DISCIPLINE

7th grade painting "Cartoon Art History" combining Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe with a cartoon

     How do you respond when you see a couple of boys running pell-mell down the hallway to get to your classroom? What about horseplay and jostling/wrestling? How do you handle it when kids throw everything from wads of paper (into the trash, from across the room) to pencils, to jackets? One year in my classroom it was broken crayons, one year it was tiny balls of clay being thrown. How do you handle kids who play "tug of war" with the "best" paintbrush, or who play "sword-fighting" with rulers? Do you allow your students to come into your room if they are acting like they are on a playground, loudly talking, laughing and jostling each other? Does all this strike you as disrespectful behavior or "kids being kids?" What are YOUR classroom rules and procedures?

(just for a laugh, here is "Nonverbal Cues," by Principal Gerry Brooks; Youtube)

     The subject of discipline has been debated for a long time, and there are many different theories out there. Every teacher deals with student misbehavior a little bit differently. We all have varying levels of tolerance for noise, horse-play, and off-task behavior. 

One of the best online classroom management resources I have found is Michael Linsin's smartclassroommanagement.com. This website has hundreds of articles about everything from how to set up a great classroom management plan to how to deal with disrespectful kids.

Also, classroom management expert Fred Jones answers these two questions in this article: "How do you get kids to stop doing what you don't want them to do? How do you get kids to start doing what you want them to do when you ask them to do it?" Fred Jones Tools For Teaching; Responsibility Training

PRACTICAL STRATEGIES: 

MANAGING BEHAVIOR 
(w/o formal consequences and having to "write-up" a student)
by Mrs. Anna Nichols, middle school

1. “Do it over” strategy  – examples:

• student runs down the hallway – s/he has to go back down to the beginning and walk
• student throws trash from several feet away from the trash can – student either throws trash away properly or has to pick up all trash in the room
• class comes in boisterously or too loud – they have to line up in the hallway and do it again, then individual students do it again if they are still silly

2. For noise/off-task behavior – write A.R.T. on the board – erase the T if they’re too loud/off task, erase the R if they continue being too loud/off task (that means 5 minutes of Silent Art) and then the A gets erased if misbehavior continues (the rest of the period is Silent Art or the entire class the next day). Here are tons of other good strategies for dealing with too much talking (at every grade level): Help! My Students Are Talking While I'm Talking! & Talking Too Much: What Are Some Effective Strategies To Deal With Chatty Kids?

3. Control at the door: students line up outside the door and the teacher waits for students to get calm before allowing them into the classroom (Click on link to view youtube video from www.noisyclass.com)

4. Arguing/back-talking student: teacher response  could be the “Broken Record” or “Silent Stare:”

• Broken Record: Teacher says, “Linda Sue, clean up your area.” Linda Sue says, “In a minute.” Teacher says,    “Clean up your area.” Linda Sue says, “In a minute! Sheesh, you’re not my mother!” Teacher says, “Clean up your area.” The teacher does not engage in an argument, s/he simply repeats the instruction over and over.
• Silent stare; “It wasn’t me! It was her!” The teacher just looks at the student, waiting for compliance. The student continues, “Why are you picking on me? I wasn’t doing anything wrong!” The teacher continues to just look at the student who has no one to argue with, so the student has no choice but to sheepishly comply (idea from Fred Jones).

5. Seating charts are a very, very good thing in middle school.

6. Teacher proximity cuts behavior problems way down and encourages students to participate in discussions.

7. Redirection techniques in middle school; go to artfulartsyamy.com for a comprehensive list: "Classroom Management in the Art room: When You Need Help."



This idea from Maggie Moschell is one of the best strategies I have seen for managing behavior in an elementary classroom (I think it would work in my middle school classroom, too!):

photo credit: Maggie Moschel

She says, "I don't use a whole class method because I teach 28 fourth grade art classes a week and it takes too much time. My system is quick, it holds a student personally accountable, and I can either use it as a write-up immediately for serious offenses (running, horseplay, rudeness) or as a warning: 'If you stay in your seat and do your work, you can tear this up at the end of class. If you don't, you'll have to sign this and your teacher will staple it in your planner.' My teachers appreciate this method because the student is usually off task in their classroom too. The key is to put the behavior in positive terms, and the intent is for the student to 'practice good habits' in class. Because if we allow them to be off task, etc. they are practicing the wrong habit.This system also doesn't require me to know their names -- over 800 students a week, that's why they sign it, but I tell them that it's a promise they are making to work on this behavior next time they are in art. It gives the idea that the student is capable of improving with effort. The pink cards are safety issues -- horseplay, using art materials in unsafe ways and running -- which do not get a warning. I usually write a brief note on the card to further explain the situation. My teachers tell the parents, 'Ms. Mo rarely gives these out, so if your child gets one, it's pretty serious.' Never had a parent complain or contest it. I came up with it when I heard Zen nun Pema Chodron say, 'If you're trying to quit smoking, you need to practice the habit of not smoking. If you smoke, you're practicing the wrong habit.' It's a little like Harry Wong, but I hated how he would make the entire class practice the 'procedure' when some students presumably were on task. I don't like any reward system because it's often the same students who ruin it for everyone, and that's not good for their self esteem.  Plus it gives the student a choice about his/her behavior in very clear terms, and the consequence if he/she doesn't make a good choice. At the start of the year, if a student keeps getting out of his seat to ask me a question, I say, 'Oh, you are practicing the wrong habit! The habit you need to practice is staying in your seat and being an independent learner! Let's try that, and here's a reminder to help you.' If they cooperate, I make a big deal about letting them tear up the reminder in tiny pieces and throwing it away." (quoted from the Art Teachers Facebook group)

Here is one more fantastic idea for the elementary art classroom: 

Andrea Latvis says, "I think pride and self-esteem are a powerful intrinsic motivator. It may work slower than a rewards system, but I think it's more sustainable. I have my students rank their own behavior on noticeably challenging or successful days. I will ask them how they think their behavior was (at clean up time, for example) on a scale of 1 to 10. If it's a challenging day, even the kindergarteners know, and rank themselves a 2 or 3. This is all asked on my part from a place of curiosity, not judgment or shame and I tell them I believe they are capable of so much more, so we'll try to do better next week. Building in this self-reflection and having them set goals for how they'd like to do next week may work slowly and steadily but it works! Also with my older classes I just began giving them a rubric to evaluate themselves. They are pretty honest and on the mark when they rate their behavior, and I have seen an improvement since then. I also pull individual students aside each time I see them moving through a personal obstacle." (quoted from the Art Teachers Facebook group)

"TEACHER SUPER POWER"

COERCIVE POWER = CONSEQUENCES

Rules exist to protect students and their right to learn. In a chaotic environment, little to no learning can take place. We hold students accountable because we care about them, not because we are "power hungry." 

This article at www.theartofed.com, Think First Before You Punish, is about the brain research of John Medina. The article outlines simple, compassionate ways for teachers to enforce consequences.

Doug Lemov says that teachers need to decide whether a student is acting up due to ignorance or rebellion; if we punish a student who just didn’t know better we are teaching “learned helplessness.” Also, if we re-teach a rebellious student instead of providing a consequence, we are abdicating our authority and showing all our students that they can challenge us at any time. 

Using Coercive Power is NOT being a “bully” by yelling, scolding, lecturing, or in any way trying to intimidate students. Even in scripture there are warnings to parents not to provoke their children. ALWAYS discipline in kindness, calmly, and with the students’ best interest at heart. ("Warm-Strict" - Teach Like a Champion, by Doug Lemov)

Examples of Consequences:

1. time-out/isolation table/separation from group/sitting by the teacher
2. name on board (as a warning)
3. The student is the last to leave class - I use this as a consequence when they complain about not getting to leave when the bell rings (i.e. the only reason I haven’t dismissed their group is because they haven’t cleaned up.)
4. repeating procedures (the “Do it again” strategy)
5. extra work or extra clean-up
6. Discipline Assignments: writing essays about respect/good behavior, writing sentences, filling out a “Think-Sheet”  - I could not find any empirical evidence showing that this is harmful and my administration allows teachers to use this as a consequence. However, many in education are of the opinion that this discourages young people from enjoying the art of writing. I disagree.
7. teacher calling parents or emailing parents, parent/teacher conference; rarely but sometimes necessary
8. loss of art privileges (such as completing the questions at the end of the textbook chapter about painting instead of getting to paint, writing a report about Monet, etc.,)
9. Official write-ups that get turned in to administration, etc. If your administration knows you have an awesome classroom management plan, they will be much more willing to back you up when you need it.
10. Silent Art
11. Talk to the athletic coach about the student in question – I hardly ever do this but when I need to it is extremely effective
12. Ask for help if you have tried everything you know to do and a student is still acting up. We are all part of a team and a community, after all! There is no shame in seeking answers and I have many times asked other teachers, the counselors, administrators and the coaches for insights into managing particular students.
13. DOCUMENT behavior – to quote Michael Linsin, in cases of extreme behavior this is “Muy importante!”

Top 10 list of proactive things the teacher can do to keep the students' respect!

(from a middle school perspective, by Mrs.Anna Nichols)

CREATE A POSITIVE ENVIRONMENT, HAVE HIGH EXPECTATIONS, be ENTHUSIASTIC, and BE the AUTHORITY in your classroom - IT is NOT a DEMOCRACY!

1. BE CHEERFUL, look for good things in the kids, laugh a lot! Find ways to acknowledge good/polite/respectful/helpful/problem solving behavior as well as when students aren't afraid to take risks and try new things. Build rapport with your students. Talk to them. Greet them at the door with a smile. Ask them how their day is going. Let them know you care. Make every attempt to phrase your words in a positive way, ESPECIALLY when disciplining students. Also, it is more effective to correct students in private than to create a scene "on stage" in front of the class. 

2. STAY CALM, no matter WHAT happens - don't get upset.

3. BE PROFESSIONAL; get organized as soon as possible, be prepared as much as possible

4. BE CONSISTENT and hold students accountable for their behavior - have a discipline plan posted on the wall so there are no surprises (post the rules AND the consequences). Be very decisive, too; MEAN WHAT YOU SAY! Let your "no" be "no" and your "yes" be "yes" because the kids can sense when you are insincere. (I have a detailed description of my rules and procedures here.) 

5. BE VERY CLEAR when giving directions, check and re-check for understanding and have a student demonstrate after you - if the kids don't know what to do, expect them to act up! Clearly communicate your academic objectives (have high expectations.) Just what is it that they are supposed to be learning? 

6. DEMAND 100% COMPLIANCE (goes with being consistent) - if a few kids are not following your directions, this opens the door to much worse behavior down the road. (Remember, middle school kids crave structure whether they admit it or not.) 

"When beginning teachers struggle with classroom management, it is often because they ignore unacceptable behavior, worrying that they’ll upset or annoy students by enforcing rules. Or they’ll ignore certain students, deciding to concentrate their efforts on the half of the class that 'wants to learn.' It is your job to set and enforce rules so that all of your students can concentrate on academic achievement. Even in classrooms run in a more 'democratic' manner, where students help to formulate the rules, the teacher still assumes ultimate responsibility for the conduct of his or her students." Classroom Management and Culture, Teach For America

7. BE UNEMOTIONAL when dealing with misbehavior, never take the bad behavior personally.  Sometimes, you can try every strategy you can think of and the student just won't behave in your classroom. ASK FOR HELP! Understand that there are just times when you won't be able to solve a kid's problems. Ron Clark, in his book The Essential 55, tells about a troubled student who couldn't be reached no matter how hard the teacher tried. After months of effort, Mr. Clark eventually realized he was neglecting all the other students in his class because he had been working so hard with this one student.

8. DISCIPLINE COMES BEFORE INSTRUCTION: (According to experts Fred Jones and Michael Linsin!) If the kids are not "giving you what you want," stop the lesson and make them "do it right" by practicing the procedure again.

"I thought I had taught procedures and routines to my students, when in reality I had primarily expected my students to know what to do without explicit explanation and consistent reinforcement from me. When they entered the classroom sort of quiet, instead of silent, I allowed them to proceed. I tended to think there was something wrong with the procedure itself, not my teaching or reinforcement of it. Lacking confidence, I kept experimenting with and changing my classroom routines, but I grew more and more frustrated when I just couldn’t find the ones that worked magically for my students. (Now, I realize there is no magic procedure—it is just what you insist on.) That Monday, we went up and down the stairs until my students got it right. I had them come in and out of the classroom until they went in perfectly silently. We packed up and left the classroom repeatedly until they did it in the efficient and quiet way I asked them to. Each time they didn’t do it right, I would tell them in a calm and matter of fact tone of voice, 'That wasn’t right. I know you can do it correctly. We need to do it again.'" Liz Chase, Classroom Management and Culture, Teach For America

9. BE CONFIDENT; act like you know what you're doing even if you don't - that's what great leaders do!

10. CREATE GREAT LESSONS that keep the kids engaged and having fun - be enthusiastic!

Always follow the school policy when disciplining students – use discretion and don’t get on your principal’s bad side by going against policy!  At the same time, be flexible and discipline in love and kindness because you just never know what someone is going through. You don’t have to be a mean snake to follow through with your discipline plan. Rarely do I need to raise my voice and most of the time I discipline with a VERY soft voice. ......I refuse to get into an argument with a student. ......Understand that middle school kids WILL test you and do their darned best to control your classroom. Have seating charts, rules about talking out in group discussions and re-teach the kids often. ......"Seek first to understand, then to be understood" – Steven Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Do opinion surveys, pre-knowledge questionnaires, multiple intelligence surveys, find out as much as possible about your kids. Who are your kinesthetic learners? Auditory learners? Visual learners?

For more information on this topic from a variety of resources, check out the article, Power Stealers.

*Classroom management expert Doug Lemov says that the most important thing we need to do before disciplining a student is to decide whether the misbehavior came from a lack of understanding or from defiance. Do we need to re-teach the student or do we need to provide a consequence?

From: Teach Like a Champion, by Doug Lemov (Ch. 6, Setting and Maintaining High Behavioral Expectations): (bold, italics, underlining mine).
     You should "....distinguish between incompetence and defiance by making your commands specific enough that they can't be deliberately misinterpreted and helpful enough that they explain away any gray areas. However, it's worth considering a bit more the capacity to distinguish between incompetence and defiance. If I ask John to pay attention or sit up or get on task and he doesn't, knowing whether he will not or cannot matters deeply. .....If the issue is incompetence, my obligation is to teach John. If I punish him for not complying when he is unable to do so, the consequence will seem unjust: I will punish him for what he doesn't understand or can't do. This will erode my relationship with John and teach him that consequences are disconnected from his actions......Psychological studies suggest that learned helplessness - the process of giving up because you believe your own choices and actions are irrelevant - generally results from a perception that consequences are random.
       But if John will not do what I ask, the issue is defiance, and my obligation is to provide a consequence. Unless I act clearly and decisively in the face of a challenge to my authority, John will establish a precedent of impunity. He and his classmates will now know that John, and arguably anyone else who's willing to, can successfully challenge me for the rest of the year. When I let go of my authority in this way, I am abdicating my responsibility to protect the environment in which the rest of the students live and learn - and thus their right to a quality education. If I respond to defiance with teaching, I am just as bad off as if I respond to incompetence with punishment. "

from the book, Teach Like a Champion, by Doug Lemov

"Teachers who make decisions based on feeling sorry for students and their sometimes-awful circumstances can cause behavior to worsen. The most compassionate thing you can do for a difficult student is to hold him or her accountable."

How To Turn Around Difficult Students (Part 2), Michael Linsin

"Classes that use disciplinary interventions will have their good days and bad days, as will classes that don't. However, the average number of disruptions in classes that use disciplinary interventions effectively is substantially fewer than in classes that don't. Over a year's time, this decrease in disruptive behavior results in a significantly different atmosphere in the two types of classes. Over a year's time, classes that employ disciplinary interventions will have about 980 disruptions, whereas classes that do not will have about 1,800." Classroom Management That Works, Robert J. Marzano, Jana S. Marzano, Debra J. Pickering, 2003

Editor's note: Managing student behavior involves far more than discipline techniques. In order to create an environment for student success, the teacher needs to provide quality instruction as well as appropriate motivation. Most importantly, the teacher needs to have the right attitude for leadership in the classroom. Finally, having a solid classroom management plan with rules and procedures set up from the beginning of the year is also extremely important - students need to be very clear about what the teacher's expectations are.

disclaimer: These are a set of ideas about being proactive in teaching based on classroom experience as well as various education authors. Many times there are circumstances in the classroom that are beyond any teacher's control, especially when serving at-risk populations or in environments where those in administration fail to provide effective leadership in a school. Sometimes, regardless of the prevailing theories about teacher responsibility, the teacher is not to be blamed for out of control students. Finally, we do NOT recommend that you put any of these strategies into practice if your administration disagrees with them. 

Behavior Chart from Lindsay Mouyal's elementary classroom