Last week, a colleague and I were having a random chat about student use of technology and I brought up how more and more students, nowadays, are choosing to use mobile devices to take a picture of their assigned homework instead of opting for more conventional methods. When I hinted that I encourage this, my colleague gave me a puzzled look and exclaimed assertively that she forbids it in class and expects all students to write it down on their homework planner. When I asked her for a justification, she simply noted that it wasn’t right implying that students should not be taking “short cuts.” This is only one of the many examples that show us how sometimes we educators struggle to grasp the true meaning of discipline.
Many often confuse discipline with obedience. Even though
these two might sound similar, they are distinct from one another. The word
obedience focuses mainly on one’s compliance to a form authority. On the
other hand, discipline does not limit itself to mere compliance; it goes way
beyond. The Montessori school of thought regards discipline as being an
intrinsic trait that leads to personal growth. The disciplined student is the one
who seeks self-improvement and strives for excellence.
My colleague was clearly trying to enforce her authority
expecting that her students obey her rules. But she was not enforcing
discipline. If anything she was hindering it. In fact, the student who is choosing
to take a picture of her assigned homework is doing so because she wants to complete it. She is only choosing an efficient way to reach that goal. The idea of impeding this is simply counter-intuitive.
In the last century, the role of education was to
prepare young people to work in factories. They were being equipped for a world where they would be required take orders and conform. But those practices that focused
more on teacher control are nowadays pointless. One certainly needs to follow
rules today; however, the current socio economic milieu requires that students be independent and creative problem-solvers. As a result, we educators, need to be more aware of the true purpose of
discipline, which should not deter learning but ignite learning instead.
I can remember when I started teaching--and was so focused on classroom management--that what I really wanted was obedience. Now, I'm with you. What I really want is each student to work because they see value in it and understand the long-term benefits of doing the work. I want self-discipline, not obedience.
ReplyDeleteGreat lines here:
"The disciplined student is the one who seeks self-improvement and strives for excellence."
"As a result, we educators, need to be more aware of the true purpose of discipline, which should not deter learning but ignite instead."