All teachers realize that good discipline is needed in order to create a good learning environment.  Many experts agree.  Ronald Epps, superintendent of Richland District 1 in South Carolina, was quoted in Metro, saying, "'One of the first things you have to address in any environment ... is to ensure that there is an environment ... that is conducive to learning'" (qtd. in York, 2001).  Agreeing, Jacob Kounin believes that the better the instruction is the fewer behavior problems a teacher will have.  Likewise, Fredric Jones, a leading expert in the field, feels, "The goal of discipline is for students to assume responsibility for their actions" (Charles, 1999).

To begin, Jacob Kounin based most of his ideas on the simple fact that better instruction leads to fewer behavior problems.  In other words, if teachers are organized and plan lessons that engage the students, they will be less likely to have to deal with misbehavior.  I agree with this as I believe every professional would.

Much of Kounin's ideas is common sense.  For example, he believes a big part of minimizing misbehavior is for the teacher to create momentum and possess smoothness in each lesson.  To explain, he feels the teacher should begin with the bell, keep the lesson flowing without sudden changes or interruptions, and finally close the lesson in a logical manner (Charles, 1999).

In order to make this happen, Kounin feels teachers should start by "alerting" the students.  To do this, they need to get the students' attention, briefly directing them as to what is expected of them during the lesson.  Basically, Kounin says it is important to have a catchy introduction to the lesson (Charles, 1999).

Another important concept in behavior management is "...attending to two or more issue at the same time" (Charles, 1999). This is called overlapping and comes into play mainly when the students are working in groups. Simply put, it is having the ability to help two students or groups at once, keeping both on task in order to minimize any misbehavior (Charles, 1999).

While working in a small group or a large one, it is vital that each member of a group has a role to play in the success of the group.  This will ensure that all students are accountable for the material being covered.  "By accountability, Kounin meant holding each student in the group responsible for active involvement in learning the facts, concepts, or procedure being taught" (Charles, 1999).  For example, to ensure that every student is accountable for the material, frequently, I have all students write down answers to questions posed throughout a lesson. Following this, I have a class discussion on the given subject at which time the students offer their answers as part of the discussion.  This technique is actually suggested by Kounin in C. M. Charles's book Building Classroom Discipline (Charles, 1999).

Continuing, avoiding satiation is another point Kounin makes.  Students become bored when teachers overdo lectures on any given subject.  As all professionals know, boredom creates opportunities for misbehavior to occur (Charles, 1999).

Instead, students need to be challenged in order to hold their interests.  Lectures are helpful to a point, but teachers need to be mindful of this problem of satiation.  They need to vary their approach to hold student interest.  This can be done in several ways: group work, reading, skills practice, games, and worksheets. Also, the teacher needs to show excitement about the lesson.  If that happens, students are more inclined to be excited about it.  Finally, students need to be challenged in order to fight boredom (Charles, 1999).

Obviously, these are great ways to prevent misbehavior.  However, professionals know that even good techniques don't work 100% of the time.  Therefore, Kounin gives tips on how to combat misbehavior.  When speaking of monitoring a classroom full of students, he speaks of having "eyes in the back of your head."  Basically, this means teachers should know thoroughly, what is going on in all parts of the classroom at all times.  I became seasoned at this technique while teaching in an inner city gang school from 1987-1995.  Kounin calls this technique "withitness" (Charles, 1999).  According to Kounin, "Withitness depends on students' being convinced that the teacher does in fact know what is occurring everywhere in the classroom" (Charles, 1999).

The success of this technique depends on several factors.  For example, when more than one problem happens at once, the teacher should take care of the worst offense first.  Sometimes, too, it is good to be mindful of the student who is being corrected, having a feel for the response that will follow each correction given.  Likewise, it is always helpful to pick the best time to intervene so the misbehavior doesn't escalate or spread (Charles, 1999).  In addition, the teacher should be aware of the "Ripple Effect."  That is, when a teacher corrects one student, others see this and most likely will conform (Charles, 1999).

Fredric Jones focused his research on the actions of teachers after the misbehavior began.  During this research, Jones found that some sort of misbehavior happened every two minutes in a well-managed classroom.  In an unruly classroom, someone misbehaved every two and one half minutes (Charles, 1999).  Therefore, according to Jones, "On the average, teachers in typical classrooms lose approximately 50 percent of their teaching time because students are off task or otherwise disrupting learning" (Charles, 1999).

According to Jones, if the students had self-control, they would behave appropriately (Charles, 1999).  In order to guide the students to this, Jones stated that "Teachers set limits on student behavior...through subtle interpersonal skills...which convey that the teacher means business" (Charles, 1999).  The key words here are "subtle, interpersonal skills."  One of the biggest mistakes a teacher can make is to invite confrontation by strongly verbalizing his/her disapproval (Charles, 1999).

With this in mind, Jones realized one of the hardest things to do in a tense situation is "'...to do nothing...'" (qtd. in Charles, 1999).  Instead of commenting, Jones said body language would be more effective (90% more effective) when trying to discipline misbehaving students (Charles, 1999).  Certain looks and mannerisms as well as simply standing in their general area act as a road block to misbehaving students (Charles, 1999). Also, body language can convey the teacher's desires as well as "...show that the teacher is calmly in control" (Charles, 1999).  Teachers show this control by inhaling slowly and deeply before acting (Charles, 1999). 

To continue, most people are uneasy when it comes to eye contact.  If a teacher looks directly into a student's eyes, he/she is conveying control over the situation.  Even if the student looks away, he/she is still acutely aware of the teacher's disapproval and control (Charles, 1999).  Eye contact also stops the actions of those students who are close to going off- task.  Like Kounin's "Ripple Effect", all the students in the vicinity of the offending student get a quick lesson as to who is in charge.  Obviously, this can be very effective for the teacher to use.  I have used it quite often, and it works very well.

As mentioned, most of the time, the teacher doesn't have to say a word to a misbehaving student.  If a student notices the teacher approaching or standing near, he/she is less likely to begin or continue his/her misbehavior (Charles, 1999).  Equally important, the teacher must carry herself/himself with sureness.  Pupils can see quickly whether the teacher feels confident and in control simply by watching the teacher's posture.  Not surprisingly, good posture conveys confidence, control, and good leadership (Charles, 1999).

As far as facial expressions are concerned, Jones felt teachers should show positive as well as negative reactions to events.  For instance, winks and smiles show approval and humor.  On the other hand, frowns show disapproval (Charles, 1999).  In my opinion, facial expressions are crucial when conveying messages to students. 

Personally, I have used several of these techniques with great success.  Without hesitation, I use eye contact to defuse a situation; however, I wouldn't go so far as to say that I give "The Stare" as mentioned on the list of limit-setting techniques in Thomas H. Allen's article entitled Developing a Discipline Plan for You (Allen, 1996).  As mentioned earlier, I use and believe in how the proximity of the teacher can affect student behavior.  However, I don't hover over them constantly.  I don't want to fall into what Jones calls the "dependency syndrome" when students only work because the teacher is near. (Charles, 1999).  I have also had success with calming gestures (Allen, 1996).  For example, I have gently put my hands up with my palms facing the student in question as if to say, "Take it easy," without actually verbalizing anything.  Finally, I have tried to model the expected behavior (Allen, 1996).  For the most part, I extend to my students the same courtesies that I expect from them.  We have a mutual respect which helps immensely with classroom discipline.

Although these limit-setting techniques have been proven to work, "Jones...said teachers don't often receive the training they need to manage their classrooms effectively and, consequently, reduce their stress" (York, 2001).  This could be because there are some critics of this system.

While limit setting is a good technique to use, there are some situations where it may actually cause more problems than it solves.  For example, some students absolutely hate to be touched or approached.  If a teacher draws near and places her/his hand on the student's book, desk, or person, the teacher could actually create a volatile situation.  Likewise, if a teacher gives a disapproving look to a student who has self-esteem issues, he/she could end up creating more problems between them.  The student may now believe the teacher is "...just like everyone else" who thinks the student is "worthless". 

While I agree with several of Jones's ideas, I consciously do not use some of the techniques that he advocates.  As mentioned above, I do not touch a student's book, desk, or person.  To me, that seems to disrespect their person, which is something I try to avoid doing.  Other overt actions which I refuse to do are tapping on my desk and flashing the lights off and on (Allen, 1996).  That may be effective for younger grades. However, I teach juniors and seniors, so I feel those actions would be received as ridiculous. In turn, the students would lose a bit of respect for me.

Allen, Thomas H. "Developing a Discipline Plan for You."  Optional Elements of a Discipline 
      Plan.  Retrieved October 9, 2001, from the World Wide Web.
      http://www.humboldt.edu/~tha1/discip-options.html .

Charles, C. M. (1999). Building Classroom Discipline. Sixth Edition. New York: Longman. 

York, Karen E. "Richland 1 Teachers Learn Art of Preventive Discipline." Metro (Columbia, 
     SC). 21 Feb. 2001:Sect. B. Retrieved October 9, 2001 from the World Wide Web. 
     http://courseinfo.cet.uiuc.edu/bin/common/course.pl?course_id=_1519_1&frame=top