Discipline Survival Guide for the Secondary Teacher, 2nd Edition

About This Book v

About the Author vi

Acknowledgments vii

Introduction xvii

Section One: Successful Discipline Rests with You 1

You Can Make a Difference 1

Accept Responsibility 2

You are Not Alone 3

Why Punishment and Other Ineffective Discipline Techniques Do Not Work 4

What You Should Know About Adolescents 5

How Much Autonomy Should You Allow? 9

The Behaviors You Can Expect from Your Students 10

Proactive Attitudes That Can Help You Create a Positive Discipline Climate 12

Making Positive Choices 14

Questions for Reflection 14

Section Two: Adopt a Comprehensive Approach for a Successful Discipline Climate 15

Begin the Process with a Broad View 15

The Characteristics of a Well-Managed Twenty-First-Century Classroom 16

Five Commonsense Steps to a Productive Classroom Environment 18

The Most Common Discipline Mistakes That Secondary Teachers Make 18

Effective Management and Discipline Practices 21

Teacher Self-Assessment: How Well-Disciplined is Your Class? 23

Teacher Worksheet: Develop Your Classroom Discipline Plan 24

Teacher Self-Assessment: Think it Through: How Would You Rate Your New Discipline Plan? 27

Put Your High Expectations to Work 28

How to Communicate Your High Expectations 30

Making Positive Choices 30

Questions for Reflection 31

Section Three: Cultivate Your Role as a Classroom Leader 33

Become an Effective Classroom Leader 33

Students Should Come First 34

View Yourself as a Coach 34

The Importance of Assessing Your Performance 35

Teacher Self-Assessment: How Well Do You Convey Your Enthusiasm? 36

Teacher Self-Assessment: Classroom Leadership Self-Assessment 37

How to Gather Other Data on Your Classroom Competence 38

Teacher Self-Assessment: Sample Self-Rating Rubric 39

Teacher Worksheet: Setting Goals for Improving Your Classroom Leadership 40

Avoid Unreasonable Expectations 45

How to Manage Your Stressful Career 45

The Promise of Professionalism 47

How to Be Prepared for Class Every Day 50

How to Make Your Students Pay Attention to You 51

Show Respect to Gain Respect 52

Teacher Self-Assessment: Are You Too Permissive? 54

Teacher Self-Assessment: Determine What You Want Your Students to Say About You 57

Watch Your Body Language 58

Know Your Audience 59

Be Careful About Your Language 61

Making Positive Choices 61

Questions for Reflection 62

Section Four: Foster a Positive Classroom Environment 63

Establish a Positive Classroom Environment 63

Safety Must Come First 64

How to Determine If Students are Stressed Instead of Challenged 66

Student Worksheet: How Stressed are You? 67

Protect Your Students from Bullies 68

Making Your Classroom Safe by Enforcing School Rules 71

Establish a Physical Environment Conducive to Learning 71

Seating Arrangements 75

Sharing Classroom Space 75

Overcrowded Classrooms 76

Dealing with Noise Levels 78

Promoting Classroom Ownership 79

Create a Student-Centered Class Atmosphere 80

Structure Your Class to Use Time Wisely 80

Quick Tips to Make Every Minute Count 80

The First Ten Minutes of Class 81

Reducing Disruptions Through Effective Transitions 83

Activities to Keep Students Engaged in Learning During Transition Times 84

The Last Ten Minutes of Class 86

Making Positive Choices 88

Questions for Reflection 89

Section Five: Promote Self-Discipline 91

Moving Beyond Crowd Control to Promote Self-Discipline 91

Become a Consistent Teacher 93

Teach Students How to Monitor Themselves 94

Student Worksheet: Your Class Goals 96

Student Worksheet: Assignment Checklist 97

Student Worksheet: My Goals for Today 98

Student Worksheet: The Progress of My Grades 99

Student Worksheet: Self-Evaluation Form 100

Focus on Your Students’ Strengths 101

Increase Positive Interactions with Your Students 102

How to Encourage Students Who are Struggling 102

How to Help Impulsive Students 104

How to Assist Students with Attention Deficit Disorders 104

How to Support Students Who are Underachievers 105

How to Help Students Make Up Missed Work 106

Promoting Self-Discipline Through Improved Self-Image 107

Teach Your Students to Set and Achieve Goals 109

Student Worksheet: Setting Long-Term Goals 111

Student Worksheet: Setting Mid-Term Goals 113

Student Worksheet: Setting Short-Term Goals 114

Teach Students to Make Good Decisions 115

Creating Self-Disciplined Students Through Problem-Solving Activities 116

Behavior Modeling That Can Transform Your Class 118

Teacher Worksheet: Behavior Modeling Chart 119

Use Behavior Contracts to Promote Responsibility 120

Teacher Worksheet: Sample Assignment Contract 121

Teacher Worksheet: Sample Behavior Contract 1 124

Teacher Worksheet: Sample Behavior Contract 2 125

Student Worksheet: Sample Group Contract 127

Hold Students Accountable for Their Own Success 128

Making Positive Choices 130

Questions for Reflection 130

Section Six: Use Classroom Management Systems 131

Classroom Management Decisions You Will Have to Make 131

How Classroom Rules, Policies, and Procedures Promote Self-Discipline 132

A Simple Technique to Make Rules, Procedures, and Policies Easy to Remember 133

Setting Limits and Abiding by Them 133

How to Say “No” without Being Negative 134

Create Classroom Rules 135

How to Teach Classroom Rules Successfully 138

Enforce Classroom Rules 139

Policies That Guide Your Students 140

Establish Control Through Class Procedures 141

Teacher Worksheet: Student Sign-Out Sheet 144

Student Worksheet: Missing Work Reminder List 146

Making Positive Choices 147

Questions for Reflection 148

Section Seven: Create and Maintain a Partnership with Students’ Families 149

Why All Teachers Need This Positive Relationship 149

Positive Attitudes to Help You Work with Parents and Guardians 150

Avoid Confrontation with a Transparent Classroom 151

How to Generate a Positive Working Relationship 151

Teacher Worksheet: Sample Introductory Letter 152

Student Worksheet: Student Progress Checkup Form 154

What You Can Expect from Your Students’ Parents and Guardians 156

What Your Students’ Parents and Guardians Should Expect from You 156

Hold Beneficial Conferences 157

Documenting Home Contacts 160

Teacher Worksheet: Contact Documentation Form 161

Manage Electronic Correspondence 162

Make Productive Phone Calls 162

Maintain a Class Web Page 163

How to Maintain Student Privacy 164

Making Positive Choices 165

Questions for Reflection 166

Section Eight: Establish a Cooperative Classroom Climate 167

The Synergy of a Cooperative Classroom Climate 167

What to Do When Your School’s Climate is Not Positive 168

Connect with Your Students 169

The Basics of a Good Teacher-Student Relationship 171

How to Get to Know Your Students 172

Student Worksheet: Student Inventory: Impressions 173

Student Worksheet: Student Inventory: Attitudes 175

Student Worksheet: Student Inventory: Reactions of Others 178

Teacher Worksheet: Parent or Guardian Inventory 179

How to Let Your Students Know That You Care 180

Boundaries in Teacher-Student Relationships 181

Seeking Feedback from Your Students 182

Teach Social Skills 183

Teacher Worksheet: Checklist of Social Skills All Secondary Students Should Master 184

What to Do When a Student Confides in You 185

The Importance of Modeling Courtesy 186

Use Conflict Resolution Strategies to Create a Productive Classroom 187

Arming Our Students: Teaching the Art of the Alternative Response to Rude Classmates 189

Create a Sense of Community by Helping Students Learn About Each Other 190

Use Interview Projects to Help Students Learn About Each Other 192

Enjoy the Benefits of a Diverse Classroom 192

Build a Positive Classroom Culture 194

Making Positive Choices 196

Questions for Reflection 196

Section Nine: Maintain Order with Effective Instruction 197

The Relationship Between Instruction and Discipline 197

Provide Engaging Instruction 198

Activities to Engage Students 199

Build in Relevance 201

Pace Instruction to Keep Every Student on Task 201

What to Do When Wasted Time Causes Problems 202

Differentiate Instruction to Engage Your Students 204

How to Have Successful Homework Assignments 207

Student Worksheet: Homework Questionnaire for Students 209

Teacher Worksheet: Sample Syllabus 211

Student Worksheet: Parent-Teacher-Student Homework Notification Form 213

Student Worksheet: Missing Homework Explanation Form 214

Teach the Process of Long-Term Projects 215

Student Notebooks: Organizing for Success 217

Ask Productive Questions 218

Play Games with Your Students 220

How to Use Technology to Enhance Instruction 224

Help Students Stay on Task When Working with Computers 228

Teaching Students to Work Well Together 229

Teacher Worksheet: Group Monitoring Form 230

Some Quick Collaborative Activities without Technology Support 234

Some Quick Collaborative Activities with Technology Support 235

Monitoring Students’ Behavior 235

Quick Monitoring Techniques 237

Use a Syllabus to Prevent Problems 238

When You Need a Substitute 239

Making Positive Choices 241

Questions for Reflection 241

Section Ten: Promote Achievement and Learning 243

The Role Motivation Plays in a Positive Discipline Plan 243

Make Sure Students Know How to Do Their Work 244

Teacher Self-Assessment: How Well Do You Give Instructions? 245

Study Skills Appropriate for Secondary Students 246

Positive Reinforcement Makes the Difference 249

Use Encouragement and Praise 249

How to Use Encouragement and Praise Effectively 250

Employ Extrinsic Motivation 250

Techniques for Increasing Intrinsic Motivation 252

Arouse Student Curiosity 255

Build Critical-Thinking Skills 256

Questions That Spark Critical Thinking 258

Task Stems to Motivate Students Through Critical-Thinking Activities 260

Active Learning Strategies for Active Students 261

Use Inductive Learning to Engage Students 263

Another Useful Method of Using Inductive Teaching: Case Studies 264

Appeal to Your Students’ Altruism 264

Internet Resources for Service Projects in Your Classroom 266

Show Students How to Benefit from Formative Assessments 266

Student Worksheet: What Did You Learn from This Assignment? 269

Student Worksheet: Reflection Sheet for Formative Assessments 270

Enlarge the Learning Environment 271

Create a Culture of Excellence in Your Classroom 272

Making Positive Choices 274

Questions for Reflection 274

Section Eleven: Prevent Discipline Problems 275

Create a Positive Classroom When You Prevent Discipline Problems 275

When You are the Cause of the Problem 276

When What You Say Causes Problems 279

Conducting Useful Student Conferences 280

Strategies for Successful Student Conferences 280

Making Detentions Beneficial for Your Students 281

Essay Questions That Will Help Solve Discipline Problems 283

How to Handle the Difficult Class 284

Win Over Your Difficult Students 288

How to Increase the Positive Behavior in Your Class 289

How to Decrease the Negative Behavior in Your Class 292

Making Positive Choices 294

Questions for Reflection 294

Section Twelve: Cope Successfully with Discipline

Problems Once They Occur 295

The Difficult Task of Responding to Discipline Problems 295

How to Successfully Investigate a Behavior Problem 296

Employ the Steps of the Problem-Solving Approach 297

The Importance of Early Intervention 297

Teacher Worksheet: Behaviors and Interventions Checklist 299

The Choices Teachers Have When Dealing with Discipline Problems 304

Teacher Self-Assessment: How You Can Determine If a Discipline Action is Appropriate 307

How to Refer a Student to the Office 308

The Importance of Anecdotal Behavior Records 310

Teacher Worksheet: Behavior Record Form 311

Teacher Worksheet: Behavior Analysis Log 312

How to Preserve Your Students’ Dignity 313

How to Handle Chronic Misbehavior 313

How to Manage Students Who Want to Sleep Instead of Participate in Class 314

What to Do When Students Lack Materials 315

How to Help Students Who Daydream 316

How to Manage Student Cell Phone Use in Class 317

How to Manage Hallway Misbehavior 317

How to Handle Requests to See the School Nurse 319

How to Handle Vandalism 320

How to Manage Profanity 321

How to Intervene When Students are Tardy 322

How to Intervene When Students are Truant 324

How to Reduce Excessive Talking 325

How to Avoid Power Struggles 327

How to Intervene When Students Cheat 329

How to Cope When Students Steal 333

What to Do When Students are Defiant 334

Substance Abuse 336

What to Do When Students are Violent 338

Warning Signs You Should Not Ignore 341

Making Positive Choices 342

Questions for Reflection 342

Index 343