Assertive discipline

Assumptions

Students must be forced to comply with rules

Students cannot be expected to determine appropriate classroom rules and follow them

Punishment will cause students to avoid bad behavior and engage in good classroom behavior

More assumptions

Good behavior can also be encouraged by positive reinforcement

For proper classroom management, parents and school administrators msut help to enforce rules.

Lee Canter- Child guidance specialist Established an organization called Canter

and Associates Provides training for teachers who want

to become more assertive in their teaching

http://www.canter.net

Assertive discipline

Emphasizes punishing unacceptable behaviors

Providing reinforcement for behaviors that are acceptable to teachers

Canter believed that teachers generally ignored their own needs in the classroom in favor or satisfying the students needs.

Misconceptions according the Canter

Teachers should be able to handle discipline problems without help

Firm discipline will be harmful to children and cause psychological harm (or disrupt the student teacher rapport)

Misconceptions according the Canter

Discipline problems do not persist when students are provided with activities that satisfy their needs

Misbehavior has causes over which teachers have no influence

Canter believes these misconceptions lead us to discipline students in wishy-washy ways

This leads to other problems

To combat the problems

Teachers need to change their indecisive approaches Insist that their own rights as a teacher

are met

Teacher rights

To establish classroom rules and procedures that produce optimum learning environments

To insist on behavior from students that meets the teachers desires

To insist on behavior that leads to positive social development

More teacher rights

To insist on behavior that leads to the educational development of students

The right to receive help from administrators

The right to receive help from parents

Steps in the process

Step 1. Create positive student teacher relationships Discipline procedures should be applied

fairly to everyone Teacher must model what trust and

respoct look like Teachers must instruct students in the

procedures expected

Step 2 Establish rules or expectations Usually 5 or 6 rules Teachers makes the rules Rules satisfy the teachers needs Communicate the rules

Poster Names on the board with check

marks to indicate the degree of the punishment

Step 3. Tracking the misbehavior is important Tracking should be private Negative consequences should be

predetermined and applied strictly according to plan.

Four methods to request compliance

1. Hints “Everyone should be working.”

2. Question “Would you please get to work?”

3. I message I want you to open your books and get to

work.” 4. Demand

“Get to work now.”

Methods to make the requests work more efficiently

Eye contact Use hand gestures Use student names when making

requests Use physical touch if appropriate

Broken record technique

Repeat the demands several times if the students ignore you or object to request or argue with it

Step 4. Use negative consequences to enforce limits Time out Withdrawing a privilege Detention Send to principal’s office Call parents Send them to another class

Do not issue threats Follow through with what ever you say

you re going to do Some teachers have made recodings of

the misbehaviors

Step 5. Implement a system of positive consequences Less systematic than the negative

consequences Can use

Personal attention from the teacher Positive notes to calls to parents Awards Special privileges Group rewards