Dr. Jordan Reeves Walker

When you teach a classroom full of students on a regular basis, it is important to maintain classroom discipline and structure to ensure the students are learning and also respecting you are their teacher and authority figure while in the classroom. It is important to keep behavior under control in a classroom to help with encouraging positive attitudes and behavior rather than focusing on disruptive behavior or students throughout each day.

Teaching requires plenty of focus and dedication to understanding your students and their needs. Keeping students from disrupting the classroom to help you maintain classroom discipline is possible by using a variety of methods depending on your resources and the type of classroom you are in.

Using Seating Assignments to Help Reduce Classroom Chaos

Various studies have shown that separating seats in your classroom and creating seating charts helps to improve classroom achievement overall along with maintaining better grades and happier students as well. Seating charts help to place students in either groups or in sections of the classroom that will help to keep them from chatting with one another, forming cliques or other types of groups that can segregate other students from each other.

Making a seating chart or assignment is possible by drawing one out using the desks in the classroom and a sheet of paper to create squares that represent each student you have in each class. There are also free online seating arrangement templates to download for teachers of all grade levels and with various numbers of students in each of the classroom, for plenty of layouts to choose from when planning your own charts for your room.

Other Methods to Maintain Classroom Discipline

Getting personal with each one of your classroom’s students upon entering the room allows you to gain respect and to also give mutual respect back, helping to decrease classroom chaos or rude interruptions that you might experience otherwise.

Always gain the students’ full attention before you begin talking about the lesson plans for the day to ensure that they are only listening to you and not carrying on with their own conversations between one another. Exhibit behavior you approve of and be the model citizen you strive for your students to be at all times. Be polite and courtesy to students while always taking time to listen to each one of them individually to show respect and that you care about their future, education, and well-being.

Move around while speaking about subjects and presenting material. This helps to keep students interested and also focused on you, as you are no longer in the predictable position of the “front of the classroom”. This also helps to engage students, keeping them more focused on the lesson at hand rather than their own conversations or additional homework.

Encourage as much positive reinforcement as possible without focusing on the negative behavior in the classroom. If a student displays negative behavior, be sure to quietly discuss the matter with the student without drawing attention. This helps to gain mutual trust and respect to prevent future incidents of classroom disruptions.

Dr. Jordan Reeves Walker

Education is one of life’s most important goals. In fact, learning is a lifelong process that doesn’t stop after graduating from any level of formal schooling. Inside the educational system, teacher’s play a crucial role in building classroom discipline,  transferring not only knowledge and skills but values as well. The classroom is the battleground where students overcome obstacles that helps them shape their character as well as enhance their problem-solving skills. Therefore, it is very important for an educator to control the learning environment so that desired learning outcomes would be met.

A disorderly classroom can affect student performance in many ways. First, a physical environment that is noisy, cluttered, and chaotic is not conducive to learning. Students easily get distracted by external stimuli such as noise ; hence, teachers must regulate noise at minimal levels. Second, unnecessary activities or movements can also be distracting such as students walking around the room. Subjects that involve reading and mathematics need full attention so silence is required in the classroom.

Teachers play a crucial role in promoting effective classroom management When a classroom is noisy, students morale are negatively affected. The students perceive that the teacher is incompetent in maintaining discipline inside the class. Although many students resent authority figures such as teachers, they do look up to them for supervision. Hence, an undisciplined class reflects much on the leadership of the teacher inside the class. For this reason, a teacher must impose rules and establish routines for effective classroom management. These rules must be contained in a discipline plan that will be communicated to all students clearly. Rules help students feel safe because they want something consistent.

Another effective approach that teachers can use in building classroom discipline is establishing procedures. Students who perform daily routines are more disciplined because they need to follow a structured set of activities. Behind such activities are mini-goals that contribute to the overall peace and order inside the learning environment. Furthermore, activities or tasks become more efficient as students become more efficient in functioning. A set time for certain tasks helps a lot in minimizing boredom as well as other unnecessary movements. This is the reason why even class breaks are regulated and monitored so disruptions are kept at minimal levels.

When a classroom is orderly, student performance is enhanced. How? Students who stick to routines develop self-discipline and become responsible adults. They understand the concept of deadlines and strive to finish a task within a time frame. Also, they begin to understand the value of focus because distractions can sidetrack them from finishing a task. These small habits can mean a lot as they progress to tasks that presents more challenge. Overall, the teacher must always ensure that classroom discipline is imposed at all times. They must keep in check disorderly classroom behavior by following the advice given. Rules, procedures , and routines are tools for building classroom discipline. These tools make learning more positive and promotes responsibility. In the end, the students would be very grateful for these learnings can be applied even to adult life.

Jordan Reeves Walker “Classroom Discipline Guru”

Dr. Jordan Reeves Walker

Once a teacher has become a certified professional the world seems to think that his or her training is complete. That magic piece of paper has made this formerly ordinary person into a paragon of classroom management skills to the point that he or she no longer needs any further knowledge. The truth is that even experienced teachers need the training and support offered by classroom management workshops. There are many reasons why this is so.

First is the simple fact that classroom management workshops help the teacher to keep on top of the latest best practice. When a teacher first learns how to manage a classroom he or she most often does so by the expedient of watching a colleague at work. This is a terrific way to learn and it has stood the test of time as a part of teacher training. Unfortunately time passes and things change so that teachers need to adapt to the current conditions. This means that what was best practice might no longer be a viable strategy. Classroom management workshops can and do help teachers fill in when old techniques become outdated.

The second reason why classroom management workshops are a valuable tool for teachers in their everyday worlds is that discussions with other good teachers can help a professional focus skills he or she already has. Hearing about the experiences of peers, problems and solutions, can help a teacher solve his or her own problems. Today’s students are not behaviorally the same as the kids of yesterday, and what is allowed in dealing with them is much different as well. Workshops help with the organization of management skills.

The third thing that attending classroom management workshops offers teachers is a way to keep current on strategies and techniques that are coming into vogue. Many of the best ideas that come along are first brought to everyone’s attention in workshops with the originators teaching others how to deal with the hassles of the classroom. When a teacher is successful he or she is often asked to share the practice he or she has found that keeps order while encouraging student growth. This sharing by means of workshops helps to maintain the cutting edge of classroom management in all classrooms.

The final reason that attending classroom management workshops is valuable is that it gives teachers the chance to network and build support groups for themselves. While the teacher is usually alone in the classroom, he or she is also in need of having a network of peers to keep him or her grounded. Getting so tied up with a particular practice that has worked in the past that he or she can’t see a way to a more successful technique is a problem that is not unknown in the education field. Going to workshops and listening to others speak of common problems and solutions can help any teacher keep him or herself on the right track for student success.

Attending classroom management workshops is an experience that all teachers can take great benefit from, and have a good time doing it.

Jordan Reeves Walker, Ed.D. “Classroom Discipline Guru”

Dr. Jordan Reeves Walker

For teachers who are looking for the best options in disciplining the kids in their class, especially younger students who have a hard time listening and doing one activity for a prolonged period of time, the option of turning to classroom management books is a great one to consider. Not only are you going to learn techniques to deal with trouble students, methods of getting them to listen to the lesson plan, the options which backfire, and other information pieces, but you will also find that with the right classroom management books you will learn information from a wide range of sources (teachers at all levels, and other professionals in the industry), in order to ensure you can easily reach your students.

Whether you are dealing with younger kids in the classroom who are having a tough time learning a particular subject matter, or whether you have a room full of rowdy students after play time, there are different classroom management books on the market to turn to, which are going to give you tips and pointers as to what should be done, what should be avoided, and how to get the children to listen and to follow the instructions which are being given. Whether it is using discussion based books, or whether you use books that give a step by step approach to discipline, or whether you use a combination of these, and other styles of literature, there are several options that a teacher can turn to today, when looking for great classroom management books to use in the classroom setting.

In addition to the books there are other resources you can consider using. Whether it is taking a seminar on how to discipline the students, or whether it is talking to other teachers or professionals in the industry of disciplining students, you will find that a combination of all resources, in conjunction with the right classroom management books, will lead to the greatest success. Although there is not one book that will pinpoint all issues, there are a few which can lead to the best results. And, when considering the best books to turn to, as a teacher you are also going to want to consider those which give you information as to what is going to backfire when disciplining students, and what they are most likely inclined ot listen to and follow when you are choosing the best methods of disciplining them in the classroom setting.

No matter what age, grade, or level of education the students are at, there are various resources a teacher can consider in order to get their students behaving properly. So, considering all seminars, teaching courses, and other speakers, and taking the time to find some of the best classroom management books and pieces of literature to read on the topic, are all options to consider. Using each of these in conjunction with one another, is likely to be the best option to attain the success you are hoping for in the classroom.

Jordan Reeves Walker, Ed.D. “Classroom Discipline Guru”

Dr. Jordan Reeves Walker

Deciding How to Introduce Your Style:

Every year teachers are given a very daunting task of combining both behavior management skills, along with their teaching ability. With most school systems having 5-7 periods throughout the day, teachers in middle schools and high schools often have as many as 25 or 30 students per class, multiplied by 5-7.

So in a nutshell, a teacher is charged with trying to connect individually and try to keep the behavior management of each class as a group in check, while also providing a solid planned curriculum that will pretty much leave absolutely no unstructured minutes, or idle time, for 125-175 students each day.

That is roughly 125-175 different attitudes, different learning levels, different styles and interest and 125 different individual connections to attempt to maintain, nurture and respect. No biggie huh?

At the beginning of the school year, seasoned veterans of high school teaching have already got their agenda in mind and are set on auto-pilot with very little preparation needed. However, the newest teachers being introduced into the high school envioronment may not be so confident in how to get the ball rolling.

Where to Begin?

Always keep in mind that it is not impossible to keep behavior management under control with only your personality, verbal as well as non-verbal communication, and consistent discipline. This is not saying that it is easy. Make no mistake, there will be challenges.

However, if you can introduce a solid foundation for behavior management early on, keeping control throughout the course of the school year will not seem such as daunting of a task.

The one mistake that most young teachers make is trying to jump right into a list of rules and regulations and punishments. Rules are very important and the need for them is critical to maintaining a healthy balance of behavior management and class room learning techniques.

Yet by starting the first week off with a run down of what all “will not be tolerated in my class” type regulations, you will easily shut some students down entirely and the rest of the year could be difficult to keep them motivated and involved in the curriculum, although you succeeded at the behavior management part of it. So in the end, what real good did you accomplish?

What to Do?

Start off getting to know your students. Since you have 5-7 classes, there will be quite a bit you could learn as well. Use the first class as your testing pool. The things that you feel you did not handle well in the first period, try to correct the next.

Study the class. Each class will have a unique vibe and flow. What works well for one class, may not be the right fit for another. Slowly work your way into which rules are best suited for these older students in high school.

The best thing is to point out a possible behavior management issue as it arises within that first week. Rather than walk in and begin blasting the kids with rules, fire and brimstone, be patient and if an event presents itself in that first week or so, kindly address the class with “in the future, I would rather this or that”, then finish with “as a result of this or that, I will be forced to do this or that”.

The main focus is understanding the students for this first week or so trial period. Talk to them about the school’s sports team, or an event that some students are involved in. Get the class involved and let them connect individually with you. It is much easier than trying to connect from your end. They will be drawn to talking to you.

Anytime you can ask open-ended questions, that have numerous correct answers, you have the opportunity to fill time, get a lot of participation, as well as learn which students are more interested, involved and quickly picking up on your style of teaching.

By using the kids to learn how to teach them is one of the most effective ways of soon becoming a seasoned veteran and putting yourself on auto-pilot and let the students maintain their own behavior management simply by connecting with you and knowing your expectations and the consequences when those expectations are not met.

Jordan Reeves Walker, Ed.D. “Classroom Discipline Guru”

Dr. Jordan Reeves Walker

For many new teachers, one of the most difficult problems they will have is maintaining discipline in the classroom. All of the careful training in teaching methods, all of the content expertise, and all of the theoretical management methods learn are no match for a roomful of boisterous energetic students. And even student teaching experience cannot completely prepare a future teacher, because that situation is usually somewhat artificial compared to having one’s own classroom to deal with. So, a new teacher faces a dilemma – he or she wants to make school a positive experience for everyone, and yet has to manage the experience by imposing discipline. Here are some tips on how to maintain classroom discipline.

Educate yourself Learn all you can about the school that you are working for, especially when it comes to disciplinary policy. Every school has a compendium of rules to follow, procedures to put in place, and contingency plans for emergencies. It is your job as a new teacher to learn these policies and of course, apply them as soon as possible and when applicable.

Be fair: Nobody likes to be treated differently, and your students are no exceptions. Make sure that you are fair and consistent in your discipline and that you do not single out any student or otherwise dole out unequal measures to keep the peace. Students will notice, and your discipline problems will multiply.

Make a routine and keep it: A schedule that your classroom follows is vital to maintaining discipline. Once the students know what will happen when, they have a guide to their time with you and their fellow students, and to your expectations at any point in the daily routine. Small deviations are acceptable once in a while to prevent boredom, but adherence to a routine is a good idea for all teachers to put into practice at all times, not just new teachers.

Follow the KISS principle: Having a complicated set of rules for your classroom is an invitation to failure, because students need it kept simple. They will not remember all the details, and you will have to enforce all those detailed regulations as well. You can of course add to and change your classroom rules as you go, but start with as simple a set of rules as possible. You students will love you for it, and you’ll have an easier time maintaining order.

Stay calm, flexible, and attentive: Making a new teacher lose his or her cool is one of the favorite pastimes of the typical middle school student, and is not far down the list for elementary school students and high schoolers. By remaining calm and in control at all times, you’ll demonstrate that you are in charge, and you’ll gain respect as well. Be flexible in your classroom by moving things and students around from time to time, changing displays, and changing your routine. Pay attention at all times by moving around the room, making eye contact, listening to questions, and responding to situations as they arise.

Stay connected with parents: From the beginning it is important to establish communication with parents and keep the connection going. Any method you use is better than none, and you’ll learn how to do it better as you gain classroom experience, but a short newsletter and regular contact by email or phone can be very helpful. Make sure that you document all of your interaction with parents so that you can verify that you have been proactive in order to maintain classroom discipline.

Find a friend: Having a mentor in the school can be a godsend in every aspect of your career as a new teacher, but perhaps especially so when it comes to discipline. By having a friendly ear to bend with your questions and problems, you’ll feel more confident and able to accomplish your goals in your classroom, because you’ll know that an expert is available to help if you run into difficulties.

Jordan Reeves Walker, Ed.D. “Classroom Discipline Guru”

"Classroom Discipline Guru"

Classroom management is likely the single most important part of teaching. Managing a classroom includes building classroom discipline, watching the time you use and building positive rapport with your students. These skills are vitally important to master to be an effective teacher. In order to reach a comfortable and well run classroom a teacher must establish a presence, gain the trust of the students and demonstrate their ability to the students. Here are some tips for building classroom discipline and managing a classroom as well as student behavior.

The most important part of maintaining any classroom is planning out your lessons and activities in advance. Teachers are less likely to deviate from their schedule or digress when they have a defined plan of action in their classroom. This will also help with establishing a classroom presence as you will appear on top of the material and well organized. This will also give you the ability to keep your students well scheduled, a key ingredient for maintaining behavior.

Teachers must always balance being assertive with their students while also making sure their students feel comfortable around them. This is a very delicate balance that is always a challenge to maintain. If a teacher expects students to be well behaved and disciplined they must earn their trust while showing them they are in charge. Students want to trust their teachers and excel and being assertive and sure of yourself will help you in building classroom discipline without having to make it obvious that you are enforcing discipline.

If there is a significant issues with discipline in the classroom it will need to be addressed quickly. However, discipline has to be something that is done without being too heavy handed. The best teachers are those that can run their classrooms within time boundaries while using humor and fun to engage their students. There are those times when all teachers must enforce strict discipline with an unruly student, but those times should be far and few between. Building classroom discipline is as much about being friendly and organized as it is being a disciplinarian.

A busy student is a well behaved student. A great teacher will utilize all the available technology to keep students on task and engaged. Using Smartboards, visual presentations, laptops or laser pointers will help grab the attention of the students and keep it. Integrate short videos into the lesson and keep them tuned into the material.

If a teacher intends to stand in the front of a room and lecture with little interaction, they will most certainly have a problem building classroom discipline. A teacher should change activities, pace and teaching techniques often throughout a lesson to keep students on task. A student is less likely to have discipline issues when they are interested and engaged in the lesson. The ultimate way to gain control of the students is to involve them in the lesson and the outcomes.

"Classroom Discipline Guru"

Did you know that learning how to control and manage student behavior in classrooms is one of the biggest challenges there is in teaching today? Whether you are starting your career as a teacher or have had some experience in it, you will find tips on behavior control invaluable to your career.  What better way to do that than to make time for behavior management workshops?

Why you need to attend:

As a teacher, every new classroom will be a new experience. There are all sorts of students to deal with. Some of the students are dealing with serious issues such as:

• Parental separation, divorce or death

• Lack of parental love

• Low self esteem

• Attention deficit disorders

• Long term sicknesses and health conditions among many others

This means that you cannot just assume a student is misbehaving because they are rude. There is the need to understand the root of the inappropriate behavior and address it accordingly. This is where the behavior management workshops come in. Here, are some of the tested and proven classroom management techniques that you can learn in the workshops.

1.Technique one: Assertive discipline

This technique originated from Lee Canter. There are times when student behave negatively simply because they know there will be no consequences to their actions. This model recommends the following actions to be taken when negative behavior occurs.

a. Verbal warning: At this level, you have to be extremely firm in discouraging the unruly behavior. A stern warning will be appropriate.

b. Physical proximity: Walking closer to a misbehaving student will make rowdy students stop what they are doing.

c. Consequence: When the two above do not work, then you as the teacher will have to result to punishment. It is essential to note that correction is the aim of punishment.

Being consistent is a vital element of this technique.  As B.F Skinner once observed, conditioning happens as a result of consistence.

2. Technique two: Having the right attitude in the classroom

Most teachers fail to control a classroom because they have a wrong attitude. In his book, on Tools for teaching, Fred Jones notes the following as pivotal in commanding the respect of the students.

• The importance of being calm: once a teacher looses patience and starts yelling at a student, they have already lost the battle. Being upset makes you look weak to students. This in return encourages them to antagonize you further.

• Making your body language mean business: you might have heard that over 50% of the meaning you communicate depends on your body language. Behavior management workshops will teach you how to match your body language with the intended message you want to pass across.

3. Technique three: Reinforcing behaviors

Reinforcement is one of the most effective and scientifically proven behavior management techniques. Here are some tips on reinforcement that every teacher should have:

• Always reward positive behavior: never let a positive behavior go unnoticed. The workshops will help a teacher learn the rewards you can give to encourage appropriate behavior.

• Ignoring injurious behavior works: It is extremely crucial to note that injurious behavior by students to self or others should never be ignored. However, behavior such as murmurings can be ignored.

• Always have consistent consequences for inappropriate behavior.

Behavior management workshops will help any teacher learn to apply the above techniques in their daily classroom life.

Dr. Jordan Reeves Walker, “Classroom Discipline Guru”

The first step towards ensuring that pupils don’t bully others is to come up with a code of conduct which all students are expected to adhere to. To make it easier for the pupils to adhere to the regulations, they should be involved in deciding what behavior is acceptable and unacceptable. This way, they will even enforce the rules to their fellow students. Some pupils bully others because they lack proper social skills. Such pupils should be taught how to socialize with their peers without resolving to bully them. The teacher should constantly offer them praise if they live up to his or her expectations. This will make them want to keep up with the good behavior.

The teacher should encourage the pupils to report any incidences of bullying by their classmates. This can sometimes be difficult because the pupils may fear the wrath of the bully. To solve this problem, the teacher should provide an anonymous bullying box for this purpose. Anonymity will encourage them not to let the bully off the hook. Minimizing the opportunities for bullying is one of the best classroom management techniques of dealing with the problem. The teacher should make sure that bullies do not sit with their victims in class. Also, the two should not be put in the same team or group. In addition, pupils who are likely to act aggressively when grouped together should be split. These tactics will dramatically reduce cases of bullying in the classroom.

Creating peer meditation programs will help the pupils to seek help from their peers whenever they conflict with other pupils. During such sessions, the bully may realize how much harm he is causing. He might decide to stop hurting others.

Focusing on changing the bully’s behavior is important. This can be achieved through several steps. The teacher should start with the no blame approach where the bully is required to seek support from his peer group. The next step is the shared concern method. The bully is required to accept that he is responsible for bullying. This makes it easy to isolate the bullying behavior.

In cases where bullies become difficult and won’t stop their aggressive behavior, they should be isolated from the rest of the pupils. They should fully be informed why they are being isolated before being given a chance to ponder over the reasons that led to their isolation. It would also be useful to ask the offending student to write a letter to his parents explaining the reasons why he has been isolated. The teacher should check the letter to ensure that no lame excuse is used for the behavior. This will make the pupil more in control of his behavior next time. These classroom management techniques are sure to put any bully’s behavior under control.

Reward programs are easy to create, but there must be well established rules for the rewards. Many teachers in elementary grades will use reward charts to help ensure the reward system is fair for all students. Teacher will find that using charts will bring excitement to the students when they have earned notoriety for their efforts. It is also a great way to motivate students who do not want to buy into the process of discipline.

A reward program helps in building classroom discipline because it gives the students something to strive for. Rewards can be offered for outstanding behavior, good grades and achieving goals as a class. A sense of pride develops in addition to the discipline when these types of programs are started at the beginning of the school year. The reward programs can be individual or class orientated. The only issue with a class orientated program is how you will deal with a student who is not participating and keeping the class from a reward. This can create unwelcome negativity from other students if the teacher isn’t careful.

When you select a reward make sure it is something special. For instance, if the entire class can score 80% or above on a spelling test you will make a special cake for them and have a party at the end of the day. It has to be a prize that is worth striving for. The discipline end of the reward program tends to happen naturally. The students will want to behave and perform to ensure they achieve the reward and the praise the accompanies it.

Older students can also benefit from a reward program. If you find that you have a class that is “behavior challenged” and you would like to start building classroom discipline, then you should determine what would motivate the group. For instance, seniors that approach the spring are very hard to motivate and discipline. A reward system that they earn an exemption from a final exam may motivate them to work hard until the end of the school year. A student who is not motivated by the reward and continues with bad behavior will likely not prevent you from building classroom discipline with the others who do want the exemption on the examination.

Reward programs also can be a lot of fun for the teacher. Discipline can be arduous and negative or it can be fun and productive. A reward program makes building classroom discipline easy and a lot more fun!

Jordan Reeves Walker, Ed. D. “Classroom Discipline Guru”