Hello, kol-ga
Your question is very interesting and prompted me to think back about
my early school days. Preteens and teenagers can certainly act up and
wreak havoc in the classroom. I'm sure we can all remember the small
handful of teachers who gained our utmost respect, either because they
shared a genuine kinship with their students and a love of their job,
or had such a stern manner that we were simply too scared to act up!
Either way, there is something to be said for a teacher who can gain
the respect of their students!
The direct parallel between discipline problems and the
student-teacher relationship highlighted by the current emphasis
placed on "Teacher Effectiveness Training. While some teachers who
have a natural knack for relating to students and gaining their
respect, others can definitely benefit from a little help.
The following articles touch on the importance of the "relationship
between teachers and students as a method to reduce discipline
problems.
==========
Teacher Effectiveness Training was instituted in direct response to
the problems teachers have in maintaining a disciplined classroom.
What, exactly, is "TET" and how can it help?
"What makes the difference between teaching that works and teaching
that fails? The factor that contributes the most is the quality of the
teacher-student relationship. It’s more important than what the
teacher is teaching or who the teacher is trying to teach."
"Teacher Effectiveness Training (T.E.T.) offers teachers the essential
communication and conflict resolution skills they need to have high
quality relationships with their students so there will be less
conflict and more teaching-learning time. This model has worked for
hundreds of thousands of teachers around the world."
So, what can a teacher learn to make them more effective in
maintaining a disciplined classroom?
Speak in a manner so students will listen.
Set classroom rules to minimize the need for enforcement.
Learn creative discipline while preserving the student's self-esteem.
Encourage student participation without being "too" permissive.
Learn strategies to resolve conflicts so both the teacher and student
can reach a satisfactory solution.
Ideally, the implementation of TET strategies will ellicit greater
respect from the students, discourage disruptions and conflicts, and
ultimately leading to fewer discipline problems within the classroom!
From "Teacher Effectiveness Training (T.E.T)." Gordon Training
International.
http://www.thomasgordon.com/schoolteacher.asp
====
When a teacher involves the students in classroom issues, a sense of
community is fostered that can keep discipline problems to a minimum.
While the teacher should definitely maintain an authoritative role,
too much authority without listening to students or considering their
suggestions can foster a sense of rebellion. Total lack of student
involvment in any aspect of how the classroom is run can also lead to
apathy or aggression, simply because the student is bored.
"Educators painfully well acquainted with the phenomenon known as
"burnout." Some days it seems that the bulbs have gone out in most
faculty lounges and administration buildings. But what if,
hypothetically speaking, this syndrome also affected students? How
would they talk and act? Teachers around the country to whom I have
put this question immediately suggest such symptoms as disengagement
and apathy - or, conversely, thoughtlessness and aggression. Either
tuning out or acting out might signal that a student was burning out.
In both cases, he or she would presumably just go through the motions
of learning, handing in uninspired work and counting the minutes or
days until freedom."
Students certainly need rules and guidelines, but their existence
does not rule out the possiblity for a good student-teacher
relationship.
"The critical question," as Thomas Gordon has put it, "is not whether
limits and rules are needed . . . but rather who sets them: the adults
alone or the adults and kids - together."
Read "Choices for Children - Why and How to Let Students Decide," by
Alfie Kohn. (1993)
http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/cfc.htm
====
Alphi Kohn has written extensively on teaching methods. An excerpt
from an interview with Kohn touches on the effects of a positive
teacher-student relationship and the minimizing of discipline
problems.
EW: How can teachers provide a safe and an active learning environment
without the use of rewards or punishment?
Kohn: I'd turn the question around and ask how in the world we could
ever provide a safe learning environment if kids are being rewarded or
punished. Now that's unrealistic! In the absence of excessive control,
however, we have the chance to create warm, respectful relationships
with students, to help them construct a caring community in the
classroom where they come to be concerned about one another, and to
bring them in on making decisions about many different aspects of
school life, including the kind of classroom they want to have and how
we can work together to create it. That may sound a bit utopian to
teachers who are accustomed to making almost all the decisions -- and
managing kids' behaviors with bribes and threats. All I can say is
that I frequently visit real classrooms where it really works, where
teachers "work with" kids rather than "doing to" them. I'm blown away
each time by how much more appealing and engaging these places are,
compared to classrooms where the teacher is putting kids' names on a
board; forcibly isolating those who misbehave, which we
euphemistically call "time out"; promising treats for kids who are
obedient; or saying "I like the way Fred sat right down and opened his
math book."
From "Carrots or Sticks? Alfie Kohn on Rewards and Punishment."
Education World. (2000)
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr299.shtml
====
The ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management maintains the
importance NOT ONLY of the student-teacher relationship but also the
student-school relationship as itegral in minimizing discipline
problems.
"..many disruptions occur in the classroom and are inseparable from
the student-teacher relationship."
"According to a growing body of literature, the primary determinant
of discipline policy effectiveness is a healthy relationship between
school and student--as indicated by such variables as principals'
leadership styles and students' perceptions of whether or not they are
fairly treated."
From "Student Discipline Policies." ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational
Management: ERIC Digest, Number Twelve.
http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed259455.html
====
An effective student-teacher relationship also necessitates the
teacher's need to understand cross-cultural differences. African
Americans often feel punished unfairly because they are singled out as
acting unruly, when, in fact, it it merely a matter of the teaching
staff not respecting "their style of classroom participation."
"African American students may feel encouraged to act out. Moreover,
the bad conduct of a white male student is likely to be excused as a
one-time slip while an African American youth who similarly misbehaves
is labeled a perpetual troublemaker and severely punished, thought by
the school that he has nothing to lose by being so classified."
Clearly, good communication can alleviate many discipline problems.
"Before disciplining students, educators should elicit and consider
the reasons for their perceived misbehavior, particularly as they
relate to racial differences between teachers and students. Doing so
demonstrates a teacher's respect for student concerns. It can even
uncover information about a problem that the school might help solve,
such as the need for educational supports; assistance in securing food
and shelter; relief from victimization through bullying; and
counseling for trauma, depression, and family difficulties
Read "School Practices for Equitable Discipline of African American
Students." ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education New York NY. ERIC
Digest Number 166.
http://www.ericfacility.net/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed455343.html
=======
Fostering the student-teacher relationship through private
conferences is an effective way to gain respect and reduce or
alleviate future discipline problems.
"The private teacher-student conference is a must for dealing with
the wide range of conflicts and misbehaviors that occur within a
classroom. It is one of the most effective, yet least used, of all
teacher tools and actions. We say that we don't have time for such
conferences. In reality, we don't have time not to have them if we
want to teach--and not spend our time handling the same misbehavior in
the same students every day of the year. Every teacher would be wise
to begin developing and polishing his or her private teacher-student
conference technique, because such procedures must be a part of the
successful teacher's professional strategic position. Without it, very
few students who are misbehaving will be managed effectively, because
acceptable behavior will not be learned via public confrontation."
"The private conference gives a teacher a greater probability for
success in solving both behavioral and academic problems. The
one-on-one strategy almost always does. It builds a relationship
between two people because it is personal and private. Too, it does
not put students in a position where they feel they are being
"watched" by their peers. The need to respond, to save face, or to
seek attention that intensifies many teacher-student confrontations is
greatly reduced and may be eliminated. Privacy is vital in correcting
and changing student behavior as well as in teaching acceptable
behavior."
Read "Your First Strategic Action Decision." Strategic Action, Chapter
4. (200)
http://www.masterteacher.com/excerpts/pdf/1130.pdf
======
Close communication with students along with a team-teaching approach
has nearly nipped discipline problems in the bud at Sylvester Middle
School in Washington State.
"The number of discipline problems dropped. The strong bonds between
teacher and student helped shore up kids who might not have had
trusting relationships with parents - the kids who were deemed "at
risk" in the old system."
Read "Sylvester Middle School: Team teachers get two years to learn
the 'whole' student," by Keiko Morris. Seattle Times (November 2000)
http://texis.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/schoolguide/vortex/index?view=article&ArticleID=12
=====
The importance of reciprocal communication between the teacher and
student is essential to good classroom learning and discipline.
The student-teacher relationship is the key to the teaching-learning
process:
"Without mutual respect, trust, and caring, there is not likely to be
any real learning going on. There are many bases and levels of
respect. You can respect a teacher for his/her knowledge, for his/her
intentions, hard work, morality or many aspects and combinations of
his/her personality and teaching style."
"Normally, the respect is stated as "caring." In my own schooling,
the teachers from whom I learned were those I sincerely believed cared
about me: the teachers who showed me they had an interest in me, my
welfare, my feelings and my learning. And I in turn, cared about them
and their efforts. Without the caring, there was a disinterest,
disrespect and a neglect or disregard with all of the manifestations
thereof, including disruptions, lack of effort, lack of cooperation
and lack of learning."
Read "Teacher Classroom Control Means Student Self-Control," by Bill
Page. The Teachers Net.Gazette.
http://teachers.net/gazette/NOV02/page.html
=====
Listening to a student shows respect, and when a student respects a
teacher, behavior problems tend to lessen. An article describing
effective communication for teachers who must deal with defiant
students highlights the importance of listening.
"Active listening is powerful because it demonstrates beyond a doubt
that you have not only heard the student's comments but that you have
grasped his or her opinions so clearly that you can repeat them back
to the satisfaction of the speaker. Note, though, that active
listening does not imply that you necessarily agree with the student's
point of view. Rather, it shows that you fully comprehend that
viewpoint. Students tend to view teachers who practice active
listening as being empathic, respectful, and caring individuals."
"Though a simple communication technique, active listening can
transform a potential classroom conflict into a productive
student/teacher conversation."
Showing a personal interest in a potentially disruptive student can
also go a long way in warding off bad behavior.
"Act in positive ways that are inconsistent with the student's
expectations. Because they have experienced so many disappointments in
school, confrontational students may believe that teachers do not take
a personal interest in them or value their classroom contributions.
You can surprise these students and begin to forge more positive
relationships by showing through your actions that you do indeed value
them. You might, for example, occasionally bring in articles from
popular magazines on topics that you know will interest the student,
set aside time for weekly individual conferences to be sure that the
student understands and is making progress on all assignments, or take
a couple of minutes each day to engage the student in social
conversation. Each ach small 'random act of kindness' will probably
not instantly change a teacher-student relationship. Over time,
however, such acts will demonstrate your empathy and caring--and are
likely to have a cumulative, powerful, and positive impact on the
student."
Read "Working With Defiant Kids: Communication Tools for Teachers."
Intervention Central.
http://www.interventioncentral.org/htmdocs/interventions/behavior/conflict.shtml
======
Anyone interested in becoming a teacher would be served well by
reading the referenced articles. I never knew how many strategies
could be developed to forge a relationship of mutual respect between a
teacher and student! Thank you for the fascinating study!
If you need further clarification or the links do not work, please
ask for clarification *before* rating this answer. I will be more than
happy to help if I can!
umiat-ga
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Kohn, Alfie
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