Application Of Discipline And Behaviourism Practices In School Environment

Discipline and behaviourism is about setting a positive routine, and routine is mostly by reinforcement and valid substantiation on “why”. Enforcing good behaviour is fundamental to the moral purpose of education. Wasted time due to disruption of class on account of bad behaviour, like for e. g. not being ready for the class on time, not getting the needed resources for a class makes it stressful for the teachers and children alike and is unproductive. A behaviour policy helps in having a more structured approach and the students are aware of the consequences. For any learning to take place, there needs to be a conducive environment. Ensuring the availability of such an environment is the school’s responsibility. The school and the staff work hard to ensure that behaviour is given utmost importance for effective learning to happen. This starts with respectful behaviour.

According to the Student Behaviour Policy at GEMS modern academy, everybody is given an equal opportunity to operate. “Every student has the right to be taught in an atmosphere that supports learning…free from disruption…responsible for contributing to a positive school environment by maintaining order, self-discipline and consideration for the rights and property of others. ” Positive character traits such as being polite, patient, kind, caring, honest and helpful are a few of them. These are reinforced from time to time by having Class rules, regular assemblies etc. One such example was the special assembly for Character Strength Day, where children were taught a song on how to be respectful of ourselves and others. We can see many posters (Appendix 1) along the corridors and in classrooms regarding behaviour and character. There is recourse as well for indiscipline. The children are given a verbal warning; a note is made in the diary; followed by referral to counselor, and meeting with the principal.

In the school All children rise and stand for the Morning Prayer and national anthems. It teaches them to respect the nation and to value the day that has gone by and to welcome the new day with humility. Children always respect and wish all adults and visitors while walking in the corridors. In the library and around the art corridors children are expected to be silent and move quietly, in turn helping with valuing each-others space. These are also reinforced to them in class and there are posters (Appendix 2) along the walk ways as well. Students also take care of the library books and library resources wisely.

During home time all children pack their bags and leave the classes neatly, thereby respecting school property. There are a few general rules across the school, e. g. students need to be punctual to school and all late comers are to sign a register while entering school and the parent sends a note explaining the reason to the class teacher. Children missing swimming or PE classes must also have a note sent to the class teacher. Students must keep their classes and surroundings clean and tidy. Students must be mindful of where they are and avoid being hasty/running around in the corridors. In the classroomHaving an effective behaviour management is very important to impart good knowledge to the students. For a teacher to facilitate thinking, to enhance listening, to encourage relevant questioning, etc; having a well behaved class is the key. At the same time behaviour management isn’t about having different tips and tricks up your sleeves. It is more of how assertive one can be in a positive way, how well you can help inculcate habits and make the students more responsible and take ownership of their own actions. Every teacher has a different way to control the class from being disruptive. My mentor used different methods to gather attention of the students (Appendix 3). The science teacher uses phrases like “Hands up, hands down, hands folded”; the STEM teacher asks the children about sound and noise levels and requests the children to be within the sound decibel zone. In line with Skinner’s theory on operant conditioning, there are many occasions where I noted both positive and negative reinforcement techniques work. For the positive reinforcement, the class teacher has a weekly points system, where the child earns stars for good work and 3 stars gives them a house point (Appendix 4).

There’s also the Star of the week badge that’s given out. All students, especially the SEN children are provided equal opportunity in the class activities. They are praised for the work with the class clapping for them or hi-fives from the teacher. This generally paves way for others to try harder and achieve better. The SEN children are repeatedly encouraged by the teachers, peer, TAs and LSAs to actively participate in the class. For e. g. , my mentor usually makes sure that the SEN children are given some extra time to complete their work and are given priority while answering questions and encourages them by saying “There’s nothing right or wrong, we need to try”. There’s a buddy support system to help low achieving children to cope up. It helps build great camaraderie between the children. Negative reinforcement is also used at times when the children are stalling purposefully or not following class rules repeatedly after many verbal warnings, by making them stay back on PE/Swimming/Library lessons. Effective classroom management also plays a vital role in behaviour management. In our class, we have formed a set of class rules at the beginning of the term and all the students actively took part in contributing to the same. There’s a class crew (Appendix 5) appointed for various jobs. It comprises of class leaders, house leaders, subject monitors, line leaders, diary monitor, eco and cleanliness monitor, neatness monitor, locker in-charge, tiffin monitor, table leaders, messengers, class council. I personally feel that balanced use of positive and negative reinforcements; and making sure to implement the formed rules works best. Also one must always take into account that instead of just giving out arbitrary set of rules and asking the children to blindly obey them, it is always better to take time and explain in details on why rules are made and what their positive effects are.

For e. g. , in one of the life skills classes, I explained in detail about the duties of the monitors and reminded them to perform their duties without fail. Also in the kindergarten, at this tender age, children have discussion on how important is it to have a growth mindset. Getting to know the students, becoming accountable for and to learners, having a positive attitude, leading by example, establishing and reinforcing rules and routines helps have a well behaved class and sets the learning ball rolling.