Discipline is important for high-quality education. Indiscipline decreases the time available for teachers to teach. The most effective way to deal with discipline problems is to teach students how to control their own behavior. A teacher should take charge of students’ behavior. A teacher should be prepared to avoid commotion in the class. This makes it is easier and enjoyable.
Students should be taught procedures so as to make maximum use of learning and also to develop a sense of responsibility. Wong’s pragmatic classroom management plan is based on teacher use of procedures in effective learning. Students will be disciplined depending on how well the teacher provides procedures for them to follow. I agree with Harry and Rosemary Wong that effective classroom discipline and learning only takes place where there are procedures. This is because procedures minimize indiscipline since the students know exactly what they are supposed to do. If a teacher fails to play his or her role of organizing the classroom then there is much possibility of students stepping in to take charge, therefore, causing indiscipline. When the students understand what the teacher expects from them, then they end up performing well.
A teacher should provide the students with skills that are necessary not just in the classroom but also in their daily lives. This is seen in Kyle and Scott’s Win-Win strategies. Win-Win mode of discipline is an appropriate one for the classroom setup. It is designed to handle discipline problems by getting to the root of the problem. This theory tries to establish the cause of the indiscipline by searching into the students’ needs. A teacher’s role is to give the students responsible strategies to deal with their needs. It is an appropriate strategy because the students’ needs are addressed and also the student gets to learn how to tackle uncertain problems in the future. The teacher also wins in this situation because the learning environment becomes conducive for learning, thus effective teaching and learning takes place. However, the teacher is dictated by what the student wants unlike in Wong’s theory where the teacher plans what will be done. The win-win theory is meant to help a student understand him/herself better thus solving class and life problems. It can lead to attention-seeking behavior.
Real discipline refers to a method of class discipline which involves teaching children to be respectful and responsible. Children should be allowed to make their own choices. This helps them to raise their self-esteem and to teach them responsibility. The role of the teacher is thus to encourage good choices. This is done by giving rewards to those who do right and punishing those who do wrong. However, this freedom of choice is only effective for those who make the right decisions. Those who make wrong choices end up not achieving the required goals of learning. Some end up becoming irresponsible at school and at home. Real discipline is mandatory to e3nable the students to be well conformed for making better choices from diverse options in life.
In conclusion, the three methods involve procedures with follow-up activities. They involve the learning of responsibility and the acquisition of skills. However, they differ in that in Wong’s theory, the student follows the teacher’s set rules while in the real discipline theory, the student has the freedom of choice. In the win-win theory, the teacher and the student are involved in decision making while in Wong’s theory the student is controlled by what the teacher plans.