18.4.2. Action in case of indiscipline

There are a number of things a teacher can do when students behave badly, but in general two points can be made. Any ‘punishment’ that hurts a student physically or emotionally is probably dangerous and harmful in many ways. Its effect cannot be measured and it probably encourages in the student behaviour and psychology that we would want to avoid as educators.

The ability to control a group of students when things get out of hand depends to a large extent on the personality of the teacher, and some teachers certainly appear to find it easier than others. There are, however, a number of measures that can be taken.

Act immediately. We have stressed the need for a code. When it is broken the teacher should act immediately. If the indiscipline involves anti-social behaviour in the classroom the teacher should take steps at once. Where it involves things like not bringing books to class the teacher should speak to the students either during or immediately after the class. The longer a discipline problem is left unchecked, the more difficult it is to take action.

Stop the class. Where the indiscipline involves disruptive behaviour, the teacher should immediately stop the class. This is a clear indication to all the students that something is wrong. The teacher may then tell the students who are behaving badly what is wrong. Many teachers refuse to re-start the class until the student has settled down. They simply stop the class, make it clear that the student’s behaviour is unsatisfactory and wait until things improve.

Re-seating. An effective way of controlling a student who is behaving badly is to make the student sit in a different place immediately. Certainly where troublesome students are sitting together they should be separated. Often if students are moved to the front of the class they will behave better.

Change the activity. Particularly where a majority of the class seem to be gradually getting out of control, a change of activity will often restore order. Thus a quick writing task will often quieten students down and at the same time provide good writing practice. A reading task or a listening exercise can often achieve the same effect. In general, anti-social behaviour can usually be cured if students are given something to do which will involve them.

After the class. Where one student is continually giving trouble the teacher should probably take that student to one side after the class is over. It will be necessary to explain to the student why the behaviour is anti-social. At the same time the student should be given a chance to say why he or she behaves in this way. The teacher can also clearly spell out the consequences if the disruptive behaviour continues.

Using the institution. When problems become extreme it will be necessary to use the institution – the school or institute – to solve them. Many institutes will then seek the help of the child’s parents (where children are concerned). This seems a reasonable thing to do since it is important for parents to be involved in the children’s education. They can be contacted in cases of continual lateness, truancy, forgetting to bring materials and bad behaviour.

The institution, of course, has the final power of expulsion or exclusion. It is to be hoped that it is almost never used. The institution does also have the power to warn students of the consequences of their action, to change students from one class to another and to explain to students its attitude towards bad behaviour.

Teachers should not have to suffer serious problems on their own. They should consult their co-ordinators, department heads and principals when they need help.

There are, of course, other possible courses of action where indiscipline takes place. The options we have looked at avoid the possibility of either physical assault or humiliation: both are seriously wrong, particularly for children and adolescents.