Discipline in the Writing Classroom
Techniques for Teaching Writing and Maintaining Discipline
© John Byk
Sep 4, 2009
All new teachers struggle with effective classroom discipline. Experience, advice, and strategy eventually help to resolve the problem. Sometimes, however, subject matter focus suffers in the process until a novice teacher learns that classroom management and discipline are not always necessarily mutually exclusive with learning, especially when it comes to teaching writing.
Teaching Discipline on the First Day of Class
It is important to train students "right out of the chute" so to speak. They should get used to the idea that a writing classroom involves writing and not just talking about writing. Starting each class with a short journal question or open book, vocabulary quiz that's on the board as soon as they walk in is a good habit to develop and ingrain.
Games and bonus points are also a productive way to begin class on the right note, and bonus points can be awarded to whoever finishes first with a correct answer. This is not only a great classroom discipline technique, but it focuses students immediately upon the subject matter.
Bell work, as it is called, is very effective but will eventually be ignored by students if the challenges become dull or routine. Effective classroom discipline entails strategy changes on a regular basis to keep things interesting. When students get too talkative in the beginning of class, switching to verbal challenges for extra credit may be advisable.
Maintaining Discipline in Longer Writing Assignments
For longer writing assignments, mixing up the pace while continuing to build classroom discipline are not mutually exclusive procedures. Adding larger blocks of time that students use to write silently in class will build upon existing discipline. Breaking up long writing sessions with mini conferences such as peer revision or teacher comments on an individual basis will also help struggling students.
Collaborating in groups on a writing project is enjoyable but is advised against until later in the school year when a strong rapport has been established within the class between everybody. It is essential for a teacher to float from group to group and provide each one with specific, daily tasks in order to maintain classroom discipline and help everyone to stay on task. In many ways, group work can be harder for the teacher than imagined.
Discipline Through Sharing of Writing
In any student-based, writing classroom, it should be mandatory that writers share their work. Surprisingly, these are the moments when teachers will have the least trouble with classroom management and discipline. Almost everybody is nervous to read and anxious to compare to their own work with that of their peers. A teacher must, however, be careful to maintain a positive environment, allowing students to evaluate peer work in order to force them to pay attention. Who doesn't want to be a teacher for a day?
The best way to keep students focused and well behaved is to have them fully engaged in a writing project that is innovative and relevant to them. Social networking websites are an extremely popular form of expression and can be modeled and adapted to suit the classroom. Creating a collection of student writing for publication, either on the Internet or in print, can be an extraordinary way of exhibiting student work and maintaining high interest and discipline in the classroom.
A Well Disciplined Writing Classroom From Beginning to End
Teaching writing can be compared to herding cats. It should be the ultimate goal of any serious writing teacher to not only help students improve technique but develop their own voice and style as a writer. In order to do this, a well disciplined classroom environment from day one needs to be established and maintained through the use of appropriate bell work, selective writing assignments, and collaborative group work that the teacher carefully monitors.
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