M A I N F E AT U R E

Let’s talk
about
discipline
I
Chris Roland uses ’d like to talk about where love and necessary for effective learning, a sense
logic fit into my idea of discipline. of order that comes from practice, and
reasoning and regard to Definitions are fun, but they’re this is a regularly occurring dictionary
only as useful as the work you explanation of discipline.
keep his teenagers onside. choose to do with them. I use an This type of discipline, the type that
expanded, multifaceted conception of involves students making conscious
discipline, and work with a number of decisions, isn’t something we can always
overlapping formulations. control or enforce, but it is something
we can encourage. I start by trying to
Discipline is about make my students aware of the decisions
students consciously they make, and my first move is to share
the above definition with them and ask
making decisions that them what kind of discipline they want
help the functioning – the sort that comes from the teacher or
of the class. the sort that comes from them.
I try to put discipline on the agenda
This is my favourite definition. I like it and talk about it explicitly, in calm
because I believe that the sort of moments, when nobody’s done anything
discipline that comes from the teacher is wrong. This way, the students are less
the sort of discipline that leaves you defensive and I am more coherent.
exhausted at the end of the week, the
term or the year. The sort of discipline
that comes from the students is the one Logic
that allows you to enjoy being in the room To do so, I use a sequence of arguments
with them, to sit back and watch with which are lines of reasoning from the
pride, that makes you want to go out and perspective of the teacher – ‘teacher-
tell a colleague at the end of the lesson logic’ if you like. I’ve illustrated these
how good they were. It’s about people with accompanying clipart PowerPoint
working better in groups, which seems to presentations, which you will find under
me the whole purpose of education, and the title of ‘Logic’ on my website. They
it involves the self-discipline and mental work perfectly well as free-standing
training that educators like John Dewey anecdotes that you can share in class
talked about. It’s all about the order without visuals, too.

4 • Issue 89 November 2013 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

Argument 1 Argument 4 I’m not offering this triangle as a
This line of reasoning makes it clear to The final argument I want to share here model of best practice, only as a realistic
the students that they have choices: comes from the study of primates, and model of what happens. Most phenomena,
addresses self-sabotage: most of what occurs in the world, can be
Imagine a situation where Max and Anna
seen as a kind of dynamic current
are two students and they’re talking. Macaques are a type of monkey. In the
squeezed between forces. I’m not saying
The teacher wants to get the attention of wild, macaques have natural enemies
get rid of this. Let’s keep it. I’m saying
the class. Max and Anna both look at such as snakes, eagles and leopards. In
that on top of this, we try appealing to
the teacher for a split second. Then they captivity, for example in a zoo, they have
the students’ emerging sense of reason
make one of two decisions. no natural enemies. Sometimes they get
and citizenship through logic, and build
Decision 1: They continue looking at and nervous and invent enemies. They
some deeper awareness of why some of
listening to the teacher and the class imagine that their own leg or foot is an
the rules are in place and how, even
begins. enemy and from time to time they attack
though they might not be breaking the
it. This is called Self-fighting Syndrome,
Decision 2: They momentarily look at the existing rules, they might make the class
and sometimes they hurt themselves
teacher then look back at each other an even better place to be for them.
quite badly.
and continue their own private What we’re trying to do here is to
conversation. Paco had a rubber. It was a good rubber shift the students’ viewpoint outside of
that he could use to make changes to themselves, which is a challenge because
Both options involve real and conscious his work. Then he decided to make an a young person’s viewpoint is very much
decisions. enemy out of his rubber and scribbled anchored in themselves. What is certain
Once students take on board the fact over it with pen and stuck his pencil into is that they’re not going to move closer
that they are making decisions, then it many times. Now he can’t use it to my viewpoint if they hate me. Or
they can start to take credit for the good because it makes dirty marks on the wait: let’s try to make this as accurate as
decisions that they make and to be held paper. Instead, he has to ask other we can. They will not move closer to my
accountable for the bad ones. people for a rubber and wait to see if viewpoint if they think I hate them. In
they say yes or no. fact, they’re quite happy to hate me, but
Argument 2
if they think I hate them, then that is
Destroying the things around you
Another line of reasoning involves because you are bored makes your life truly unacceptable.
where the English comes from in a class: more frustrating and difficult in the end. If your students are not sure that
Imagine a powerful eagle. It is a hunter. you don’t hate them, you’re never really
It can capture the food it needs from on Now obviously, these arguments in going to get very far with them at all.
the ground, out of water or in the air. themselves are not what is going to keep Until you get past that point, you’ve just
Imagine a nest of chicks. They can’t your students manageable in class. What’s got a roomful of potential enemies, and
hunt. They need to be fed. Learning actually going to keep them manageable presenting them with any kind of logic
English is like this. The English you need is a kind of triangle like the one shown will just increase the chances of enmity.
is in your books, on the board and in the here, with reports (term marks, the fear
air around you (the sounds the teacher of failure and the promise of a pass) at Love
makes and the audio CD and what your one corner, the teacher figure at another
If you ask a teen Why do you hate your
friends have in their heads, too). Can (the authority – and, we hope, the respect
teacher? the most common reply will be
you get it for yourself like the eagle, or too – and the tellings off and the praise)
I hate my teacher because my teacher
do you need to be fed? and then, finally, social repercussions
hates me. This is entirely understandable.
amongst a wider environment at the
I went through a period of asking my
Argument 3 other (such as public praise or the
academy students what kind of teacher
This one talks about attention-seekers: humiliation of being made to look silly
they most respected at school, and why?
or being sent out, the fear that the
Babies make a lot of noise. They do this The profile they came up with was of a
director of the school might walk past
to get attention from adults. Without teacher who was not afraid to tell the
and see me standing outside, or what my
attention they can’t survive. Each baby students off, but who didn’t hold a
parents might think).
normally has one or two parents. When grudge, have favourites or pick on people.
babies don’t get the attention they need, Reports Now, for us, it should be fairly
they cry even louder. Teenagers like obvious that we don’t hate our students
attention from adults, too. They also – of course we don’t – but for them, it’s
often make noise to get it, but without not so obvious. I can’t reiterate this
that attention they will still survive – enough. There’s a lot of value, a lot of
which is good because in a class there use to you, in your students knowing
is only one adult for many teenagers. that you don’t hate them. And how do
When you don’t get the attention you
they get to know this? You tell them so.
want, what do you do? Do you make
When I want to tell a student to stop
even more noise like a baby, or do you
doing something, I start with:
accept the fact that there’s only one Pablo, I like you, but please stop banging
adult and many students and that you Teacher Social on that table.
will still survive? figure repercussions or:

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 89 November 2013 • 5

Let’s talk
I’ve got to write about a film. I can’t think might just continue going wherever it is
of a film. on your own – perhaps to the director’s
office – and that would be even worse

about
You really can’t think of a film?
for them because they will have refused
No. to follow you. This is much easier than

discipline
you, the teacher, staying where you are
OK, I’ll cut you a deal. You go down to
and telling the student to get out. There’s
the library, have a look at the DVDs for
no lead, they don’t know where to go
five minutes, then come up and write your
and they’re much more likely to try to
review.
Ana, I like you, but I’d like you even more protest, to get you to let them stay – and
if you started this exercise. OK. there’s nothing worse than trying to
send a student out as a last-ditch
When I ask them questions and they get Alberto’s jumping around:
disciplinary step and them refusing to
the answer wrong, I often say: Alberto, go to the toilet. go until you get really angry.
No, but I still love you. Sometimes sending a student out
What, teacher? will work wonders, but you have to be
In fact, by the end of the course they Go to the toilet, have a walk about, then careful. You don’t want to turn that
often say it themselves. I shake my head when you come back, tell me one interesting student into a martyr. The others might
because their answer’s incorrect, and thing you saw on the notice board. then unite against you. The first sign of
they say: this is that they ask you where their
But are you throwing me out? classmate has gone or why you sent
I know, teacher, but you still love me.
No. them out. They want to know how that
When I want to get a 16-year-old boy to works. Is it personal or is there a wider
sit somewhere else, I start with: OK. rationale? A simple answer is to say this:
Lorenzo, you’re a fantastic person. Could I’m throwing these kids lifelines, and I like your classmate, but I sent him out
you switch places with Almudena? they appreciate it. Unfortunately, on because his behaviour was unacceptable.
other occasions I do need a second and Your behaviour, up to now, has been OK.
How can he not switch places now? I’ve slightly harder-edged formulation: That’s why you are still in the classroom.
just told him he’s fantastic! And if he
doesn’t want to switch places, then Discipline is the minimum
instead of asking him again, I just tell
him he’s fantastic again. And Lorenzo’s
amount of order needed
shaking his head, even as he’s switching so that the teacher can You can see in the short reply above
places, and he’s thinking: dedicate an equal amount that, even here, when discipline has
required that things get ‘a bit ugly’, we
What can I do? I don’t want to switch of their attention to each still have a clearly articulated
places. I want to tell this teacher where to student in the class. reassurance of ongoing positive regard
get off, but he’s telling me I’m fantastic – what I loosely refer to as ‘love’ – the
and I know he doesn’t really mean it, but It’s pure mathematics in action. Each
logic of our work in a group and the
he can’t hate me, at least, and nobody’s student deserves an equal proportion of
onus on students to be accountable for
told me that I’m fantastic all day, and their teacher’s time. The students who
their own actions and decisions. It’s my
IT’S THE ONLY THING I WANT TO are detracting from the lesson, who are
belief that when you stop talking about
HEAR! taking up the teacher’s concentration
discipline with a class, then it becomes
unnecessarily, are actually robbing the
You could try cutting deals. Alba’s more of an issue.
other students of their share of the
sitting head in hands because she can’t teacher’s time.
bring herself to start the exercise. She’s Allyn G, Deyme, A and Bègue, I ‘Self-
If students can’t regulate themselves,
fighting syndrome in macaques’ Primates
had enough. She’s even happy to take if they don’t have enough self-awareness 17 (1) 1976
the negative feedback I’m about to dish to limit the amount of your time they are Dewey, J How We Think D C Heath & Co
out to her. I can let the situation brew, taking up, then you need to regulate it for 1910
just feeding the tension in the room, or I them. The authority for your disciplinary
can say: measures here comes from your Chris Roland is a teacher
responsibility to the other students. And and teacher trainer
OK, Alba, I’ll cut you a special deal, just based at ELI in Seville,
that is exactly what I tell my classes every Spain. He’s interested in
today, because I can see you’re shot the areas of task
time that I have to send someone out.
through. Do the first two questions and I’ll micro-mechanics,
On a practical note, if you are going engagement with text
get off your case. It’s a special deal, but
to send a student out, the easiest way is and the way that
next time you do the full exercise. OK? students and teachers
to say to them: Bring your stuff and talk to each other. The
I’ve just offered her a way out, and that come with me. Come on. Then you lead ‘Logic’ sequences and
conceptual triangle
locus of tension has gone. them out of the room. They’re not quite diagram are available
sure where you’re going, but you’re from his website at
Fernando’s just staring into space: www.chrisroland.net.
giving them a lead and it’s easier to
chris.roland@gmail.com
What’s the problem, Fer? follow. If they don’t follow you, you

6 • Issue 89 November 2013 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •