[omacrulzzz]

If you could name one thing that you do as a teacher to get students to comply with your instructions or to stop misbehaving, what would it be? I've heard from some teachers say that it is building relationships. Do you agree? Disagree?

[bgteacher]

I absolutely agree that it's building relationships with the students. I'm a retired first grade teacher so I can only speak to teachers of young students.

I also think consistency is huge. Students knowing that you mean the expectation that you set. Also being sure the instruction is something the student is actually able to do.

Being sure your lessons are engaging and in that "sweet spot" (proximal zone of development) helps as well. I always said that for kids it's safer to be "bad" than "stupid". For some kids misbehaving is saving face from not being able to do what's expected.

Finding out what's interfering with the student complying or why they're misbehaving is important as well.

Classroom management is tough. Even after 36 years I'd say it was NOT one of my favorite parts of thee job.

[Fenwick]

One way to build positive relationship is making discipline invisible or nearly so. Disciplining a student should be a private matter. No one in the room should know "a number" just took place except teacher and target. This means doing away with systems that put students names up for all to see - the "good" and the "bad" types of charts, clips, colors etc. "Working the crowd" or management by walking around gives the teacher perfect camouflage for discipline. In normal cruising the teacher stops to make comments, check work and answer questions. If a student is talking to a neighbor the teacher stops as usual, bends down but instead of instruction gives a private prompt to get back to work. The class, used to the teacher's normal routine, can't tell if the student received help or is in trouble. With very little effort on the teacher's part, the student is saved from embarrassment in front of peers. Will this student likely cooperate and work for this teacher or seek revenge and be uncooperative?

[GatsbysDream]

When I initially try to get compliance from a student I know will give me a difficult time, I follow these steps:

1. Whole group - redirection or proximity depending on what I need accomplished.
2. Quietly tell the student "please do this without drawing too much attention to what they're doing.
3. If they do not comply, I tell them "The choice is yours. You can either follow my directions or (insert choice consequence depending on the behavior. If it's for a phone, I will say "You can either give me your phone and get it at the end of the school day, or if you refuse to give me the phone, you will be written up with the Dean of Students.")

Most of the time they make the choice that has the short-term consequence, which means at the very end of the school day they can get their phone from me. They still get a phone call home about the phone no matter what happens so they're held accountable.

[Ninetwo]

For my class I stop teaching and stand and look at the clock. Or I walk over and set a timer. I just wait. It took a while of doing thi, but it works. They quiet down and we move on. I hate talking loud to be heard. So I wait.