Discipline 1 - Lecture notes

Bsc nursing (University of Kerala)

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 Discipline

Meaning

The word discipline is derived from disciples (pupil) and descipere (to comprehend). In the context of
education, it should refer to group conduct held to be desirable in the teaching situation and in relation
to the personal development of individual students who comprise the learning group.

Definition

Discipline is defined as orderly activities used by a person in her progress toward the attainment of a
particular goal.

[OR]

Discipline means instruct the person to follow particular code of conduct or order.

Modern concept of discipline

 The modern education believes in self-discipline. It is a combination of self-control and self-

direction.
 Students are led gradually to discipline themselves.
 Guarded freedom is granted to students.
 Modern discipline satisfies the need of self-respect and security.
 Teacher tries to inculcate good behavior among students, thereby, right attitudes and habits
are formed in students.

Need for discipline

Discipline is the most significant prerequisite for the successful implementation of the educational
programme.

For students:

It is essential for helping the child in the growth of individual personality, for giving him the feeling of
security, a sense of confidence and the knowledge of boundaries of his freedom.

For teacher:

It is essential for the teacher also. Before he can teach the children, there must be proper conditions to
do so. For good teaching, good conditions are as necessary as good ideas and good teacher.

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For administration:

It is necessary condition for good administration. If the administrators do for the purpose of creating a
situation favorable to learning, it becomes evident that maintaining discipline is one of its major task.

For society:

Discipline in an educational institution is also the requirement of the society. Without constructive and
proper discipline, aims and aspirations of society cannot be realized.

Functions of discipline

 It facilities learning.
 It assists in learning standards of conduct acceptable within society.
 It helps to acquire characteristics of positive nature such as self-control and persistence.
 It assists in securing stability of the social order within which the younger may achieve security
and maturity.

Aims of discipline

 To create and maintain desirable conditions in the teaching – learning situation. This will in turn
assist in the achievement of objectives.
 To create favorable attitudes towards the establishment and the maintenance of conditions
essential to effective work, in order to achieve the desired objectives.
 To assist in the development of self–control and co-operation which are regarded as essential
traits in the daily living as well as in professional functioning.

Principles of discipline

 Disciplinary procedures should be in harmony with the total goals of education.

 Discipline should be based on and controlled by love and not by fear.
 Discipline should be mainly positive and constructive.
 Discipline should ensure equal justice for all, respect for the rights and dignity of the individual
and humanitarian treatment for all.
 Discipline is not an end. It is just a means for the successful implementation of the educational
programme.

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  Disciplinary policies and procedures should be primarily preventive, secondarily corrective and
never retributive.
 Discipline should be designed to place upon the student more and more responsibility in
respect of his own choices, purposes and behavior as he grows in the ability to shoulder such
responsibility.
 Discipline is something which the teacher helps children to attain not something that a teacher
maintains.
 Make most disciplinary talks in private.
 Definitely relate the act of misconduct to the act of correction. Be sure that the student
understands the correction.
 Avoid collective punishments such as punishing a whole class when only one or two individuals
are culpable.
 As far as possible do not let disciplinary measures interfere with other educative opportunities.
 Only send a student to the head of the institution as a last resort or when you are confronted
with a particularly serious case of misbehavior.

Types of discipline

Based on the nature, discipline can be classified into:

 Self-discipline
 Assertive discipline
 Authoritarian discipline
 Democratic discipline

Self-discipline

 In self-discipline, the source of control is largely within the individual and not external to
him.
 It is a combination of self-control and self-direction.
 The students who controls his own behavior, willingly and spontaneously identifies himself
with what is right.
 It creates an earnest desire in the student to do the right thing and enable him to become
an active member in the educational process.
 The student makes decisions and assumes responsibility for his actions even in the absence
of supervision.

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  In short, self-discipline helps the student to become self-propelled, self-controlled and self-
guiding person.

Assertive discipline

According to Lounschan, the recent approach to behavior management is based on five key principles:

 Clear expectations for the required behavior are set out by the teacher.
 Specific, concrete and verbal praise and rewards are given for the behavior.
 There is a graded sequence of negative consequences of desirable behavior.
 The teacher is assertive in insisting on the application of the rewards and sanctions.
 Power resides with the teacher, while informed choice of whether to follow a path that
leads to rewards or sanctions resides with the student.

Authoritarian discipline

Characteristics of authoritarian technique:

 Strict rules and regulations.

 No freedom of action, thought and movement.
 Too much emphasis on perfection.
 Making too many decisions for the children.
 Constant criticism of wrong doings.
 No respect for individual rights.

Democratic discipline

Characteristics of democratic technique:

 Explanation, discussion and reasoning to help the child understand why he is expected to
behave in a certain manner.
 Punishment only at appropriate time when he / she refuses to do an act.
 No harsh punishment.
 Rewards and praise when he / she comes to expected standards.

Preventive discipline [Specific measures to maintain classroom discipline]

The preventive aspect of discipline is very important. The teacher’s use of preventive measures will help
her to maintain a good social environment for leaning.

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Preventive measures which may be used are as follows:

1. Plan all classroom management so as to make working conditions as favorable as possible.

2. Begin classes promptly and vigorously. There should never be any delay in class due to lack of
preparation on the part of teacher.
3. Plan classroom activities so that all students are busy purposefully all the time.
4. Define all student objectives clearly and lead the students to accept these objectives as their own.
5. Assume a position in the classroom so that all students can see and hear.
6. Watch for lack of interest / misbehavior. Stimulate interest in work through proper motivation.
7. The class should be teacher-directed but not teacher-dominated.
8. The student’s themselves should be taught to speak loudly enough so that they can be heard.
9. State questions first and address an individual student.
10. Lack of knowledge of subject matter on the part of the teacher may lead to loss of respect &
ultimately to discipline problems.
11. Make the subject matter understandable and interesting. The teacher who fails to do so can
cause inattentiveness which may lead eventually to discipline problems.
12. Do not openly anticipate disorder in advance by prescribing rules, punishments and threats.
13. Be seen as fair-minded and impartial.
14. Adopt an appropriate professional style in the classroom and keep to it, to be either too
friendly or too remote.
15. Without hesitation consider the dismissal of a student who continuously threatens the
maintenance of class control.
16. Follow-up all important disciplinary matter.

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