martyboy

The Utopian answer is give them lots of challenges like puzzles and games etc. One poster on this site said 'kick ass' but what exactly does he mean? Another poster said on one occasion he walked out. I once taught in Hong Kong and the kids were shere heaven. Stood up when I walked in, utterly motivated, another world. What does one do with a disruptive class of 60?? Pack it in and fuck off home? I would like to know the answer from an experienced teacher.

aging one

Cant you simply find a way to let them know its like ajarn its not a democracy and you are the boss. I deal with university students so perhaps its different.

__________________
Too long in Exile, too long not singing my song.
Too long like a rolling stone, Too long in exile
Too long in Exile, baby you just arent my friend.
Too long in Exile my friend, Baby you can never go home again.

bewildered wanderer

oh well, you're screwed

really, I use the stare and a piercing voice that actually hurts their ears (because of the frequency or something)

really, discipline has to start the first day otherwise it is an uphill battle, but you can still win it.

do you teach this same class all day? If so:
first infraction - warning
2nd - take away their chair
3rd - take away their desk and give them a board to write on.

after 2 hours of standing they will get the idea, but you will need to keep this enforced for a few months

other things...
-when students do really bad things, I make them pick up all the trays/mess in the cafeteria
-I might make them stand outside on a hot and sunny day
-I give insane amounts of lines for homework and don't let them into the class the next day until the lines are finished, but I also make the parents fully aware of the punishment so they have a chance (this is to teach them that punishment isn't limited to just school) I think lines at school is a waste of learning time
-I take away their free time after lunch, break, snack, and before school starts where they will do supplementary worksheets and/or clean the classrooms/hallways


if you elaborate on your positive reinforcement techniques, I may be able to give you some of mine if they are different...

__________________
momma

Sanuk Canuk

Good idea but if you make some milky skined hi-so girl stand out in the sun expect to be fired the very next day. Group punishment often works well to. Don't punish the individual, punish the class....if they complain tell them they are being punished because they did not "support" their classmate in helping him think the right thoughts.

__________________
[Laying Plans] "It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected." Sun Tsu

Mr. Hales

if your classroom management is tip-top you don't need to worry 'bout discipline.

__________________

"we never have enough, time to show our love." r.

bewildered wanderer

^true enough
but I think we are talking about when you go into a new class...

As for the hi-so girl thing Sanuk, not at my school... seen quite a few kids complain about me. I'm still here, but they aren't.

__________________
momma

Mr Pants

The key to discipline for me has been cutting down on "down time". I teach m1 and m2 so if they dont have something to do and if i dont keep them on task, they want to run around and slap the hell out of each other.

Any disruptive students who make it difficult to teach are warned and then tossed out of class. It's not fair to everyone else to spend most of my time managing 2 or 3 loud and lazy students instead of helping the majority to learn.

Discipline was my weakest aspect of my teaching, but with a consistent crackdown you can win them back. Good luck

__________________
Rule number 26: "Do not form mafia style groups in school" - oooops
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

fencesitter

Not sure if this is such a good idea. Why not use a reward/punishment system? A token economy works great for me. Copy some dollars (illegal ) and design a reward at the end of each week. Students who have earned enough cash get the reward. Those that haven't don't. If students start misbehaving, simply take away money. It's a really simple system and can save you from yelling or other drastic action.

bewildered wanderer

^
I didn't mention any reward systems as the OP said they were tried already...

And positive reinforcement doesn't always work with some students, especially the upper middle class spoiled kids. IME, the really naughty students aren't bothered by missing out on a treat at the end of the week. You'll hear them comment on the cheap cake/candy/stickers...

I just listed the quickest and easiest ways that I know to break a class into behaving properly so that the whole of them can start to enjoy the learning process.

BTW, positive reinforcement in the form of rewards may not be such a good thing as you are teaching the kids to learn because they will receive a physical reward rather than learning for the sake of em bettering themselves. Do you really want the child to learn his timestables because he will get an icecream or because he should want to be a productive member of the class and society as a whole?

don't get me wrong, I do use physical every now and then...

__________________
momma

The Quiet American

I use a very high pitched whistle that only Thais can hear.

Sanuk Canuk

I only teach pratom kids and I don't really find them that dificult to manage. Set up a system, stick with it and they will fall in line. Very little need to get to over the top with them. I must restate the group thing though. If there is a bad kid punish the whole class when he plays up. That way the rest of the class will help him keep in line. Keep them all in their seats during a break while he stands at the front of the class or something like that. Wont work with the fully anti social but it is effective 90% of the time. Simple and it won't get you in crap with the admin or parents.

__________________
[Laying Plans] "It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected." Sun Tsu

Lizara

You can't force them to want to be a productive member of the class. Not everyone does. I'm not sure that punishing them for misbehavour teaches them that anyway; it just teaches them to behave as you want them to in order to avoid being punished.

I have both a reward and a punishment system. They're in teams and they get points for sitting quietly when I tell them to, answering questions, participation, finishing worksheets, and winning games. The winning team gets a sticker; five stickers gets a little candy. It takes care of most students. If a kid misbehaves three times, I write a note in their homework book for their mom to sign. Again, this takes care of most students, though there are a few who don't really care.

One thing that really kills me about teaching ESL is that I can't explain to my students why what they're doing is bad. I feel like without that, I'm only teaching them to listen to authority in order to get rewards and/or avoid punishment, and that's not what I want them to learn from me... but at P1, there's no way they'd understand if I tried to explain.

kikiat

The simplicity, love it, gonna use it next semester, now I sometimes have a students come to the front and stand on one leg for a while, or do push ups or what not.

The other day I had a student sat outside with desk and all writing lines .

__________________
Sometimes my mind wanders, sometimes it leaves completely
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


I ALWAYS GIVE A 100% AT WORK:

12% Monday
23% Tuesday
40% Wednesday
20% Thursday
5% Friday

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

Brian Crease

If this is true, you shouldn't be working with children. Try getting a job at the local prison, I'm sure your sadistic tendencies would be much appreciated.

I've worked with lower Pratom classes for many years and always found that laying the rules down on the first day and sticking to them rigidly for about a month always works. Children need boundaries and guidelines, they may give the impression that they don't like them, but they will adhere to them if you enforce them. As for using physical force, the moment you do that you have lost the battle and eventually your job. Even the most badly behaved child doesn't deserve to be hit, there are other ways and it is up to you to find which way works. What works with one child will not work with another child, that's just common sense. Maybe you're in the wrong job?