how to enforce good discipline in a classroom?

Question

looking for ideas for classroom management. I heard from my co-workers that some kids will get rowdy and out of control. kinda worried. Classes are going to start soon, how do I enforce good discipline in the classroom without being too fierce ? Does reward systems work well? Any suggestions for a workable reward system plan? The children I will be dealing with will be around 7 to 14 years old.

Answer 1

reward systems are GREAT! I worked w/special needs students ages 14-21, but w/the mental capacity of 4-8 yrs old.

One method was the "Caught Being Good" ticket. If there were a hand-full of students acting-out, we (there was 1 teacher and 3 aides in the classroom) would make a 'loud' announcement along the lines of "WOW-"Johnny" and "Sue"! You guys are being soooo nice and quiet! Here's a ticket for you that you can trade in at the end of the day for a prize out of the box!" And we actually had different items 'cost' different amounts of tickets--this also taught them "budgeting" skills.

We would also do a movie on Fridays during their "free-time". We had a baseball theme chart board in the front of the room. (This system was to monitor and control extreme behavior) It operated by the 3 strikes and your out rule. If by Friday you had 3 strikes due to bad behavior, you were unable to participate in watching the movie. If you are unable to do movies, this can also be done to gain "free time" w/board games, computer access whatever the kids would see as a reward or privilege. Send a note home saying that on Fridays they are allowed to bring their hand-held games or other small toy permitting they have had acceptable behavior for the week. Our parents were strongly on board in working w/us on a reward system.

These systems worked excellently for us. No student likes to feel that they are being "left out", and these are methods that teach them that they are responsible for both their actions and the consequences that result.

Answer 2

I would not suggest reward systems. One main goal of a school system is to prepare young people to be successful in life as productive citizens. Ultimately, we want them to act in acceptable ways, do kind things for others out of the goodness of their heart, and know right from wrong. Reward systems, however, seem to just teach children that in order to "be good", they should get something in return. This is not what we want them to be learning! Also, the term "discipline" refers to punishment, which is something that hurts the child, whether physically, socially, or emotionally. That is not what we want either. Guidance, on the other hand, is alot more effective. I primarily work with younger children who simply have a lack of understanding as to why a certain behavior is unaccceptable. Since most of your students are old enough to understand, it could be that they just dont care. Of course, there must be some sort of consequences for not following the rules, but please make sure that the consequences are relevent. Also, I suggest having a small group meeting where all the students participate, and you lead them in a discussion about rules and why they are important. Try to have the students come up with the reasons as much as possible, and have them suggest consequences for not following them. This will confirm that they do have an understanding of the rules (or a lack of one, in which case you would need to tell them), and also, by letting them set the consequences, they feel more in control and are more likely to care, and also to remind each other during the day when they see someone breaking a rule.

Answer 3

here are a bunch of thoughts off the top of my head. look into the following.

a system called 1-2-3 magic. amazon carries the book (maybe even buy.com for cheaper)

also, lee canter has a whole system called assertive discipline. go to b&n and pick up a book or two on classroom management. (you can search in amazon "assertive discipline)

there are seminars on the subject all the time. maybe the school board can guide you. the district may have some info for you regarding that.

also a great book, by harry k. wong. : the first days of school.
here is the link
http://www.amazon.com/First-Days-School-Effective-Teacher/dp/0962936065/sr=8-1/qid=1164728809/ref=sr_1_1/102-7822621-3936945?ie=UTF8&s=books

good luck.

Answer 4

Read the book "Don't Shoot the Dog!: The New Art of Teaching and Training" by Karen Pryor. It's written from the perspective of an animal trainer, but the tricks in the book work on people as well (I've had success with them in the classroom). Pryor explains how positive reinforcement can help with behavior management (and by positive reinforcement I don't mean candy/treats). The idea is to ignore bad behaviors and praise good behavior.


Edit: You can read an excerpt of the book if you click on the link below.

Answer 5

Your school should have some kind of behavior management system. Make sure you know that and the procedures for handling the real problem students.

Decide on what your classroom rules are and post them along with the consequences for breaking the rules. You can also list rewards for a problem free class for a certain period of time, e.g.- no problems for a week equals free time on a certain day or no problems for a six-weeks = a party, or a movie, etc. (check with your administrator to see what is allowed).

It is best to start out in a no nonsense mode. You can be friendly and nice without being harsh, but be quick to stop things before they get out of hand (they can escalate out of control before you know it).

Remember- it's nice for the students to like you, but it is more important that they respect you. After all, you are there to teach and for them to learn.

There are numerous books available on school and class management. Check out your local bookstore or amazon.com. Look for "Assertive Discipline" by Lee Canter. Also there is an excellent video seminar by Harry Wong on class management that is informative and very entertaining (see if your school has it, if not they should get it and have it available for the teaching staff).

Good luck in your quest to fill their little heads with knowledge!!

Answer 6

As someone who found it difficult to manage her classroom of first graders her first year (second year was much easier...even the second semester was great), I can offer a few tips.

You don't need to follow the "don't smile until Christmas" rule that some people believe in. But do be stricter until then. And, throughout the year, become good at showing a serious face when you are upset with a behavior, and always follow through with any threats for punishment...never threaten anything you won't actually do. Work at quietly approaching a misbehaving student by walking up to them, whispering the correction, or by just giving them "the eye" (when you are teaching the entire group, this is impossible...but "the eye" may work if they notice you). Often, becoming suddenly silent and waiting for the offending student to notice that everyone is looking at him/her, waiting to continue, will work well. But if the entire class is out of control, often this has no effect. If the entire class is getting loud/disruptive, flip the lights off and back on or use a hand-clap repetition. If things are really bad, I'll make them lay their heads down and give a quick lecture on the importance of respect or self-control, then give them a couple of minutes with their heads down to calm down and hopefully think. I also like to have a "class meeting" when serious problems arise...I introduce these by telling them we need to have a serious talk, and by explaining how hurt I am by their actions...let everyone who wants to raise their hand and participate, talk and share their feelings about the problem.

Overall, I suggest keeping a high expectation of respect in your class. I require my students to answer me with "yes, ma' am" and to say "please" and "thank you." If they don't, I prompt them until they do use these words. When the class answers together, I encourage the same types of responses. I teach the boys to "let the ladies go first" in a line-cutting or snack-taking situation. Common courtesy is often not taught at home and can be important to teach at school.

As for reward systems, I have used ticket and dollar systems that work pretty well. The key is to be generous in giving them out, when behavior or work done is good, so that they will have money/tickets to lose if they misbehave. But you have to have more serious consequences if it is a more serious or continued infraction. Have quarterly or weekly auctions, when the kids can spend their money on donated items, lunch with the teacher, popcorn, hot chocolate, sitting with a friend, writing in pen for the day, missing a homework assignment, free reading time, etc. As a class incentive, use a marble jar or similar jar that gets filled up and then earns them a class party...but don't use the marble jar without the individual tickets...you have to use both.

Having the student call his/her own parent on the phone is usually very effective and disheartening to the child. Another serious consequence is having them pace with the teacher/aide during 5 minutes or all of recess...they don't miss out on the fresh air, but they do miss out on the fun. Another way to help a child become more self-aware is to have them fill out a "behavior report" where they list "what happened" and "what I will do next time"...but this is more effective for some students than others, so I use it just for those I want to use it for.

Most of all, it's important to do a good job of communicating with parents. Nearly all parents want to work with you and want to know if their child is having a problem - grades or behavior - before it comes time for a conference. Nip it in the bud with a quick call (not an e-mail or note...calls are much more effective and clear) home. Try not to devastate the parent or sound too worried, but be clear about the situation. Ask them if they see the same problem at home, and if they have any suggestions of how to best deal with it. Don't try to act as if you're telling the parent they don't know how to parent their child, but make sure you communicate that you want to be a team. The way you discipline a child, and the extent to which you work with (or against) their parent can mean the difference between an enjoyable or dreaded year with that family.

Good luck and have fun!

Answer 7

I like the idea of The Secret Student. You have a jar with slips of paper in it. There is a slip of paper in the jar with each child's name on it. At the start of the day, you pick a name of a student out of the jar. You do not tell the students who's name you picked. All day long, you watch that student especially close. At the end of the day, you announce who's name you picked and if they behaved well, you give them a treat. All the student's know how this works, but they don't know who's name you picked, so they all try to behave. You must also praise the other students for good behavior.

Answer 8

The Best Method is to set the expectations and standards from the very beginning and to be consistent, consistent and more consistent.

You have to keep the lessons funs and lucid. Make certain that your rules are consistent with the school rules.

Make sure you know your materials as well. Keep in mind that they are kids and never take things personal.

Pray! and be consistent in doing so!

Answer 9

i am from mainland, china.

communacation with kids often works. cause the discipline quite strick here, usually kids are quite timid.......mabye timid is not a good word.

anyway, i reward the good students but offer the punishment to the bad kids. but i shall talk with them in person and try find the reason why they don't want to follow me in class.

Answer 10

If I knew that the teachers where armed with Tasers, I would NOT have my kids in that school.