One of my biggest pet peeves is the disruptive student. You know the type: always late, forgets their pen at home—you wonder whether they had planned to do the magic finger on the wall, the one who won’t take their seat or let you talk, the entitled spoilt teenager who throws tantrums at will and will be on their phone 24/7. How can one effectively manage a class with a couple of such unruly students?

Although the core players in any classroom discipline situation are the student, teacher, parent, and administrator, the primary responsibility for good discipline actually rests on the teacher. As such, we (teachers) must cultivate a productive discipline strategy. One approach that has proven exceedingly effective over the years is the three fold classroom discipline that scaffolds into preventative, supportive and corrective measures.

The first fold is the preventative discipline. This pre-emptive approach is built on the assumption that indiscipline thrives on unclear expectations and that clearly articulating expectations is a precautionary counter code. The goal of preventative discipline is to provide proactive interventions to potential disruptive behaviours by clearly explaining to students which behaviours are or are not appropriate. The most basic component to preventative discipline is a concise outline about classroom expectations for students as well as for teachers; students need to know what is expected of them for the remainder of the class. Such guidelines might include rules regarding talking, homework or language use in the classroom. A preventative discipline strategy also establishes the types of consequences that will follow a forbidden act or behaviour.

Preventative approach is largely armoured by supportive discipline. When a teacher offers a verbal warning or a suggestion for correcting behaviour while a student is defying a time-honoured classroom instruction, the teacher is using supportive discipline. Supportive discipline is distinct from punishment in that it provides a student with suggestions and options for correcting a behaviour before a consequence becomes indispensable. For example, if a student is wandering around the class after a teacher has announced it is time to sit down, the teacher may remind the student of what is likely to happen if he doesn’t take his seat. In this case, the student is given the option to accept or avoid further punishment; the behaviour is readdressed through a teacher’s supportive discipline strategy. Reminders, redirection and nonverbal communication are all examples of supportive discipline.

However, when a student fails to readdress her/his behaviour after repeated attempts at supportive discipline, a teacher may opt for a corrective discipline strategy. Following an infraction, a teacher may resort to a set of disciplinary sanctions that were previously stated in the expectations. We must, however, be courteous as we administer the measures. While it is advisable to be firm and consistent when administering counter measures, it should never be a one-size-fits-all application. This is because certain learners pull tantrums or will disobey due to circumstances beyond their control. For instance, a student may repeatedly come late to class due to genuine problems at home. If this is the case, punishment would be a colossal failure; instead, mentoring and support sessions may be more productive.

At the end of the day, you know your students and your classroom best. Using this approach as a springboard, you can enforce the rules that are important to you in order to create a classroom you’d be proud of if you were peeking through the window.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com