hi, i've been teaching for about 6 months now and i'm still struggling with discipline in class particularly with my younger classes, i've tried some techniques such as the naughty corner and denying the disruptive students stickers at the end of class yet i'm still struggling to get the students to pay attention and have had some parents complaining to me and the studio owner about it, i was just wondering if anybody had any tips on getting the right balance of discipline with young students (from 3+)
thanks xx

Set a few simple rules, stick to them, reinforce them, follow through on them. But more than being a meanie...sometimes its just about being OVER prepared for class. Its not good to have any down time with younger students. Fill every moment with something...and you don't have to be a super happy hyper teacher either. They feed off of your energy. If you are calm, they will be calm.

Sometimes you will have 1 or 2 "ring leaders" in a class that will be bad no matter what, but I can count those kids on one hand over the years...oh and I can name them too.

Well, depending on the age I have several things that have worked well for me throughout my years of teaching. Many parents have complemented my classes on having just the right balance of discipline, technique and fun, which is wonderful because that is what I strive for. I would say above all BE CONSISTENT! Sometimes children will test you and if you do not hold your ground they know they can get away with things and other children will catch on to this, then the next thing you know you have an out of control classroom! Here are a few things that work well with my "younger classes"

1. Role Call: At the beginning of the term I set a call back phase, which students are to respond to when I need their attention. I yell out: "attitude check" and they say back to me something like "Ballet!" Then I will say "Feet in..." They say "1st Position" I say, "Hands on your..." They reply "Waist" Think like a military call back. I have used this with my older classes too. You can use anything as a call back, a song, a combination etc. I find this also really works when we are working on a new exercise and you need their attention. I might say repeat after me: I call out the exercise step by step and they repeat...then I usually say "If you can say it, you can do it"....at that time they know they are expected to try it all together. This works as it keeps the students engaged by using various cues, both physical and verbal.

2. Teacher Says: When a class has started losing focus I might yell out; touch your nose, touch your hair, touch your feet etc....but as an added twist I might touch my feet when I am asking them to touch their hair...the trick is they are to listen, not to copy my actions....they usually pick up on this quickly...and as I gain their attention back...I usually mention that was my test to see if we are concentrating. This is not meant to take up a lot of time, rather gain their attention back then move on and it can be used several times in class.

3. Point system: For difficult classes I use this system to encourage good behaviour throughout the class. At the beginning of the class I will announce that in order to get a sticker today we must as a class earn 5 points. I give them points for things like standing at the barre quietly waiting for the next exercise or being really focused on learning a new step or answering a question....I give both individual points and group points....I also take them away! They know they need 5 points and by consistently reminding them of this and telling them that the next exercise will be "their first point challenge of the day" keeps the class moving.

4. Ask questions: This keeps my students engaged and most children want an opportunity to speak out. I might ask about the meaning of french terms, muscles, sequence of an exercise etc etc. I ask two types of questions, group and individual. The questions that I ask for a group response I usually ask the question followed by cupping my ear, this signals my class that I want to hear everyone answer. Individual questions I ask for hands.

5. Two groups: After teaching an exercise I have one group perform for the other. Students, even young ones want to look good in front of their peers and this will encourage them to try their best. It also teaches the students watching good etiquette as an audience member.

6. The strike out system: This might work for a whole class or for one student you find difficult...you announce they are on the strike out system. If they are to break three classroom rules during their class, they will either A, be removed from class or B, need to explain to mom or dad after class why the teacher is not happy with their behaviour. It is even better if you have them tell mom or dad which rules they broke...never had repeat offenders after this has been followed through on!

7. Story Time: If you have a talkative class that wants to share their life story with you...tell them to hold their thoughts in their head then if you have time do a stretch at the end of class that day and allow students to tell you one thing about their week, weekend, school etc...

Also, some general things....ALWAYS have classrooms rules....have the kids participate in making the rules and have them somewhere visible in class. Sometimes all it takes is a "look" from a teacher to know that their behaviour is not acceptable. It is always good to get down on the level of a young child and to give them a choice. If they make a good choice, let them know!

Obviously I do not use ALL of the above in every class, rather I pick a few things that work for the students in each class.

Hopefully this well help you with your classroom discipline. I am sure you will feel more and more confident with this aspect as you teach more!

All the best!

With my little kids, I keep them too busy to give them time to act out. My play list for my three year olds, for a 45 minute class, is 11 songs. They're too busy to act up, they gotta keep up!

And, with the little kids, if you have to go on to something else, announce to the class in a way that makes it sound like it's dissapointing. With four year olds, the quickest way to get them to listen is to tell them they need to help you. The quickest way to get them to bust their butt trying is to tell them you don't think they're old enough to do whatever you're doing. Those kids will shut their lips and learn, you tell them you don't think they're old enough!

Busy, busy, busy!! Also, some classes do not do one at a time, at first, because waiting in line is time for them to be bad.

At pre-school ages, I find that nine times out of ten behavioral issues can be solved with simple redirection. Don't recognize the behavior, simply direct them into something more engaging. I save "discipline" for dangerous behaviors such as biting, hitting, etc.

My classroom rules for 3&4s are very simple, but they all know and follow them:
1. It is dancing time, not talking time.
(This encompasses no shouting out, no talking when the teacher is talking, etc.)

2. If we are all standing we stand, if we are all sitting we sit.
(This prevents stepped on fingers and the little bumps and spills that result from kids running around.)

3. We never touch anything that doesn't belong to us.
(This covers touching classmates, swinging on the barres, playing with props that might be in the room. I simply ask if the item belongs to them, and when they answer no, I say "I didn't think so. We NEVER touch things that don't belong to us, do we?" They always agree wholeheartedly and it is rare that I have to correct them again once they learn what doesn't belong to them.

4. Smile and have fun.
Anytime I have to reiterate the rules, I always finish with this one.

When teaching 3&4 year olds, I also give myself a few rules:
1. Keep them busy, busy, busy.
Attention spans are very short at 3&4, so I come prepared with twice the material I think I will need, and switch exercises as soon as their attention starts to waver. Keep the class moving the entire time. Also, naughty children are usually bored children. Find the ringleader and give them a Very Important Job. Usually, it is standing perfectly still in the center of the room so that everyone else knows exactly how to stand and where to line up. They love this job. I make a very big deal about how well they are doing it.

2. They want to please you; give them plenty of reasons to do it.
Find one thing that one person is doing well (it's not just for dancing, it could be as simple as leaving hands to self, standing in the correct spot, not talking, anything that you would like to see more of) and compliment the heck out of it. They will fall all over themselves trying to show you that they can do it too.

3. Be the voice of reason.
When things get crazy with the littles, it's easy to want to speak up over the fray. Instead of getting louder, though, I get softer (yet firm!), it forces them to listen. Another trick I use instead of telling them to be quiet is to gather the two or three kids that are actually paying attention and say "If you hear my voice, clap once." The sound of the clap will usually bring a couple more kids over. Next I progress to "If you hear my voice, clap twice." This will bring several more because, hey, clapping is fun. By the time I get to three times, the ringleader has lost her audience, and it is no longer fun for her to act out. She joins the class, and I regain control without having to raise my voice.

I always found 3&4s to be challenging, bordering on burdensome. Once I started looking for ways to discipline without disciplining, though, it became rather fun and a bit of a game instead of like drawing the short straw. I started to approach it more like a fun test of my creativity and teaching skills. Now, I really look forward to my little ones every week.

Great posts on this topic! I am searching for ways of getting my 9yr old competition girls to step it up and stop the talking. And specifically start paying attention to detail because they don't seem to be understanding that every little thing counts. I may try a few of these tactics however! Thanks!

If my kids talk, or lean against the wall ... EVERYONE does 10 star jumps. They learn pretty quick.

I work as an elementary school and a dance teacher and I've learned this when it comes to discipline... You need to start off the year with a firm stance on the rules. Kids can smell your fear and will call your bluff. You need to be consistent and firm but do not yell. I give my preschoolers a 3 strikes system. If they lose all 3 strikes they do not get a sticker or stamp and I talk to their parents. We want dance to be fun but it needs to be safe too so we can actually teach.

For the five and six year old set, a valuable tool at your disposal is the older kids.

Five and six year olds are old enough that they're aware that their not babies, and all they want in the world is to be treated like the big kids, and to do what the big kids do.

So every time I'm going to work with the 5 and 6 year olds, I come with a few things in my pocket. "Ooh, you guys, the big kids just learned this, and I wanted to show you guys, cause I think you're old enough to do it too!", is all you gotta say, and those kids will snap to attention.

Now obviously, there's some stuff that the older kids do that the kids can't do because they're just not build in a way that would let them do it. So pick carefully. You may have to modify or slow down some of the stuff, but don't tell them you're doing it that way. All they need to know is the big kids do it, and they get to do it too. Whatever it is, they'll be thrilled - I've done stretches with them, and they were excited, because I said the big kids were doing it.

Another way to take advantage of this tool? Periodically, have them show their dances to the older kids. Just ask the other instructor if your class can have a few minutes at the end of class, to come in and perform their dance. It's more valuable of a tool than you'd guess, really.