I.

Observation 3 :
Discipline and Guiding

II. Grade:
Pre-K

III. Students:
17 boys, 12 girls

IV. Setting:
Mrs. Conniff’s Pre-K Class at St. Matthias Catholic School
Multi-age (4-5) classroom, 29 students, 1 head teacher, 2 teacher’s aides.

V. Pre-Observation​:
The purpose of this observation is to view how discipline and guiding take place in this
classroom with the students in any situation. I used the article “ Positive Discipline and
Child Guidance” by Ibtisam S. Barakat to help me observe, which certain actions were
correct and what techniques could beneficial if used within the classroom.

VI. Data:
Throughout the ten weeks that I have been visiting St. Matthias Catholic School, I was
able to observe how the teachers discipline and guide their students in order to keep the
classroom running sufficiently. To begin, the first day I witnessed this small mat near the
windows, which I assumed was for the children to play during centers. However, I
learned very quickly that the mat was used for the children when they needed to leave
circle or relax their bodies before joining the class again. I feel that this method could be
changed since it might cause certain students to act out more to attain attention. For
example, certain students do not sit still at circle or in the library. They love to constantly
keep moving and the teacher calling their names does not phase them even she says to not
do something. They are asked to leave many times out of circle or stay back before going
outside. I have also witnessed tantrums where the teachers sometimes ignore or confront.
The confrontations, however, I feel could be more helpful with the students
understanding to not throw tantrums or hurt other students repetitively. One other time a
student threw a tantrum and threw a toy container and kicked a castle. He also had
thrown chairs. With this child, the discipline was to take a walk outside. Although taking
a walk seems like a good way to distract the child and keep the other children safe, it
does not ensure that the child will not act out again. Instead, it is causing a habit where
the child will began to throw a tantrum whenever he feels that he does not want to stay in
the classroom.

VII. Analysis:
I believe that the mat shouldn’t be completely taken out of the classroom, but can be
placed in an area where the child is not completely secluded from the class and does not
miss important information from the lesson. Also, if a child is moving around a lot on the
mat they can have one of the three teachers sit with them so that the child focuses. These
 teachers are not disciplining or guiding in a wrong way because they are used to these
methods. However, research shows that many more techniques can be used to keep a
classroom running sufficiently and mayhem free if used properly.

VIII. Recommendations:
In the article, “ Positive Discipline and Child Guidance”, Barakat talks about positive
strategies to help keep the children focused and not cause disruptions. Instead of just
setting up centers to keep the children busy while talking to the other teachers, teachers
can sit at certain centers and engage in the activities with the children work. Instead of
telling the child what to do without a choice, the teacher can give two to three options,
but in the end the teacher still wins because all three choices are positive and ones that
the teacher wants, but the child feels that he or she has the power. Teachers should try
and say yes as many times as possible because a child does not like to see that they are
not allowed to do anything, but what the teacher says. It seems more like a prison than
school and instead of being excited to learn, they’ll regret it. Teachers should also be
observant when a child does something right and praise them so that the child feels good
and other children want to behave like that child and get praised as well. Students are
eager to learn, but their has to be a certain way of teaching them. Not all students learn
the same way so a teacher needs to be creative in how he or she wants to teach certain
objectives or lessons. In order to keep children focused and not rolling around on the rug,
a teacher can hand the children soft blocks or squishy balls to keep their hands moving,
but their mind focused on the subject. In the beginning, the children might think it is silly
and might cause a little disruption, but soon they will fall into a habit. If that does not
work to keep their focus, have transition songs to get their attention back.

IX. Post Observation:

Having to observe these certain techniques made me feel like I was back in elementary
school. I feel that not much has changed when older teachers are trying to discipline or
guide students. However, with the opportunities of student teachers learning new
techniques, every teacher will be able to learn to discipline and guide students in a
positive way to help benefit them and their classroom in the long run.

X. Citations:

Barakat, Ibtisam S. "Positive Discipline and Child Guidance." ​Positive Discipline and
Child Guidance​. N.p., 2010-2011. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.