be the second stage. At this stage student are actually little easier to handle students in the classroom. They represent very small percentage of young students that the teachers teach today. Students can be very self centered and this stage is the reward and punishment stage. All the students functioning at this level behave because of the reason that they will get a special reward like free time, candy etc, or the reason is that they do not like the treatment they get when they do not behave. (Charles, 2005, pp-121) Research has shown that most of the students move beyond this stage when they are usually seven or eight years. Other older students who are still functioning at this stage try their best in classroom with assertive teachers. Student at this stage have very little sense of discipline particularly the self-discipline. Just like the power stage, young students need constant care from their teachers. It can happen that the children may behave well in hands of one teacher and when that child goes to another class, that child may become out of control on the way to their new class. Teachers expect so much more from their students, the children functioning at this level are often at honor level four. (Charles, 2005, pp-138) Stage 3: The Interpersonal Stage We have seen that student functioning at level 3 make up younger students in our junior high schools. At this stage the children develop a sense of self-discipline. They simply behave because their teacher asks them to do so. This stage is called the interpersonal stage. At this level the children have seen to care about what other might think about them and they want their teacher to like them. Gentle reminders should be given to these young students. When the teachers ask these students to settle down they gently do. But they do not need heavy handed approach to maintain a classroom discipline. (Charles, 2005, pp- 156) It is very common that we see students in out classrooms that are really in transition from Stage two to Stage three. It is not necessary that a child not behaving and maintaining discipline in one class can not maintain discipline in other teacher's class. These children start learning to trust others and build the interpersonal relationships to a great extent. Teachers have to show these students that their good behavior is not only important for the classroom but it is also very important for others also. When primary teachers nurture these students they observe a quick progress. When the teachers become assertive unnecessarily then there is a chance that any student can slip back to stage two. The student functioning at the Stage three are at honor level two. (Charles, 2005, pp-166) Stage 4: The Social Order Stage Research has shown that young student working at Stage four barely get into any sort of trouble. The main reason for that is that they have the sense of right and wrong. The fact is that many junior high school students sometimes function at this level, out of them only few consistently carry on. These kinds of students are actually fun to teach. Teachers actually love to work with them. When a teacher gives them a task to complete it in half an hour and when the teacher comes back in class and observers that student are still on the money. (Charles, 2005, pp-183) They simply behave because they think that this is a good thing to do. This stage is called the social order stage. The students functioning at this stage are at the highest honor level i.e. honor level one. Students functioning at this level do not like or support assertive discipline. These students are worried about the fact that other students waste the precious in class time on disciplinary issues. Cooperative learning techniques can help young students to function at this stage and at the top level. (Charles, 2005,pp-197) Stage to Stage Teachers at times may feel that they don't have time to take care of their students form one stage to another. Teachers may utilize all the time by only covering what in the book or getting simply to the objective. But the important point for all the teachers is that what they are actually teaching. (Charles, 2005, pp-206) No matter what subject are you teaching, one thing should be clear in the teachers mind that they are teaching students this is the responsibility of the teachers to make their students learn good and ethical things. It is up to teachers how they shape their students. At different stages, young student need different type of care and attention. Self discipline is very important for students and the learning of self discipline is also like learning anything else. It is not necessary that all the students get it right in the first time and in the first class. References: Barrow, Giles. Walking the talk : how transactional analysis is improving behaviour and raising self-esteem. London, UK : David Fulton, 2004. Beykont, Zeynep F. The power of culture : teaching across language difference. Cambridge, MA : Harvard Education Pub. Group, 2002. Campbell-Rush, Peggy. Tricks of the trade : in & out of the classroom. Peterborough, NH : Crystal Springs Books, 2001. Dean, Joan. Subject leadership in the primary school : a practical guide for curriculum coordinators. London, UK : David Fulton, 2003. Cangelosi, James S. Classroom management strategies : gaining and maintaining students' cooperation. Hoboken, NJ : Wiley, 2004 Charles, C. M. Classroom management for middle-grades teachers. Boston, MA : Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2004. Charles, C. M. Elementary classroom management. Boston, MA : Pearson/Allyn and Bacon, 2005. Rusnak, Timothy. An integrated approach to character education. Thousand Oaks, CA : Corwin Press, 1998. Shore, Kenneth. Elementary teacher's discipline problem solver : a practical A-Z guide for managing classroom behavior problems. San Francisco, CA : Jossey-Bass, 2003. Tileston, Donna Walker. What every teacher should know about classroom management and discipline. Thousand Oaks, CA : Corwin Press, 2004. Read More