Behaviour Problems: Blame The Teacher! “Pre- service teachers have consistently ranked discipline as one of their greatest sources of anxiety and uncertainty…and discipline is also a major factor in student teacher failure.” (Tulley & Chiu 1995)

Develop A Plan Work together with your students to make up the class rules. Work together with your students to make up the class rules. Allow your students to have input into the consequences attached to these rules. Allow your students to have input into the consequences attached to these rules. Student input allows for greater sense of responsibility and less likelihood of broken rules. Discuss your discipline plan with your administrator to get feedback and support. Discuss your discipline plan with your administrator to get feedback and support. Send a copy of this report home to parents. This will (hopefully) encourage parental support. Send a copy of this report home to parents. This will (hopefully) encourage parental support.

In Your Groups: Come up with what you think are the 5 most important rules for a classroom. Then: Come up with matching consequences for not following the rules you made. Also: What are some rewards you could give for following the rules you made?

Categories of Discipline Problems:  Disruption: talking or other behaviour that interrupts the class.  Defiance: disrespectful behaviour or disobedience.  Inattention: off task, inattentive, not doing work, out of seat.  Aggression: fighting, pushing, name calling.  Miscellaneous: crying, lying, tardiness, cheating, stealing, gum chewing. (Tulley & Chiu, 1995)

Categories of Strategies for Dealing with Discipline Problems:   Punishment- Type 2: detention, taking away privileges, isolation.   Explanation: discussing correct behaviour with the student or whole class.   Threats and Warnings: includes not following through on a threat or policy   Positive Reinforcement: praise, approval, reward.   Change in Strategy: raising/ lowering voice, pausing, moving closer to student, devising a new teaching approach or policy   Punishment- Type 1: corporal punishment, yelling at students, humiliation.   No Action Taken: ignoring student behaviour. (Tulley & Chiu) Which do you think are the most/ least effective?

What the teacher can do:  Expect the best from your students. Demonstrate positive expectations toward students. “This is relatively easy to do for “good” students, but probably more necessary for the others.  Make the implicit explicit. It is important to spell out your expectations for students. Inform your students early. In fact, it is best to involve them in the rule making. By doing this, you increase the likelihood that the rules will be followed.  Rewards should outnumber punishments. Often, punishments outnumber rewards by 10 to 1. Punishments can be as simple as ‘the eye’. If ‘bad’ behaviour gets more attention than good, it is not difficult to see why ‘bad’ behaviour happens more often. Punishment has side effects like aggression, anxiety, or embarrassment.  Let the punishment fit the crime. Whole class punishment frustrates the ‘innocent’ and could lead to more behaviour problems. It can help to consult the offender. They can be fair in coming up with a fair punishment. You get the last say, though.  If punishment is the option, take away privileges. If you are stuck for consequences, you can take away privileges. The catch is that you have to have privileges to take away. Remember: those who break the rule, lose the privilege.

Rules cont’d.  Ignore the minor, focus on the major. Small infractions can usually be ignored at the time and the student can be spoken to in private later. If you focus all of your energy on every single thing, you may not have time for…….teaching.  Know your students well. Know what is a punishment/ reward for each student. ‘One person pleasure is another’s pain’.  Use school work as reward, not punishment. Assigning more math problems or more reading as a punishment is fostering a negative attitude toward the material we are trying to teach. Allow ‘free- reading’ as a reward in an English class, etc.  Treat students with respect. People respond with the same kind of treatment they are faced with. One way to show you care about your students is to surprise them. After working really well, treat them. Give them 30 minutes of free- time, or even have a party. Important: it must be a surprise and stated that it is a reward for doing well. Be careful; if they come to expect them, surprises lose their effectiveness.  Most Important: Consistency Is The Best Policy!!! The teacher loses credibility and students are taught that the consequences are not real. This is not the life lesson we want to teach.

Remember:  Teachers are usually responsible for discipline problems.  Discipline problems are similar across age groups, SES groups, and geographical areas.  There is no set answer for any situation.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Resources: Hood & Hood. “Steps Toward Poor Discipline or What Not To Do In The Classroom”. Education Vol 102, No Tulley & Chiu. “Student Teachers and Classroom Discipline”. The Journal of Educational Research. January/ February Vol. 88 No Wasicsko & Ross. “How To Create Discipline Problems”. Clearing House. May/ June94, Vol. 67 Issue 5, p Wong & Wong. The First Days Of Teaching. Harry K. Wong Publications, 1995.

In Your Groups: Read the Scenarios. Come up with a solution. Report your scenario and solution(s) to the class.