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Management and discipline are two separate entities. Management is planning to prevent possible problems in the classroom in order to have an effective learning environment. For example, establishing a clear set of procedures in the beginning of the year is a good example of classroom management, since it is preventative. Discipline, however, is more of the reaction to misbehavior. An example of discipline would be punishment. For example, if a student hits another student, their parent could be called as a form of disciplinary action. An effective classroom manager relies on management, not discipline. Creating rules with the class in the beginning of the year is one way to ensure that the rest of the year goes smoothly. If the students and teacher create the rules together, all parties can understand that they are both on the same page of what is expected of them. The teacher will also get a good idea of the students' language ability by discussing what rules they value in their class. There should not be too many rules as to not overwhelm the students. The second example of an effective strategy is to rehearse procedures with the class. This includes going over how to behave when you enter the classroom. Having the students get up and model how to come into the classroom is even better, especially for younger students. The third example is reinforcing the rules and procedures. Throughout the first couple of weeks, the teacher should continuously remind students what the desired behavior is. This is important because it holds the students accountable. For the fourth strategy, teachers should remain positive when correcting students. For example, instead of saying, “Billy, stop blurting out answers”, the teacher should say, “I would like to remind everyone to quietly raise their hand if they are answering a question”. This way, the student knows what they should be doing and can correct it. The fifth one is staying consistent. Teachers should be very clear about their expectations and hold students to the same expectations throughout the year. This creates a fair environment and ensures that no students are blindsided by what the teacher wants from the students. Although proper rules and clear expectations will help decrease undesirable behavior, sometimes it is unavoidable. There are quite a few ways to handle minor misbehavior in the classroom without creating a big scene. One way is actually physically touching the student. For example, if the student is talking throughout the lesson, the teacher can just walk behind the student and lightly tap his shoulder without stopping the lesson. Another way to control misbehavior would be physical proximity. A teacher may only need to stand close behind a talking student in order to get him to stop talking. A third is eye contact. Simply looking at the student and waiting for them to stop the behavior can be effective. For example, if a student leaves his seat and starts loitering around the pencil sharpener, a teacher can go silent and just look at the student for them to go back to their seat. A fourth technique could be as simple as tapping the student’s desk. Similar to keeping a close proximity and tapping a student, a teacher could walk around and tap on the student’s desk if they are nodding off. Staying calm and picking battles wisely will help maintain the class's respect for the teacher.
