5 Sure-fire Strategies to Improve
Your Classroom Discipline
By Mike Moore
1. CARE ENOUGH TO SET LIMITS AND ESTABLISH RULES
Just make sure that the limits and the rules established are
reasonable and few in number. When
establishing the rules you want to live by in your classroom get the students
involved in the process. It is much
easier to get your students to march to a humane drummer when they own a piece
of the drum.
2. NEGOTIATE WITH YOUR STUDENTS ON NEGOTIABLE ISSUES
In case you haven’t noticed young people today tend to react
negatively toward autocratic authority.
They are very conscious of their rights, if not their corresponding responsibilities. They don’t want to be ordered to do
anything. It is much more effective to
indicate what you expect, listen to their expectations and try to reach a
compromise.
I know there are those reading this who are thinking, I’m
the teacher and I will tell the kids what to do and they better darn well do it
without question.” This type of thinking can really lead to a troubled
teacher/student relationship. Keep in
mind that we want them to eventually take their place as responsible citizens
of our democratic society and this will involve the skills of negotiation and
compromise. There is no better effective training ground than the classroom.
This doesn’t deny the fact that there are some things that are not negotiable.
3. REMEMBER THAT YOU ARE A TEACHER AND NOT A
BUDDY
Your students do not want or need their teachers to be their
buddy. They have enough buddies in
their very active lives. Be friendly but
never relinquish your role as teacher.
4. WRITE NOTES OF ENCOURAGEMENT, AFFIRMATION AND
CHALLENGE TO YOUR STUDENTS.
When your students submit a paper or notebook to be
evaluated write brief notes of encouragement to them. If there was something you really liked or
considered thought provoking write and tell them. I realize a teacher has to point out where
the student went wrong on a specific assignment but affirming the positives
should also be part of the evaluation process.
You want to avoid red penciling everything they do.
5. DON’T PREACH
Your students hate to be preached at and we teachers just
can’t help preaching whenever we get the chance. When you preach at them they turn you off so
try hard not to. It really helps to
suggest options or alternatives and leave it at that. Good luck with this
one!!! I always found this to be most
difficult for me.
This from Mike’s Special Report “How to Up Your Teaching
Pizzazz” 17 Effective Strategies to Improve Classroom Discipline and Teacher/Student Relationships.
Mike Moore is a Canadian teacher affirming speaker committed to boosting teacher morale and enthusiasm as well as reducing their increasing stress and burnout.
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