My discipline is very simple. I model good behavior. I am very positive and constantly reinforce good behavior. I focus on the kids who are doing the right thing and praise them. Generally, others notice and try to act acceptably. I try to make it easy for them to act correctly - fun, engaging activities, etc. I also try hard to sense when they've had enough sitting down, work time, listening, etc. - we do some movement activity and that usually calms some kids down. I want students to not want to miss out on what we're doing - they want to be part of the group and just being removed from the group is punishment enough. I have also created little "You are a shining star" notes to make it quick and easy for me to let parents know about great behavior.
If a student is being a distraction to him/herself or others, I will give him/her a warning - maybe verbal, maybe a serious look, maybe silently motioning them to come sit closer to me, maybe just moving closer to them, maybe putting a hand on their shoulder. This is enough a lot of the time for students to remember to listen and keep their hands to themselves.
If a child continues to have difficulty focusing, she/he is quietly asked or motioned to "go get some power." Any chair can be a power chair. S/he must sit there and be totally silent. When s/he has "enough power" (a.k.a. self control) to know what to do and how to act, s/he can come back and join us. Students decide when they're ready, as they know (not me) when they "have enough power."
I do not keep track of or report to parents how much their child is in the power chair. I stress that it is not punishment, but a chance for their child to get back some self control. With serious, recurrent behavior problems with a certain child, I will start a little sheet that goes home every day. I focus on one goal (i.e. keep hands to self) at a time. This is very effective when parents are supportive and get involved.
When the whole class is not focused, the best strategy is just to wait. I will sit and wait until everyone's ready and quiet - and they know I will wait until they're really, truly ready. If they don't quickly start being quiet, I start watching the clock and I count out "5 seconds...10 seconds...15 seconds" very quietly, letting them know how much time they're wasting. They then will go out to recess that many seconds late (to kindergartners, this is a big deal). When they waste our time, they have to return it.
