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An AZ of methodology: Discipline

What and why?

One difficulty frequently encountered by teachers of secondary-age students isthe problem of maintaining discipline. There are two main aspects to consider inthis. The first is to ask What kind of discipline do I want?. The key should be tomaintain a purposeful but relaxed atmosphere in the classroom, where certainstudents dont disturb other students. This may mean that some so-calleddiscipline problems are not real problems at all. As long as the overallatmosphere is conducive to learning, it may not be worth making an issue out of

minor acts of misbehaviour. If students were 100% compliant, we would havereason to be worried! On the other hand, discipline can, at times, become aserious problem. The important question to consider here is Why are theybehaving like that?. The cause of discipline problems may lie in difficulties athome, in school or with friends. These are likely to be beyond your control.Some causes of discipline problems, however, may lie within your classroom andyou may be able to resolve them.

Practical ideas

If the problem recurs, try to discuss it with the students. Approach theissue as their problem as well as yours (We've got a problem. Ourlesson / group work, etc. is not working, is it? What can we do about it?).This can give them a feeling of responsibility. For this, you will need tolisten to their views and be ready to make changes.

If you have a large class, and particularly if it contains students with mixedabilities, discipline problems may be caused by students who feel left outor who dont understand what is happening. This may be because thework that has been set is not suitable for their level of ability. Using groupwork and providing different levels of support can help them feel more

involved.

Discipline problems may occur during listening activities. This may bebecause some students cannot hear the cassette very well. They may belost before the lesson really starts. Tell them to look at the words in thebook while they listen if the room is noisy.

If the students are restless or tired, you could start with some physicalmovement.

The pace and timing of the lessons may be too fast for some of the

students and so they get lost, feel they can never catch up, and then beginto misbehave. These slower students may prefer to work individually.

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Make sure that the work of the weaker students has equal feedback.

Try to bring about more student involvement, especially from thosestudents who are causing disruption.

To settle students down when they come into the class, you can use musicor regular journal writing. A journal is a book that the students write inwhich you do not correct or look at unless invited to do so. The studentsmay write anything they like about their day, their feelings, the thingsthey have done, the things they have learnt and so on. Initially, this willbe in the mother tongue but you can encourage them to try to write inEnglish as the course goes on.

During group or pair work, give extra help to troublesome students.

Changing the seating arrangements can help to reduce disciplineproblems. If there is a large empty space between you and the students,this can make it difficult to create a sense of being a class. If you movecloser to the students, and (where possible) sit with them in a circle, thiscan help to focus their attention on the lesson.

Get the troublesome students to work on something you know they aregood at and which will give them a feeling of achievement. You can givethem some other individual responsibility for a term. For example, beingin charge of the exercise box, collecting in homework, helping with thedisplays, leading the singing in songs.

Try not to give extra English homework as a punishment; it can create theview that English is boring or difficult, or both!

See also teaching adolescents.

If discipline becomes a serious problem, the most important point is to

avoid getting into confrontation with the students. This only makesmatters worse. Dealing effectively with serious discipline problemsrequires getting the students willingly on your side. Try to remain calm,but firm.