Teachers and the school administration must establish clear guidelines and rules from day one. Even at the primary school level, a school rulebook proves vital. Teachers must explain the school rules in class and clarify any questions students have about the rules. Additionally, teachers should also send the rulebook home with students for them to discuss with their parents. When a student breaks the rules, the teacher should explain to the student what he or she did wrong and follow through with the appropriate consequence. Teachers must not make empty threats to their students because doing so blurs the previously set guidelines and sends the message that students do not need to follow the rules.
A student who breaks the rules needs to receive an appropriate punishment in order to establish the importance of positive classroom behavior. A teacher can deal with minor violations, like talking during class, in a variety of different ways. One idea involves assigning a point system. Upon breaking a rule, a student receives a mark. After receiving a set amount of marks, students face consequences, such as staying in during recess. On the other hand, severe violations, like theft or fighting, must be dealt with in no uncertain terms. Assign detentions, suspension and expulsion as needed.
Most importantly, a teacher must not take negative behavior personally or treat negative behavior in an inconsistent manner. Moreover, teachers must make sure to criticize the behavior itself rather than the student.
Teachers should also consider rewarding positive behavior to further establish its importance to the class. In one method, students who end the day without a scolding or a violation receive a star by their name on a board at the front of the classroom. After receiving a set number of stars, students receive a prize, like a small toy or the opportunity to leave for recess first.
In another method, students who exhibit especially good behavior, such as cleaning a mess without being told or helping another student with a problem, receive a prize card. At the end of a week, any student with a prize card has the chance to choose a small prize from a prize bin.
Some educators defend group consequences by arguing that students have a significant impact on their peers. Students desire acceptance from their peers, and disappointing their peers by causing a negative consequence theoretically works to curb an individual's bad behavior. Teachers who use group consequences must be careful to use both negative and positive consequences appropriately, however. Other educators argue that group consequences weaken the effect of self-discipline. Good students who continually face negative consequences unfairly may begin to doubt the benefits of following the rules.