Chapter 1 Classroom Discipline

1
Chapter 1Classroom DisciplineThe Problem and
the Solution

• Today discipline is valued as a basic teacher
  competency. A primary goal of Building Classroom
• Discipline is for beginning and experienced
  teachers to develop or fine-tune their own
  effective personal system of discipline.

2

• The book is organized to guide teachers through
  the process in a thoughtful and logical way.
• Chapter 1 reviews the realities of student
  misbehavior, and presents a plan for helping
  teachers
• resolve most of the problems associated with it.
• The intent of Chapter 1 is to lay foundation for
  this teacher competence by providing readers with
  guiding resources term clarifications and
  suggestions, principles, and reflective
  questions.
• Through the years many individuals, groups, and
  agencies have identified sets of competencies
• considered essential for beginning and
  experienced teachers.
• Today much attention is drawn to competencies
  suggested by the Interstate New Teacher
  Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) and
  embodied in the Praxis Series of tests produced
  by Educational Testing Service.

3

• Discipline as a Basic Teacher Competency
• Misbehavior can be brought to manageable
  proportion rather easily by employing three
  strategies
• simultaneously.
• First, prevent the occurrence of as much
  misbehavior as possible.
• Second, introduce classroom conditions that lead
  to student enjoyment, sense of purpose,
  self-direction, and sense of responsibility.
• Third, deal with misbehavior that does occur in a
  positive manner rather than a negative one.

4

• Organizing a personal system of discipline is
  essential to a positive, productive, enjoyable
• classroom where students learn and have an
  overall satisfying educational experience.
• To this end, invest ample time to consider the
  following guiding resources, suggestions,
  principles, and reflective questions.

5

• Clarification of Terms
•  
• Behavior refers to everything people do, good or
  bad, right or wrong, helpful or useless,
• productive or wasteful.
• Desirable school behavior is that in which
  students show self-control,
• responsibility, and
  consideration and respect for others, and usually
  involves
  cooperation and helpfulness.
• Misbehavior is behavior that is inappropriate for
  the setting or situation in which it
  occurs.
• Classroom misbehavior is any behavior that,
  through intent or thoughtlessness,
• interferes with teaching
  or learning threatens or intimidates others or
  oversteps societys standards of moral,
  ethical, or legal behavior.

6

•  
• Typically teachers contend with 13 types of
  misbehavior.
• Many different factors can cause students to
  misbehave.
• Overall, the tactics teachers use to manage
  student behavior are referred to as discipline or
• behavior management.
• Of these interchangeable terms, discipline, the
  more familiar, has two meanings in relation to
  behavior.
• The first refers to a condition of misbehavior.
• The second refers to what teachers do to try to
  get students to behave acceptably. 

7

• As mentioned earlier, today discipline is seen as
  a basic teacher competency that we now realize is
  an integral part of teaching, not an effort that
  stands apart.
• We know, further, that instruction affects
  behavior, and behavior affects instruction.
• Consequently, discipline is considered a strand
  of teaching, along with instruction,
  communication, classroom structure and
  management, and relations with parents.

8

• Getting Started Initial Suggestions, Principles,
  and Reflective Questions
• According to the author, a relatively simple
  solution to the discipline problem exists
• It is for teachers to develop teaching approaches
  that meet the needs of their students, while
  remaining consistent with their personality and
  the social realities of the community.
• The chapters in Building Classroom Discipline, 9e
  provide a great deal of advice on how that can be
  done.
• Consider five principles, based on the INTASC,
  Praxis, and Danielson contributions, intended to
  help you prepare yourself to work with students
  in ways that will bring satisfaction to all.
• Also take time to consider 20 questions posed by
  the author that concern students and their
  behavior, to better help you clarify your ideas.
• Finally begin with Principle 1, presenting and
  conducting yourself in a professional manner, but
  remember the authors recommendation about your
  districts final word on these considerations.

9

• 10 Recommendations of the Interstate New Teacher
  Assessment and Support Consortium
• (INTASC) (1987),
• www.dpi.state.nc.us/pbl/pblintasc.htm
  www.ccsso.org/projects/Interstate_New_Teacher_Asse
  ssment_and_Support_Consortium
•  
• Principle 1. The teacher understands the
  central concepts, tools of inquiry, and
• structures of the discipline(s) he or she
  teaches, and can create learning experiences that
• make these aspects of subject matter meaningful
  for students.
• Principle 2 The teacher understands how
  children learn and develop and can provide
• learning opportunities that support their
  intellectual, social, and personal development.
• Principle 3 The teacher understands how
  students differ in their approaches to learning
• and creates instructional opportunities that are
  adapted to diverse learners.
• Principle 4 The teacher understands and uses a
  variety of instructional strategies to
• encourage students development of critical
  thinking, problem solving, and performance
• skills.
• Principle 5 The teacher uses an understanding
  of individual and group motivation and
• behavior to create a learning environment that
  encourages positive social interaction,
• active engagement in learning, and
  self-motivation.
• Principle 6 The teacher uses knowledge of
  effective verbal, nonverbal, and media
• communication techniques to foster active
  inquiry, collaboration, and supportive

10

• Clarification of Terms
• Behavioreverything people do, good or bad, right
  or wrong, helpful or useless, productive or
  wasteful.
• Desirable school behaviorthat in which students
  show self-control, responsibility, and
  consideration and respect for others, and usually
  involves cooperation and helpfulness.
• Misbehaviorbehavior that is inappropriate for
  the setting or situation in which it occurs.
• Classroom misbehaviorany behavior that, through
  intent or thoughtlessness, interferes with
  teaching or learning threatens or intimidates
  others or oversteps societys standards of
  moral, ethical, or legal behavior.
• Disciplinehas two meanings in relation to
  behavior. It refers to
• a condition of misbehavior (The discipline in
  that room is pretty bad.) or
• what teachers do to try to get students to behave
  properly (Mr. Smythes discipline system is one
  of the best Ive seen.).
•  In the past, the term discipline suggested
  teacher control, coercion, and forceful tactics.
• Behavior managementthe phrase often used by
  educators for preventing, suppressing, and
  redirecting misbehavior

11

• 13 Types of Misbehavior
• 1. Inattentiondaydreaming, doodling, looking out
  the window, thinking about things
• irrelevant to the
  lesson.
• 2. Apathya general disinclination to
  participate, sulking, or not caring, not wanting
  to
• try or to do well.
• 3. Needless talkstudents chatting during
  instructional time about things unrelated to
• the lesson.
• 4. Moving about the roomgetting up and moving
  about without permission,
• congregating in parts of the
  room.
• 5. Annoying othersprovoking, teasing, picking
  at, and calling names.
• 6. Disruptionshouting out during the
  instruction, talking and laughing
• inappropriately, causing
  accidents.
• 7. Lyingfalsifying to avoid accepting
  responsibility or admitting wrongdoing, or to
• get others in trouble.
• 8. Stealingtaking things that belong to others.
• 9. Cheatingmaking false representations or
  wrongly taking advantage of others for
• personal benefit.
• 10. Sexual harassmentmaking others uncomfortable
  through touching, sex-related
• language, or sexual innuendo.

12

• TOWARD RESOLVING THE DISCIPLINE PROBLEM
•  
• Suggestions for Working Effectively with Students
•  
• 1. Maintain focus on your major task in teaching.
• 2. Know what causes misbehavior and how to deal
  with the causes.
• 3. Understand your students needs and how to
  meet them.
• 4. Dont try to coerce students.
• 5. Treat all students as your social equals.
• 6. Teach and relate to students in a charismatic
  way.
• 7. Involve students meaningfully in making
  decisions.
• 8. Establish a positive set of tactics for
  responding to misbehavior.
• 9. Involve parents and guardians to a reasonable
  degree.

13
BUILDING A PERSONAL SYSTEM OF DISCIPLINE

• Principle 1 Present and conduct yourself in a
  professional manner.
• Make sure you know and put into practice the
  following
• Standards of professionalism
• Ethical considerations
• Legal considerations

14

• Principle 2 Clarify how you want your students
  to behave, now, and in the future.
• Identify attitudes and behaviors such as
• Show positive attitude
• Behave considerably toward others
• Take initiative
• Show self-direction
• Make a strong effort to learn
• Assume personal responsibility for behavior

15

• Principle 3 Establish and maintain classroom
  conditions that help students enjoy
• and profit from their educational
  experience.
• Give attention to
• Good environment for learning
• Compatibility with students nature, needs,
  interests, and preferences
• Sense of community
• Positive attention
• Good communication
• Consideration for others
• Attention to special needs
• Trust

16

• Interesting activities
• Student knowledge of expectations
• Continual helpfulness
• Preservation of dignity
• Minimizing causes of misbehavior
• Teacher charisma
• Student involvement in planning the program

17

• Principle 4 Do all you can to help students
  learn to conduct themselves
• responsibly.
• Identify and reduce the known causes of
  misbehavior.
• Build a sense of community in your classroom that
  emphasizes collaboration, joint
• decision-making, responsibility,
  and consideration for others.
• Communicate clearly and effectively with
  students. Keep them fully informed.
• Speak with students in ways that build dignity
  and invite cooperation.
• Work in a collaborative way with students and
  allow them to help make class
• decisions.
• Reach a set of agreements about how the class is
  to function and how you and the students will
  conduct themselves.
• Build group spirit and otherwise energize the
  class.
• Bring parents and guardians into meaningful
  partnership with your class and
• program.
• Use activities that increase student
  self-direction and responsibility.
• Resolve class problems effectively and fairly
  while maintaining good personal
• relationships.

18

• Principle 5 Intervene supportively and
  productively when common disruptions,
  neurological based behavior, and/or serious
  actions occur in the classroom.
• Understand the nature of helpful interventions
  and devise approaches that are suited to you and
  your students.
• Develop a repertoire of helpful things to say and
  do when students misbehave.
• Identify tactics and words you want to avoid.
• Establish a clear procedure for dealing with
  misbehavior. Involve students in
• developing the procedure. Follow that
  procedure consistently.
• Help students accept responsibility for their
  behavior and commit to better behavior in the
  future.

19

• Set goals as you organize a personal system of
  discipline that increase the likelihood of the
  following
• An effective environment for learning
• A heightened student sense of purpose
• Increased learning
• A joyful, satisfying experience in school
• Positive personal relations
• Student self-control
• Student responsibility

20
Clarifying your Ideas Twenty Questions 1. How
should students behave? 2. What are good behavior
and misbehavior? 3. What is bad about
misbehavior? 4. Why do students misbehave when
they know they shouldnt? 5. What do we need to
know about student needs? 6. What do we mean by
positive discipline? 7. What can teachers do to
help students behave properly? 8. How does
teaching method affect behavior? 9. How does the
physical environment affect behavior? 10. How
does the psychosocial environment affect
behavior? 11. What role does communication play
in discipline? 12. How can you help students work
together productively? 13. What role can parents
or guardians play in discipline? 14. How can
teachers establish good relations with parents
and guardians? 15. In what ways do trust, ethics,
and teacher charisma affect student behavior? 16.
What should you do when students misbehave? 17.
How can you best deal with problems in your
classroom? 18. How can you best deal with
conflict? 19. How do you make your class
energetic and lively when you want it that
way? 20. Why is a structured approach to
discipline desirable?