Discipline for Smart People    

Discipline without Stress is the only discipline and learning system that is totally noncoercive. But it is not permissive.

Notice that the term, “system,” is used. It is an entire teaching model that can be The approach is proactive, Stephen Covey’s first habit of highly effective people. Rather than the usual reactive approach of waiting until a problem arises and then reacting to it, teaching occurs at the outset so young people always have something upon which to reflect.

Coercive (punishments) and manipulative approaches (rewards) are not used. Both rely on an external agent. Use of these approaches require an adult to be present. However, a person’s influence is judged more on what others do when the person is not present than when the person is present.

Rewards and punishments are different sides of the obedience coin. Rewards ask, “What do you want me to do and what do I get if I do it.” Punishments ask, “What do you want me to do, and what happens to me if I don’t do it.” Neither approach builds long-term character because they are based on an obedience model, rather than a responsibility model.

Desire, caring, integrity, kindness, generosity, perseverance, and responsibility CANNOT BE MANDATED. These qualities can only be taken, not given by an external agent. Rewards and punishments rely on giving, an external approach. Therefore, by their very nature they cannot achieve the success that an internal approach uses where people WANT to be responsible, WANT to put forth effort to learn, and WANT to the the right thing because it is the right thing to do, rather than what they will receive or what will happen to them.

More is available by scrolling past the cartoon on this link.

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Posted In: Discipline without Stress On: September 15, 2007: 2:27 pm: By Marvin Marshall

An understanding of each distinctive concept of curriculum, instruction, classroom management, and discipline is essential for effective teaching.For example, although classroom management and discipline are related, they are distinctly different topics and should not be lumped together as if they were synonymous.

Curriculum refers to what is to be taught. The curriculum is determined by state departments of education, boards of education, the “federal agenda,” professional associations, the community—and, more recently, corporate performance accountability models for learning.

It is the teacher’s responsibility to make the curriculum relevant, interesting, meaningful, and/or enjoyable. A first step would be for the teacher to ask the question, “Why should my students be learning this?” Then tell the students.

Instruction has two components: (1) teaching and (2) learning. The former refers to what the teacher does, the latter to what students do.

Good teaching of a lesson has at least three parts: (1) grabbing interest, (2) the actual teaching, and (3) reflection on the experiences for enhanced understanding, reinforcement, and retention.

Learning pertains to what students do to learn.

Classroom management deals with how things are done, how instruction is made efficient. It has to do with procedures, routines, and structure to the point of becoming rituals. Classroom management is the teacher’s responsibility and is enhanced when procedures are:
1. Explained to students,
2. Practiced by students, and periodically (when necessary)
3. Reinforced by practicing again.
When procedures are learned, routines are established. Routines give structure to instruction.

Discipline deals with how people behave. It concerns impulse management and self-control. Discipline is the student’s responsibility.

If, as a teacher, you have a particularly unsuccessful lesson, ask yourself,
(1) Was it the curriculum? e.g., I just didn’t make it appealing,
or
(2) Was it instruction? e.g., I had a wonderful lesson planned, but I did all the work; the students were not involved enough in their learning,
or
(3) Was it classroom management? e.g., I had a wonderful lesson, but it took 10 minutes to get everything organized,
or
(4) Was it a discipline problem? e.g., I prompted the students’ curiosity, taught a good lesson with meaningful student activities, had everything organized, but I still had disruptions?

Asking yourself these questions enhances a clear understanding of the differences between curriculum, instruction, classroom management, and discipline and is fundamental for effective teaching.

© Copyright 2003 Marvin Marshall
Permission to reprint this article is granted as long as the following link is cited: www.MarvinMarshall.com.

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Posted In: Promoting Learning On: : 12:33 pm: By Marvin Marshall

“All schools in North Carolina will implement Positive Behavior Support as an effective and proactive process for improving social competence and academic achievement for all students.” SO READS THE MANDATE.

There are Positive Behavior Support (PBS) Regional Coordinators to support implementation of this approach throughout North Carolina. Here is the link.

The North Carolina Positive Behavioral Support Initiative is part of the North Carolina State Improvement Program funded through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This act is aimed at helping individuals with disabilities. Unfortunately, the approaches used in so many special education classes use 19th and 20th century external, manipulative, and coercive approaches. Here is a far more effective approach.

Here is a simple case of punished by rewards: Susie does all the right things Nancy does. Nancy is rewarded, but Susie is not. Susie is punished by the system. Where is the fairness? Yet, this program is supposed to promote character education!

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Here is another example from Carlette Jackson Hardin’s 2008 publication, “Effective Classroom Management,” pp 142-143:

The substitute teacher was surprised when a student asked if the class had earned a marble for the quiet way in which they had returned from lunch.

“I don’t understand. What do you mean that you earned a marble?”

A student explained, “Our teacher puts a marble in a jar if we walk back from the cafeteria quietly and in line. When the jar is full, we are given an afternoon with no work.”

Confused, the guest teacher asked, “But aren’t you supposed to walk quietly in the hall so that you don’t disturb other classes? Why should you earn a marble for doing what is right?”

The students looked to each other, confused at the question. Finally, a student tried to explain, “We always get a reward for following rules. Why else should we follow the rules?”

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The more teachers control their students through reward systems, the more difficult it is for students to become moral people who think for themselves and care about others. –Alfie Kohn

Positive Behavior Support makes a lot of sense until you start thinking about it. (As Dagwood Bumstead would put it.)

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Posted In: Promoting Responsibility On: : 9:17 am: By Marvin Marshall

“Life is a conversation. Interestingly, the most influential person we talk with all day is ourself, and what we tell ourself has a direct bearing on our behavior, our performance, and our influence on others. In fact, a good case can be made that our self-talk creates our reality. “After I wrote this as the opening of my book, I became more acutely aware of my own-self talk and that my decisions are based on how I talk to myself. Of course, my self-talk is determined by what I think. Chances are that when I think that I will trip down the stairs, without even realizing it, I have programmed my brain. In contrast, when I think in positive terms, such as how fortunate I am, my brain prompts a chemical reaction that prompt good feelings.

I am now constantly aware of how many things start with my own self-talk, rather than from outside sources.

The same applies to everyone. The vast amount of what we do starts with our choices, and the choices we make are influenced our self-talk.

Once you become acutely aware of this process—that your thinking and communications with others starts with what you tell ourself—your effectiveness will immediately increase. The reason is that any influence of others begins with ourselves. As the super successful salesperson knows, the first sale needs to be to oneself.

If you want to influence people, be positive, not negative. And that means your own self-talk needs to be in positive terms—not in negative self-talk.

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Posted In: Increasing Effectiveness On: : 8:21 am: By Marvin Marshall