CONTENTS
EDU3043
The teachers role and action in managing
MANAGEMENT OF DISCIPLINE
PROBLEMS IN THE CLASSROOM
Dr. Mary Wong Siew Lian
Jabatan PIPK
IPG KBL
The Teachers Role and Action in
Managing Discipline Problems

Experienced teachers create well-managed
classrooms where there are fewer classroom
disruptions

However, sometimes students bring problems
to school and even the most effective teachers
will be confronted with unexpected discipline
problems that require teacher intervention
(Brophy, 1996)

The most important aspect of attending to
disruptive behavior is to return the classroom
to a constructive atmosphere

It is important to regain control of the
classroom quickly and avoid involvement of
more students than necessary
marywsl/ipgkbl/jan 2015
discipline problems

Hindrances to managing discipline problems

Appropriate interventions in handling
discipline problems:
- pastoral care
- guidance and counseling
- behaviour modification techniques

Disciplining students for disruptive behavior
should be part of a continuous plan

Skills necessary for teachers during disciplining
procedures are:
- ability to listen
- knowledge of conflict-resolution techniques
- ability to work with professionals who handle
the disruptive behavior of a particular student
- knowledge to develop and carry out
management and discipline plans
Group Activity
Study the account of a volatile situation that a
New Jersey secondary school teacher faced and
identify the strategies she used to handle the
situation

Are you satisfied with what she did?

What would you have done?
Brainstorm about the common discipline
problems in our Malaysian primary school
classrooms
1
 Dealing with Discipline Problems
(Emmer, Evertson & Worsham, 2006; Levin & Nolan, 2000)
No. Ways to Stop Misbehavior
1 Make eye contact, move
closer to the offender, use
non-verbal signals
2 Verbal hints
3 Point to negative effects of
their actions
4 Reminder about rules and
procedures
No. Ways to Stop Misbehavior Explanation
5 Ask them to state the rule or In a calm, unhostile way ask them to
procedure state the rule or procedure
Explanation
Make sure the offender stops the 6 Command them to stop the In a clear, assertive, and unhostile way
misbehavior or else your signals will be misbehavior tell them to stop the misbehavior
ignored in future
7 Offer a choice Stop the misbehavior or face exclusion/
personal counseling /punishment
Name-dropping, ask the student a
question
Ask them whether they are aware of the
negative effects Study the examples given in Woolfolk (2010) on
how to handle bullying, misbehavior, and violence
Quietly remind them about the rules or
procedures
in the classroom

DO NOT break up fights without help!
This is unfair, ineffective, alienates the student

Logical consequences when a student has
If you really have to, impose penalties in
misbehaved, he/she is punished and has to private and explain the reason for it clearly
apologize to the person(s) concerned and
make amends if necessary

After that, re-establish a positive relationship
with the student

Penalty punishment for breaking rules/fines

Exercise caution when imposing penalties:

- never use lower achievement as a punishment
- never punish special needs students if it is
a misbehavior they cant help doing

Questions the Teacher could Ask in Identifying It is then important for the teacher to examine:
the Cause of Misbehavior  Group size and composition
 Planning time
Could this misbehavior be a result of
 Cultural and linguistic barriers
inappropriate curriculum or teaching strategies?
 Availability of equipment, materials, and
resources
Inappropriate curriculum and teaching
strategies can sometimes contribute to
student misbehavior

Some misbehavior may arise as a function of

the teacher's inability to meet the diverse
needs of all students

marywsl/ipgkbl/jan 2015 2
 Could this misbehavior be a result of the student's
inability to understand the concepts being
taught?
When there is a mismatch between teaching
style and the learning styles of students,
misbehavior inevitably results
Are the contents presented in an interesting
way? Are they too difficult for the students to
understand?
What should you do to solve this problem?
Could this misbehavior be a result of other
factors?
Classroom climate and physical arrangements
Your own behavior as a teacher in managing
the lesson with-it-ness, reinforcement,
overlapping, recognition of individual needs
and interaction with students
Examine your instructions are they clear?
Hindrances Explanation
School Laissez faire in their leadership approach, no
administrators support for teachers in disciplining students,
poor management skills
Discipline master Too lenient, inefficient, students are not afraid
of him
School counselor Inefficient, lack of counseling skills
Large class size Difficult to manage the class
Teachers Not strict/assertive enough, have different
standards of discipline, no autonomy to
enforce rules/punish students, lack classroom
management skills, inconsistent
Others?
marywsl/ipgkbl/jan 2015
Could this misbehavior be an underlying result of
the student's disability?
Determine the underlying cause of disruptive
behavior by doing a careful analysis of the
behavior; get professional help if needed
Identify the students disability emotional/
behavioral disorder, physical impairment, .
Decide what action to take
Prepare and implement a plan to correct the
condition
Hindrances to Managing Discipline Problems
Hindrances Explanation
Country/community/ Lack of law and order, poor moral values,
societal norms and many juvenile cases of: drugs, alcohol, sex,
practices theft, extortion, smoking, bullying
Parents Over-protective, absent/single parents, dont
discipline their children, low moral values,
disadvantaged/poor homes, uninterested in
childrens education/well-being
School culture Too lax about discipline, poor enforcement of
rules, lack of emphasis on: academic & co-
curriculum activities, moral values, involving
parents, care and concern for students
Interventions in Handling Discipline Problems
PASTORAL CARE
The quality of pastoral care influences the
character and tone of the whole school
It is very important to provide a school
atmosphere where there is good relationship
and mutual respect, and students feel safe and
loved
It is equally important to inform and reassure
parents that their children are educated in a
safe and caring environment
3
 All staff, teaching and non-teaching, have a
responsibility for pastoral care
In exercising pastoral care, the school
attempts to meet the personal, social,
emotional and intellectual needs of every
student
This is in order that each student might
participate fully and gain maximum benefit
from everything the school has to offer
Teachers therefore have to:
 promote and safeguard the health, welfare
and safety of students
 work in partnership with parents, support
staff and other professionals
 provide advice and guidance to students on
issues related to their education
 contribute towards good order and the
wider needs of the school
PASTORAL CARE
TYPES DESCRIPTION
Personal Support Attendance, late-coming, health and
other personal welfare matters
Curricular Support Curriculum, learning and teaching,
progress, reporting, attainment
Vocational Support Careers education, vocational courses,
education/industry activities, further and
higher education links
Personal & Social Guidance and support, individual education
Education plan (special needs students), motivation,
encouragement
marywsl/ipgkbl/jan 2015
Pastoral care in this sense can be applied to
listening, supporting, encouraging and
befriending students
Every student is entitled to :
 Personal guidance
 Curricular guidance
 Vocational guidance
 A program of personal and social education
 A positive school environment
Pastoral Support is a service that gives help
and support to students as well as providing
information, advice and guidance
It requires close partnership between
teachers, parents/caregivers and other
specialist agencies
Main aim - to identify any concerns or issues
at the earliest possible opportunity and
remove any barriers to learning which may be
preventing students from reaching their full
potential
PASTORAL CARE DESCRIPTION
Development of a School aims, values, rules and ethos
positive school Behavior management, recognition of
ethos achievement, anti-bullying, equal rights,
citizenship, safety and security
4
 GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING
Guidance and counseling of students is an
integral component of the educational mission
of all schools
Guidance and counseling basically include:
- (1) the ordinary teacher playing the role of
counselor and supporter in the classroom
daily, helping students find solutions to their
problems
The teacher as counselor and supporter
Every teacher inevitably has to counsel
students in the classroom over such matters
as discipline/misbehavior, learning challenges
and emotional/psychological problems
Only serious cases are referred to the school
counselor who will then assist the teacher/
parents in handling the problem

- (2) the qualified school counselor providing Every teacher should have some guidance and
guidance and counseling services and counseling knowledge and skills
programs to the school community at large

GENERAL COUNSELING TECHNIQUES

Goal setting Together with the client (student), identify the
Goal Taking problem that has to be solved
Setting Stock
Taking stock Examine the events leading up to the present
problem; diagnose the problem
COUNSELING Non-judgmental Do not interrupt the client; do not judge whether
Client TECHNIQUES Non- evaluation the client is in the right or wrong; build trust and
Solution of judgmental make the client feel safe and respected
Problem Evaluation Listening skills Be an active listener, not a passive one;
(empathetic paraphrase, reflect, summarize, question, give
Listening listening) full attention to the client as you listen
Skills
Client solution of Lead the client towards coming up with a
the problem solution to the problem

No-lose method of resolving conflict (Gordon, 1981)

Three possible ways to resolve T-S conflicts Define the problem What exactly are the behaviors involved?
Pinpoint the real problem
1. The teacher impose a solution when it is an Generate many Brainstorm for possible solutions
emergency a defiant student that could possible solutions
hurt others Evaluate each If no solutions are found, continue
solution brainstorming
2. The teacher gives in to the students demands, Make a decision Choose a solution that is agreeable to both
when particularly convinced to do so parties involved
Determine how to What will be needed? Who will be
3. Both teacher and student give in completely implement it responsible for the task? How? When?
Evaluate the success After trying it out, evaluate whether it is
of the solution suitable

marywsl/ipgkbl/jan 2015 5
 Peer Mediation and Negotiation The work of the school counselor
(Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., Dudley, Ward & Magnuson, 1995) Guidance and counseling services and
1 Jointly define the conflict Separate the person from the problem and
programs promote the personal/social,
actions involved; identify both persons goals educational, and career development of all
2 Exchange positions and Each person present a tentative proposal
students
interests listen to the other persons proposal and
feelings School guidance counselors work with
3 Reverse perspectives Reverse roles and argue for that perspective students, parents and teachers to ensure that
the academic, social and developmental needs
4 Invent at least three Brainstorm, focus on goals, think creatively
agreements that allow for about how to resolve the conflict with mutual of students are met
mutual gain gain
5 Reach an integrative Make sure both goals are met; if not, flip a
They meet with students individually and visit
agreement coin, take turns, or call in a third party a classrooms to observe learning and
mediator socialization

This allows them to assess problem areas and BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION TECHNIQUES
advise parents and teachers regarding a
student's educational goals Behavior modification is a therapeutic
technique based on the work of B.F. Skinner
Read the two articles on guidance and
counseling in Malaysia and summarize the Skinner developed a theory of operant
roles of Malaysian school counselors conditioning, which states that all behavior is
governed by reinforcing and punishing stimuli

Behavior modification uses a scheduled

approach that rewards desired behavior and
"punishes" undesirable behavior

There are five categories of activities that can be Principles for Using Behavior Modification
addressed with behavior modification techniques 1. TO DEVELOP A NEW BEHAVIOR
(BMT) (Krumboltz & Krumboltz, 1972):
Successive To teach a child to act in a manner in which he
Approximation has seldom or never before behaved, reward
Develop a new behavior Principle successive steps to the final behavior
Strengthen a behavior
Maintain an established behavior Continuous To develop a new behavior that the child has
Stop inappropriate behavior Reinforcement not previously exhibited, arrange for an
Modify emotional behavior Principle immediate reward after each correct
performance
For each of the following BMT, discuss and Modeling To teach a child new ways of behaving, allow
suggest specific examples of application of Principle him to observe a good model before
each principle
performing the desired behavior

marywsl/ipgkbl/jan 2015 6
 Negative To increase a child's performance in a
Reinforcement particular way, you may arrange for him to
Principle avoid or escape a mild aversive situation by
improving his behavior or by allowing him to
avoid the aversive situation by behaving
appropriately
Discrimination To teach a child to act in a particular way
Principle under one set of circumstances but not in
another, help him to identify the cues that
differentiate the circumstances and reward him
only when his action is appropriate to the cue

Cueing To teach a child to remember to act at a

Principle specific time, arrange for him to receive a cue
for the correct performance just before the
action is expected rather than after he has
performed it incorrectly

2. TO STRENGTHEN A NEW BEHAVIOR 3. TO MAINTAIN AN ESTABLISHED BEHAVIOR

Decreasing To encourage a child to continue performing Substitution To change reinforcers when a previously
Reinforcement an established behavior with few or no Principle effective reward is no longer controlling
Principle rewards, gradually require a longer time period behavior, present it just before the time you
or more correct responses before a correct present the new, hopefully more effective
behavior is rewarded reward
Variable To improve or increase a child's performance
Reinforcement of a certain activity, provide the child with an
Principle intermittent reward

4. TO STOP INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR Punishment To stop a child from acting in a certain way,
Satiation To stop a child from acting in a particular way, Principle deliver an aversive stimulus immediately after
Principle you may allow him to continue (or insist that he the action occurs. Since punishment results in
continue) performing the undesired act until he increased hostility and aggression, it should
tires of it only be used infrequently and in conjunction
with reinforcement
Extinction To stop a child from acting in a particular way,
Principle you may arrange conditions so that he
receives no rewards following the undesired
act
Incompatible To stop a child from acting in a particular way,
Alternative you may reward an alternative action that is
Principle inconsistent with or cannot be performed at the
same time as the undesired act

marywsl/ipgkbl/jan 2015 7
 5. TO MODIFY EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOR
Avoidance To teach a child to avoid a certain type of
Principle situation, simultaneously present to the child
the situation to be avoided (or some
representation of it) and some aversive
condition (or its representation)
Fear Reduction To help a child overcome his fear of a
Principle particular situation, gradually increase his
exposure to the feared situation while he is
otherwise comfortable, relaxed, secure or
rewarded

marywsl/ipgkbl/jan 2015 8