Discipline for Smart People    

The site is referred to as “for smart people” because this type of person understands that no one can coerce another person into changing one’s mind and that the most effective approach for changing behavior is to induce the person to influence himself.

This approach has two fundamental characteristics. The first is that stress—oftentimes associated with discipline—is significantly reduced. The second is that external manipulators, such as rewards for appropriate behavior, are not used because they are counterproductive to promoting responsibility. Similarly, threats and punishments are not imposed. Punishments, be they referred to as “logical” or “natural,” are based on the theory that the person needs to be harmed to be taught, to be hurt in order to learn. Most people would prefer not to punish someone they care about, but they simply do not know how discipline without the use of punishments. The site shows how to promote responsible behavior by using 21st century approaches espoused by such authorities as Stephen Covey, W. Edwards Deming, and William Glasser.

I hope that you will enjoy “Discipline for Smart People” as I share ideas of how to promote responsibility, promote learning, increase effectiveness, and improve relationships.

Please see the “Topics” on the right side bar for the categories of my posts.

For a more complete understanding, free and valuable information, and a free subscription to my monthly newsletter, please visit my home site.

Marv Marshall

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Posted In: About this Site On: September 12, 2007: 3:46 pm: By Marvin Marshall

Dear Dr. Marshall,

I am the mother of 7 children working on my counseling degree. I spent the last school year as an intern at both an elementary and middle school. It opened my eyes as to why children become disruptive. Punitive teachers ratchet up the anxiety and hostility. Reading your book has shed further light on what does works and why.

Thank you for writing such an inspirational book.

Susan Reeve
Tabernacle, NJ

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Posted In: Discipline without Stress On: August 24, 2008: 9:23 am: By Marvin Marshall

QUESTION:
I am a kindergarten teacher in Spokane Valley, Washington. My colleagues and I have adopted your behavior plan. We are having some difficulties getting kindergartners to value the importance of intrinsic motivation. They’ll tell me they are showing level A or B behavior, and they’ll even do a reflection to focus on better choices and better behavior; then before I know it, they have repeated showing A or B behavior.

Can we really expect ALL children (kindergartners) to understand and abide by these 4 levels without ANY rewards?

RESPONSE:
The answer is, YES, but you start by differentiating between ACCEPTABLE levels and UNACCEPTABLE levels. See the posters and cards at impulse management.

Also, and—this is critical—be sure you have taught, practiced, and practiced again EVERYTHING you want your students to do. A MAJOR ERROR EVEN EXPERIENCED TEACHERS MAKE is ASSUMING that students, of any age, know what to do without first learning, practicing, and ritualizing the procedure or skill.

Once STUDENTS (especially young ones) HAVE LEARNED what YOU want them to do, they will want to do it. Learning for them is fun. If you are POSITIVE with your kids, they will like you and will want to please you. Boys and girls have a natural desire to please their teachers (level C-external motivation). They will readily do what you ask them to do—if they know HOW to do it.

Once young students have learned what you have taught, many will TAKE THE INITIATIVE to do exactly what you have taught because they then KNOW HOW TO and WANT TO do the right thing—simply because it is the right thing to do. This describes level D-internal motivation.

QUESTION;
The 2nd and 3rd grade teachers are curious to know who is supposed to propose the consequences for poor behavior, the student or teacher?

RESPONSE:
Review the text again at impulse management.

The key is to ELICIT a procedure or a consequence—rather than impose one. This is a critical component of the approach. If you impose it, the student becomes the victim. If it is elicited FROM the student, the student owns it. And ownership is a critical component for change.

Review the Significant Points of the Hierarrchy.

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Posted In: Discipline without Stress On: August 23, 2008: 9:16 am: By Marvin Marshall

A post was made at the Discipline Support mailring wherein the teacher oftentimes used the word “discipline” with students.

Clarification is necessary because the term, DISCIPLINE” should BE USED ONLY with ADULTS—not with students or children.

The ONLY part of the approach young people need to understand is the levels of social development, the first phase of the Raise Responsibility System—which is only a small but foundational part of the teaching and learning model model outlined at the Discipline Without Stress Teaching Model.

I - CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT vs. DISCIPLINE
TEACHING PROCEDURES (the essence of classroom management) is the responsibility of the ADULT.

II - THREE PRINCIPLES TO PRACTICE
A) Communicating with people in POSITIVE ways STARTS as the responsibility of the ADULT.

B) Reducing coercion by OFFERING CHOICES (which people have anyway) is the responsibility of the ADULT.

C) Asking REFLECTIVE questions—to prompt people to evaluate their decisions—is the responsibility of the ADULT.

III - The RAISE RESPONSIBILITY SYSTEM
A) TEACHING
Teaching the hierarchy is the responsibility of the ADULT.

The foundation of the Raise Responsibility System is for young people to LEARN and UNDERSTAND the four levels of social (and personal) development.

B) ASKING
Asking REFLECTIVE questions referring to the hierarchy to prompt young people to EVALUATE and ACKNOWLEDGE their CHOSEN LEVEL is the responsibility of the ADULT.

C) ELICITING
Eliciting a procedure to help the student help her/himself or elicit a consequence is the responsibility of the ADULT.

IV. USING THE SYSTEM TO INCREASE ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
Describing what the levels would look like BEFORE an activity, and then AFTER the activity, asking young people to momentarily REFLECT on the level they chose to act on (during the activity) is the responsibility of the ADULT.

Of the entire TEACHING MODEL, the only area students need to learn at the outset is III (A) the levels of social development—the first part of the RAISE RESPONSIBILITY SYSTEM.

Rather than the term, DISCIPLINE, the word to be used with young people is, RESPONSIBILITY—that which we are trying to promote. This is indicated in the title of the RAISE RESPONSIBILITY SYSTEM.

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Posted In: Discipline without Stress On: August 22, 2008: 7:53 am: By Marvin Marshall

In a few presentations to teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District, one of my charges was to include some ideas about differentiation. The following are some ideas on differentiation (both in content and process) that I shared.

ASSESSMENT (before):

Write a letter to your parents. Include interests, talents, learning preferences, long-range plans or desires, and goals in the class.

—

Topics for class meetings with PRIMARY students:
–Why are we here?
–What are we trying to do?
–What does it mean to do something well?
–How will we know if we are doing it well together?

Topics for class meetings with OLDER students:
–What does it mean to do quality work?
–How will you know that a quality level has been attained?
–How will I, the teacher, know that a quality level has been attained?
–What do you need to do to attain a quality level?
–What can I, the teacher, do to help you attain the level?
–How will a third party know that a quality level was attained?

—

Selected ideas to develop the criteria and evaluate against it:
–Give examples of good and bad.
–What makes an essay persuasive?
–What makes a story interesting to read?
–What makes a math solution elegant?

—

Activities to obtain curiosity and interest (Japanese approach): Pose a question, explore an event, start a story, solve a problem. WHEN STUDENTS “GRAPPLE” WITH A SITUATION AT THE VERY OUTSET OF A LESSON, MOTIVATION IS ENHANCED.

APPLY a concept:
Applies, changes, computes, constructs, demonstrates, manipulates, modifies, operates, predicts, prepares, produces, relates, shows, solves, uses.

ANALYZE a situation:
Analyzes, breaks down, compares, contrasts, diagrams, deconstructs, differentiates, distinguishes, identifies, illustrates, infers, outlines, relates, selects, separates.

SYNTHESIZE by putting together parts to create something:
Categorizes, combines, compiles, composes, creates, devises, designs, explains, generates, modifies, organizes, rearranges, reconstructs, relates, reorganizes, revises, summarizes, tells.

EVALUATE ideas or situations by making judgments about them:
Evaluates, appraises, compares, concludes, contrasts, criticizes, critiques, defends, explains, interprets, justifies, relates, summarizes, supports.

—

EVALUATION (after) - Evaluate quality of one’s own work and progress toward goals:
–What worked?
–What didn’t?
–What am I proud of?

———-

EXAMPLE: high school biology:

Teacher reflection:
1. What should students KNOW as a result of what we do?
Names of the cell parts, their functions, and how the cell actually works.

2. What should students UNDERSTAND?
The cell is not just a bunch of isolated things; it has interrelated parts where everything affects everything else.

3. What should students be able TO DO?
Analyze these interrelationships in a way that makes them clear to their PEERS—not the teacher.

Here’s how the teacher approaches the students:
“I have 150 students, and I don’t know you very well, but I know that you learn in different ways. And I also know that you know more about yourselves and how you learn better than I do. So although I don’t know how you learn best, I have a hunch that YOU know how YOU learn best.”

The assignment is explained:
“Design a graphic organizer and label the parts with directional markers to be sure someone who is clueless understands your work.”

ALTERNATIVE POSSIBILITIES:

ANALOGY: Relate the working of a cell to human interactions.
–Family - Near relatives and far relatives - Is there someone whose role it is to protect the family (cell)?
–Orchestra - Leader and people with different parts to play
–Basketball team - . . . .
Find an analogy and make it visible to an audience of peers so they’ll understand how a cell works. Emphasize both the individual parts and the relationships.

BUILD SOMETHING:
Use stuff in the room to make cells.

WRITING:
Tell a story as though the cell is the story. Who is the protagonist? Who is the antagonist? Where is the rising action? Where is the falling action? What’s trying to damage the cell?

ADDITIONAL CHOICE:
If you don’t like any of these and have a different or better idea for your learning, come and talk with me.

—————–

Students work in groups of three—two (2) times.
1st time: Share with others who used the same approach.
Result: Reinforce and refine understanding

2nd time: Share with people who did different things.
Result: Further reflection and extended understanding

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Posted In: Promoting Learning On: August 21, 2008: 8:35 am: By Marvin Marshall

People of all ages have an innate desire to feel included. This is especially important to remember for those who work with youth who have a compelling feeling to be accepted.

Even when the person is different from others, when the young person FEELS INCLUDED, the natural human desire to belong is met. Without that necessary feeling, everything else takes a subservient role and its effectiveness is significantly diminished.

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Posted In: Improving Relationships On: August 20, 2008: 7:31 am: By Marvin Marshall

Darlene Collinson in British Columbia related to me a success story that we should all remember.

Her 81-year-old mother was in the hospital and needed to participate in physical therapy before she could be released. The nurses, physical therapists, and physicians were not successful in convincing the patient to engage in the physical therapy.

After hearing of this, Darlene asked her mother, “What do you want?”

Her mother replied, “I want to go home.”

Darlene simply inquired, “What do you need to do to make that happen?”

Her mother replied, “Do my physical therapy,” which she started to do in order to accomplish her objective.

As skillful influencers know, the art of influence is to influence the person to influence herself.

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Posted In: Increasing Effectiveness On: August 19, 2008: 7:27 am: By Marvin Marshall

Positive Behavior(al) Interventions and Supports (PBIS) or just Positive Behavior Support (PBS) was established by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. The approach is behaviorally based in that it is a classic use of B.F. Skinner’s positive reinforcement of operant conditioning. The program was developed as an alternative to aversive interventions that were used with students with severe disabilities who engaged in extreme forms of self-injury and aggression. The approach rests on the idea that these students need something tangible to change behavior.

Positive Behavior Support treats the acquisition and use of social-behavioral skills in much the same way we would academic skills. However, academic skills deal with the cognitive domain, whereas behavior has to do with the affective domain—those factors which pertain to feelings and emotions.

A basic rationale of PBS is that it is necessary to understand the “why” of a behavioral problem in order to “fix’ the behavior. However, it is nearly impossible to articulate with certainty the underlying reasons for behavior. And even more important, although finding the rationale or reason for a behavior may be interesting, it has no effect on changing the behavior.

My personal ex[eriences attests to this little acknowledged fact. I attended speech classes all the way through elementary, junior high, and high school. When I graduated high school, I still had a severe stutter. Although much research and study gave me great insight into the cause of my behavior, it had absolutely nothing to do with “fixing my problem.” In order to change my behavior, it was necessary for my brain to establish new neural patterns. Although at the time I did not know how the brain operates, I did know that in order to change behavior, it would be necessary to participate and experience new behavior patterns in order to replace my current pattern. In college, therefore, I decided to participate in new experiences such as impromptu and extemporaneous speaking, debating, and radio broadcasting.

The major point here is that when you focus on attempting to understand the reason that prompted the behavior, you are focusing on the past and simply revisiting memories. The more you stay in the past, the more you avoid working in the present. The past cannot be changed. It is useless to water last year’s crops. Dr. William Glasser put it succinctly: “We do not need to find the pothole that ambushed the car in order to align the front end.”

The ground on which PBS rests is faulty—and sooner or later the structure will topple.

According to the developers of PBS, the most impressive gains in reducing challenging behavior have occurred with students who have severe intellectual disabilities. It seems to me that this is another case of both the tail wagging the dog and of tunnel vision. When I was working in the dean of boys’ office in a large urban high school, I dealt solely with behavioral problems. The position could easily give one a policeman’s viewpoint. Are ALL students sent to the office for disciplinary purposes? Hardly! But that was the only type of student I dealt with. In contrast, when I moved to an even larger high school (3,200 students) in a different district as assistant principal of supervision and control, I dealt with the student government leaders, athletes, as well as with students whose behaviors needed attention. I, therefore, had a more realistic perception of the entire student body.

For the advocates of PBS to impose a system on an entire school—which they are trying to do—in order to help a few seems to me hardly justifiable.

Success with special education students and students of lower intellectual abilities has more to do with motivation to learn and using procedures in a structured environment than giving rewards for desired behavior. See Special Education.

An integral part of the PBS is based on schools’ developing rules. But rules are meant to control—not inspire. Establishing rules to have teachers reward students is counterproductive to the goals of the system—a critical factor the developers of the approach do not realize. See Rules.

Rewards aim at obedience. They do not foster values of character education such as responsibility, integrity, honesty, empathy, or perseverance. By rewarding kids with something youngsters value (candy, stickers, prizes, etc.), we simply reinforce their childish values. In the process, we lose opportunities to pass on our values. What we really should be doing is fostering that values that promote responsible behavior, bring long-term satisfaction, and promote civic characteristics that can last a lifetime.

PBS is based on the “critical importance of consistency among people.” This is an impossible task, if for no other reasons that there cannot be consistency in how people perceive. People differ in a myriad of ways. A focus on consistency fosters the factory approach of the 19th and 20th centuries—certainly not one for the 21st century where success is increasingly based on individual creativity and personal responsibility.

A major concern is that decision-making is team-based. It is impractical to the point of being impossible to have a team respond to every behavior. Most importantly a “one size fits all” approach is totally unfair. With some students an askance look stops inappropriate behavior; others need to feel the heat before they see the light.

PBS is based on “empirical support” or evidence of effectiveness. The aphorism is appropriate here. “Those things that count can’t be counted, and those things that can be counted don’t count.” How can one quantify perseverance, honesty, integrity, caring, desire, positive self-talk, and other factors that make for a responsible and successful citizenry?

The developers of PBS state that it may take a school 3 - 5 years to fully implement. A person wonders, with the turnover of so many principals and teachers in so many schools these days, how practical this approach is—especially when an approach exists which can find immediate results and have long-lasting changes.

WHAT SHOULD A SCHOOL DO IF PBS IS MANDATED? The first step would be to present a better approach and ask for a waiver. The case would be presented by asking whether the district is willing to allow the school to try something different that the school believes will reach the objectives of PBS without using the PBS approach.

FOR AN INDIVIDUAL TEACHER WHO HAS THE APPROACH MANDATED, have a class meeting. Put the problem on the table and let the students determine the criteria to be used for the reward, and then have the students choose on a rotating basis which students will do the rewarding. In all of my studies of PBS, I have not seen anything that mandates the TEACHER to do the rewarding.

The future of this approach is destined to be short-lived if for no other reason that it is imposed top-down and, thereby, deprives professionals of their professional judgments.

Two final thoughts: (1) Experience shows that rewards punish those who believe they have deserved the reward but were not rewarded. (2) Rewards change motivation so that students soon start competing to see who receives the most number of rewards.

PBS is another case of using a misguided approach based on external agents to promote responsible behavior—which is always an internal decision.

For those interested in a personal experience and a quicker, more effective approach to promote responsible behavior and learning, download the following article to read at your convenience:
A Letter Worth Reading.

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Posted In: Promoting Responsibility On: August 17, 2008: 11:03 pm: By Marvin Marshall

The following is from the Resource Guide described at In-House Package.

The ideas are described in more detail in the book, “DISCIPLINE WITHOUT STRESS, PUNISHMENTS OR REWARDS; How Teachers and Parents Promote Responsibility & Learning at http://www.DisciplineWithoutStress.com.

GUIDED CHOICES

Guided Choices are used when a student has already acknowledged level B behavior and disrupts the lesson again.

The most effective approach is to ELICIT a consequence or procedure to help the student help himself to avoid future unacceptable behavior. This should be done in private by stating, “What you have done is not on an acceptable level.” Then ask, “What do you suggest we do about it?” Be ready to ask, “What else?” “What else?” “What else?” until what the student says is acceptable and will assist the student in not repeating the behavior.

The advantages of ELICITING the consequence are multiple:

• 1. An adversarial relationship is avoided,
• 2. The student has ownership in the decision,
• 3. Victimhood thinking is not encouraged because the student is empowered—rather than overpowered, and
• 4. The student has developed a plan to avoid repetition of the inappropriate behavior.

When talking with the student in private may not be immediately practical, one of the forms can be used. (K-1 teachers can have the student draw the situation.)

When handing the form to the student, give the student choices. Three (3) choices are more effective than two because any sense of coercion is eliminated with a third choice.

Quietly ask, for example,
—Would you prefer to complete the activity in your seat,
—at the rear of the room,
—or in the office?

The teacher controls the situation using this approach because the teacher is asking the question(s), and as long as the student has a choice, dignity is preserved and confrontation is avoided.

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Posted In: Promoting Responsibility On: : 2:48 pm: By Marvin Marshall

Tanis Carter wrote and sells an inexpensive but excellent little storybook on the Raise Responsibility System for primary teachers. “CHILDREN OF RAINBOW SCHOOL” presents the Hierarchy of Social Development—with an introduction explaining how the levels might be implemented in the classroom.

Tanis can be contacted through her e-mail address to order copies of her valuable book. Her e-mail address is tccarter@shaw.ca.

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Posted In: Discipline without Stress On: August 16, 2008: 1:52 pm: By Marvin Marshall