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MY DISCIPLINE PLAN ”The only discipline that lasts is
self-discipline.”
Bum Phillips Many
theories about discipline exist, and I have seen some ideas work particularly
well at the schools in which I served. The results have been few discipline
problems, a positive atmosphere, and teachers being able to teach! During my
teaching career, I also had the opportunity to observe and/or experience
three different types of classroom: the unmanaged classroom, which allowed
chaos and confusion to interfere with teaching and learning; the managed classroom,
which allowed routine learning but often without student ownership; and
finally the intentionally led classroom, which nurtured self-motivation and
self-discipline, produced engaged and synergistic learning, and ultimately
empowered students. In my opinion, the third type of classroom mirrors the
image of a successful, effective teacher, who besides mastering solid content
knowledge can maximize student learning through excellent classroom
management. Therefore I strongly believe that teachers –not students- are the
heart of discipline in any school. Moreover, intentionality implies setting
up goals and prospective planning
in order to reach/fulfill them. Because the goal is to establish an
atmosphere in which learning takes place and students ultimately learn
self-discipline, a teacher must take the time to plan each step. I
personally think that the following three aspects are decisive as first steps
in designing a discipline plan:
smooth transitions, regular classroom procedures and clear presentation. Planning transitions In
this context, the word transition means to move from one task to another
through lesson. Moving from on-task activities to off-task activities and
back to on-task ones requires a plan; do not plan each step, and the classroom
off-task behaviour becomes rampant! In order to avoid a breakdown during
transitions, I usually undertake the following steps in my planning: ·
Determine what
my students will need to know to transition smoothly from one part of my
lesson to another (when they are not on task, they should have a constructive
purpose when moving around the room); ·
Anticipate what materials each student will
need and what movement will take place in the classroom; ·
Anticipate possible questions that students
might have or any difficulties they may face when they begin to get on task
again; ·
Plan
flexibility by having more on-task activities/information prepared. Regular
classroom procedures I
strongly believe that having well-thought-out and efficient classroom procedures
in place is very important because if students know what you expect, they
will usually try to act in accordance with what you want. Teaching and then
practicing procedures should be a part of the daily or weekly routine (I
inform my students how I want them to proceed when they are moving into small
groups, than I have them practice the procedure until it becomes a habit).
Identifying the areas in class time that disrupt on-task behaviour the most,
and than planning a procedure to minimize the disruption is also very
important in maintaining a good class discipline (I usually start off my
class by having students answer a question or solve a problem; this activity
allows me to take roll and hand papers back while the students are on task). Presentation Presentation
and instruction go hand on hand. The better you present lessons, the fewer
discipline problems you will have and the more effective your instruction
will be. I always make sure my voice is loud and clear enough to be heard
throughout the room; I use proper inflections in my voice to highlight
important points, and I am not speaking too fast. Instead, I am deliberate,
and by my voice I am trying to convey information and expectations.
Furthermore, to maximize class time, I always try to accurately communicate
expectations to my students, verbally or through some other means (handouts
with clear instructions and expectations listed) so that students will be
better prepared to stay on task. Positive Discipline Techniques for
my Classroom Many
people confuse discipline and punishment, thinking these terms have
the same meaning. Yet, discipline,
which is instructive and corrective, has the same root word as disciple. (“disciple” derives from the
Latin “discipulus”
which means “pupil” and comes from the verb “discere,”
“to learn”; it is the same word that forms the root of our English word,
“discern”, and it is also where we get our word “discipline”). Is “discipline” concerned with preventing
misconduct or with punishing it? The word, according to the American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language, refers to both prevention and
remediation. It can be "training that is expected to produce a specified
character or pattern of behaviour" or "controlled behaviour
resulting from such training". However it can also be "punishment
intended to correct or train." Whatever its exact definition, most
researchers and writers seem to agree that nowhere is it more true that
"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" than in
disciplining young people in educational settings. For
the above reason, designing a good discipline plan proves to be imperative.
As I stated before, the teacher is the one that makes a difference in
effective discipline. One teacher can succeed and another fail – with the same
lesson and the same students. In my opinion, what makes the difference in
this situation is a teacher that: ·
Prevents by implementing consistent, simple, visible, fair
and logical rules (that can be bent but not broken!); ·
Intervenes early/quickly, calmly and quietly to correct
misbehaviours; ·
Resolves with incremental consequences. Beside
these strategies that I usually incorporate in my efforts to maintain an orderly classroom
environment that intends to be conducive to learning, I would like to propose
a discipline plan based on positive
reinforcement and positive/negative consequences. The
best of course is to begin with positive reinforcements, which make desired
actions more probable. At the same time, we must be careful not to reinforce
bad choices, such as when the student who really does not want to be in class
gets kicked out, the whiner gets his/her way, and the student without a
pencil does not have to work. I believe that we should offer continuous, then
intermittent, and then occasional reinforcement for behaviour that are new
and productive. Besides, the more positive we are, the less we will need to
use consequences, whether positive or negative. Therefore, I would use the
following “Don’ts” in order to help me balance on the positive side of
discipline:
Below,
I would like to enumerate what I consider to be the 9 keys of a positive
discipline technique that helped me achieve the goal of
maximizing student learning: ·
Communicate
with students about the rewards and consequences; communicate with parents,
giving them positive and negative reports. ·
Monitor the
classroom continuously, move around the room and anticipate problems before
they occur. My approach to a misbehaving student would be low-profile,
inconspicuous so that others in the class are not distracted. I would also
make effective use of name-dropping (if I see a student talking or off task,
I simply drop the youngster’s name into my dialogue in a natural way. “And
you see, David, we carry the one to the tens column.” David hears his name
and is drawn back on task. The rest of the class doesn’t seem to notice). ·
Treat the
students with fairness (fit consequences with misbehaving) and a positive
attitude; I would prefer classroom rules that describe the behaviours I want
instead of listing things the students cannot do (for example, instead of “no
fighting“, use “settle conflicts appropriately”; instead of “no gum chewing,”
use “leave gum at home.”). I usually refer to my rules as expectations,
letting my students know how I expect them to behave in my classroom. ·
Praise
students, recognizing their individual characteristics and talents; use
praise that is sincere, specific, and tied to effort – not to ability; ·
Watch for good
behaviours and reinforce them; distinguish between bad students and bad
behaviours, and address the behaviours. I personally prefer to make use of
“humanistic I messages” instead of the “assertive I” (“I want you to…”) ones
in addressing behaviour. These I-messages are expressions of our feelings.
Thomas Gordon, creator of Teacher Effectiveness Training (TET), tells us to
structure these messages in three parts. First, include a description of the
child’s behaviour. “When you talk while I talk...” Second, relate the effect
this behaviour has on the teacher. “...I have to stop my teaching...” And
third, let the student know the feeling that it generates in the teacher.
“...this frustrates me.” ·
Model, by
being prepared, courteous, prompt, enthusiastic, in control, patient and
organized so that you can provide examples for your students through your own
behaviour. According to McDaniel, “Values are caught, not taught”; therefore
the “do as I say, not as I do” teachers send mixed messages that confuse
students and invite misbehaviour. ·
Develop motivating
grabbers to get students’ attention at the beginning of a lesson; use an
active format based on group activities involving all students. ·
Use a variety
of methods and activities that are interesting and relevant to students; ·
Balance the
needs of individual students with the needs of the group/class. In conclusion,
I think that an effective classroom discipline plan builds students
self-discipline. Self-discipline keeps a balance in our life and enables us
to achieve our goals. It is that inner quality that forces us to stay
committed to our goals. One needs to make a "disciple" of oneself,
to be one's own teacher, trainer, coach and "disciplinarian".
Passing this quality along to children may take time, but it is well worth
the effort, because as Plato stated: “the first and the best victory is to conquer self”. November 8, 2004
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