Discipline for Smart People    

QUESTION:

I attended your session at the Brain Expo in San Diego. I have put your ideas into practice in my classroom and am now researching the pitfalls of behaviorism and rewards and consequences for my Master’s Degree.

I am looking at the variables of an autocratic classroom that uses rewards and consequences and a democratic classroom that uses expectations, choice, and reflection in classroom management.

RESPONSE:

I shy away from describing a classroom as “democratic.” I use the term, “Democracy,” for level D because democracy and responsibility are inseparable—and the prime purpose of the Hierarchy is to promote responsibility. I know that some teachers use the phrase, “democratic classroom,” but I think this carries the implicit message that the students, rather than the teacher, are the the primary source for directing the learning.

There is also a little confusion in the second paragraph above regarding the comment of “… EXPECTATIONS, CHOICE, and REFLECTION in classroom management.”

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT has to do with structure, routines, rituals, and procedures. See  Classroom Management. In contrast, the  Raise Responsibility System Hierarchy promotes EXPECTATIONS; offering CHOICES increases effectiveness and improves relationships; and prompting REFLECTION is the most effective approach to promoting change in behavior. But they are not part of teaching procedures, which is the foundation of classroom management.

Harry Wong and I both gave presentations at the annual convention of the Association of Teacher Educators. This is an association of college and university professors who teach future teachers. Dr. Wong’s entire keynote had to do with teaching procedures. One comment he made should be heard by every teacher who assigns homework. As an award-winning and nationally recognized outstanding classroom teacher, he never assigned homework (home assignments) until the third week of school. His students were taught procedures regarding how to set up the homework and how to do it. After students knew precisely how to “attack” the challenge, had practiced doing homework in class, had reinforced the procedure—only then was homework assigned. The result: Rarely was a homework assignment not turned in. WHAT A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THIS AND THE NUMBER OF PROBLEMS THE VAST MAJORITY OF TEACHERS HAVE WITH THIS ASPECT OF LEARNING!

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Posted In: Promoting Responsibility On: September 30, 2008: 5:15 pm: By Marvin Marshall

A few years ago, the former Secretary of Education, William Bennett, was asked by a 7th grader, “How can you tell a good country from a bad one?”

Dr. Bennett replied, “I apply the ‘gate’ test. When the gates of a country are open, watch which way the people run. Do they run into the country or out of the country?”

The question was an excellent one and prompted an excellent response. I think the same question could be applied to parenting, teaching, and any organization. If the people you deal with were exposed to other possibilities or opportunities, and if all other things were equal, would they stay with you—or would they leave you?

Consider taking an inventory. Are the people acting more like pioneers or prisoners? Are they more upbeat or downcast? Your inventory will tell you if your dealings are positive or negative.

Then, if you don’t like the results of your inventory, select one thing at a time you can do to change. Don’t wait for others to do something. Just focus on what you can do. Use the kaizen approach. Focus on one change at a time.

Another way of looking at it is to find what “de-motivates.” Then see what you can do to remove one of them. You’ll see instant results.

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Posted In: Promoting Learning On: September 29, 2008: 7:28 am: By Marvin Marshall

The church gossip and self-appointed arbiter of the church’s morals kept nosing into other people’s business. Several church members were unappreciative of her activities but feared her enough to maintain their silence.

She made a mistake, however, when she accused George, a new member, of being a drunk after she saw his pickup truck parked in front of the town’s only bar one afternoon. She commented to George and others that everyone seeing it there would know what he was doing.

George, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment and then walked away. He didn’t explain, defend, or deny; he said nothing.

Later that evening, George quietly parked his pickup in front of her house . . . and left it there all night.

This reminds me of what someone once said, “Assumption is the mother of most screw-ups.”

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Posted In: Improving Relationships On: September 26, 2008: 7:41 am: By Marvin Marshall

Reject rejection.

Rejection does not prevent success; fear of rejection does.

You should keep in mind that there is no rational reason to fear rejection. Reject the rejector, and go about your affairs.

The high school student applied to a prestigious university but was not accepted. The student was not accepted before the application was submitted and was not accepted after the application was submitted. In reality, the student is no worse off than if the application had not been submitted at all.

A few years ago when I was presenting for university extension programs around the country, one university where I had a desire to present did not hire me. My mentor in this endeavor was a psychologist, Dr. James Sutton, an expert in “passive-aggressive” behavior—now referred to as “oppositional defiant disorder.”  When I informed Jim of the university’s decision, his remark to me was, “That’s their loss.” I took his approach; I rejected their rejection.

Interestingly, the same university now uses the book as their core text in a required course.

Treat the negative response as it deserves to be treated; reject it.

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Posted In: Increasing Effectiveness On: September 25, 2008: 7:33 am: By Marvin Marshall

Although fear is usually self-talk, there are times when it is most difficult to think that it is not real. So rather than attempting to eradicate it, warm up to it.

We can learn from our children. Children don’t say, “I can’t because I’m afraid.” For example, a youngster will get on a high diving board and dive off even though she has never done it before. She’ll run to the parent with a great smile, and the parent will ask, “Weren’t you afraid?” She’ll respond, “Yes, I was afraid; I was really scared.”

But a grown-up won’t do the same thing. If you say to a grown-up, “Are you going to dive off the board?” the adult will say, “No, I’m afraid.” The mental talk of the adults is, “If I’m afraid, I can’t do it.” But the truth of the matter is that you can do it even if you are afraid; it’s just less comfortable than doing something you are not afraid to do. But if you do it a couple of times, you won’t be afraid to do it anymore, and it will become more and more comfortable.

Rather than saying, “I can’t do it,”—whether it is learning a new computer program, get going on the treadmill, or just acknowledging someone instead of evaluating the person—you can do it by easing into the task.

The Japanese have a word for it: kaizen. It comes from the words “kai” meaning school and “zen” meaning wisdom. Its core: Continuous progress comes from making small improvements towards a goal. “SMALL” is the key word. Just take one step at a time when trying something new. This “warming up” to the task will have you feeling competent and successful in a shorter period of time than you would have expected.

When promoting responsibility in ourselves or actuating responsibility in others, take small steps—instead of large leaps.

The familiar aphorism states this idea succinctly: Small strokes fell great oaks.

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Posted In: Promoting Responsibility On: September 24, 2008: 7:23 am: By Marvin Marshall

I gave a keynote In Alberta, Canada, entitled, “Four Practices of Superior Teachers,” followed by a “Discipline without Stress, Punishments, or Rewards” workshop to the Calgary Teachers Association. I think I also had the most humbling experience of my life.

I have been honored to speak in various locations around the world. Certainly presenting in Kuala Lumpur at the behest of the Minister of Education of Malaysia was an honor and a very gratifying experience. And I truly enjoyed speaking in Beijing where I presentied with a Chinese translation of the book. But what I witnessed in Alberta was overwhelming. Fifty members of the Calgary Teachers Association had formed a Marvin Marshall Book Club, and I was the invited speaker for their second meeting.

I know that various schools have met to discuss the book. Kerry Weisner of British Columbia may have been one of the first to have a morning “Muffins with Marv.” But the privilege of having a personal interchange with people who are already familiar with the book was an evening of joy that I do not expect to be surpassed.

One attendee apologized when I signed her book. She had numerous notes affixed to various pages. This was not the first time I had seen the book with numerous Post-its attached. Once I received an e-mail from someone telling me that it was the person’s third reading and notes were still being affixed.

I thank all of you who have purchased the book and have found it to be both professionally and personally enriching. Here is the site to read about the book.

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Posted In: Discipline without Stress On: September 23, 2008: 11:32 am: By Marvin Marshall

Here is a marvelously successful idea to have students understand the motivation of those students who operate on Level B—in this case bullies who pick on others. I used it well in Seoul, Korea to demonstrate how older students take advantage of young students and thereby lose harmony in the Confucian-based society of honoring others.

Use a ruler to demonstrate a teeter-totter (see-saw). Hold it flat and describe that this is how it looks when it is balanced. People who are getting along and making responsible choices keep the teeter-totter in balance.

However, when one person starts to pick on another, the teeter-totter gets out of balance. The person who is picked on starts to feel as if he/she is “lower” than the other person. But, in reality, the bully is actually the one who is feeling bad about her/himself. (Tilt the teeter-totter out of balance to show this.)

So the bullying behavior is actually an attempt to pull the other kid down to the bully’s level—to try to bring things back into balance from the bully’s perspective.

People should see the bully as someone who is having a bad day or feeling bad for some reason. Challenge students to keep this in mind as they decide how to respond to bullying behavior.

With younger kids, prompt them to say, “Sorry you are having a bad day.” The usual result is that the bully is left speechless. Many times the choice is simply to recognize what is going on and walk away, realizing that the one with the problem is the bully.

Having youngsters understand that bullying behavior indicates that the bully is “out of balance” with life is empowering and very liberating.

The discussion also opens the eyes of the bully. No one wants to be known as someone who has problems. These students usually have never thought about their own behavior in this way.

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Posted In: Promoting Responsibility On: September 22, 2008: 9:38 am: By Marvin Marshall

Using the Hierarchy of Social Development can be a highly effective approach to promote learning.

Establishing expectations by prompts from the teacher, and/or eliciting descriptors from students, BEFORE an activity and then REFLECTING AFTER the activity increase both motivation and achievement.

A few samples are posted at http://www.marvinmarshall.com/hierarchy.htm.
Although these examples can serve as prompts, it would be just as effective to elicit from students their own descriptors for the levels.

Following are two samples of the posts:

A) PERSEVERANCE

LEVEL D (INTERNAL motivation)
• Perseveres in spite of a challenge
• Retains an optimistic attitude toward obstacles
• Doesn’t require constant adult direction or supervision to stay on task
• Independently asks for help when necessary, rather than unnecessarily worrying

LEVEL C (EXTERNAL motivation)
• Does all of the above but ONLY when an adult is nearby or when there is a desire to impress someone who is watching

LEVEL B/A
• On task ONLY when an adult is directly supervising and even then doesn’t choose to focus well
• Gives up without much effort
• Displays a pessimistic attitude toward obstacles
• Blames others or circumstances as an excuse for giving up
• Doesn’t ask for help or accept help that is offered
• Worries but doesn’t choose to take action that will help in moving forward

———-

B) PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASS

LEVEL D (INTERNAL motivation)
• Displays sportsmanship whether or not an adult is present
• Demonstrates effort to participate
• Always comes to class dressed and prepared

LEVEL C (EXTERNAL motivation)
• Participates in class as expected by teacher
• Uses equipment properly while supervised
• Helps with clean-up when directly asked

LEVEL B
• Interrupts the focus of others in the class
• Doesn’t follow the rules of games
• Uses equipment improperly

LEVEL A
• Demonstrates poor sportsmanship
• Acts in a way that endangers safety of others
• Leaves clean up of equipment to others

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Posted In: Promoting Learning On: September 19, 2008: 12:20 pm: By Marvin Marshall

The following is from a post at the mailring.

I had an experience with one of my students that I call, “Level D at the Beach!”  While on a field trip, I had an opportunity to use the hierarchy with a child who had shown a high level of integrity. I was able to help him recognize the fact because of the Raise Responsibility System..

I had another situation in which I was able to use the hierarchy to help a child feel a bit better about her dealings with a difficult desk partner. I thought I’d share it because I think it’s helpful to hear stories of classroom experiences and because I want to encourage people to remember to use the hierarchy to help children acknowledge not only their misbehaviour, but also to become aware of their higher level behaviour as well.

One little girl in our class this year is showing escalating signs of emotional disturbance. And no wonder, she’s had an extremely difficult life so far—far more difficult than anything I’ve ever experienced. Sadly, because of the anger and pain she has to deal with in her personal life, she is frequently quite cold or even mean in her comments to the other students. Although very articulate and bright, she often speaks impulsively and without much regard for the feelings of other people. Her classmates do their best to live with her and be kind but sometimes her sharp tongue is just too much for them to handle.

Such was the case when I returned to the classroom after lunch. There was Sarah, at the door, waiting for me. A very sweet child who is always smiling, she seemed near tears and was obviously worried. She explained that the other girl was going to “tell on her”— and that she “hadn’t done it!”

I didn’t bother to find out any more details because I believed Sarah; she’s never given me one moment of trouble and I knew I could trust that she was telling me the truth. If she told me that she “hadn’t done it,” I knew that she hadn’t—whatever it was!

I took her over to our hierarchy chart and asked her to show me where she generally operated. She pointed to D and I said, “Sarah, you’re right. You are generally always operating at C or D.” Then I went on to ask her about what kind of relationships students who operate at the higher levels build with their teachers? She was able to answer, “good,” which doesn’t really say it all, but I knew she understood what I was talking about. (We’ve been talking a lot about this same topic lately because a couple of weeks ago we had an outbreak of snapped pencils and deliberately broken pencil tips and on several occasions have been talking about people being trusted with classroom items that are intended for use by all.)

Then I  explained further, “You’re right, Sarah. When people operate at the higher levels, it means that other people come to trust them. If, day in and day out, you are behaving yourself and being honest, teachers know that they can count on you to do the right thing and to tell the truth.”

“Now, what do you think, Sarah? If someone does come up and tattles on you, and you tell me that you didn’t do it, will I be able to believe you?” She said, “Yes”, and I said, “That’s right, Sarah. You have shown me day after day that I can trust you, so if you tell me you didn’t do it, I can easily believe you. That’s one of the great things about operating on a high level; other people trust you and you don’t need to worry that someone is getting you in trouble for something you didn’t do.” And with that, the look of worry disappeared; she seemed quite relieved as she went off to her seat.

I love that hierarchy!

Kerry in BC
—————

Kerry has other valuable information to share at her blog.

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Posted In: Improving Relationships On: September 18, 2008: 9:59 am: By Marvin Marshall

If you want to increase your effectiveness with anyone—employee, spouse, child, or student—start by stating something positive.

The famous folk hero, Will Rogers, said, “In all your life, you will never find a method more effective in getting through to another person than to make that person feel important.”

Find something that is deserving of recognition or some behavior or result that you like. Then let the person know that you appreciate it. In simple terms, acknowledge successes of a person.

When you build on what prompts a person to feel good, you will soon see how much more effective you become.

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Posted In: Increasing Effectiveness On: September 17, 2008: 8:51 am: By Marvin Marshall