Discipline in the EFL Classroom

Learning to control a classroom can be a challenging task. Learning to control a classroom of English language learners can be even more daunting. Throw in the fact that the children may be as young as four or five, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. The important thing to remember when teaching is that little can be learned if there is no order. If Johnny is running around, Sarah is whispering to her friends in her native language, and Tommy is hitting Edward, then the focus is no longer on the teacher or the student speaking. The goal of the teacher is to produce a safe environment and have the ability to direct students’ attention to where they see fit. Learning some basic techniques for controlling your classroom will give you more time to focus on teaching, and less time on pulling your hair out.

Rules, Rules, Rules

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of making a list of classroom rules. At the beginning of every school year or when you get new students, review the previous year’s discipline problems. Make a list of rules that will cover how you want your classroom to be run. Make the rules positive instead of negative. Focus on what the children should do as opposed to what they should not do. For example instead of listing ‘Do Not Shout.’, you could say ‘Use a Quiet Voice When Speaking’. Every teacher and classroom will vary with their rules, but some rules that have worked well for me are:

Sit Nicely Use a Quiet Voice Speak English Be Nice to Your Friends and the Teacher (i.e. don’t speak when your

friends or the teacher is speaking.) Raise Your Hand to Speak Walk in the Classroom and Hallways

It is important to post the rules in the classroom and refer to them often. If you like, you can have another teacher translate the rules into the children’s native

language and post it under the rules in English. You want the students to fully understand the rules. If you are a traveling teacher, laminate the rules and keep them on a sheet of paper so you can pull them out when needed. When you get a new class, make sure to introduce the rules on the first day. Read each rule and allow children time to silently read the rule in their native language. Demonstrate each rule in front of the class showing the acceptable way and unacceptable ways to behave.

Reward Positive Behavior

It is human nature to want to be praised and acknowledged for good behavior and work. It is always better to intercept negative behavior before it begins. It is possible to do this by consistently acknowledging and rewarding positive behavior. If you see that Johnny is the only child not looking at his book during reading time, make sure to acknowledge how nicely Janie (who coincidently is sitting next to Johnny) is holding her book. Once again demonstrate the proper way to hold and follow along in a book. Chances are Johnny will wake up and try to also receive praise from the teacher for holding his book correctly. All this was accomplished without having to single out Johnny. Most of the children’s rewards can be verbal praise from you and that is sufficient. If you want to use board stars, stickers, treats, and prizes, those are other ways to “motivate” students to behave properly.

There are always “problem” students in every class. They are often accustomed to being yelled at, singled out, and punished. It is important to recognize one thing they did correctly during the class and lavish praise; even if it is something as simple as writing their name nicely. I have seen extremely problematic children turn around based on praise. Simply saying “Tom, I was so happy with you today.” while patting Tom on the shoulder can do wonders. Pretty soon the child will want to set examples for the other children if you keep acknowledging their efforts.

Before Things Escalate

Sometimes praising other students is not enough for some students to realize that they are breaking a rule. The following are some tips for grabbing the attention of problem students to set them on the right course:

Stay Calmo The most important thing I can stress when working with children is to

remain calm. It is so easy to get angry and once you let your anger get the better of you, your ability to handle the situation efficiently and compassionately diminishes. Always remember that you are the adult in the classroom. The student is the child. They are still learning how to behave properly in social settings. Make yourself an example for the children and remember to follow your own rules!

Name Dropping o If a student is fooling around with another student or blankly staring into

space while you are explaining a concept, casually say their name without disrupting your lecture. “So Cindy we see that these animals live on the farm.” Upon hearing her name, Cindy will look up and hopefully get the hint that she should be paying attention. You can also ask questions about the topic to students who are not paying attention. “And what is one animal that lives on a farm, Jenny?” Jenny then has to produce an answer that demonstrates she was listening. If she cannot answer because she wasn’t listening, have another student answer the question and praise the fact that they were listening. Then have Jenny repeat the answer to make sure she understands. Most likely she will begin to pay attention.

Refer to the Ruleso If you see that James and Betty are constantly shouting out the answers

and you would like to get students in the habit of raising their hand, refer to your rules that are posted in the class. Stop the lecture and point to the rules and have children review. Demonstrate the proper way to raise your hand and remain quiet until the teacher calls on you. This way you are “reminding” the entire class when really you would like James and

Betty to stop their behavior. Remember to only pick children to answer who are following the rules.

Warning If you have tried all “positive” discipline techniques and are left with a student who is still misbehaving, it is now time to take the next step. If Sam is constantly running in the classroom, say “Sam, do not run in the classroom. The rule says ‘Walk in the Classroom.’ (Point to the rules posted.) Tell Sam that if he doesn’t stop running the following consequence will happen: a. he will lose a star on the board b. he will lose a sticker c. he will line up last d. any consequence of your choice. It is imperative that the teacher follow through on consequences. If you do not, then you are just empty words in the air and the students wonder why they should listen if nothing unpleasant will happen to them.

Consequences

Pick Your BattlesIf you sent every child outside the classroom for speaking their native langue, not paying attention, or rocking their chair, then you would have a class of children sitting in the hallway and four or five sitting in the classroom. Something to remember is that you have to decide what actions are absolutely unacceptable and deserve the strongest punishment, and which ones can result in a verbal resolution.

Reward Taken AwayIf you giveth rewards, you can taketh away rewards. Make sure you have given a warning before taking a reward. Also don’t go crazy because you are angry. A child mocking the teacher doesn’t necessarily warrant a teacher taking away all 20 of their earned stickers.

Time Out- Always the Last Resort!Obviously when a student causes harm to another student in the class, it often warrants a time-out and a cool down period. Physical harm to another student

is absolutely unacceptable and must be treated as such. It is important for teachers to be in communication with school management and administrators about agreed upon discipline techniques. Make sure you understand what acceptable punishments are. Clear the time-out technique with your management. Some schools do not ever want a child sent outside the classroom. Make sure you have a system in place for extreme cases. Make sure management will support your discipline decisions when dealing with parents.

Time Out TechniqueIf Sally punches Bill in the face then the following steps must be taken:o Separate Sally and Bill.

o Get down to Sally’s level and look her in the eyes. Make sure she

is paying attention to you. o Remain calm, have a low toned, stern voice, and without yelling

say “Sally, it is not okay to hit your friends. The rule says ‘Be nice to your friends.’ I know you are angry, but hitting is not okay. You will have a time out for ____ minutes.”

o Leave Sally in a safe place away from the other students (Be it in

the back of the classroom or watched (not coddled) by a helper teacher in the hallway) for one minute for every year of her age.

o When her time out is finished, make sure you review why she was

in time out (You should not hit other students), and try to get her to apologize to the student she hit.

o Afterwards, hold no grudges and warmly invite Sally to join the

class again. What Not to Do!

The following are practices I have seen throughout the years and have even participated in myself that I believe are ineffective and in some cases even cruel:

Embarrassing the child Screaming and yelling Physical punishment (This can range from children having to

hold a chair at arm’s length to a teacher striking a student)

Fake threats to call their parents (If you tell a child that you are going to speak with their parents, do it!)

Fake threats that their parents are watching them through the classroom cameras (Children are not dumb and they will find out eventually that you are lying to them. They will respect you less after this.)

Writing as a punishment (Do not make writing a punishment or you will see later that when you try to get them to write how much they associate it with something negative.)

Making threats that the student will have to go to another “meaner” teacher (You want your students to respect you, not another teacher.)

Expecting helper teachers to deal with all discipline Ignoring the problem

Remember that your goal as a teacher is to keep your students safe, teach English, and have fun. If you are consistent in practicing your discipline techniques, you will see your classroom running smoother and you and your students will have a much more pleasant experience.

Written By: Jessica Beal