ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD

(Department of English Language & Applied Linguistics)

Course: Educational Psychology (5664)

Level: MA TEFL

Semester: Spring 2018

Assignment No.2
Project 2:

a) At one time or another, teachers face discipline problems. Observe your class
carefully and pick out a student(s) who usually does not attend your lessons and
frequently create disciplinary problems. Talk to him individually and find out
why he is not interested in the lessons.
b) In the light of the above, think carefully about your daily classes. Have you taken
any positive steps to establish discipline? Describe those steps. If your answer is
in negative, then think about your classroom disciplinary situation and analyse it
in your answer.
c) Make a complete plan to be implemented in the class and presented in the
presentation
 Acknowledgement

In the name of Almighty Allah, the most gracious, the most beneficent by help of whom I am
able to complete my internship report. I am grateful to Allah almighty, for enabling me to
fulfill this tiring, but interesting job for the completion of my assignment.

No doubt Allah is the main source of knowledge and wisdom. It is a great blessing of
Almighty Allah, that He enables me because of His Holy Prophet (peace is upon him) I am
presenting my humble contribution for distribution of knowledge. I bow my head before
Almighty Allah who gave me courage, knowledge and confidence and to carry on assignment
and enabled me to accomplish it.

I would not be going to do justice in presenting this assignment without mentioning the
people around me who have been inextricably related with the completion of this assignment.
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to our course teacher for his support and guidance,
which he rendered throughout the study to peruse this assignment. Finally, for any all too
fallible errors, omissions and shortcomings in the writing of the report only I am responsible
for which we hope that all concerning regards of this assignment will forgive us.
Introduction

For teaching to be effective, classroom management and discipline is very important. Here
are some strategies which can prove quite helpful for a teacher to create a proper learning
environment in the class.

Many new teachers and even some experienced ones, find it extremely difficult to maintain
discipline in their classrooms. There are a number of reasons why discipline in the classroom
is such a challenge for teachers. The primary reasons being, if the teacher is under-prepared
for her class, or if her lecture is not interesting enough, or if the children in her classroom are
problem creators. There are a number of steps which a teacher can take for improving the
overall discipline in the class. Here are a few of the most effective strategies.

Set Clear Standards and Expectations

A classroom management plan is incomplete without clearly laying down the rules and
regulations for the class. Making the students clear about what the expected behavior is and
what isn't, is equally important. Many times, there is indiscipline in the classroom if the
students do not know what is right and what is wrong behavior. So, setting certain
expectations at the beginning of the year itself, and making the students aware of it is very
important to create discipline in the class.

Plan Lectures in Advance

The primary reason why children get distracted in the class and tend to talk among
themselves or misbehave or create indiscipline is when the lectures are not interesting enough
or are not easily understood by them. So, in order to avoid this, the teacher should plan the
lessons in such a way, that they have a clear objective and they generate interest in the
students. Students should be taught in an easy manner and followed by some assignments to
work upon. In the end, assessment by the teacher should be checked to evaluate whether the
subject has been well understood.

Treat All Students Equally

It is very important that the teacher is fair to all his students. Similar rules for punishments as
well as rewards should be applicable to all. A teacher should not be partial to some and
against other students, as this might result in the unfairly treated students breaking the rules
of the classroom and creating indiscipline.

Handle Indiscipline
If a student is creating a nuisance in the class or is continuously talking while a teacher is
teaching, the teacher should try to handle the student without interrupting the entire class. A
good way to do that is to go and stand near the student. This unspoken communication
strategy will work in most cases. A teacher should never ever shout at the student or confront
him in front of the entire class, as the student will feel humiliated, and will never listen again
in future. Another way to handle undisciplined students is not to take the situation too
seriously and try to diffuse it with a joke. A fun teacher is much more likely to be liked by the
students than an uptight one.

Form Relationships
A very important part of successful classroom management is the relationship that is formed
between the teacher and the students. A teacher who makes an effort to create a trust between
himself and the students, who tries to know about the student's life even beyond the
classroom, who works as a support to his students, and makes extra efforts for their well-
being, will be respected by the students, and will not face indiscipline problems in the
classroom.

Besides the above mentioned strategies, it is very important for the teacher to be very
consistent regarding the rules and behavior expectations. Ignoring misbehavior one day and
punishing the students for the same the next day can confuse them and create indiscipline.
Also, starting with a positive frame of mind everyday, with a belief that today the class will
be disciplined, contributes to successful classroom management.

How do we get students to behave in class?

Usually not by telling them to behave, but using behaviour patterns that ensure they behave.

Let me explain. I teach 18 students aged from 11-15 in the one class, some at varying levels
of language ability to others. This means there is not only a sociological divide but also a
language level divide. So how do I get my students to behave? I use these strategies and they
are ones that all teachers need to try at least once in their classroom to see which ones work
for them.

First ask yourself some questions:

Have you set a code of behaviour in the classroom?

This should be set with the students, where possible so they know the consequences of their
behaviour should it not be socially acceptable to the rest of the group or to you. I always have
this code of behaviour on the board or on the wall on a big sheet of paper. Five or six key
points are sufficient, e.g. I will work hard to learn the language. I sometimes just have to
point to it to remind students of their decision, and this brings the student back on line... Also
the teacher needs to add his/her code of behaviour too, what the teacher will do for the
students, e.g. be patient, never yell, I will work hard to help you learn the language...etc.

Are the students really understanding you or are they missing most of what you are saying?

Very often bad behaviour patterns are because students do not understand what is being
taught to them, and they find no purpose for the noise coming from the teacher. There is one
way to demotivate students and that is for them to not understand what is really going on.
Here is a clue to bad behaviour - 75% of bad behaviour is accredited to academic failure - in
other words, they have missed vital clues in the learning process.Make sure your students are
having fun. This does not mean games where students are over active. Fast moving games are
not necessarily the answer to discipline. In fact they often exacerbate the problem.

What type of troublemaker are they?

Attention Seekers - do they show off to get the rest of the class laughing?

STRATEGY: Ignore minor behaviours but set a limit on what you call a minor infringement.
Be FIRM and CONSISTENT; when behaviour is good, give attention to that behaviour -
e.g. good, well done.

Power seekers - do they want to put one over you all the time?

STRATEGY: Don't argue or fight with the student; remain fair and firm about the behaviour;
as 'the One-Minute Manager' said, catch them out doing something good.
Revenge seekers - act defiant, e.g. a student who won't move to another section of the class
when you think his or her behaviour is not acceptable.

STRATEGY: Most of all, don't act hurt - students see that as a weakness because they have
had a reaction; convince the student that he or she is liked - find the student doing something
good and smile at and commend that good behaviour.

Withdrawn or depressed - gives up easily and then sits in silence.

STRATEGY: Ignore failures, but counsel regularly. When counselling, always, but always
give good news first - e.g. I like what you did here, then counsel with the bad behaviour.
Lastly, finish with some good news - how the behaviour can be addressed and then arrive at a
solution.

PLAN FOR MY CLASS

In my mind, the first and most basic obligation of a teacher is to see the beauty that exists
within every student. Every child is infinitely precious. Period.

When we start from this vantage point, classroom management -- and its flip side, student
engagement -- comes more easily. It's an outgrowth of students feeling loved and
respected.

1. LOVE YOUR STUDENTS

Love them -- and stand firmly against behavior that doesn't meet your expectations or
reflect their inner greatness. Too many students have internalized a profound sense of their
own inadequacy, and it is incumbent upon us to remind them of their infinite value and
counteract the many messages that they receive to the contrary. By loving our students
unconditionally, we remind them of their true worth.

Our students know how we feel about them. If we don't like them -- or if we see them as a
behavior problem -- they know it. Even if we don't say it, they will know it. And then that
student is justified in resenting us, for we have failed to see the beauty that exists within
that child. Maya Angelou said, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people
will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

2. ASSUME THE BEST IN YOUR STUDENTS

If a student chose not to meet one of my classroom expectations, they needed to know that
I loved them but not their misbehavior. They needed to know that I cared for them and
would not accept their poor choice because it would ultimately hurt them and didn't reflect
how wonderful they truly are.
For instance, a minute and a half into the first day, I gave one student a verbal warning for
whispering to another student as he was searching for his seat. Assuming the best in this
young man, I told him, “I know you were probably talking about your seat, but you can't
even talk about that, so that's your verbal warning. Go back to your seat and silently start
your work." By assuming that he was trying to do the right thing -- find his assigned seat -- I
affirmed that he wanted to meet the expectations. And yet I was firm with him that his
choice to whisper after he had been told to silently begin his work was not OK. Similarly, at
the end of class, I kept behind a student who was sighing to herself over the course of the
period. By letting her know that I wouldn’t accept her subtle expressions of boredom or
frustration, I also let her know that I thought she was great and her expressions of negativity
wouldn't fly because they'd hurt our collective learning environment -- and because they
didn’t square with the wonderful person I knew her to be.

3. PRAISE WHAT AND WHEN YOU CAN

Call attention to the things your students are doing that meet your expectations. The power
of this is stunning for a number of reasons. Here are two:

It enables you to restate and reinforce the expectations for student behavior in a non-
negative way. By narrating on-task behavior, you enable students who may have misheard
you the first time to hear exactly what you expect of them. It's easier for students to meet
your expectations when it's amply clear what those expectations are.

It shows your students that you're with it, that you're very aware of what's happening in the
classroom. When they see and hear that you see and hear pretty much everything, they
know that you mean business and that even their smallest actions matter.

4. DO SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

In those first few minutes, hours and days in the classroom, you are essentially creating a
world. And you want a world in which students do things that will keep them or put them on
a path to a life replete with meaningful opportunities. Behaviors or actions that will detract
from that world should be nipped in the bud. If you only "sweat" major misbehaviors,
students will get the sense that minor misbehaviors are OK. If, on the other hand, you
lovingly confront even the smallest misbehaviors, then it will be clear to students that,
inside the four walls of your classroom, things that detract from what you're trying to
achieve – even in small ways – just don’t fly.

5. IDENTIFY YOURSELF

Tell your students about who you are and why you're there. A classroom where each
student deeply trusts the teacher has the potential to be a great environment for learning.
To build that trust, tell your students who you are and why you chose to be a teacher. Tell
them about your background, what you did when you were their age, and why you want to
be their teacher. The more your students know about you and your intentions, the more
they'll trust you to lead them.

6. FORGE A CLASS IDENTITY

Begin the year by forging a positive, collective identity as a class. During the first few days, I
often complimented my classes as a collective. For instance, I'd say something like, "Period
3, everyone I’m looking at is meeting expectations." In many instances, I praised the entire
class so that they began to feel they were part of something special in that room. They
began feeling a sense of pride at being members of Period 3.

Conversely, I often chose to redirect individual students rather than the whole class. Instead
of saying, “Period 3, I'm tired of hearing you talking when you shouldn’t be" -- which would
introduce an oppositional tone, creating a divide between teacher and students -- I found
more success correcting students individually.

7. HAVE A PLAN

Your lesson plans need to be crystal clear. You need to begin each day with clarity about
what students should know and be able to do by the end of the class period, and every
second of your day should be purposefully moving you toward that end.

In addition to clarity about student knowledge and achievement, you should have a clear
sense of the behavior you expect at each point in the class period. When you see them
making the choice to behave as you expect them to, narrate it. And when you don't see it,
confront those misbehaviors clearly, directly and with love.

Recommendations based on my experience

Change students around

I have my bad behavers sit in the front of the class. This way I can move towards them more
easily, maybe touch them lightly on the shoulder if they are getting out of hand and pause
near them. Make eye contact as you leave.

Use soft reprimands - Like the One-Minute Manager

Find time to praise the good work the student does. If the bad behaviour is minor - ignore
whereever possible. Don't yell. Remain silent until the group settles down. If you have some
students on-side, those who do know what is going on, they will settle the rest of the group
down. Let them be the ones to say 'shush'. Sometimes I simply clap hands a couple of times
and the group comes back on line. Then I speak softly, not with a loud voice. This has a
calming effect on the whole class.
Encourage even your worst student

When they are behaving well, catch them doing that. 'Well done'. 'Good work'. It is amazing
how soon you get them on-side if they think you are finding them out doing good work.
Counsel when you can and don’t make it always a bad behavioural thing. I often speak to a
student after class and say how well I think they are doing, sometimes in front of their
friends, because it motivates the rest of the group too.

Never bawl out a student out in class

Just at a convenient time, as you are passing the student say you want to see that student after
class - quietly. It is amazing how the behaviour changes from that moment on. At the
meeting, find out the cause of the behaviour. Explain that it is not helping the student to
behave in this way, and explain the consequences of the behaviour - there is a written code
which all the students agreed to at the beginning of the course - it should be ever present. And
there should be a code of behaviour which the school has decided on - that persistent
behaviour eventually means expulsion.

Don't allow yelling at the teacher in class when the student knows something

Miss, Miss Miss or Sir, Sir, Sir...and standing up and coming to the teacher all the time is
another disruptive behaviour. It can be VERY noisy if all the students know the answer and
they are yelling at you and you don't want a rush of students coming to you to show you their
work.

They soon learn the discipline of putting their hand up when a response is needed or that you
will look at their work at an appropriate time. This makes for a more productive classroom,
and students feel great when they are chosen to answer and you feel better because you don't
have a headache from the noise.

Move around in the proximity of the student when the behaviour is persistent

Not in a disciplinary way, rather in the guise of helping them with the problem they have.
Maybe they don't understand. Move towards them, see if you can help them, then when you
have calmed the student, walk away with a smile and a well done.
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