The Guardian

London:

Thwock! The class shudders. The punitive teacher has entered and you can bet your life he has zero tolerance of low-level bad behaviour. “Fear me!” is written all over his face.

Meanwhile, in another classroom, children are laughing. Little Miss Child-centred is being lovely and loved, accordingly. There are two main methods of managing the behaviour in a classroom: “Fear me!” and “Love me.” Children may feel inclined to refuse either instruction.

So it is in the classroom of the enforcer. Step out of line and you’re gonna get cemented. Every infraction, however minor, is firmly stamped on. The punitive teacher who does it all by the book doesn’t get home until very late. She has achieved all this by using one technique above all others — praise, and lots of it. Praise is the surest, most positive, utterly foolproof way of keeping a classroom full of young people focused on the reason they are in a classroom. Praise envy exists and can be exploited. Settling a class that has just returned from a combined cockfighting and bearbaiting session at lunch is best done by exploiting such petty jealousies. The focus of praise, however, should be on work rather than behaviour. The praise of such endeavour can take place publicly or in private. Enforcing discipline is not of the same value as allowing young people to locate it in themselves. And tolerance is more likely to work than its antithesis.