Disciplining students in a large class can be REALLY challenging. Some classes range in size from 30-60 students... when you lose control you lose respect and often that is something you will struggle to overcome in the future with that class. The most important thing is to remember that you are their teacher, not their friend. You are there to educate everyone and create an environment where students are comfortable and can learn.
There are many different methods to maintain order in your classroom, in this article we will discuss the role of the assistant or TA in the classroom and how he or she can help you.
Fear is not the right word to use when describing discipline, perhaps respect is better. When teaching in large classrooms, teachers often has locals as their teacher assistants to help with various aspects of the class. One of the most important functions of this person in your classroom is discipline. Make sure you sit down with your team teacher and get his or her suggests and make sure he or she understands that you are in control and you need his or her support.
In the classroom, if you are the lead, it is important that you are the one that orders discipline be administered. If the TA is closest to the area of disturbance then he or she should have autonomy to take control of the situation but in most cases it is best if you are the one that initiates the discipline. If this is done, then the students understand that you have control.
Work out with the teacher assistant that you want them to take the students out of the class when you say 'OUT' and you want the TA to reprimand this student harshly. When that student comes back to the class everyone will wonder what happened and you will be the person ultimately looked upon as the disciplinarian because you ordered it. If the TA disciplines the student in front of the class then the TA is perceived and the disciplinarian thereby undermining your authority.
If a teacher's assistant is not in the class, put that student in the corner and work out with the TA that if they see a student in the corner when they enter the classroom the TA is to come to you directly to find out what has happened and what form of discipline you wish to invoke and then the TA is to remove the student from the class to reprimand him or her. The most important thing here is consistency.
Students will test the boundaries and there will always be days that are worse than others but if you're consisten the students will come to understand what is acceptable. By communicating clearly with your team teacher or TA on your approach to discipline and classroom management you will make your life and your class much easier.
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