The Difference Between Classroom Management and Discipline

The most misused word in education is "classroom management."  Many educators incorrectly associate classroom management with discipline.  Certainly, behavioural events frequently occur in class, particularly in classrooms where there is no management pan in place. 
Classroom management is all about effective teacher instruction (what the teacher does) and effective student learning (what the students do).

• DISCIPLINE is concerned with how students BEHAVE.
• PROCEDURES are concerned with how things ARE DONE.
• DISCIPLINE HAS penalties and rewards. 
• PROCEDURES HAVE NO penalties or rewards. 

Remember...

• Discipline is behavior management.
• Classroom management is organization.
• Classroom management is NOT about DISCIPLINE.  Classroom management is about ORGANIZATION and CONSISTENCY. 

DISCIPLINE

• Discipline is all about how students behave.
• Rules are used to control how students behave.
• Discipline plans have rules.  

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

• Management deals with how students do their work. 
• Procedures are used to ensure students are productive and successful.
• Classroom management plans have procedures. 

Classroom Management is Planned

• The number one problem in the classroom is not discipline.
• Most problems in the classroom are procedure related; they are not discipline problems.
• It is much easier- and far more effective- to monitor and correct procedures than to institute tighter discipline. 

​Rules

• Rules are used to control people.
• Although rules are necassary, they create an adversarial relationship.
• When rules are broken, there are adverse consequences. 
• Ideally, rules and policies are meant to be guidelines- not dictums set in stone. 

Ineffective vs. Effective Teachers

• Ineffective teachers discipline their students to control their every action.  
• Effective teachers teach their students how to be responsible for appropriate procedures.  

Major Differences Between Discipline and Classroom Management 

Discipline	Classroom Management
Is Reactive	Is proactive
Is problem-driven	Is productivity-driven
Has negative consequences as punishments	Has rewards as increased learning time
Promotes compliance	Promotes responsibilities
Stops deviant behavior	Produces predictable behavior

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." -Benjamin Franklin