When you are a teacher, using positive classroom discipline can have a much better effect than being extremely strict or lenient. It can be hard dealing with students who are often unruly day in and day out, but with some patience and determination you can have a classroom full of quiet and obedient students. Follow the four tips below to learn how to gain a well behaved class.
1. Have Easy to Understand Rules
If your rules change from day to day, then students will never know which rules to follow. For positive classroom discipline, consider letting the students help you make a list of behaviors that they think are not acceptable and hang the list on the wall. By involving the students, you make sure that each student understands exactly what the classroom rules are.
2. Make Sure Your Consequences Are Clear
After you have made your easy to understand rules with the class, you should ask them to help you make a list of consequences. These can include loosing free time at school, getting a warning, or even a note home to their parents. Whatever the rules are make sure that they are posted somewhere, and that every child understands them.
3. Develop Rewards
Rewards are extremely effective for positive classroom discipline. Just as you need consequences for bad behavior, it is important to develop positive reinforcements for good behavior too. This can be a small treat out of a treasure box at the end of each week, or access to a piece of candy each day if they are good. These rewards help to encourage children to do their best.
4. Consistency and Patience
Consistency and patience are very important for positive classroom discipline as well. Without these two qualities, you can never home to be effective in achieving a well behaved class. Your children will either be bad because you are mean or bad because you are too lenient and do not follow up with your rules.
If you want to incorporate positive classroom discipline into your daily school routine, you need to remember to follow the tips above. Only through a clear set of rules and consequences as well as patience and consistency, can you hope to achieve a well behaved classroom.