Chapter Nine
Instruction and Discipline
Instruction
 Instruction
is the delivery of
the curriculum content in the
classroom.
 Teachers implement
instruction either by
authoritarian/subject
centered approach or the
democratic/learner centered
approach.
The Role of the Teacher in
Subject-Centered Curriculum
 Subject
matter and instructional materials
determine the curriculum
 The teacher…
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Follows the text book & curriculum guide
Uses direct instruction
Tests measure learning
Encourages convergent thinking
The Role of the Teacher in
Learner-Centered Curriculum
 Needs
& interests of students help
determine the course learning
 The teacher…
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Serves as a guide
Encourages student learning
Uses multiple indicators of learning
Promotes divergent thinking
Factors that Affect Student
Achievement
 Sociological
 Psychological
 Physiological
 Educational
Factors
Sociological Factors
 A student's
success or failure in school is
often related to the home and community
environments.
 These include the ethnicity and race of the
family as well as the socio-economic and
educational background of the parents.
 An important part of the teacher’s role is to
encourage parents or caregivers to help
their children learn.
Psychological Factors

There are many psychological factors
associated with student achievement.
 These include learning disabilities such as,
dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, attention
deficit disorder (ADD), and attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
 It is estimated that as many as 15% of students
may have a learning disorder.
 As a teacher you should try to recognize these
potential problems, obtain testing, and begin
early intervention.
Physiological Factors

There are a number of physiological factors that
may affect a student’s achievement.
 These include various vision, hearing, speech
impairments, and certain health problems.
 As a teacher, you will need to work with related
specialists such as the speech teacher, special
education teacher, school nurse, or school
psychologist to develop an IEP to help the child
learn and function in the classroom.
Educational Factors

There are a number of educational factors that
affect achievement.
 We can adjust our instructional approach,
provide effective interventions, and we can act
appropriately to deal with the problems of our
students.
 Through careful planning and effective
organizing we can improve the learning and
achievement of all of our students.
Learning Theories
 There
are a number of theories that
describe how students learn and explain
why students learn in different ways.
 Two of the most enduring learning theories
are the Learning Modalities and Learning
Domains.
Learning Modalities
– these students learn best by
actually seeing written words or images.
 Auditory - these students profit from
teacher lectures, discussions, reading
aloud, and by using recording devices.
 Kinesethic/tactile - these students need to
handle and manipulate objects and “learn
by doing.”
 Visual
Strategies for Helping Visual
Learners
 Provide
written instructions
 Write terms and vocabulary on the board
 Have students take notes
 Use maps, charts, graphs, videos,
transparencies
Strategies for Helping Auditory
Learners
 Provide
verbal instructions
 Use videos
 Allow students to use tape recorders
 Set-up listening stations with stories or
lessons
Strategies for Helping
Kinesthetic or Tactile Learners
 Use
demonstrations
 Conduct laboratory experiments
 Construct murals, mobiles, dioramas
 Use manipulatives for math (Cuisenaire
Rods, abacus, Popsicle sticks, etc.)
Learning Domains

Cognitive - centers on the traditional area of
learning. Concerns memory, recognition,
intelligence, and the development of academic
skills.
 Affective - centers on learning as a reflection of
student motivation, interests, attitudes and
values.
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Related here, is one’s locus of control (external and
internal) that centers on one’s sense of responsibility
for behavior and performance.
Psychomotor - involves objectives associated
with the development of muscular and motor
skills.
Instructional Environment
 Teachers
 Learners
 Subject
Matter
 Learning Milieu
Teachers
Good teachers create a “family” environment
where the students and teachers support each
other and work together.
 Teachers typically have certain characteristics or
dispositions and are:
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Attentive
Genuine
Understanding
Respectful
Knowledgeable
Communicative
Learners
 The
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principles of “invitational education”:
All students are able, valuable and
responsible
Education should be a collaborative,
cooperative activity
The process of education is the product in the
making
Students possess untapped potential
• This potential can best be realized by inviting
development
Multiple Intelligences
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Research has shown that intelligence is not just a single
attribute, but consists of other dimensions.
Linguistic
Logical-mathematical
Musical
Spatial
Kinesthetic
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal
Naturalist
Emotional
Subject Matter
 There
are two distinct forms of delivery of
instructional materials.
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Subject centered - often driven by EOG
exams or other high stakes tests.
Learner centered - students and teachers
have input into the subject matter and
curricular materials and a variety of both
traditional and non-traditional instructional
materials are used.
Learning Milieu

The physical and social environment of the
classroom.
 Authoritarian classrooms are arranged in rows
with the teacher in the front of the class with
passive and quiet students.
 Democratic classrooms are less structured in the
selection and delivery of the subject matter as
well as the physical setting of the classroom
itself. Desks are arranged to facilitate
cooperative and collaborative work in small
groups.
Inviting Classroom
Environments
 Living
plants and flowers
 Big, soft pillows
 Rocking chairs
 Area rugs
 Attractive, colorful bulletin boards
 Positively worded signs
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Example: “Walk in the halls”
Uninviting Classroom
Environments
 Artificial
plants and flowers
 Dingy colors
 Clutter, dirt, and overflowing trash cans
 Faded bulletin boards
The Effective Teaching Model
This model is sometimes referred to as the “seven-step
lesson plan” and can help you effectively organize your
lessons.
1-Anticipatory set
2-Instructional objective
3-Instructional input
4-Learner outcome
5-Checks for learner understanding
6-Guided practice
7-Independent practice
Behavioral Objectives
Behavioral objectives can be summarized by
three questions:
 What do you want your students to learn?
 How should they demonstrate that they
learned it?
 And how well did they actually learn the
material?
Beneficial Use of Time

Proper time management can maximize the
amount of time allocated for learning.
 There are periods during the day when time may
be wasted in the classroom. Referred to as “time
leaks,” they can occur during the following
periods:
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Transitional Time - when you are moving from one
lesson or activity to another.
Instructional Time - involves inappropriate pacing
through the material.
Post-instructional Time - involves the independent
practice time.
Testing and Evaluation
There are three distinct forms of evaluation.
 Norm-Referenced - Compares individual students to
others who took the national exam, such as a
comparison of others in the same grade or age-group
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Criterion-Referenced - A pre-set score (criterion) must be
met or exceeded for passing the exam and is generally
used as a condition for a decision (i.e. high school
graduation, teacher certification, etc.)
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Results reported in percentiles.
If the test-taker scores below the criterion score, he or she must
retake the exam.
Portfolios - Recently, portfolios have been used for the
evaluation.
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National Board Teacher Certification requires teachers to
develop an extensive portfolio.
Portfolios are also used as a central component of the Praxis III.
Discipline and Classroom
Management

Over time there has been fierce debate regarding the
discipline of children between educators who favor:
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the authoritarian approach to behavior management
or
the democratic approaches to behavior management
The shift from physical punishment (sometimes favored
by authoritarian educators) to psychological correction
(often favored by democratic educators) has been a
clear trend since the colonial period.
Corporal Punishment
 Traditional
attitudes toward children were
rooted in the biblical interpretation of
inheriting original sin.
 In the colonial era schools, discipline was
extremely harsh.
 Severe punishment was administered for
what we might consider slight offenses,
such as not learning the lesson, being
tardy, or talking in class.
Rewards and Psychological
Punishment
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Gradually, during the 1800s methods of discipline began
to change because of philosophers and educational
reformers.
John Locke encouraged psychological discipline
consisting of praise and encouragement for correct
behavior and humiliation for misbehavior.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau also advocated psychological
discipline, rather than corporal punishment.
Joseph Lancaster, father of the monitorial system,
rewarded high achieving and well behaved students with
books and medals and used the “dunce cap” to punish
students that misbehaved.
Social Efficiency Movement

The growing size of classrooms in the late 1800s
and early 1900s called for new approaches to
discipline.
 The social efficiency movement was
characterized by standardized classrooms with
wooden desks and chairs bolted to the floor and
arranged in rows, facing the blackboard and
teacher’s desk.
 In addition there was a new emphasis on
student regimentation to control large classes of
forty or more students.
Behaviorism

During the early to mid 1900s behavioral
psychology developed.
 Advocates such as B.F. Skinner recommended
that teachers establish classroom discipline
through positive reinforcement and reward.
 Misbehavior should be ignored, (if possible) so
that the student is not given attention for
misbehavior and inadvertently rewarded for it.
Neo-Behaviorism

Today “neo-behaviorists” have developed
disciplinary techniques that are used in schools.
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Positive Classroom Discipline, developed by Fredrick
Jones in the late 1980s, encouraged teachers to
control their students by using non-verbal methods
such as eye contact, facial expressions, hand
gestures, and physical proximity.
Assertive discipline developed by Marlene and Lee
Canter suggested that teachers “take charge”, clearly
lay out a discipline plan and establish a system of
rewards and punishments.
Progressive/Humanistic
Approaches
 Progressive
educators contended that
“keeping order” in the classroom did not
mean that learning was taking place.
 They argued that these authoritarian
approaches squelched students and
diminished their motivation.
 The pioneers of this area were Pestalozzi,
Rousseau, Francis Parker, and the
Deweys.
Neo-Progressives: The
Democratic Classroom

Neo-Progressives argue that democratic
classrooms and the use of positive
reinforcement can best maintain discipline.
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Alfie Kohn recommends the use of praise rather than
rewards and prizes (as advocated in assertive
discipline) and promotes democratic environments
where students assume responsibility for themselves.
Rudolf Dreikurs felt that the classroom should be one
of mutual respect where the group rather than the
teacher alone established rules.
Neo-Progressives: Activity
Based Learning

Other neo-progressive reformers advocated
activity-based learning to prevent misbehavior.
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Jacob Kounin recommended movement/ pacing of
activities and transitions from one activity to the next
was crucial in keeping students “on track”.
Hiam Ginott argued that communication was crucial in
maintaining student discipline and contended that
self-esteem also played an important role.
Neo-Progressives: Corrective
Discipline
 William
Glasser’s Reality Therapy is an
approach that focuses on the modification
of one’s own behavior.
 Today, conflict resolution and mediation
programs are used in schools.