Teach English in Miaozhuang Zhen - Changzhi Shi

A young English language learner is acting out in my class. Should I punish the child? Will punishment have the desired effect of controlling the child’s behavior? Classroom management in the younger years is more about keeping the children engaged and active rather than punishing for undesirable behavior. Young learners are those learners within the 5 to 13 age group and are divided into two groups, group 1 with students aged 5 to 9 and group 2 with students aged 9 to 13. This division considers general characteristics of the age group and maturation levels. According to Piaget’s stages of development, the first group falls into the preoperational and beginning concrete operational stage, whereas the second group is mainly concrete operational just going into formal operational at the age of 13. Considering this, a teacher can plan lessons according to the interests and cognitive abilities of each group. Planning lessons according to the students’ level and needs will automatically put the children in the correct frame for learning. If expectations are too high or too low, a student may easily become distracted and disruptive. Punishing them will not solve the problem of distraction, but adjusting expectations and approaches may provide the framework within which the child can become involved and motivated, thus eliminating distraction and fostering learning. We will focus now on children in group 1, those aged 5 to 9. These children will benefit from a high level of physical activity, verbal repetition and drilling following the teacher’s lead. Songs, rhymes, and action are a great way of engaging and practicing with younger learners. One of the most difficult things for children in this stage of development to do is to sit still, and expecting them to do so, not only goes against their nature, but limits the possibilities for expressing learning and practicing what they learn. However, you may encounter students who become over active. Rather than punishing, redirecting should be the aim. Punishments do not necessarily have a direct connection to the behavior that is being punished and work as negative reinforcement, calling more attention to the negative behavior than the positive behavior of other students. Punishment instills a certain degree of fear, without actually addressing the issue or making the child understand why a behavior was wrong. Discipline, on the other hand, entails providing feedback, therefore allowing children to reflect upon their actions. Providing positive reinforcement for those students who are demonstrating appropriate behavior sends a clear message to all students that such behaviors are desirable and recognized. If students understand that there are positive consequences to positive behaviors, you shift from punishment to discipline and students begin to take responsibility for their behaviors and actions. This is true for all young learners. When a classroom environment works around respect, discipline and consequences you are working as a unit rather than a hierarchy where the teacher punishes in order to maintain order when a student acts out. Classroom management is about teacher and students working together. Even in ESL classrooms, where students are limited in their understanding of the spoken language, teacher attitude and disposition goes a long way in setting the tone. When dealing with discipline issues in the classroom, it is always important for the teacher to do some self-reflection in order to determine the source of the disruptions. Providing the structure that the students need at each stage along with the dynamics for their learning will assure the students are given the conditions within which to thrive. When students feel motivated and engaged, regardless of their ages, they will be involved and therefore chances for behavior situations to arise become minimized. Punishment is not an effective means of classroom management and should be avoided, using positive reinforcement and discipline as the alternative.