Summary:
The task of managing student behavior is complex because educators must maintain social order in the classroom, in addition to focusing on the individual needs of students. When a teacher adopts a highly structured discipline model that features a high degree of flexibility, they are empowered to make the best decisions about behavior management. Good behavior management decisions also result from teachers pledging to maintain the dignity of their students in any situation. Moreover, educators can utilize the six core beliefs of Discipline with Dignity to help define classroom boundaries as they utilize discipline as a learning process. First, an expectation of dealing with student behavior should exist among all …show more content…
Through each process, students learn about emotional and social behavior. Rules are the first element in the discipline model, and they define what to do and how to do it. They should be behavioral and written in black and white terms because students should not negotiate the rules. While rules are a central to all discipline plans, teachers should not overemphasize rules because they don’t lead to long-term behavior change. Rules should develop naturally from values, which are the behavioral guidelines that students are encouraged to learn in class. When rules are not built on a foundation of sound values, students may learn an action without understanding the reason to do the action. The third element of the discipline plan deals with the procedures of enforcement, which include consequences for rule breaking. Teachers and administrators have the choice between using the obedience model or the responsibility model of discipline. The obedience model centers on students following orders because they are told to and if they do not comply, they are punished. While this model may give teachers a sense of control, but it can ultimately lead to a lack of responsibility among students. On the other hand, the responsibility model fosters the critical thinking skills of students. Lastly, teachers need to combine numerical data and ask thorough questions regarding misbehavior. At the conclusion of this process, a determination is made about the effectiveness of the discipline