Guidance Approach: How to help children without

punishing them

Student:
Signature: _______________________
Introduction
When we talk about discipline, we typically mean parents' and instructors'
attempts to lessen or eliminate bothersome or improper kid behaviors. Punishment
is intended to inhibit or decrease behavior and may appear to be an ideal match for
these objectives. The concept of "discipline" encompasses both education and
punishment (Kazdin, 2017).
One of the primary aims of punishment is to instill fear in the pupil, so
preventing the conduct from recurring. Punishment has always been present in a
classroom setting since the foundation of pedagogy. Educators discipline students
at school for arriving late, failing to obey rules, failing to complete classroom
assignments, and failing to do better in exams among other things (URT, 2006).
Throughout the ages, it has served a crucial function of a tool for a variety of
purposes, including such aspects of education as amending undesirable behavior of
a student, establishing discipline in so called classroom climate, setting emotional
boundaries between students and a teacher, motivating students for a better
academic performance. Despite the widespread usage of punishment policies in
pedagogy, they certainly have drawbacks that affect children’s emotions,
cultivating escalated levels of aggression, anxiety, and frustration in them.
Punishment, in general, is not a particularly successful technique of
modifying behavior, at least in the manner it is usually delivered. Punishment
refers to negative consequences for specific behavior (e.g., mild rebuke, lecture,
screaming, or striking) or the removal of a good result. Moreover, punishment may
not be an effective solution in a set of situations, where other approaches are
preferable. In this essay, I will discuss the ways to effectively replace punishment
in the teaching process.

Literature review
Despite the fact that punishment is often used as part of the educational
process and is considered a suitable method for educating and managing student
behavior, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has stated that punishment
used against students is ineffective, dangerous and unacceptable method for
discipline and is inappropriate for use in the educational process. For these reasons,
the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child has prohibited the use of
punishments for educational and upbringing purposes.
Maria Lingu in her research also approved that the use of punishments does
not have a positive effect on the behavior of students. On the contrary, she claimed
that the more a student is punished, the more resistant he or she becomes to
education and upbringing. Moreover, using punishment in these processes
negatively affects their personalities, making them anxious (Lingu, 2018).
Even if many studies have confirmed the danger of using punishment as a
method of correcting behavior in educational institutions, some still do not share
this belief and have a different view on the use of punishment. Those who advocate
using punishment in classroom behavior management believe that if children are
not punished, then they will grow into uncontrollable citizens. Moreover, they
consider punishment as the only way to maintain silence and favorable behavior in
a classroom (Gershoff, 2002).
Those who do not support the use of punishment as a method of education
and maintaining discipline in educational institutions are convinced that the use of
punishment is unacceptable for both children and adults. They argue that
punishment brutalize students, undermines their right to equal protection and has
harmful rather than good effect on children. They suppose that punishment
devalues children, makes them fearful and ashamed of themselves, increases child
aggressiveness, antisocial behavior, lowers academic progress, and can lead to
mental health problems (Gazzaniga, 2003; Bootzin et al., 1986).
Both points of view have their own clear position on why it is necessary and
why it is forbidden to use punishment as a method of education, however,
scientists and researchers strongly recommend replacing the manifestations of
punishment with other possible ways of correcting and changing unacceptable and
undesirable behavior. If educator feels that using punishment is inevitable, he or
she should focus on available alternatives in order to make it effective towards
students’ behavior change (Salida, 2020).
According to Wambura (2010), educational institutions can use alternatives
to punishment that are beneficial to the community, such as a Saturday afternoon
working party to cut long grass and clean ditches, counseling, and guidance
pastoral teaching and so on.
Thus, it can be seen that even though punishment is still an integral part of
the educational process, it negatively affects the behavior and personality of
students. Therefore, teachers should give preference to alternative ways of
regulating undesirable behavior, which are less likely to injure students and are
useful for society as a whole.

Main part

Positive reinforcement can be used instead of punishment. Psychologists

claim that punishment alone is ineffective for controlling or eliminating
undesirable attitudes, and therefore urge children's classroom behavior to be
improved through reinforcement. Praise for excellent behavior has been shown to
reduce negative behavior of children. It increases self-esteem, and a self-assured
person is more likely to be tolerant of others, calm, and eager to obey. Bad
behavior is frequently motivated by dissatisfaction and a sense of social
inadequacy. Punishment works by establishing fear in kids in order to drive them
to comply and follow, but it does not always assist teach them. Students are
demotivated by punishment and bad criticism. At such moments for a child it is
crucial to feel strong and to be able to cope with difficulties. Criticism and
punishment will not help him or her deal with misbehavior. Thus, for educators it
is more important to give support and show understanding. Educators in the
classroom, for example, might reward pupils by praising their outstanding
performance in a lesson and in such a way replace punishment with positive
reinforcement. This will not only have a better effect on the behavior of students,
but also preserve mutual respect and authority in the classroom. According to
Cicognani (2004), when instructors punish children in nonviolent, constructive
methods, children learn that conflict can be handled without undermining the
respect.
Careful and delicate correction of mistakes instead of punishing child is a
more advantageous option for both the сhild and the teacher. It will assist the child
to learn that making errors is normal and that he or she should not do it again. This
can also be taught by experiencing the natural consequences. When educator
believes that child will learn from their own mistakes, a method of natural
consequences can be used. Children can learn from their own errors thanks to it.
Making mistakes due to their own choice, students will understand that this is their
responsibility, since these are the consequences of their choice. They will also
understand that it is normal to make mistakes. Nevertheless, educator must keep an
eye on the situation to verify that students are not in any serious risk.
Even if the student has made a mistake or is likely to make it, it is preferable
to correct him or her orally rather than physically. Physical punishment can lead to
the child’s shying away, disconnecting, or rebelling harder. Violence also instills in
children the belief that they do not matter or belong. Children who are beaten will
emulate such behavior and subsequently respond in the same manner and beat
others. Use of physical violence teaches aggressiveness, and aggression becomes
the way students learn to deal with their emotions. Instead of using physical force
to correct unwanted behavior of the child, it is better to use physical contact in a
different context. In such cases educator can, for example, hug the student.
Hugging or other physical touch based on connection is one of the most effective
de-escalation techniques. While doing it, for educator it is preferred to talk about it
and be sincere about his or her feelings. This will help reduce anger and correct
inappropriate behavior of the child.
Another effective discipline strategy to reduce behavior problems is time-
out. The primary goal of children in this method is to learn to put themselves in
time-out before making a terrible decision that gets them in trouble. Taking a time
out is a skill that students may use for the rest of their lives. For the correct
application of this method, it is necessary to clearly determine which behaviors
lead to time-outs. For such behaviors as defiance, aggression, or angry outbursts
time-outs can be extremely beneficial. Some behaviors may necessitate a warning
before being sent to a time-out. Although it is important to remember that giving
multiple warnings reduces the effectiveness of time-out. Thus, other inappropriate
behaviors, such as assaulting, should lead to a prompt time-out without any
warnings.
Certain time-out area should be also established. This space will be free of
distractions and give a child the opportunity and time to calm down. Using a spare
room or a corridor should be considered if it is possible. The time-out space should
be quite and distraction-free. The child in time-out should be denied access to
devices, peers, or any other kind of entertainment or distraction. The timing for this
method should also be predetermined. It should depend on the age and behavior of
the child. It is impossible to prolong moments of solitude, as well as it is
impossible to remove it while it is not calm. It is important to be able to adjust the
time to the situation.
Resisting time-out is a normal reaction of a child to this method. Therefore,
educator must be prepared for handling resistance in this situation. There should be
a plan prepared in advance. For example, if a child refuses to go or finish time-out,
educator can issue a warning about additional punishment.
Of course, using this technique to cope with behavior problems in class
might seem very harsh. It squanders a chance for you to connect, address the
fundamental cause, and fix the situation. However, when the strategy used
correctly, it can be extremely effective. Researchers at Oregon Health and Science
University in Portland suggest that for time-outs to be effective, they should
consist of "two kinds of nothing." In other words, the main thing to remember is
that there should be nothing going on during the time-out, and there should be
nothing the child can do about it.
Another way to substitute punishment that is used for purposes of amending
undesirable behavior would be leading by example. This approach implies that the
teachers themselves must demonstrate the proper way of acting in a classroom
setting. For example, a teacher must stick to their word if they require the same
attitude from their students. Making no empty promises and being honest with
students will make students feel respected, which, in turn, will invoke the same
respect from students to their teacher. The same logic can be applied to cases when
a teacher is an example of an effective and polite communicator. When educators
can show the right way of expressing emotions and feelings in a polite and
diplomatic manner, students unconsciously adopt this skill from them. This would
lower the chance of misbehavior due to the fact that students will be able to
communicate effectively without letting their emotions raise a conflict among
classmates or with the teacher. Thus, both punishment and undesirable behavior
can be avoided if the teacher shows the right example.

Conclusion

Many variables have an impact on how educators discipline students.

However, from the perspective of psychology science, the issue is, "What are the
most successful methods of modifying behavior?" Punishment in educational
institutions appears to be ineffective, harmful, and inappropriate technique of
managing and sustaining behavior and discipline since it produces negative rather
than good outcomes in the teaching and learning processes. Thus, this method
should be eliminated and replaced by other techniques that are more reliable and
effective when it comes to establishing discipline during the educational process.
It is obvious that punishments do not give a positive result, but on the
contrary aggravate the situation, forcing students to hide and shy away from the
teacher and behave inappropriately in an even worse way. Therefore, methods that
allow tactfully and gently correct adverse behavior during the educational process
are a priority choice in the process of teaching and educating students of different
ages. Among such methods are positive reinforcement, leading by example,
delicate correction of mistakes and giving time-outs. These techniques help not
only to eliminate unacceptable behavior in the classroom, but also to maintain
mutual respect between student and teacher. However, if an educator believes that
punishment is required, he or she should focus on the crucial recommendations to
make it successful in changing student behavior. Still, it is always better to give
preference to use alternatives rather than punishment. It is also critical to recognize
that excellent school discipline is dependent not just on non-violent reactions to
students’ poor behavior, but also on talented and well-prepared teachers, who can
change the whole attitude of a student towards education process not through the
use of violence, but through soft methods that allow the students to understand
their own actions, behaviors and their consequences.
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