I’m pondering one of the questions in a form sent to me by a school to which I’ve applied:
I know what I would do here in Australia:
[ul][li] Say politely but firmly ‘Excuse me Fanxi, could I please have your full attention? I need it in order to conduct the class properly. Thanks’.
[/li]
[li] If the behaviour persists or recommences, say politely but firmly ‘Excuse me Fanxi, I do require your full attention in this class. Right now you’re also preventing other students learning. Please save your play for outside the classroom. Thanks.’
[/li]
[li] I’ve never reached the third stage[/li][/ul]
But how well would this go down in Taiwan? What are the rules of play? And what happens if you reach stage three? 
Thanks.
“Sit down and shut up or leave the room. Your choice. You have three seconds to decide.”
Fortigurn, I’m afraid I can’t really help you with the specifics of what to put on the form, but I can tell you what works for me. It seems you are a teacher already so I hope what I’ve written does not come across as patronising.
What age is the class? The vast majority of discipline issues you will come up against in an elementary-age class here will be due to ‘naughtiness’ or lapsed concentration rather than deliberate disruptiveness. As such, the majority of problems can be nipped swiftly in the bud simply by using team or individual points systems – team ones being better because the other students in the team will put pressure on the offending one to behave.
You do need, however, to have a firm attitude and a more stringent discipline system in place, to be used when needed. When I start teaching a new class, I am accomodating and not intimidating, but I make very sure that everybody knows where the boundaries lie. I explain the class rules in the first class – easily-remembered rules such as “listen to the teacher”, “do things quickly when asked to” and “absolutely no pushing or fighting.” I don’t joke about this and my face is serious while I explain.
During the first few classes, the minute a student steps out of line is the opportunity to demonstrate the more formal discipline system. I use three crosses. For the first ‘offence’ I write the student’s name on the board with a cross next to it. I explain then and there the system. The first cross is a warning. For another offence I will add another cross and write a note to the parents in the student’s communication book. For a further offence I add the third cross and send the student out of the classroom. This doesn’t have to be for a long time – five or ten minutes is enough. I mean what I say and the students know it. I very seldom have to go beyond the first cross.
In general, a clear sense of one’s own role is necessary. One is there as a teacher, not a friend. Of course there will be a lot of enjoyable times and sometimes hilarity in the classroom but the correct context must always be kept in mind. If one goes in with the attitude that one wants to play with the students, to be liked by them and to be their friend, one will be an ineffective teacher. Actually, young learners feel more comfortable, are happier and learn much better when they know the rules and know where they stand.
I have not had any discipline problems with adults. With teenagers a little more flexibility is needed as one does not want to kill the atmosphere of the class with excessive discipline. Asian teenagers in particular can be very reluctant to speak and participate so perhaps it’s better if they’re a little on the lively side than in silence. The basic principles are the same, however – treat the students with respect and make sure they understand what is expected of them. Although this age group does not get so excited about points systems in general, there are still some effective sanctions that can be applied if necessary.
Absolutely. Considering he’s not a teacher, his answer was right on the money. 
Thanks joesax, that was very helpful. I would take Sandman’s advice as the last resort (stage 3).
Though stated a little bluntly, Sandman is on the money. Offer the student a choice between two things; one agreeable, the other disagreeable ie: behave, stay with the class and play a game or misbehave, stand by the door and watch all of us play a game. This way you make them responsible for their behavior, rather than just expecting good behavior. It may take a while to sink in, but the students generally realize pretty quickly what choice they’ll be happier with.
Good luck,
CK
Oh, you guys were talking about kids? That’s how I deal with uppity clients.
Stern looks usually work just fine.
I know a teacher who claims to be able to hypnotize kids by wiggling his eyebrows.
I agree with two choices. I can think of an example where I used that today. Preschooler is shouting and tugging on his classmate’s clothing while waiting to wash his hands. Chinese teacher is unsuccessfully trying to tell him to stop doing the behavior. I offer to let him stay in my classroom until he’s ready to stand in line to wash since my class was finished for the day. He begins to protest. I get down to his level.
“Well, I can see that you are not ready to wash your hands. You’ve got two things you can do: you can either wait in line quietly and keep your hands to yourself, or you can wait with me until you are ready to do that. What do you want to do?”
He decided to go for option one and was calm and waited nicely. I complimented him on making an excellent choice.
Make one choice the desired behavior, make the other an appropriate punishment.
Something else I do with my older students is stop whatever I am doing or saying, look at the pointedly and say, “I’m sorry, _______. It’s so rude of me to interrupt you with my teaching. Please keep talking and let me know when I can teach the class again.”
If I am explaining something and get interrupted, I pass the work out to the interrupting student and tell them that since they know it well enough that they don’t need to listen, they can start now and that I expect them to be the first one finished since they started earlier than everyone else.
I have found some excellent advice on classroom discipline in Taiwan here.
A few extracts:
[quote]Do not permit young children to get out their books. They will be transformed instantly into toys, headgear, weapons, etc. Use drawings or blow-ups of pages.
[…]
Many schools take students under 6 years of age. This sad practice causes many problems for both students and teachers. One sure-fire method for keeping an annoying 5 year-old from kicking his chair or jumping out of the seat is to take away his shoes. Without shoes, he won’t want to stand up and if he kicks his chair, he won’t make noise.
[…]
If a student is banging/knocking/hitting/tapping on a desk or chair, remove the offending furniture. Students never expect that. Taking away a rowdy student’s desk is very effective.
[…]
Throw furniture for any reason or no reason at all. Throwing a chair or stool across the front of the room will quiet a class instantly. This is a TACTIC. It is should not be a display of anger or intimidation. Students should NEVER know if or when you are angry. A useful variation is to stand on the furniture. This is just as crazy, and less destructive.
[…]
Enforce a “no electronic chickens” rule.[/quote]