Discipline issues that primary school teachers face are relevant in view of the number of related problems that they entail, for instance, children’s poor academic performance. For some adults, engaging young students in the workflow is a challenging task to cope with and overcome. However, activities to maintain discipline in the educational process can have a clearly structured algorithm that allows interacting with pupils successfully, thereby increasing the productivity of teacher practice. The intervention process includes five stages to follow. They are: 1. Offer an interesting format (a game); 2. Apply group and individual practices; 3. Use praise as an incentive; 4. Allow students to evaluate their results on their own; 5. Reflect on everyone’s efforts. In this paper, the principles of strengthening discipline among younger students will be considered, as well as the methods of engagement in the educational process. This type of activity is within the power of any teacher who is interested in improving pupil performance. Using the proposed algorithm is a potentially effective teaching practice that may be utilized in any educational environment to interact with young students with distinctive academic abilities.
To implement the entire process of improving discipline and engaging young students in active educational activities, the necessary materials are needed, in particular, playing instruments. Since, at a young age, pupils perceive visual information better than oral data, a teacher should prepare interesting content that allows addressing a specific topic through a format. For this purpose, bright stickers, colored flags, and other memorable elements can be utilized. The competitive process is a strong incentive for many students. Accordingly, when allocating the teaching time so that all students could prove themselves in the format of a competition, engagement outcomes can be increased. A child does not experience the burden of a tedious learning process if this process involves a game. Therefore, creating incentives through such a format by using vibrant supporting materials to determine winners or other participants is a potentially valuable practice.
Further, to maintain students’ interest in the educational process and, at the same time, distract them from undesirable extraneous activities, a combination of approaches can be applied. A teacher coordinates game practice through both individual and group engagement principles. In relation to competition, students are actively involved in the discussion and acquire valuable skills, for instance, teamwork, upholding individual points of view, and other attainments. In addition, pupils can choose the format of interaction with a teacher, which is also an incentive to attract their attention. Nevertheless, it is essential for a teacher to coordinate this activity to prevent conflicts or disagreements among classmates. The competency of using combined engagement practices is determined not only by student academic performance but also by other factors, for instance, pupils’ willingness to actively participate in the educational process or help one another. The individual characteristics of each child, including cognitive skills and practical knowledge, are different, and the task of a teacher is to address skills and distribute the load adequately. Thus, the combined practice of engagement enhances a game learning process.
The following step that an elementary school teacher can resort to in order to increase discipline is to encourage students. This impact tool may be relevant in any educational environment, including that with older students. However, for younger pupils, adult motivation is a driver that increases self-confidence and serves as an additional tool to maintain the healthy competition as an integral part of collective education. A teacher can apply for different mechanisms of positive appraisals: special marks and insignificant prizes, praise for classmates, individual rewards, and other approaches. The key task is to maintain a child’s interest and, most importantly, his or her confidence in one’s own abilities. This, in turn, is an incentive to improve skills and achieve higher academic outcomes and, in addition, corrects and disciplines pupil behavior.
The aforementioned praise step is a valuable tool for influencing young students’ discipline and allows engaging them in the educational process. However, as a follow-up taken after learning activities done, a personal assessment of individual results can be used. This technique is an approach that helps students develop critical thinking skills and responsibility for their individual performance outcomes and behavior. At an early age, children may not have sufficient attainments to evaluate their own activities adequately and correctly. However, a teacher’s task is to direct pupils’ evaluative activities in the right direction through comments and interventions throughout the lesson. If students are ready at the end of a particular educational session, they will have to assess both individual classmates’ academic outcomes, this is a hidden incentive to increase perseverance and discipline behavior. Moreover, the necessary analytical skills are acquired, which is also a significant aim. A subjective evaluation that strives for objectivity, is one of the ultimate goals that should be achieved. Therefore, the self-assessment phase passed by students themselves is a simple and, at the same time, promising teaching step.
Finally, as a crucial step to maintain discipline during the learning process and motivate younger students, a teacher should reflect on everyone’s efforts and achievements. A student who realizes that, at the end of the lesson, his or her academic results will be evaluated, is more discreet. In addition, a personal assessment is a motivator that addresses the aforementioned competitive aspect. If students recognize the authority of their teacher and understand the system of evaluating academic results, the value of such an assessment increases and is a significant incentive for a child to strengthen individual positions. In some situations, students are indifferent to high praise as an educational incentive or a method to correct behavior. In this case, a teacher’s task is to evaluate the outcomes of these children objectively and draw attention to their weaknesses. Wounded self-esteem and unwillingness to give in to classmates can be drivers to increase student interest in achieving higher scores and correcting behavioral traits. As a result, a teacher personifies the learning process rather than summarizes it, and this approach is a potentially successful practice of a positive impact.
The proposed algorithm can be a convenient technique for interacting with younger students as a lesson scheme that helps interest children and stimulate their desire to increase academic outcomes. Primary school teachers need to remember that a child’s lack of discipline is not always due to his or her intentional desire to upset the general learning process. Individual factors should be taken into account, and the standardization of teaching practice is not the best approach to communicating with the target audience. Conversely, individual tools of influence, for instance, praise, personal assessments, and the stimulation of engagement through fun game forms are more effective mechanisms. Therefore, the involvement of students and improving their discipline directly depend on the professional competence of a teacher.