Classroom Discipline and Management

Discipline and Management: Different Yet Related

Stephen Loyd

In a classroom setting, discipline and management are two key components for classroom success. Teachers often use the terms classroom management and classroom discipline interchangeably. However, the two ideas are very different in their application. Management and discipline are two halves of the same coin, they are intrinsicly connected to each other, but they have their own individual properties, with their own look and feel. Classroom management deals with how things in a class are done. Classroom management is the sole responsibility of the teacher. It encompasses all of the teacher’s interactions with students, classroom environment, rules and procedures, instructional strategies and development of engaging work. In a well managed classroom, the teacher implements policies and develops routines that stabilize and direct the flow of a class. Effective teachers manage their classes so that students spend their time more productively. Elements of classroom management vary. No two classes are alike. However the foundational elements a teacher takes into account before students ever set foot in the build can lend to better classroom management. Things such as classroom layout and organization.A neat and organized classroom tells your students you mean business and you expect them to keep the classroom organized as well. Deciding how to divide up classroom time is another important aspect to classroom management.Lunch, recess, breaks, down-time between lessons and activities, moving from one classroom to another, interruptions, and other periods of non-instructional time can account for at large percent of an elementary school day. By establishing routines that eliminate wasted time and confusion, using learning centers, independent assignments, and seat work to allow time to work with small groups, and creating a classroom environment that allow students and activities to move smoothly from one activity to the next, a teacher can increase their students time on task, and raise their students engagement with the material. Classroom discipline is a companion to classroom management, part of a routine class session, and a system to maintain desired behaviors.What system is the best and how do I implement it? there are many experts telling teachers how to handle discipline problems in the classroom. Yet these experts do not always agree. Thomas Gordon, creator of Teacher Effectiveness Training staunchly opposes Lee Canter’s Assertive Discipline concept. Yet, both have enjoyed a great deal of success with books and conferences and classes taught all over the USA. Trying to decide who is right and who is wrong seems quite difficult. Instead, let us assume that both of them are right, that they just are not talking about the same students. There is no cure-all for classroom discipline. There are no magic words that will solve classroom discipline. No other teacher has the answers for your classroom discipline either. Every elementary, middle and high school educator has to deal with the unenviable task of enforcing classroom discipline. there is no one-size-fits-all for classroom discipline. However the goal is still the same for every classroom, which is for students to be engaged in the classroom at all times.