Discipline for Smart People    

An understanding of mind-body connection is essential for reducing stress and influencing others. Thoughts have direct and powerful connections to all sorts of physiological functions. Think hard enough about jumping out of an airplane, and your heart will start to race and your palms to sweat.

Perhaps the most dramatic and best-known case was described by Norman Cousins in his “Anatomy of an Illness As Perceived by the Patient.” While I was re-organizing my library, I came across his description of his experience in the May 28, 1977 issue of The Saturday Review (pp. 4-6, 48-51).

Cousins came down with a serious collagen illness, a disease of the body’s connective tissues. One result of the disease is the reduction of functioning of the adrenal glands. Cousins theorized that if he could have these glands function normally, his illness could be cured. “If negative emotions produce negative chemical changes in the body, wouldn’t positive emotions produce positive chemical changes?” (p.6). He began a program where part of it called for the full exercise of the affirmative emotions as a factor in enhancing body chemistry. He employed a psychological approach to the ancient theory that laughter is good medicine. Using a variety of sources, Cousins actuated laughter in his body. He regained his health, returned to his position as editor of the magazine, and even began teaching at the School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

The second chapter of my book alludes to this same concept of the interaction between the mind and the body. For example, if a teacher views a disruptive student’s behavior as a deliberate attempt to disrupt the class, the teacher may view coercive corrective action to be necessary. In the process, however, the teacher unwittingly prompts stress in the body—in addition to pushing the relationship apart, rather than bringing it closer.

In contrast, if the teacher perceives that the student’s behavior is his or her best attempt to solve a frustration or problem, then the teacher views the situation as an opportunity to help the student help him/herself.

The first approach naturally engenders stress (more accurately, “distress”). The second starts with  a psychological perspective that motivates in a positive and beneficial manner. The approach, Discipline Without Stress, assists the student and brings joy to the teacher (and/orparent).

 Print This Post
Posted In: Discipline without Stress On: September 3, 2008: 1:41 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

 Print This Post
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.

 Print This Post
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.

 Print This Post
Posted In: Discipline without Stress On: August 22, 2008: 7:53 am: 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.

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

At one of my British Columbia presentations, I had the pleasure of visiting Kerry Weisner and Darlene Collinson. While visiting Darlene’s classroom, I saw some reflective questions she had posted on the wall just below the ceiling to which she could easily refer.

Darlene told me that she rarely looks at the questions now, but having reflective questions in easy view helped her when she first started using the Discipline Without Stress Teaching Model. The following are the questions she had posted for her easy viewing and reference.

For commitment:
1. Could you have kept your commitment?
2. What are you going to do to make it happen?
3. On a scale of 1 - 10, how would you rank your commitment?

For Reducing Complaining:
1. Is what you are doing helping you get what you want?
2. What do you notice about the experience you are having?

For changing behavior:
1. What do you want?
2. What are you choosing to do?
3. If what you are choosing to do is not getting you what you want, then what’s your plan?
4. What are your steps or procedures to make your plan work?

For doing your best:
1. How does that look to you?
2. What would you like to have improved even more?

 Print This Post
Posted In: Discipline without Stress On: August 15, 2008: 7:29 am: By Marvin Marshall

Dear Dr. Marshall,

About a week before school started, I went online looking for a way to provide a suitable reward system to make sure that my classes were positive and motivated. I knew that rewards were more effective than punishments, or so I thought.

I did a search for “Discipline Rewards” and your site popped up. I started reading your website and I was immediately on-board. After spending about an hour on your site, I decided to try your system this year.

I spent the second day of school talking to my classes about the hierarchy. Their homework was for them to go online and research the Raise Responsibility System.

We discussed their viewpoints the 3rd day of school and the changes started immediately.

I realized for the first time in over 25 years of teaching that I was not having enough faith in my students. As High Priestess of the Control Freaks, I had to learn to step back and give them the chance to analyze their own behavior and come up with their own responsible responses.

The entire atmosphere in my algebra class is changed to one of maturity, self-discipline, helpfulness, and respect. I am not exhausted by the end of the day from trying to control all my students. No more adversarial confrontations!

I am now frequently impressed by the maturity that my students are showing. I have gone from bossing to trusting.

I just received your book yesterday and I plan to get books for my colleagues and also provide some staff development.

Thank you for your website and for your sound principles. I am a much calmer and happier teacher now.

Sharon Miles
Crownsville, Maryland

 Print This Post
Posted In: Discipline without Stress On: August 14, 2008: 12:29 pm: By Marvin Marshall

In persuasion and influence, emotion takes precedence over cognition.

————

Young people misbehave because it has them feel good; otherwise, they would not misbehave. People don’t voluntarily do things that feel bad.

Punishment prompts bad feelings and, therefore, is counterproductive to changing irresponsible behavior in any lasting way.

A more effective approach is to help the young person find a response that will engender better feelings than the feelings that comes with the misbehavior—or the imposed punishment.

 Print This Post
Posted In: Discipline without Stress On: August 13, 2008: 7:36 am: By Marvin Marshall

PROGRAM ATTRIBUTES have been added to benefits of the approach.
The addition follows:

Using the hierarchy separates the act from the actor, the deed from the doer—irresponsible behavior from a good person. Separation is critical so people don’t feel the natural impulse to defend themselves, their behavior, or their choices.

Using the hierarchy brings attention to the fact that people are constantly making choices.

Using the hierarchy fosters intrinsic motivation so that young people WANT to behave responsibly and WANT to put forth effort to learn.

Using the hierarchy fosters character development without mentioning values, ethics, or morals.

To understand the hierarchy and see how it is used, click on the Hierarchy of Social Development.

 Print This Post
Posted In: Discipline without Stress On: July 30, 2008: 9:04 am: By Marvin Marshall

QUESTION: I came across your system while browsing the Internet and I really like the way it is set up. The only problem I have is determining consequences. My district wants a set list of rules and consequences.

RESPONSE: Rules are necessary in games, but rules between people automatically set up an adversarial relationship because, when a rule is broken, the person in authority (teacher) becomes a cop—an enforcer of a broken rule. This is a counterproductive position for good teaching.

QUESTION: My special education students really need the consistency of knowing what happens if they misbehave.

RESPONSE: I have a different take. These students need a different procedure when one procedure loses its effectiveness. Therefore, the superior teacher is consistent in that the teacher consistently looks for procedures to help the student help himself—without relying on an external agent, in this case the teacher.

QUESTION: How do I explain the system to my administrators and keep it structured and have consistent consequences?

RESPONSE: Use the term, “Responsibilities,” instead of “Rules.” List just a few and state them in positive terms—things students should do, not what they should not do. Examples: “Be where I belong.” “Keep my hands to myself.” Elicit others from your students, and you will have met the administration’s requirement.

Regarding consequences, as long as you IMPOSE them, the student has no ownership. IMPOSING consequences merely prompts victimhood thinking on the part of the student—the exact opposite of encouraging choice and control. Have a class meeting with the students and ELICIT ideas (procedures, not consequences) to help students help themselves when they have an irresponsible impulse. See
impulse management.

 Print This Post
Posted In: Discipline without Stress On: July 28, 2008: 2:05 pm: By Marvin Marshall