Teacher Education

• Dr. Winthrop Wiltshire, consultant for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization project "Changing the Culture of the Classroom," recommends cultivating the emotional health of Caribbean teachers so they may be better equipped to deal with aggression. Wiltshire believes a teacher's skill and attitude can influence classroom atmosphere. If a teacher becomes more self-aware and confident, she will be better equipped to use positive techniques for student discipline, he states.
  
  

Curriculum

• "Educating for Peace: A Life Skills Curriculum" by educational consultant Marilyn Atherley has been used throughout the Caribbean islands as a component of "Changing the Culture of the Classroom" teacher workshops. The curriculum includes lessons about emotional self-control, self-esteem, relationships and conflict resolution. Instead of approaching aggressive students with negativity, the curriculum encourages students to engage these pupils, talking about their feelings and helping them to become more connected to their peers.
  
  

Mixing of Grade Levels

• In one approach to preventing aggression and reducing the need for punishment, Dr. Chris Berry, of London's Education and International Development Group, argues that mixed-grade classrooms may provide one part of the solution. In his paper "Multigrade Teaching: A Discussion Document," he argues that mixed classrooms allow for development of more friendships, reduce competition and limit aggression. His report was presented at a multi-grade symposium in July 2000.
  
  

Alternative Techniques

• In a 2009 presentation to Caribbean teachers at the South Caribbean Conference of SDA Education, University of Southern Caribbean Professor Franklyn Baldeo advised that punishment is rarely the optimal method for curbing aggression in the classroom. Although punishment may temporarily control behavior, he pointed out that punishment does not teach pro-social behavior. Rather than assigning extra work, lowering grades or verbally attacking students for their aggression, he recommended consistent motivation and encouraging students toward independence and maturity.
  
  

School Connections

• School attendance and school connectedness can help reduce violence in Caribbean schools, according to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health in 2004. After comparing information about violence and behavior among 15,500 children throughout the Caribbean, researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health concluded that boys who reported feeling connected to their school were 60 percent less likely to exhibit violent behavior. Therefore, schools hoping to curb youth violence while avoiding punishment for aggression should consider assigning problem students to help organize functions that exhibit school spirit or pride. Though students are signed up reluctantly for such positions, the process of helping to make decisions associated with these events can possibly swell them with school pride.