What’s Your Role in Student Discipline?
Addressing student behavior and discipline is a developing process for schools across the United States. Although there will never be a complete resolution for all student behavior problems, there are ways to improve through a team discipline approach by assuming your role in the discipline effort of a student. Adopting roles for student discipline can be a challenge for school leadership, teachers, students, and parents. The goal in defining and assuming a role should be a collaborative process that is appropriate and meets the needs of the student. Below is a reflection of what these roles could possibly look like.
School Leadership Depending on the division of responsibilities between a school
A teacher with a plan that manages all aspects of their classroom well will minimize their disciple problems. Many teachers have different approaches when dealing with classroom discipline. Many times a plan can differ depending on the dynamic of the class or student. I few things a plan might include are reward systems, action plans, or take-home documentation. Whatever the plan a teacher develops and puts in place must be clear and understood by the students, consistent, and enforced.
Teachers must also make a special effort to partner with school leadership and parents. The support of everyone involved is important for discipline plans to be successful. Communicating the classroom plan would be the first step followed by providing additional documentation of efforts made with students. School leadership and parents should always be well versed on any ongoing student behavioral
Many parents want to be an active part in ensuring their child is achieving in school. It is the responsibility of the parent to know and understand school rules and policies, as well as understand disciplinary actions to be taken if rules and policies are not followed. Parents should work to be involved with their child’s school and assist the school by providing insight and means for correcting unacceptable behavior that happens at school. This would include keeping the school informed of their child’s needs, any changes at home, and requesting information on their child’s performance and behavior at school regularly. Ultimately they should work with school leadership and teachers to encourage good
Students need to be able to come to school, feel welcome, and receive the best education that their teacher can provide. To be able to do this the principal needs to make the decisions that supports his/her school. Principals need to be role models and responsible decision makers. Policies and procedures need to be updated regularly and should be reviewed by multiple parties.
In School Leadership that Works Marzano introduces twenty-one responsibilities of a school leader (see Appendix A). These leadership responsibilities are used in the two change orders discussed by Marzano, McNulty and Waters (2005). “Some innovations require changes that are gradual and subtle; others require changes that are dra...
Nelsen, J., Lott, L., & Glenn, S. (2000). Positive discipline in the classroom developing mutual respect, cooperation, and responsibility in your classrooms, 3rd ed. (p. 120). Roseville, Califonia: Prima Publishing.
After completing the “Cooperative Discipline” course through the Regional Training Center, I am planning on revising my behavioral management techniques to follow the cooperative discipline model in my eighth grade English classroom. The cooperative discipline, or the hands-joined style, is a more appropriate approach to managing behaviors in my classroom than the hands-off or hands-on styles. With the hands-off style, there is too much freedom and not enough structure in the classroom, and with the hands-on style, defiant students are likely to rebel against the teacher’s strict rules. However, with the hands-joined style, “students are included in the decision-making process and therefore are strongly influenced to develop responsibility and choose cooperative behavior” (Albert, 2012). When students are provided with clear expectations but are still part of the decision-making process, they are more likely to behave appropriately in the classroom.
I recently took a course on cooperative discipline and found that many of my own beliefs and practices involving discipline in the classroom were validated and reinforced throughout the class. Students do choose how they will behave and the best way (maybe even the easiest way) to get them to make the right choices in the classroom is to foster a feeling of mutual respect and to give them a sense of responsibility or classroom ownership. Kids want discipline, or maybe to put it differently they want structure and predictability. And the nice thing about Linda Albert’s cooperative discipline model is that it gives the students exactly what they need. But what are our responsibilities? Linda Albert tells us that “the ultimate goal of student behavior is to fulfill a need to belong”, so it is our job to fill that need by helping the student to feel capable, connected, and able to contribute (in a positive way) to the group.
Dealing with discipline at the middle school level is a top priority for an administrator therefore, I have learned that it is important that I understand the process when working with students. All students have due process,
In the 21st century, teachers experience many behavioral issues with students in the classroom and face challenges that are very difficult to resolve. School districts have different expectations about how students must behave during school and teachers have their own expectations about how students must behave in their classroom. Every educator has different classroom expectations and students must follow specific standards; therefore, the responsibility of the teacher is to discuss the standards with all students and make sure those expectations are clear. According to Jones and Jones (2016), teachers whose students made greater achievement gains were observed establishing rules and procedures, and carefully monitoring student’s work. In
Churchward, Budd (1986). 11 Techniques for Better Classroom Discipline. Retrieved April 2, 2002 from the World Wide Web: http://www.honorlevel.com/techniques.html
Schools are in great need of systems, processes, and personnel who are able to support the needs of students with problem behavior. Research indicates, however, that (while I am a big, fat cheater) information has not been made available to teachers and other professionals in a format that allows these strategies to become common practice. Many teachers choose isolated behavioral strategies that are not applied immediately after the problem behavior has occurred.
Classroom management is an important component of successful teaching. It is that teachers create and maintain appropriate behavior of students in classroom settings. (1…) Kessler (2012) mentions that “[s]tudies suggest that up to 51% of children may have a diagnosable mental health disorder, many of which involve severe impairment at home or school” (Kessler et al., 2012). Classroom management is defined as “ [c]lassroom management is the term educators use to describe methods of preventing misbehavior and dealing with it if it arises. In other words, it is the techniques teachers use to maintain control
As a teacher managing problem behavior in your classroom can be one of the most challenging tasks. Behavior problems can range from disruption of lessons to acts of violence against fellow students and teachers. Children’s emotional setbacks and life challenges can also contribute to behavior issues at school. A study done by the Justice Center and the Public Policy Research Institute found that six out of ten students suffered from an “emotional disturbance” and were expelled or suspended between seventh and twelfth grade (Firke, 2011). This same study showed that discipline varied greatly between schools. This report also revealed the urgent need for a more thoughtful technique in school discipline policies. In many cases teachers have exhausted their classroom management strategies without success. Behavior Modification is aimed at improving school and classroom behavior, and can give teachers additional tools to help them to deal proactively and effectively with behaviors that are disruptive to students and teachers in the classroom. When children are disruptive in the classroom it can cause a lot of problems for their classmates and their teacher. Yet, in the long run, it's the disruptive child themselves who is most impacted, on both a social and educational level (Epstein, Atkins, Cullinan, Kutash, & Weaver, 2008). Behavior modification techniques should be used in school, to change the negative behaviors, and increase the positive behaviors seen in these children.
laid out on appropriate behaviors, with that comes discipline. Discipline is the number one thing
Classroom management is a key element to establish a successful learning environment in any classroom. An effective classroom management plan creates a positive learning environment. Classroom management is affected by the characteristics of the students and their behavior. Students’ behavior is influenced by their age, academic abilities, goals, interests, and home backgrounds (Evertson, Emmer, and Worsham, 2006). Teachers need a diverse array of classroom management skills to facilitate learning. A classroom with a proper management plan will spend less time in disciplining and more time in learning. Students in effectively managed classrooms know and follow clearly defined rules and routines. A classroom management plan should provide for several important factors that influence proper discipline in the classroom (Edwards, 2004).
Of all the variables in a comprehensive literature review classroom management had the largest effect on student achievement. Therefore, teachers need to provide clear purpose and strong guidance regarding both academics and student behavior. Teachers and students need to collaborate as a team sharing concerns about the needs and opinions of others. Teachers should be aware of high-needs students and have a plethora of specific techniques for meeting some of their needs. Positive support from the parents, administration, support personnel and the community to bring about positive changes in student behavior is also necessary. Teachers can make a modification; they can construct a community that nurtures and develops social and emotional skills as well as academic
It takes a knowledge base and an innovated mind to succeed in a competitive society. Preparing to succeed starts in early education programs where students learn discipline, structure, and organization in a safe learning environment. A teacher's positive relationship, high expectations and confidence in students allow for students to learn in an environment that is conducive for learning. Varied student activities and instructional methods arranged for students to engage in, allows for individuality, growth and a quality education. School administrators have an important role in their community. Their professional behavior must be respected and their leadership must be accepted by those that they serve. They follow the National Association of Elementary School Principals and National Association of Secondary School Principals (NAESP/NASSP) ethical code of behavior. This ethical code helps to assist the profession in protecting those deserving its protection. It also helps to raise the confidence and conscience of administrators on behavioral issues. Fundamental ethical principles are always present to guide administrators in confronting, predicting or defining situations. The administrator serves in a public school. He/she is responsible for providing educational opportunities to all and displaying exemplary professional leadership. The motivational factor for the educational administrators is to do what is best for the student. This is important because students are the future of our country.