How to Discipline Children and Help Them Develop Self—Control in English Language Teaching

【Abstract】： All children misbehave at some time，this study is part of finding out what appropriate behavior is and where the limits are in English Language Teaching. This article clarifies the purpose of research on Discipline in a developmental view. I focus on the general questions that every teacher faced when teaching in class，and i discussed the discipline techniques can be used to determine whether teachers take actions when deciding how to develop a particularly harmonious relationship with students.

【Key words】： discipline; English language teaching

All children misbehave at some time; it's part of finding out what appropriate behavior is and where the limits are. Children may try to test the rules， fights， refuse to cooperate with school routines， use bad language—the list goes on. As teachers teach children appropriate behavior， what the expected rules and boundaries are all about， it's important to remember the goals of discipline. Discipline means helping a child develop self control and a sense of limits， experience the consequences of his/her behavior， and learn from his/her mistakes. Discipline does not mean punishment or conflict between parent and child. All children need the security of knowing the rules and boundaries of behavior; without them they feel at a loss.

I Introduction

To achieve objectives of English curriculum， Good classroom management is a prerequisite for the effective teaching. The objectives of English curriculum are holistic and flexible. The fundamental aim of the new English curriculum is to develop students’ comprehensive language competence. This design allows students to progress systematically through each level whilst meeting the full range of the curriculum’s demands.But without discipline，All these objectives won't be fulfilling possibly.

Recent studies focus primarily on the issue of pupil behavior， and the degree to which teachers feel that they are able to create and maintain a working atmosphere in the classroom which is ideally conducive to learning.Misbehavior is minimized in well-managed classrooms. Effective classroom management allows teachers to reduce disruptive student behavior and add more engaging time . Many teachers， especially new ones （Meister amp; Melnick， 2003）， [1]however， report classroom management difficulties （e.g.， Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education， 2006）， and disruptive student behavior is one of the largest drains on academic engaged time （Sawka， McCurdy， amp; Mannella， 2002）.[2]It is necessary to for us to analyze the problems in classroom disciplines with the view of classroom management so that classroom discipline can be implemented effectively.

Although discipline is often discussed together with classroom management， classroom management skills are not sufficient if discipline is to be achieved. Brophy defined classroom management as “a teacher’s efforts to establish and maintain the classroom as an effective environment for teaching and learning” （cited in Ritter amp; Hancock， 2007）. [3]A variety of teacher's behavior contribute to discipline， such as teachers' choice of methodology， their interpersonal relationships with students， their preparation for the lesson.

II Research Background

Classroom management is a system of proactive and reactive strategies employed to influence the physical and social space of the classroom （Little amp; Akin-Little， 2008）[4]to foster an environment where learning can occur （Brophy， 1988; Doyle， 1986; Wang， Haertel， amp; Walberg， 1993）.[5]By the middle of the 20th century， a growing number of empirical studies in favored an ecological theory of classroom management in which teachers attempt to stop misbehavior and foster learning around specific instructional goals. In contrast， behavioral theory of classroom management is based on operate conditioning and conceptualizes classroom management as reinforcement strategies， behavior plans， efforts to shape student behavior. From the perspective of processing theorists， classroom management is conceptualized as a series of processes undertaken by the teacher to promote student engagement （Gettinger amp; Kohler， 2006）.[6]Strategies emphasize establishing classroom rules， facilitating smooth transitions between activities， monitoring student performance， and communicating awareness of classroom behavior. Although the ecological， behavioral， and processing theories of classroom management are distinct， they are by no means disharmonious. Several consistence of research-based practices in classroom management confirm that although these theories differ in their underlying assumptions， they tend to converge on a similar set of practices. Thus， from an integrative perspective， effective classroom management is comprises organizing the physical layout of the classroom; creating and explicitly teaching rules and expectations. Teachers who use these classroom management practices effectively are more likely to have high-achieving students （Stronge， Ward， amp; Grant， 2011）[7]， are less likely to suffer burnout， and are more likely to stay in the profession long-term.

III Discipline in the language classroom

The classroom is a dynamic environment in which a lot of activities take place at the same time. A teacher should be aware of everything while he or she is teaching. The teacher should manage the classroom effectively in order to attain the educational purposes at the highest level possible. The quality of classroom management relies on the quality of education largely. Good classroom management implies that the teacher elicits the cooperation of the students in minimizing misconduct and can intervene effectively when misconduct occurs， and also that worthwhile academic activities occur more or less continuously and that the classroom management system as a whole is designed to maximize student engagement in those activities， not merely to minimize misconduct （Brophy， 1988）.[8]At any given moment， teachers must choose which among many actions and interactions to give their attention to. This multiplicity makes teaching much more difficult than is commonly assumed.

Discipline does not mean a series of punishment designed for badly-behaved students. Discipline refers to a code of conduct with binds a teacher and a group of students together so that learning can be more effective. The ultimate goal of discipline is to make more effective learning possible， but the relationship between discipline and learning is not so straight forward as it appears. It seems fairly clear that in a disciplined classroom it is easier to activate students in the way the teacher wants， and that time will be probably spent on learning tasks， rather than wasted on organization or disruptive behaviors（Ur，1996）.[9]However， discipline does not guarantee learning， that is to say， there might be little learning even the class is very disciplined.

VI What teachers can do：

Classroom management focuses on ways to establish and maintain workable systems for classroom groups， rather than on ways to spot and punish misbehavior， resolve behavioral disorders， or capture the attention of individual students. Order means that students are performing within acceptable limits of the action necessary for a particular classroom event to be successful. Instructional management， behavior management， communication， and physical organization of classrooms are the main components of classroom management for student teachers.Instructional management means effective instruction， and it requires managing a variety of instructional tasks and student behaviors that are part of every classroom interaction. This means making decisions that control and support the orderly flow of instruction. Behavior management includes a number of tasks such as a teacher’s management of his or her own and students’ activities， creating an effective interaction environment， employing appropriate methods against undesirable behavior， and creating communication between students and carrying it on. There are 3 most helpful discipline techniques-Ignoring， Rewards， Natural consequences.

Teachers should be aware of that what doesn't work in discipline. Studies confirm that children who are treated aggressively physically will grow up to be aggressive. Any causes for unacceptable behavior should be identified and addressed as soon as possible. A qualified teaching process is necessary to make learning permanent， behavioral， and habitual. To compose and carry out a setup， developing a quality learning–teaching process calls for a teacher to have classroom management skills. The simple reason is that when students are engaged in learning， they will be disciplined. Generally， they become engaged when they are clear about its purpose because the task has been well explained and the task builds on their prior attainment so they are able to finish the work but find it challenging. In addition， students are emotionally， physically and intellectually involved in the task which generate curiosity and interest. What's more， students are expected to have opportunities to ask questions and try out their ideas and to see what they have achieved and how they have made progress. Finally， they get a feeling of satisfaction and enjoyment from the work.

V Conclusions

Factors in ELT classroom， such as culture， age， sex， motivation， vary so greatly that there can be sure wise solutions for classroom discipline. An undisciplined act frequently occurring in one culture may never occur in another. For most cases， teachers have to search for and develop their own strategies to maintain discipline in their classroom. And when indiscipline does occur， they should take most appropriate measures to put things right. Problem-making students are not bad boys， and sometimes students are not aware of their undisciplined acts. So when the teacher is trying to act against discipline， he/she should be careful not to hurt the students.

VII References

[1]Meister， D. G.， amp; Melnick， S. A. （2003）. National new teacher study： Beginning teachers’ concerns. Teaching and Teacher Education， 24， 87–94.

[2]Sawka， K. D.， McCurdy， B. L.， amp; Mannella， M. C. （2002）. Strengthening emotional support services： An empirically based model for training teachers of students with behavior disorders. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders， 10， 223–232.

[3]Ritter， J. T.， amp; Hancock， D. R. （2007）. Exploring the relationship between

certification sources， experience levels， and classroom management orientations

of classroom teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education， 23， 1206–1216.

[4]Little， S. G.， amp; Akin-Little， A. （2008）. Psychology’s contributions to classroom management. Psychology in the Schools， 45， 227–234.

[5]Wang， M. C.， Haertel， G. D.， amp; Walberg， H. J. （1993）. Toward a knowledge base for school learning. Review of Educational Research， 63， 249–294.

[6]Gettinger， M.， amp; Kohler， K. M. （2006）. Process-outcome approaches to classroom management and effective teaching. In C. M. Evertson amp; C. S. Weinstein （Eds.）， Handbook of classroom management： Research， practice， and contemporary issues （pp. 73–95）. Mahwah， NJ： Lawrence Erlbaum.

[7]Stronge， J. H.， Ward， T. J.， amp; Grant， L. W. （2011）. What makes good teachers good？ A cross-case analysis of the connection between teacher effectiveness and student achievement. Journal of Teacher Education， 62， 339–355.

[8]Brophy， J. （1988）. Educating teachers about managing classrooms and students. Teaching and Teacher Education， 4， 1–18.

[9]Ur， P（1996）. A Course in Language Teaching： Practice and Theory.Cambridge： Cambridge University Press.