Discipline and Management- Different Yet Related Essay

In this essay the goal will be to compare and contrast management as opposed to discipline as well as misbehavior as opposed to behavior. The main goal will be to define and find correlations between the terms while providing the reader with a vivid description explaining the ways these terms translate into a classroom setting. Classrooms today call for teachers to find an often elusive balance between the expectations of a teacher and practices that best meet the students’ needs to help them meet the teachers’ expectations. Management is defined as â€Å"an act of managing: supervising of something† (Management, 2013) In relation to the classroom this term describes a plan of action that a teacher employs to conduct their classroom in an organized way and support students with structure and direction. The term classroom management is often thought of as the type of discipline a teacher imposes; however, classroom management refers to taking a proactive stance that prevents unwanted behaviors before they happen. A management plan incorporates the use of routines and classroom organization by a teacher in her classroom (Charles, 2011). In contrast, discipline is defined as â€Å"a type of punishment† (Discipline, 2013). In the classroom, a better definition of discipline is the actions a teacher takes to ensure that students cooperate and participate in the learning process. Discipline involves more than just a punishment for an undesirable action, it encompasses all the methods a teacher uses in her classroom to ensure students practice self-control. Both management and discipline often are used when describing the same practices in the classroom. These concepts address the relationships between student and teacher behaviors in the classroom. Management speaks of the plan that the teacher has in place to teach student the expected behaviors whereas discipline is the plan the teacher has in place to ensure that her students meet these expectations one they understand them. Behavior is defined as â€Å"manner of conducting oneself† (Behavior, 2013); by adding the prefix â€Å"mis† it is then defined as â€Å"bad: wrong† (Misbehavior, 2013). Adding the prefix to the word behavior, misbehavior is formed and describes the manner of conducting oneself badly. In relation to a classroom setting these terms describe how a student acts in the classroom. Both behavior and misbehavior describe the actions of a student either positively or negatively. Negative and positive behaviors both have consequences in the classroom. The consequences are dependent on the type of behavior and much like the terms themselves are opposites. The terms discipline and management are used to help students understand and learn what a good behavior is and what misbehavior is. Teachers utilize management techniques as a means to provide students with the tools needed to learn appropriate behavior in the classroom. Despite the use of these techniques, students do still at times misbehave, this is when teachers utilize the use of a discipline policy to correct the misbehavior and ensure students have an understanding of what is expected. By comparing as well as contrasting behavior and misbehavior as well as discipline and management, we can better understand how these terms correlate the teacher’s policies in place to help her students succeed. References Behavior – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behavior?show=0&t=1368417645 Charles, C.(2011). Building Classroom Discipline (10th). Boston, Pearson Education. Discipline – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discipline Management – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/management Misbehavior – Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misbehavior