Discipline in your class is a very necessary ingredient for you as the teacher to provide, so that there is an atmosphere that will be conducive to learning. It is your job as a teacher to enforce class discipline to promote this environment where learning can occur for all of your students, but having said that, how do you actually keep control of your class?

The discipline in your class is indubitably related to the level of teaching and the challenge of the content that you are teaching. What do I mean by this? If you are teaching something that your students find boring and uninteresting, then you are more likely to have restless students, and this is when the misbehaving is likely to begin. So, you need to provide interesting lesson material every day, to be enthusiastic about your topics, and thus try to get your students enthusiastic too. Of course, this is much easier said than done!

Disruptive behaviour results in lost curriculum time for all students, and creates a classroom environment that is not always conducive to learning. One key to stopping behavioural problems before they begin is to promote positive behaviour before problems have a chance to arise.

This means that disruptive or inappropriate use of technology and electronic devices is banned in your class, so things such as cell phones, computers (unless your lesson involves using computers), pagers, and MP3 players. Even when computers are being used, you need to make sure that your students are using them for the correct lesson.

This is easier these days, as there is software available which will stop your students from wandering along to "do their own thing" online! There is also control software that will turn the screens blank while you talk to your class, so they are not distracted by the computer while you are issuing instructions.

It has been found that teachers who use cooperative learning in their classrooms have developed techniques that make the most of this method. However, you have to be careful when introducing groups to make sure that a few of your students do not do all of the work for the group! It is often the case that the students themselves will keep group members under control, and these groups often provide more fun for the class.

Teachers want respect from their students, and it should be noted that teachers are expected to respect their students in return. It is not good to use sarcasm to humiliate pupils who are difficult to control using regular disciplining methods.

Classroom management has to do with procedures, structure, and routines that are in place and that your students understand. Yet disagreements still persist on the best way to correct bad behaviour, whether time-outs or meetings with parents are best, or whether suspensions should be given for the worst behaviour. Ideally at the beginning of each school year, you explain to each class you teach what is and is not acceptable behaviour. That way there is no doubt in any ones mind as to what constitutes acceptable behaviour.

There are, of course, many ways to win the respect of your students, including being fair to everyone, with no favourites. There is also an ebook that I highly recommend, Classroom Discipline http://www.usfreeads.com/1440256-cls.html as it will give you a great deal of support for your life in the classroom. You will soon achieve a quiet, attentive, and focused class, as part of a complete system which will eventually eliminate any classroom discipline problem.

Al Jackson was herself a teacher, and so knows only too well the stress and frustrations of classroom control and classroom discipline for teachers of all ages! She enjoys research and educating others, and does so with sites like MomsLifeline http://www.momslifeline.com/ a site devoted to helping Moms with their various challenges.