Discipline for Dummies

[Cutetwirler]

Hi,
I'm a newbie; newly qualified (I study TESOL alongside Japanese at university) and have landed myself a place working at a summer school.

I teach teenagers and have a class of 12 REALLY rowdy kids.

I've had little to no training in how to discipline kids, I ran a majorette troupe for 5 years and thought I knew how to gain respect but I was so wrong.

Can anyone give me any hints or tips on how to deal with them? It's not that it is above their level, it's more that they are so rude and... well, teenagers.

Thank you

[Morpheus]

Calm down, Cutetwirler. A guy named Harry Smith from Armenia will come soon and give you hundreds of fabulous tips on how to deal with little bastards

[Cutetwirler]

Thank you so much; I'll eagerly await Harry's reply!

[BobK]

While you're waiting for Harry, you could try Sue Cowley's books. Here's one: Amazon.co.uk: Getting the Buggers to Behave - 2: Books: Sue Cowley

b

[Cutetwirler]

thank you!
I was thinking in looking into a TESOL training course in descipline or something ready for next summer's summer school. Does anyone know any good ones?

I hope Harry hurries up, I'm dying under stress from the buggers here!

[Tdol]

What are you doing at the moment to try to control them and just how rowdy are they?

[Cutetwirler]

They are VERY rowdy. I share them an older lady who is very experienced and agrees that they are the worst class that she's ever taught.

At the moment I'm using one of two techniques- the first is that I draw a box in the corner of the board. When they misbehave (mainly are loud when I am talking to them or explaining something, but also for excessive talking in their mother tongues about other subjects and also general rudeness) I draw a line in the box. When they get to 3 lines, I give them a good dose of dictation.

For general crowd control, I find standing at the front with arms folded and glaring at them works well.

Of course I praise and reward them when necessary. I have a 'student of the week' who wins 'cool' prizes like mugs and t shirts. I did try bribing with chocolate but my 'student of the week' had had gastric banding a few months previous and so the box of chocolates that I'd just handed her didn't go down well!!

[Tdol]

Can you get them sitting with people they don't share their first language with? What happens when you use tapes/videos, etc?

[Cutetwirler]

Yes they are able to sit with different people. This doesn't stop them leaning over/back to talk to people in their own language.

Listening to tapes is a disaster most of the time. They just refuse to do it and don't really pay attention. I had a lesson on a friends episode once which went ok... but again, they didn't really gain a huge amount from it. They just zoned out, I think.

[Tdol]

Are there any disciplinary procedures in the school?