Transcript Discipline Is Not A Dirty Word! Or Is It? 1

Discipline
Is Not A Dirty Word! Or Is It?
@adapted by Dr. Douglas Gosse
1
A wee yarn…

We are storytelling organisms. For thousands or
years, this is how we transmit, share, and create
knowledge and rapport. Embrace storytelling as a
strategy to connect with students, and vice
versa…encourage the telling of stories and
subjectivity. Use your own personal experience, or
stories from pop culture, e.g. movies, TV, novels, nonfiction.
2
Identify Student’s Behaviour



1.
2.
3.
4.
Usually kids misbehave because they want
something
The first step of Cooperative Discipline is to
find out exactly what the student wants
Usually the student had one of four goals:
Attention
Power
Revenge
Avoidance of Failure
3
Attention:



Some students choose
misbehavior to get extra
attention.
They distract teachers and
classmates to gain an
audience and special
recognition.
Typical behaviors include
making noises, using foul
language, and creating
unnecessary interruptions
during class time.
4
Power:


Some students want to
be the
These students aren’t
likely to comply with
classroom rules or
teacher requests. They
will challenge and argue
with teachers until they
think they’ve had the
"last word."
5
Revenge:
Some students want to lash out at their
teachers or classmates to get even for
real or imagined hurts.
 may sometimes threaten physical harm
or get indirect physical revenge by
breaking, damaging, or stealing. They
also may try to manipulate you into
feeling hurt or guilty.

6
Avoidance of Failure:

Some students feel inadequate because they
believe they can’t live up to expectations.
 To compensate, they behave in ways that
make them appear inadequate, by
procrastinating, not completing their work, or
pretending to have a disability.
7
Deal With the Misbehavior
Immediately

Does every misbehavior really have one of
these four goals? Of course not; yet these four
goals can help you classify the misbehaviors
more than 90 percent of the time.

After you have categorized the misbehavior,
you’ll want to choose specific interventions for
dealing with that type of behavior. Give these
strategies a try:
8
Attention:

Give "the eye" so the
student knows you
mean business.
 Stand close to the
student and continue
your lesson.
 Distract the student by
asking a direct question
or using the student’s
name while continuing
your lesson.
 Give specific praise to a
nearby student who’s on
task.
9
Power:




Avoid direct confrontation by agreeing with the student
or changing the subject.
Acknowledge the student’s power and state your
actions: "You’re right, I can’t make you finish the math
problems, but I’ll be collecting the assignment at the
end of the class."
Change the activity, do something unexpected, or
initiate another class discussion on a topic of interest.
Use time-out by giving a choice: "You may sit quietly,
keep your hands and feet to yourself, and complete
the assignment, or you may go to time-out in Mr.
Weber’s room. You decide."
10
Revenge:




Revoke a privilege, such as not
allowing the student to use play
equipment.
Build a caring relationship by using
affirmation statements that give the
message: "You’re okay, but your
choice of behavior is not."
Require the return, repair, or
replacement of damaged objects.
Involve school personnel or parents
if necessary.
11
Avoidance of Failure:




Acknowledge the difficulty of the assigned task, but remind the
student of past successes he had doing similar tasks.
Modify instruction, and materials.
Teach the student to say "I can" instead of "I can’t" by recognizing
achievements.
Provide peer tutors or ask the student to help someone else,
perhaps a younger student, to help build self-confidence.
12
Provide some encouragement


Remember the Pygmalion
Theory? Review this!
Encouragement techniques
are neither time-consuming
nor difficult to learn. Commit
to using them daily and your
students will feel like valuable
members of the classroom.
Strategies for encouraging
students fall into three
categories:
13
Capable: Students need to feel capable of completing their work in a
satisfactory manner. How?
 Create an environment where it’s okay to make mistakes.
 Build confidence by focusing on improvement and on past successes.
 Make your learning objectives reachable for all students.
 Use those Anecdotal Notes positively while being UBER conscious of the
Pygmalion Theory!
Connect: Students need to believe they can develop positive
relationships with teachers and classmates. How?
 Be accepting of all students, regardless of past misbehavior.
 Give attention by listening and showing interest in their activities outside of
class.
 Show appreciation by praise or written notes.
 Use affirmation statements that are specific and enthusiastic about a
student’s good behavior or abilities.
 Build affectionate relationships with simple acts of kindness.
14
Contribute: Students need to
contribute to the welfare of
the class so they feel like
they make a difference.
How?




Involve them in maintaining
the learning environment by
holding class meetings.
Ask for suggestions when
decisions need to be made.
Use cooperative learning
groups frequently.
Encourage peer tutoring.
15
"We can't teach the
students we used to
have. Or those we wish
we had. We must teach
the students we do
have."
- Linda Albert
16
From my Mother, Verna Gosse – An
Experienced, Retired Teacher
Advice to a novice teacher in 1990:
“If you smile at that student, you
may be the only person who
smiled at them all day, perhaps
all week! Treat them as good as
you’d like to be treated. Put them
first . . .”
17
REFERENCES
Albert, L. (1989). A Teacher's Guide to Cooperative Discipline, How to
Manage Your Classroom and Promote Self-Esteem. Circle Pines,
Minnesota: American Guidance Services, Inc.
Albert, L. (1996a). Cooperative Discipline. Circle Pines, Minnesota:
American Guidance Services, Inc.
Albert, L. (1996b). Discipline: Is It a Dirty Word? Retrieved November 8,
2005, from http://www.agsnet.com/staffdev/cd_dirty.asp
18