Maintaining discipline in the classroom

An important consideration in teaching and learning mathematics is maintaining student discipline. Discipline problems are major cause of teacher ineffectiveness and many teacher who leave the teaching profession do so because they are unable to maintain a discipline classroom environment. One of the main concerns to inexperienced of inexperienced teachers is their ability to maintain student discipline in their classroom. Student teachers are particularly concerned with the possibility of discipline problem. In general, classroom discipline involves conducting worthwhile activities in each class session so that student can learn mathematics in an efficient and effective manner. In his book teacher and child, haim ginnot (1972) uses the following anecdote to illustrate a sound approach to handling potential discipline problems.

A teacher was about to give his first lesson in a school for delinquent boys. He was vey apprehensive. Success and failure hinged on this first meeting. As the teacher walked briskly to his desk, he stumbled and fell. The class roared in hilarious laughter. The teacher rose slowly straightened up and said “silence descended. Then came applause. The massage was received.

Approaches to discipline

The immediate object to be met through a well-disciplined mathematics classroom are obvious. Very little learning will occur in a chaotic classroom and the learning that does take place is not likely to be related to the teachers cognitive and affective objective for the lesson. Extremely noisy , unstructured , and undisciplined are not good situation for students learn mathematics .

There are also several general societal - related goal which can and should be accomplished though the enforcement of discipline in schools. Ausabel  (1961) describe these goals of discipline as follows :

Discipline is a universal cultural phenomenon which generally serves four important function in the training of the young. First, it is necessary for socialization - for learning the standards of conduct that are approved and tolerated in any culture. Second, it is necessary for normal personality maturation for acquiring such adult personality traits as dependability , self-reliance, self-control ,  persistence and ability to tolerate frustration . These aspects of maturation do not occur spontaneously, but only in response to sustained social demand and expectations. Third, it is necessary for the internalization of moral standards and obligations or , in other words. For the development of conscience. Standard obviously cannot be internalized unless they also exist in external form;  and even after they are effectively internalized, universal culture experience suggest that external sanctions are still required to insure the stability of the social order. Lastly, discipline is necessary for children's emotional security. Without the guidance provided by unambiguous external control, the young tend to feel bewildered and apprehensive. To great a burned is placed on their own limited capacity for self-control.( pp . 28)

There are two distinct approaches to dealing with discipline. One school of thought which is exemplified by Haim Ginott  (1972) , advocates complete avoidance of punishment when dealing with discipline problems.  Ginott has said that:

The essence of discipline is finding effective alternatives to punishment. To punish a child is to enrage him make him uneducable. He becomes a hostage of hostility, a captive of rancor ,  a prisoner of vengeance . Suffused with rage and absorbed in grudges, a child has no time or mind for studying. (pp. 147-148)

David Ausabel  (1961) has argued that negative forms of discipline are necessary in teaching children . Ausabel says that:

According to one widely held doctrine. Only “positive “ forms of discipline are constructive and democratic . It is asserted that children must only be guided by reward and approval; that reproof and punishment are authoritarian, repressive and reactionary expressions of adult hostility which leave permanent emotional scary on children's personality. What these theorists conveniently choose to ignore, however, is the  fact that it is impossible for children to learn what is not approved and tolerated simply by generalizing in reverse from the approval they receive for behavior that is acceptable . Merely by rewarding honestly and good manner one cannot.  For example, teach children that dishonesty and rudeness are society unacceptable traits. Even adult are manifestly incapable of learning and respecting  the limits of acceptable conduct unless the distinction between what is proscribed and approved is reinforced by punishment as well as by reward . Furthermore, there is good reason to believe that acknowledgement of wrong - doing and acceptance of punishment are part and parcel of learning moral accountability and developing a sound conscience.  Few if any children are quite so fragile that they cannot take deserved reproof and punishment in stride. (pp. 28-29)

In teaching and learning high school mathematics, I have found that positive reinforcement of desired behavior is a better way to maintain discipline than punishment for inappropriate behavior . However, there are many instances in school when it is necessary to impose judicious punishment upon students who continually disrupt teaching and learning in the classroom.  Unfortunately, approach to students behavior is not a very effective way of dealing with discipline problems.

In order for punishment and penalties to be effective in extinguishing undesirable behaviors, they must be appropriate for the misconduct. When a teacher overreacts to a student minor infraction by banding out a severe penalty, that student may vent his or her anger and frustration through more serious infractions of rules of conduct. By the same token, teachers who set either academic or behavioral standards that are too high for their students to meet may cause anger and frustration in students which result in discipline problems. “Failure-oriented classrooms” usually are classrooms with discipline problems.

Be sure to differentiate between students who are merely being mischievous in order to attract attention and those few students who are serious troublemaker. The mischievous students can be dealt with lightly and with humor; however, the student who has serious behavior problems may need professional assistance which is beyond your capability as a mathematics teacher.

Some discipline are caused by poor teaching insensitive teacher; however other discipline problems result from personal problems and characteristics of students which are beyond the direct control of the teacher. The causes of most discipline problems are usually found somewhere between these two extremes -all students are basically good and only behave badly because they have poor teachers , and when discipline problems occurs,  the student is always at fault .