How to Manage Student's Discipline in the Classroom

Establishing rules, creating procedures and using a point system can help you manage your class. Students will respect you when they know your expectations and the penalties for breaking your rules. Managing classroom discipline is a cinch when students understand that they will be treated fairly in your class.

Instructions

1

Establish clear rules. Give students a short list of fewer than five rules that must be adhered to in class. Post the rules in the class. Require that students are silent while you are talking. Mandate that they stay on task. Direct them to allow classmates to work undisturbed. Discuss the rules, and send them home for a parent signature.

2

Establish procedures. Give students clear instructions on how to enter the classroom, turn in assignments, and retrieve books for class. Students also need to know procedures for requesting to use the restroom. Teach students to become silent when you signal them and how to respond during a fire drill. Don't assume that students will raise their hands to ask questions or write their names and dates on their papers. Tell them your procedures. Show them what you would like them to do, and require that they practice the procedures.

3

Create a seating chart. A seating chart enables you to separate students who chat during class time. The chart separates students who will fight or disrupt the class when seated together. Seat students with special needs near the front of the class. Check your seating chart every day so students are sitting in assigned seats.

4

Create a point system. A point system will give students an incentive to behave in class. Award points for positive behaviors. Remove points for inappropriate behaviors. Weekly rewards are useful to keep students motivated to earn points.

5

Establish penalties. Give your students a warning the first time they break a rule. During subsequent breaches, the penalties may begin. Depending on your school's rules, penalties may include a phone call home to parents, detention, sitting away from friends during lunchtime, or in school suspension.

6

Call for help. Contact an administrator if students are fighting, verbally abusive, and unresponsive to warnings. You should also call if students threaten to harm themselves or others. Always call parents if there is an issue with a student in your class. Invite parents for conferences to discuss the issue. Keep a record of meetings with parents and document the calls home. Take notes during calls and meetings.