Classroom management and discipline

Discipline and Management: Different Yet Related

Discipline and Management: Different Yet Related
Among the most important elements of a successful classroom are discipline, management, and the positive or negative behavior of the students. For veteran teachers with years and years of classroom experience, as well as brand new teachers working in a classroom for the first time, these elements are of equal importance as indicators of the success of classroom instruction. My personal philosophy of giving students freedom within strong boundaries influences my views of the relationships between discipline, management, and positive and negative behaviors, in that I believe that these facets of a classroom are closely connected.
According to Charles (p.306, 2014), discipline can be defined as “What teachers do to help students conduct themselves appropriately in class.” The concept of discipline can be thought of as the boundaries and guidelines set by teachers in the educational environment. Discipline can look like a set of well thought out rules that members of the class agree upon, with the goal of allowing all members of the community to be successful learners. Rules should be clear, firm, specific, positive, and enforced (McDaniel, 1994). Students must be clear on the boundaries and expectations in the classroom setting in order to be able to understand what is appropriate and inappropriate. In order to promote discipline in classrooms, teachers must first remove “conditions that tend to promote misbehavior,” teach students the expectations of positive behavior, and redirect negative behaviors proactively (Charles, p.19, 2014). In following these steps, teachers are able to set forth a setting in which students learn how to discipline themselves, therefore growing socially and emotionally on the path to becoming successful adults.
In the text Building Classroom Discipline, the idea that “everything teachers do to establish and maintain conditions wherein teachers can teach, students can learn, students cooperate with one another, and teacher and students experience satisfaction,” is referred to as classroom discipline (p. 306, Charles). This is also an accurate description for classroom management. Classroom management can be visualized as the compass by which you measure the success of all classroom activities, lessons, and procedures. Successful classrooms run smoothly during teaching, during transitions, and during activities. This is classroom management. In my opinion, classroom management can include the preparation and guidelines present in the classroom, as well as the ability of the teacher’s discipline to promote an enriching learning environment. An expert in classroom management is well planned and well prepared, knows how to engage students during instruction, and is able to command students’ attention in a way that is respectful and supportive. A successfully managed classroom provides “structure for the classroom and lesson,” and is “well-organized, directional, and purposeful” (McDaniel, 1994).
Behavior is “the totality of one’s physical and mental activities,” and can take place on a scale from positive behaviors to negative behaviors (Charles, p. 305, 2014). Behaviors can look different in a variety of settings and acceptable behavior can vary depending on the situation. For example, shouting, running and playing would be acceptable behaviors for students during recess or P.E., but generally would not be acceptable during instructional classroom times. Misbehavior can be defined as “behavior that violates class rules, demeans others, or is otherwise incompatible with the legal or social norms of the society” (Charles, p. 10, 2014). Students can misbehave in two ways, either by causing distractions or through unwillingness to comply or participate in school activities (Charles, p. 10, 2014). Misbehaviors lead to decreased student learning in that students who misbehave typically miss out on their own learning opportunities or cause the learning of others to be inhibited.
The components of discipline, classroom management, behavior, and misbehavior do not stand alone in the classroom setting. Instead, these ideas are interconnected and each has influence on the other. For instance, “misbehavior is though of as student mistakes, and discipline is thought of as teacher help,” (Charles, p.19, 2014). The goal of a successful classroom is for students to learn and practice both academic and social skills. During any learning process, a child is bound to make mistakes at some point. In successful classrooms, teachers are able to give as much support to the social and behavioral learning of student as they are to their academic needs. Successful teachers treat misbehavior as a student’s need to learn and practice certain social skills. Similarly, classroom discipline and classroom management have a strong impact on the type of behavior displayed by students. Classrooms that are well managed will foster more positive behavior than poorly managed settings. Structure and clear boundaries in classrooms promote student learning in that fewer distractions allow for more focus and attention to be placed on learning experiences than on managing negative behaviors. Promotion of classroom discipline and management of student behavior requires action on the part of the teacher. This action must be supportive as well as swift, firm and assertive (McDaniel, 1994).
The elements of discipline, management, behavior, and misbehavior, are each facets of a classroom setting that need to be understood by teachers in order to be effective instructors. Teachers must use a combination of “organization, communication, and personal influence to foster and support proper behavior,” (Charles, p. 19, 2014). In my philosophy of classroom management, students must be given freedom to make choices, but within consistent boundaries. “Once teachers are accepted by their students as leaders, as competent instructors, as firm-but-fair disciplinarians who establish clear rules and reasonable structure, then a basis for learning and for freedom within limits exists,” (McDaniel, 1994).