22. Disciplinary problems with adolescents (age 16 -19)
The pupils at age 16-19 are teenagers. They began to behave in mature way . They start to think about study. Among this group there are peaple who have already clear and specific school interests. However, sometimes these students and (or) other pupils behave in a way that is against of school rules. They are antisocial and even vulgar.
If a teacher wants to communicate with the students, he/she has to take into consideration features of teenagers' psychological development. These features are responsible for educational and disciplinary problems. They are:
1. The students tend to show disrespect and dislike to everything that is connected with school. It happens because of the fact that they do not like doing anything under compulsion. In this way their ability to making decision is moulded, (ksztaltowana)
2. The role of peers is very important. The students create gangs (groups of Mends), who behave in similar way. Their behaviour is based on their own norms. One class may be divided into few gangs . Thus, the students behave in different ways.
3. There is a big gap between biological and social mature of young people. They are not ready to earn money for living or predict consequences of their decisions and behaviour.
4. The students try out how far they can take the liberty of doing anything. All these features deepen problems with discipline during the lessons. What can a teacher do?
A teacher should:
give clear information about materials, that are using during the lessons in order to stop situations when a student is not prepare to the lesson because he/she does not know what to learn;
give clear information about minimum requirements (minimum wymagan);
show the goals of learning in every year, term, month and week;
prepare students to individual or group work in the process of learning;
do not comment indignantly (z oburzenniem) about bad marks; fairly assess the pupils
and stress that the pupils have to make decision about improving on a bad mark;
However, the best solution for disciplinary problems is teacher's attitude. A teacher does not have many disciplinary problems if he/she is fair, has got knowledge, does not change his/her moods and does not have 'teacher's pets' or victims.
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