Teaching Self-Discipline

Integrate self-discipline instruction in the general curriculum by teaching self-monitoring. For staff working with all students grades K–12.

Lack of discipline is a common cause of ineffective instruction. Yet rarely is self-discipline taught in order to create an instructional atmosphere where both teacher and students are comfortable and productive.

Author Dr. Dennis Knapcyzk, of Indiana University, looks at classroom discipline as a curricular concern, comparable to teaching reading and math. In this book, he shows how to present discipline to students by encouraging them to pay attention to classmates who do well socially and exhibit appropriate behavior. Teach students to:

• Set goals for their behavior
• Apply themselves to their work
• Direct their own behavior
• Make decisions about their actions
• Moderate their actions in accord with peers