Discipline in Classrooms
These are the notes from a session on "Discipline in classrooms". The session was part of Geniekids internal faculty training. However if you reach this page and want to know more on discipline workshop in your school - connect with us on geniekids@geniekids.com
DISCIPLINE IN CLASSROOM
RELAX- Relaxation does not mean "avoiding" or "ignoring" the problem. Benefit of being relax is that it leads to
~ better awareness
~ more choices
~ and better decisions.
~ better awareness
~ more choices
~ and better decisions.
Belief
- The children are capable - Give the SPACE to kids to manage and LEAD to find solution.
- Let me see -ALL intentions are positive - the actions may be not appropriate - so let me focus on their intentions.
- Lets do it together - We are "CO-CREATOR" of the problem so let us be co-creator of the solution. Root of any behaviour is somewhere else. So let us not "label" children.
Analogy of driving with horn made things clearer. If we are driving our class with lot of instructions (horn) than imagine the environment we are creating. Also remember you cannot control how others are driving - but you can relax drive quietly and make sure not adding to the problem.
For example just by taking the session on discipline and asking you to relax I cannot expect you to be 100% following. BUT i go with the belief that you are trying your best and may be you will need reminders but YOU ARE CAPABLE. This belief will lead me to have a positive attitude for you as faculty hence our repo will be better :) My relaxation does not guarantee that you will follow BUT my panic also does not guarantee that you will follow. Then why not be RELAX and think more to lead you to look at things differently rather than labeling you that "this person cannot relax". What say?
When we try to solve the problem and expect "results" we strain ourselves as faculty - while when we look at "let me see" and do things with relaxed mind - I am at peace. I look for more avenues, solutions, and more trials.
VAK
When I use discipline strategy - as a faculty I need to see that I am using VAK instructions in my sessions. During the session we all realize that A is over used while V and K are under used. So let us remind each other about V and K.
When I say use V and K - that does not mean use of A is not recommend. Wen you want to introduce something you use A, V and K all the ways and follow also in all the way.
Also as sandhya and padma pointed that we use our own style more - for example If am visual I tend to use more visual in my class - me as a faculty need to consciously bring in A and K in my approach.
When do you need to discipline?
Any act which leads to
For example just by taking the session on discipline and asking you to relax I cannot expect you to be 100% following. BUT i go with the belief that you are trying your best and may be you will need reminders but YOU ARE CAPABLE. This belief will lead me to have a positive attitude for you as faculty hence our repo will be better :) My relaxation does not guarantee that you will follow BUT my panic also does not guarantee that you will follow. Then why not be RELAX and think more to lead you to look at things differently rather than labeling you that "this person cannot relax". What say?
When we try to solve the problem and expect "results" we strain ourselves as faculty - while when we look at "let me see" and do things with relaxed mind - I am at peace. I look for more avenues, solutions, and more trials.
VAK
When I use discipline strategy - as a faculty I need to see that I am using VAK instructions in my sessions. During the session we all realize that A is over used while V and K are under used. So let us remind each other about V and K.
When I say use V and K - that does not mean use of A is not recommend. Wen you want to introduce something you use A, V and K all the ways and follow also in all the way.
Also as sandhya and padma pointed that we use our own style more - for example If am visual I tend to use more visual in my class - me as a faculty need to consciously bring in A and K in my approach.
When do you need to discipline?
Any act which leads to
- disturbing others
- harming the physical environment (tearing, breaking)
- hurting other
- physically
- emotionally
- Not following the codes to work together - these are formed in the beginning of the class that we all follow some codes to make working comfortable for all of us in the session. These are made with the consensus of the kids. Read here more.............
How do you discipline kids? What you do when two kids fight/ pinch/ push ?
Our belief: we do not know who , when , where started the fight so there is no point in punishing the one and not the other or punishing both !
Immediately separate them - gently. If any child is hurt - take care of the first aid. Allow them to sort their problem.
They are fighting because thats' the (best) choice available to them So we try to give them different choice - you can talk, write a note, move away if you are not liking and so on.
We take up these issues in circle time and follow it thru.
- Do not expect the problem to be solved so soon
- Try it differently
- Try it many times
Meet the child at different levels.
LEVEL FIRST- Understanding Child to discipline
1 Prepare: When I order you to jump - you are at loos. But If I tell you that jumping activates your brain and helps in learning so we will jump for 20 times - chances are that your are willing to jump - PREPARE the child for any situation.
2 EMPOWER : When you tell them to walk in straight line - they do not why? when you tell them HOW they can walk in sit line - they come up with their own solution.
3 Flow with nature - Flow with their nature - they need to jump - give them options to jump.
4 State pf mind - When they feel good about them they behave well - self esteem. Even when you as faculty feel good about yourself or anybody appreciate your efforts you are more open to feedback:).
5 Flexibility - Need to change the way I have been working.Also read, discuss when you are not able to find solution - do not live with it. Stress, panic leads to more stress. While flexible attitude leads to "solutions" - MY BIT.
LEVEL SECOND - Co-operation strategy
- Describe the problem - The paint is on the floor. Climbing on the chair is dangerous.
- Give info - There is another class getting disturb with the noise.
- Non Verbals or one words - shhhhh or say firmly "no biting" - one of the important non verbal is using something TANGIBLE - a small object, a paper, a lemon .. anything which relates and still makes the child focus on the behaviour without words.
- Offer choice -You can talk in the break time or when you go home.
- Put in writing -We will keep quite during class time. We respect others and do not disturb them
LEVEL THIRD - Alternative to punishment
1 CONSEQUENCE
- Natural
- Logical Consequence
- Upstate and prepare - If I disturb the class I will sit and observe them. Let this come form child - guide him to find way and lead to commit - what if I do not not follow the code set by me (child).
- Related - I will see how others are doing activity. Again guide -if it is unrelated lead them to discover related solution.
- Follow it thru - Be firm and do it. Try to be MUM and no lectures. Do not use the consequence as threat. You cannot underline being firm - but this does not mean being harsh or rude. To be firm you also need to be self disciplined - cannot be firm when you feel or not firm when you do not feel like.
2 SHOW WAY
- Express your feelings - When anybody hit any child -it hurts the other child and I get upset.
- State expectations - I would like you to take care of each other.
- Give Alternative
- Stop - We cannot hit anybody.
- Start - When you want to hot anybody you can cross your hands or you can tell that you are angry.
- Give chance to Amend - How would you like to make that child feel happy - would you like to tell him, or make a card.
- Work together to find ALTERNATIVE - Let us see what all we can do when we want to hit anybody - draw, write, express, jump and so on
read more (1)
What do you do when one thing does not work?
When one thing does not work we move onto other. All kids are different and react differently. The basics of all discipline is to "respect" the child. And understand the child. Misbehaviour is just a symptom - we need to correct the root of the symptom not the behaviour.
Read more (2)
How do you handle complains?
What do you do when one thing does not work?
When one thing does not work we move onto other. All kids are different and react differently. The basics of all discipline is to "respect" the child. And understand the child. Misbehaviour is just a symptom - we need to correct the root of the symptom not the behaviour.
Read more (2)
How do you handle complains?
At first Level - Encourage kids to talk about them. If a child come complaining " she is hitting me"
Our response
Our response
- EMPOWER - Would you like to tell him what do you want him to do (not hIt you) ?
- EXPRESS - Would you like to tell him/ her how do yo feel when he/ she hits you ?
At second level - Observe both the kids - mostly it gets solved at their level. If require we lead both the kids to talk to each other.
At third level - Talk about "hitting" in circle time and form codes in the class "how do we work together" in the class. Let the solution come from children,
Everybody agrees to use only “I” messages - start every sentence with “I”. Which means you cannot verbally attack another person, complain another person’s behavior or judge or blame another person. So you cannot say, “That child is stupid”. Instead you say, “I donot want to work like this" etc. For more read about circle time.
What are codes ?
Codes are the guideline we follow to work together in the class.
We look at at the child – we do not see child any less or not capable. If we are making a particular rule/ code – we make sure they are made by the children in the session. Code in Geniekids are not made only by the faculty ALONE. When we treat equal – we respect. When we consider the child to be as respectful - it is the relationship of at par. Read more on codes.
Codes are the guideline we follow to work together in the class.
We look at at the child – we do not see child any less or not capable. If we are making a particular rule/ code – we make sure they are made by the children in the session. Code in Geniekids are not made only by the faculty ALONE. When we treat equal – we respect. When we consider the child to be as respectful - it is the relationship of at par. Read more on codes.
Trying Geetha
Three cheers for Geeta for trying out the strategy of "acceptance" in her success Saturday session today. Geeta you were concerned - you first brought up this issue in the success sat meeting and then once again in the workshop and tried immediately in your session. Inspite of many ups and downs in the session you "consciously" tried. We beleive that is the spirit of geniekids - openly talk about our issues within a sessions, seek solutions from within and from others, and then TRY - i.e. experiment consciously - Thank you Geetha for following this path of learning!
Thank you Aditi & ratnesh for the workshop which I felt I was in need of it at that moment. You have surely opened one more window of my mind and with this I would explore more. To be open I tried so many ways to bring the kids into the group without any frustration but with a lot of enthu. Three cheers for Ratnesh and Aditi for their continuous Hardwork - Geetha
Felt good revisiting the topic.
Hi Ratnesh and Aditi,
thank you for today's session. It is very important to revisit the things we learned in our TTT from time to time to refresh our memory and also to help us think differently. How much ever I am trying to be in the Geniekids mode , sometimes I do slip back to the typical and non geniekids mode of using more verbal instructions in my sessions and even at home with my own kids. But today's session helped me to reflect back on the use of VAK and also has helped me to realise that I was again getting trapped in some of my beliefs about two year olds. Also a big thanks for revisiting the point of being a co creator of the issue. This certainly changes the perspective of looking at the same issue. I shall most definitely incorporate more of the kinesthetic and visual inputs for handling issues of hurting in the class. Also, it was nice to hear from you and Mina that I have used some effective strategies myself in the past or even as recently as today which means I am capable of doing that. So, looking forward to more relaxed, effective and fun filled sessions from monday.
Trupti
Session on discipline
We sure need refresher courses of some of things we already learnt. to me the discipline session was interactive and insightful, but it did leave a lot of things unanswered so there was a sense of "incomplete" ness after the session. nevertheless, the fact that some of the topics were reviewed served as a reminder to implement it the next day in the classroom - as a strategy, we as the SS class are working on one code every Saturday and signing on it.
I am totally for more such monthly sessions. In its own subtle way, there are changes happening.
V.
Reelax
First of all I'd like to thank for conduct trainings at GK for all of us, it helps to refresh, re-align and implement things that we have taken for granted and tend to forget. The session on discipline has helped me to look at some of my strengths and build on many more abilities. The eg of driving and the fact that I'm one of the vehicles and cannot control others has deeply struck me. It was more like a feeling of relief-that I enjoy a relaxed drive and not CONTROL other vehicles!! I think the whole battle is when I try to control. Also the fact that I'm the co-creator of the problem-equal owness :) Somewhere got me closer to my children in a very different way. Meeting children at different levels is what I'm going to try out, also consciously use VAK.
The session was very interactive and enjoyable.
Discipline
The session was interactive and also a subtle reminder to what we have already done and to re start it.The session also helped relook at VAK and to give some more SPACE and to tirelessly continue using strategies. The most important one RELAX sounds like a magic mantra just to say it to myself.
In action !
Today I started putting up pictures in the room for codes like not hurting, pushing, hitting, pulling, waste papers in the dust bin, keep the stationary neatly in the shelf, etc. I found that the group responded to the pictures quite well. Since it was only the first day, I did not expect magic to happen. But I noticed that they were experimenting with the written codes. On first event of an issue happening, I drew the pic, stuck it on the wall and told what it meant. On next instance, I merely showed it to them. I found that they for example pushed somebody, then went to the relevant pic put up on the wall and talked to themself about it nonverbally. I plan to keep using this strategy to manage such events in the class.
Just thought of sharing my experience with all.
Action Time
I would also like to share that I used the red jingler ( not sure of the name of the musical instrument) for circle time and also drew how all of us are sitting and it helped to get into the circle. With one of them also telling to add name of children who have not come today. Also have put some dawings of not pushing,biting etc and also with alternates of (talking expressing )what we can do is helping much more than earlier.Though of course pushing still happened but I kept taking them back to what was on the cupboard and best thing is I did not say a word only action.
Will keep trying.
Non verbals
I started with giving nonverbal instruction more. One funny thing happened seeing me using nonverbal more one child started using the same to others when they were pushing and fighting - Padma
Amazing!!
During our writing time children were picking crayons for themselves one child decided to give a crayon to another and started enjoying it as a game, soon there were many crayons all over the place. I was relaxed and thought 'let me see.' On the fly a song was made up-the crayons like to jump,jump jump jump, into the pretty pink basket. As I sang a little kinesthetic movement, of holding crayons in both my hands and jumping them into the basket, caught on. The child who was throwing the crayons immediately started picking and enjoying the act of putting crayons into the basket, we added different movements dancing crayons, rolling crayons etc. Pick up cards came, but children were not interested to leave till the last crayon went back into the basket, one child put her leg deep under the cupboard and pulled out every crayon from underneath. We all enjoyed the entire episode. I really felt good that i did not use the standard phrases of acceptable and not acceptable and also realised that finding options was a simpler way to do things.
RELAX---but HOW?
After the discipline session, I have started using pictoral and non verbal ways to reinforce the NO HURTING OTHERS concept in my class. I have also started taking special efforts with reference to rapport building with the children who joined in later than the others in the class. In the first week of implementing these strategies along with role plays and stories pertaining to this issue, I have observed that there is a lot of pulling and pushing happening in the class. I am spending much of the time during the session seperating the children who are pushing and pulling hair and cannot relax in such a situation. By the time I seperate some children who are hurting others, there are others who also do the same and then I am just running around seperating them. I am distracted due to these issues while doing the activity. In case of pulling hair and hurting others, I cannot even adopt the "let me see" approach as it may lead to injuries. I have noticed that the ones who were not so much into hurting others have now started doing the same looking at those who do it. It is catching up.
Any thoughts ? Please help.
Trupti
Radhika Wrote - Today was my
Radhika Wrote - Today was my first day with kids(practicals).couple of them didnt get settle down till the end of the session.
This was casually discused with my son in the bed time and i asked him what can be done with that kids.(crying).
The immediate reply came frm my son was "just leave them as they r".
then he told the story that even he was done the same when he was
crying and he said that meghna aunty just left him and then he came out
with the smiling face.
radhika.
My (ratnesh) thoughts in reaction to Radhika's son's wisdom:
wow!
is life so simply intuitive?
if yes, then one wonders, why it escapes us (adults).
one wonders what is there to teach them (children)?
and who to teach (we????)?
aren't we consciously or unconsciously always leading them to our own rights and wrongs?
and if yes, with what consequences?
is knowing akin to building walls around us - then why at all know?
what about mindlessness, which Buddha talked about
just wondering ... so many thoughts ... thanks radhika
ratnesh
It is very important to
It is very important to revisit the things we learned in our TTT from time to time to refresh our memory and also to help us think differently. How much ever I am trying to be in the Geniekids mode , sometimes I do slip back to the typical and non geniekids mode of using more verbal instructions in my sessions and even at home with my own kids.
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