Transcript Thomas Gordon Inner Self-Control

Whitney Whitehair
Allison Moore
October 14, 2009
EDUC 360
Thomas Gordon
About Thomas…
 Clinical psychologist
 Head of the Gordon Training International
 Largest human relations training organization in the
world
 www.gordontraining.com
 Two million people have used his training program
 Wrote a number of books
 Received the American Psychological Foundation’s
Gold Metal Award for Enduring Contributions to
Psychology in the Public Interest
Gordon’s Plan for Discipline
 There are six major elements:
 Influence Rather than Control
 Preventative Skills
 Discipline and Who Owns the Problem
 Confrontive Skills
 Helping Skills
 No-Lose Conflict Resolution
Influence Rather than Control
 Control  students coping mechanisms
 Fighting (combating the person with whom they have
the conflict)
 Taking flight (trying to escape the situation)
 Submitting (giving into the other person)
 Cut off communication and willingness to cooperate
Preventative Skills
 Three things to prevent problems:
 Use I-Messages

These influence students’ future actions.
 Set rules together with students

Setting rules together with students allows time for discussion
and working together to collaborate an effective means.
 Use participative management

Sharing power with students with different types of
assessment, rules, preferred activities, etc. This motivates
students and gives them confidence.
Discipline and Who Owns the
Problem
 Gordon explains that misbehavior is behavior that
 “..produces undesirable consequences for the adult”(p.
81).
 When the class is uncontrolled, the teacher is said to
own the problem. But at times, the student may own
the problem.
 With confrontive skills and helping skills, this will
solve the problem and who owns it.
Confrontive Skills
 When the teacher owns the problem, one of these
discipline steps should be taken:
 Modifying the physical environment (rather than the
student)  Provide music or minimize distractions
 Sending I-Messages regularly  Instead of scolding,
work on I-Messages throughout the day to keep them
constant with everyday teaching
 Shifting gears  If this does not work, listen to the
student’s side of the story and continue with another IMessage (show sensitivity!)
Helping Skills
 When students own the problem, teachers use two
main helping skills
 Listening and avoiding communication roadblocks
 Four kinds of listening
 Passive Listening  little more than attentive silence,
but is enough to encourage students to talk.
 Acknowledgment responses  verbal and nonverbal
cues that demonstrate teacher’s interest.
 Door opens  invitation for students to discuss their
problems.
 Active Listening  Mirroring back what students say.
Helping Skills Continued…
 Avoiding communication roadblocks
 Examples: giving orders, warning, preaching, advising,
lecturing, criticizing, name calling, analyzing, praising,
reassuring, questioning, withdrawing.
Turn your book to pages 82-83
No-Lose Conflict Resolution
 Reach agreements and find a solution that satisfies
both parties
 Egos are preserved and relations remain undamaged
 Ex. “I wonder what we might do so you boys won’t feel
like fighting anymore.”
 Prevents either boy from feeling that he has “lost” the
dispute.
What Every Teacher Should Know
How teachers can bring out the best in their students!
References
 http://www.etia.org/uploadedImages/gordon.jpg