CHAPTER 6

1. CHAPTER 6

2. Chapter 6 presents views of several authorities who believe good discipline depends on students’ attaining a sense of belonging, participating in making class decisions, and relating to others with kindness and consideration. As students acquire these attitudes and capabilities, they experience an inner sense of discipline that is manifested in self control and responsible behavior.

3. Fundamental Hypothesis of Cooperative Discipline Discipline occurs best when teachers and students work together in a genuinely cooperative manner to • establish a classroom that is safe, orderly, and inviting, • provide students a sense of connectedness and belonging, and • turn every mistake into an opportunity for learning.

4. Albert’s Contributions to Classroom Discipline 􀂉 Emphasized the need for teachers and students to work in a genuinely cooperative manner to establish a safe, orderly, and inviting classroom. 􀂉 Devised the Three C’s—capable, connected, contributing—to help students feel they belong in the class. 􀂉 Articulated the Five A’s of acceptance, attention, appreciation, affirmation, and affection to help students feel connected in the class. 􀂉 Identified the Four R’s of consequences to help guide the formation of consequences. 􀂉 Outlined a Six-D conflict resolution plan to help resolve matters under dispute. 􀂉 Offered dozens of graceful exits that allow teachers to distance themselves from the situation at the moment of misbehavior.

5. Strengths of Albert’s Work •Valuable additions to our knowledge about behavior and choice, and student needs and goals for why they behave as they do. •Clarified mistaken goals. •Used a code of conduct to define the operating principles of the class and identify behavior expected of everyone. •Explained belonging with the Three C’s of cooperative discipline. •Identified Four R’s of consequences. •Outlined a Six-D conflict resolution plan. •Gave teachers graceful exit strategies to remove themselves from the situation. •Strong on preventing misbehavior.

6. Challenges of Albert’s Work •Asks teachers to accept that students choose their behavior and they only can influence students, not control them. •Asks teachers to allow students to participate in making choices about their education and classroom. •Requires teachers to replace class rules and consequences with a code of conduct.

7. Mistaken goals. Students misbehave when they do not feel they belong in the classroom, when they do not perceive themselves as important, worthwhile, and valued. They misbehave in order to attain one of four goals.

8. •Attention seeking (“Look at me”) is the most common form of misbehavior, and students have literally dozens of ways to gain attention. •Active attention-getting mechanisms (AGMs): pencil tapping, showing off, calling out, asking irrelevant questions. •Passive attention-seeking: when students dawdle, lag behind, are slow to comply. •Silver lining: Attention-seeking behavior shows that the offending student desires a positive relationship with the teacher but does not know how to connect. •Power-seeking behavior (“You can’t make me”) is probably the most frustrating behavior for teachers. Through actions and words students try to show that they cannot be controlled by the teacher and will do as they please. •Active power-seeking: temper tantrums, back talk, disrespect, defiance. •Passive power-seeking: quiet noncompliance with teacher requests. •Silver lining: In many students, power-seeking behavior shows good verbal skills, leadership ability, assertiveness, and independent thinking.

9. •Revenge-seeking behavior (“I’ll get even”) often is aggressive and violent. When students suffer real or imagined hurts in class, a few may set out to retaliate against teachers and classmates. •Revenge-seeking students may verbally attack the teacher, destroy materials or room environment, or even physically attack teachers or other students. •Avoidance-of-failure behavior (“I won’t participate”) comes from students who feel they cannot live up to the expectations of themselves or others. •These students withdraw and make little effort in class. •Teachers can counter withdrawal by using concrete learning materials, teaching small steps, teaching to the various intelligences, and offering specialized help. Teachers must show belief in the students and help remove students’ negative thoughts about their ability to succeed.

10. Students, needing to feel that they belong in the classroom, must perceive themselves to be important, worthwhile, and valued. The Three C’s of cooperative discipline are essential in helping students feel a sense of belonging. •Capable—that students are capable of accomplishment. Capable stresses students’ sense of “I can.” Teachers help students understand that mistakes are okay, build confidence that success is possible, make progress tangible by focusing on past successes, and recognize achievements. •Connected—that students are able to connect personally with peers and teachers. •Contributing—that students see that school has purpose that can be fulfilled better when they make contributions to the class and each other. Teachers help students feel they are needed by encouraging students’ contributions in class and to the school and community, encouraging students to work to protect the environment, and encouraging them to help other students.

11. By using the Five A’s of connecting, teachers help students feel connected to others. •Acceptance—that it’s all right for each student to be as he or she is regarding culture, abilities, disabilities, and personal style. •Attention—being available to others, by sharing time and energy with them in meaningful ways. For more severe confrontations, teachers should use graceful exits that are calm, poised, and without sarcasm, to distance themselves from the situation. •Acknowledge the student’s power. •Then move away from the student and table the matter to talk about it later. •If defiance persists, call the student’s bluff with a closing statement: “Let me get this straight. I asked you to complete your assignment and you are refusing. Is that correct?” Write down what the student says. •If the student will not calm down, have the student take time out in the classroom or in a designated room.students that we are proud of their accomplishments, expressed through compliments and gratitude given orally, in writing, or behaviorally. •Affirmation—recognizing desirable traits such as courage, cheerfulness, dedication, enthusiasm, friendliness, helpfulness, kindness, loyalty, originality, persistence, sensitivity, and thoughtfulness. •Affection—given freely, shows closeness and caring.

12. To make progress tangible, have students compile albums and portfolios of things they have accomplished at school. To encourage student contributions to the school, create a Three C Committee, whose purpose is to think of ways to help students feel more capable, connected, and contributing. To encourage students to help other students, establish a circle of friends who make sure that everyone has a partner to talk with, to sit with during lunch, and to walk with between classes.

13. Avoiding and defusing confrontations •Focus on the behavior, not the student. •Take charge of your negative emotions. •Allow the student to save face.

14. For more severe confrontations, teachers should use graceful exits that are calm, poised, and without sarcasm, to distance themselves from the situation. •Acknowledge the student’s power. •Then move away from the student and table the matter to talk about it later. •If defiance persists, call the student’s bluff with a closing statement: “Let me get this straight. I asked you to complete your assignment and you are refusing. Is that correct?” Write down what the student says. •If the student will not calm down, have the student take time out in the classroom or in a designated room.

15. A code of conduct specifies how everyone, including the teacher, is supposed to behave and interact. A set of consequences defines the operating principles of the classroom. Consequences are tools to help students make better behavior choices.

16. Four categories of consequences •Loss or delay of privileges—such as a favorite activity. •Loss of freedom of interaction—such as talking with other students. •Restitution—such as return, repair, or replacement of objects; doing school service; or helping students that have been offended. •Relearning appropriate behavior—such as practicing correct behavior for given situations

17. The four R’s of consequences •Related—student is asked to do something related directly to the misbehavior. •Reasonable—consequence is proportional to the misbehavior, and is intended to teach not punish students. •Respectful—consequence is invoked in a friendly but firm manner, with no blaming, shaming, or preaching. •Reliably enforced—teachers invoke consequences and follow through in a consistent manner.

18. The Six-D conflict resolution plan •Define the problem objectively, without blaming or using emotional words. •Declare the need—tell what makes the situation a problem. •Describe the feelings experienced by both sides. •Discuss possible solutions. Consider pros and cons of each. •Decide on a plan. Choose the solution with the most support from both sides. Be specific about when it will begin. •Determine the plan’s effectiveness. Arrange a follow-up meeting after the plan has been in use for a time in order to evaluate its effectiveness.

19. Fundamental Hypothesis of Inner Discipline Discipline occurs best when teachers help students acquire an inner sense of self-control, developed through trust, assigning responsibility, and giving students power to make decisions.

20. Coloroso’s Contributions to Classroom Discipline 􀂉 Depicted classrooms as places to learn problem solving and develop inner discipline. 􀂉 Viewed teachers as guides, supporters helping students to manage their own discipline. 􀂉 Described how punishment and discipline differ, and identified principles of proper discipline. 􀂉 Delineated three categories of student misbehavior—mistakes, mischief, and mayhem. 􀂉 Described the application of the Three R’s of reconciliatory justice—restitution, resolution, and reconciliation.

21. Strengths of Coloroso’s Work •Provides a tangible philosophy of discipline that is humanistic and focused on preserving dignity and a sense of self worth. •Advocates students’ ability take charge of their lives by accepting ownership and resolving their own problems, and living by the consequences of their decisions. •Guides adults to allow students to make safe choices in order to become more responsible.

22. Challenges of Coloroso’s Work •Not a highly structured plan. This will challenge those who want specific guidelines and strategies (but be a strength for those who want to use these ideas in their own way). •For school-wide discipline, everyone must participate in creating a positive climate that permits students and teachers to solve problems, make mistakes, and profit from the mistakes. Some see this as another task that takes time and energy they do not have. •Requires that teachers avoid rescuing students, but rather allow them to experience the consequences of their choices.

23. Proper discipline does four things: •Shows students what they have done wrong. •Gives them ownership of the problem created. •Gives them ways to solve the problems. •Leaves their dignity intact. Punishment cannot do these things.

24. Three levels of misbehavior: •Mistake—simple errors that provide opportunity for learning better choices. •Mischief—not necessarily serious, but intentional misbehavior that provides opportunity to help students find ways to fix what was done and learn how to avoid doing it again, while retaining their dignity. •Mayhem—willfully serious misbehavior that calls for application of the Three R’s.

25. The Three R’s of reconciliatory justice provide guidance in helping students take responsibility and accept consequences. •Restitution—to somehow repair whatever damage was done. •Resolution—involves identifying and correcting whatever caused the misbehavior so it won’t happen again. •Reconciliation—entails the process of healing the relationships with people who were hurt by the misbehavior.

26. Steps to problem solving: •Identify the reality and define the problem. •List possible solutions for dealing with the problem. •Evaluate the options. •Select the option that seems most promising. •Make a plan and carry it out. •In retrospect, re-evaluate the problem and the solution.

27. Fundamental Hypothesis of Positive Discipline Discipline occurs best when teachers provide classrooms that are accepting, encouraging, respectful, and supportive—which together enable students to behave with dignity, self-control, and concern for others.

28. Nelsen and Lott’s Contributions to Classroom Discipline 􀂉 A strategic approach to classroom interaction, rather than a packaged system. 􀂉 Explained how teachers can stop directing students and begin working with them. 􀂉 Coached teachers to move beyond consequences and think in terms of solutions that focus on helping students do better in the future. By doing this, problems become opportunities for learning. 􀂉 Provided suggestions and cautions for conducting successful class meetings.

29. Strengths of Nelsen and Lott’s Work •Uses regular and frequent class meetings for groups to identify problems and find solutions, and provides steps for successful meetings. •Class meetings provide opportunities for students to learn important life skills when they help each other find positive solutions to problems. This, in turn, helps students realize that they have positive control over their lives and learn to behave responsibly. •Offers suggestions and cautions for teachers to adapt to their needs and realities, without much structure.

30. Challenges of Nelsen and Lott’s Work •For teachers who want a structure they can administer with immediate results, this will be a weakness. •Requires time, both for organizing the system and for settling the students. •Results may be somewhat slow, but they probably will be more permanent than those attained in discipline systems based on reward and punishment.

31. Building blocks to effective class meetings: 1. Form a circle. 2. Practice compliments and appreciations. 3. Create an agenda. 4. Develop communication skills. 5. Learn about separate realities. 6. Recognize the reasons people do what they do. 7. Practice role playing and brainstorming. 8. Focus on nonpunitive solutions.

32. Apply the Three R’s of Solutions to move toward nonpunitive solutions. Teachers explain to students that they never intend to punish or belittle them in any way, and when students do something wrong, they will try to help them behave more appropriately. The help they provide always will be •Related to what the student has done wrong •Respectful of them as persons •Reasonable.