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Restorative Justice in Schools

On July 2, 2015 / Discipline

Restorative Justice is a discipline program that is gaining support in urban schools across the nation. The reason it is gaining acceptance is that a disproportionate number of minority students are being punished for inappropriate and irresponsible school behaviors—and federal guidelines are attempting to reduce the problem.

Although the approach has good intentions, significant problems have developed because teachers across the country are at their wit’s end to conduct their classes without an increasing number of disruptions. A prime reason is that students are not being held accountable for inappropriate behaviors. Restorative Justice can encourage misbehavior by lavishing attention on students for committing infractions. Where this approach has been tried, it has backfired.

As a high school counselor in an … >>>

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Criticism versus Positivity

On July 2, 2015 / Effectiveness

We are all guilty of offering criticism to others, even if we disguise it as “constructive” criticism. But think about it: Why would people want to hear criticism from someone else? Criticism promotes negativity, rather than positivity. Criticism puts a person on the defensive and usually prompts the person to justify the actions. It is also dangerous because it wounds a person’s precious pride, impinges on one’s sense of importance, and arouses resentment.

Even B.F. Skinner proved through his experiments that an animal rewarded for good behavior will learn much more rapidly and retain what it learns more effectively than an animal punished for bad behavior.

When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of … >>>

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Classroom Management Procedures

On July 1, 2015 / Discipline, Learning

Classroom management procedures make instruction efficient. Here are some from the Discipline Without Stress Resource Guide:

How to enter the classroom and then what to do (Students should always have something that raises curiosity, interest, or reinforces/reviews as soon they enter the classroom. Dead time is deadly time.)
How to get attention and what students should do
How to quiet the class when it gets too noisy
How to take roll while students are occupied in learning
How to handle lunch tickets
What to do when the fire alarm sounds
When and how to sharpen pencils
What to do when it is necessary to use the restroom
What to do when an assignment is finished early
How to find directions

… >>> READ MORE >>> →

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports vs. Internal Motivation

On June 30, 2015 / Discipline

Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) is based on external motivation. It asks adults to find some behavior that they wish young people to do and then rewards them for doing it. The theory is that, if a reward is given, the person will repeat what the addult desires. In essence, the purpose is to use rewards to control behavior.

The concept of behaviorism originated with Ivan Pavlov and is referred to as classical conditioning. Ring a bell and give a dog food. Soon you can just ring a bell and the dog will salivate. Pavlov did not experiment with a cat. Cats are much more independent. B.F. Skinner, the famed former psychologist, used this approach to train pigeons and … >>>

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Striving for Perfection

On June 30, 2015 / Effectiveness, Learning

We’ve all heard the expression, “Practice makes perfect.” It’s something many teachers and parents have touted to children for decades. However, the problem with that thinking is that perfection is often not possible. And striving for something unattainable sets people up for failure.

Of course, this does not mean we shouldn’t have high standards for ourselves and others. Therefore, think about it like this: Pursuing perfection focuses at looking for what’s WRONG. On the other hand, pursuing high standards and excellence focuses on what’s RIGHT.

Most humans in most endeavors will fulfill their responsibilities more effectively when asked, “Are you satisfied with your work?” rather than “Is what you have done perfect?”

So the next time you’re helping a child … >>>

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John Dewey on Education and Pragmatism

On June 29, 2015 / Learning

A little history about John Dewey, known for his approaches that promoted responsibility:

Dewey died in 1957 at age 92 in New York City. At his death, he was one of America’s most influential philosophers and educational theorists. He taught for three years but struggled with the expectation that he should be a knuckle-rapping disciplinarian.

After posts at the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago, he taught at Columbia University from 1904 to 1930. It was at Columbia where he became a major exponent of pragmatism and rejected authoritarian teaching methods. He espoused instructional approaches that built upon the interests of students and the challenge of solving real-life problems.

Teaching today has an emphasis on correct answers. However, … >>>

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Classroom Discipline Is Not Classroom Management

On June 26, 2015 / Discipline, Learning

Discipline is often confused with classroom management. Many textbooks used in teacher education courses discuss classroom management as if it were synonymous with classroom discipline.

This confusion muddles understanding so much that the vast majority of new teachers walk into their classroom unprepared to that which is required of excellent teaching, namely, commend respect of their students and establish relationships so students WANT to do what the teacher wants them to do.

Too many schools—especially urban ones—are having difficulty with discipline because teachers do not know how to use authority without coercion. The reason is that they are taught discipline approaches that do not work with today’s students. Coercion and aiming at obedience are counterproductive to motivating students and having … >>>

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Parenting a Teenager

On June 25, 2015 / Parenting

Social scientists have determined that teeagers accept responsibility for a behavior when they believe that they have chosen to perform it in the absence of outside pressures.

Giving rewards for what you want is external pressure—really a bribe—because it is used to control. It may get teenagers to perform a certain action, but it won’t get them to except responsibility for the act. Consequently, they won’t feel committed to it. The same is true of a strong threat; it may motivate immediate compliance, but it is unlikely to produce long-term commitment.

This has very important implications for rearing teenagers. It suggests that we should never bribe or threaten them to do the things we want them to believe in.

Outside … >>>

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The Discipline of Classroom Collaboration

On June 25, 2015 / Effectiveness, Responsibility

Rather than having students work in isolation on a project or problem, instill learning and working communities that collaborate.

To foster the discipline of collaboration, here is a simple technique to try: Have students volunteer to relate something that SOMEONE ELSE has done successfully. Then decide on how often this activity should be conducted, such as weekly or monthly.

You’ll find that trust and a collaborative spirit grow by having others share positive incidents of someone other than him/herself. Examples of incidents could be helping someone with an assignment, using a new procedure, or being a friend to someone in need.

Rather than the usual approach of the teacher recognizing one person above the others, sharing activities or incidents empowers … >>>

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Classroom Management Strategies

On June 24, 2015 / Discipline

Years ago as I was preparing to enter the teaching profession, I was taught that classroom management was about discipline. A college professor once told me that he didn’t like the word, “discipline,” so he used “classroom management” instead. When I returned to the classroom years later, I began to reflect on the differences between these two concepts and found them so great that just understanding the differences significantly reduced behavior problems as well as my stress levels.

All classroom management strategies have to do with making instruction efficient. This is the teacher’s responsibility.

Unfortunately, too many classroom management strategies refer to behavior or discipline problems. These have to do with behavior—which is the student’s responsibility.

The sooner teachers refer … >>>

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Positive Discipline by Discipline Without Stress

On June 23, 2015 / Discipline

People who use Discipline Without Stress^® find it life-changing because they use many of the techniques in both their personal and professional lives. This 4-hour program—divided into 54 short modules—teaches how to influence others to do what you would like them to do because they want to do it. It is the most positive discipline system because it shows how to use authority without force or coercion. The coercive punishment culture prevalent in many schools and homes is significantly reduced because adults serve as developers of good character rather than as police officers enforcing rules. Want to really use a positive discipline approach? Learn more.… >>>

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Influence Youth

On June 23, 2015 / Effectiveness, Parenting

To understand how much more powerful it is to influence youth rather than overpower them, consider this short story:

A young boy was to start kindergarten the next day and was protesting that he would not go. A normal parental reaction would have been to banish the youngster to his room and tell him that he had better make up his mind to go because he had no choice. (Note: the youngster may have had no choice as to the decision but he certainly had a choice as to how he could react to it.)

Rather than taking this approach, the father reflected, “If I were my son, why would I be excited to go to kindergarten?”

The father and … >>>

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Change Takes Time

On June 18, 2015 / Responsibility

One of the most challenging things about moving to the Raise Responsibility System is remembering to use the three principles of being positive, asking (rather than telling), and empowering by giving choices.

It doesn’t happen overnight, and no one will tell you that you can be an expert when first starting. We’re all struggling to change previous mindsets, to pause before we blurt out automatic phrases that are negative, to get rid of those “old teacher stares,” and to be proactive instead of reactive. It’s not easy, so just try to take the pressure off yourself by not expecting perfection. That route leads to discouragement.

Instead, just set little goals for yourself. For instance, try for an hour to always … >>>

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Discipline Online

On June 17, 2015 / Classroom Management, Discipline, Effectiveness, Learning, Parenting, Responsibility

Discipline Online is now available for teachers, parents, and anyone working with young people.

If you are at a school, home, or youth setting where discipline and behavior are out of control and where young people are not acting responsibly, then Discipline Online will be of great assistance. If you are a leader, teacher, or parent that imposes punishments, lectures, nags, or uses time-outs or detention, then Discipline Online is for you. If you are still rewarding young people for things they should be doing anyway, learn a better way.

You owe it to yourself—and to the people with whom you work—to use a more effective approach than any of those mentioned above. Learn how to deal with behavior challenges … >>>

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The Discipline of Positivity

On June 16, 2015 / Effectiveness

Saying things in a positive way—especially during a discipline situation—is a challenge! It requires discipline on your part, especially if you have a lot of negative responses from the past glued in your brain.

Before you respond to others in any way, take a breath and THINK first. It isn’t easy initially, but it does come more naturally once you force yourself to practice. One idea is to set a small goal for yourself. For example: Can you go for 30 minutes and respond with positivity to everything that happens (even negative things)? Taking the pause to consider what you’re going to say is the key!

Following are some questions that are successful with various types of youth and situations. … >>>

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Youth and Friends

On June 11, 2015 / Effectiveness, Responsibility

It is a hard fact of life but a true one: We can outgrow friendships just like we outgrow shoes.

Understanding this concept can significantly help young people who have a strong desire to want to be like others and want to feel that they are their friend’s “best friend.” It is often “painful” for a young person to see their “best friend” associate more with others than with themselves.

Some good advice for young people (and for older ones, too) is to:
• Find new interests
• Make new friends
• Find fun things to do

By being your own best friend, you will always have one friend you can rely on. Therefore, learning to like yourself—HAVING A GOOD … >>>

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Belief and Discipline

On June 9, 2015 / Discipline, Relationships

All adults have the opportunity to influence children’s lives. And the greatest influence you can give is your belief in the young person. When children know that an adult in their life believes in them, their discipline issues will decrease.

When I was a teacher, a poster I had in my classroom read: “I would rather try and fail than not try and succeed.”

If you instill the PERCEPTION THAT SUCCESS IS ATTAINABLE, people will try and will have the self-discipline needed for success. If they do not believe success is possible, regardless of how easy the task or how smart the person, the goal will not be attained.

One of the most enduring comments people say about others who … >>>

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Why Procedures Reduce Discipline Issues

On June 4, 2015 / Effectiveness

One of the most perceptive comments ever made to me was stated in an elevator. I was at a conference and the person sharing the elevator with me said, “We run our life by procedures.”

I immediately thought about the procedures I use in my personal life and then reflected on procedures I used as a classroom teacher (primary, upper elementary, and every grade 7-12).

Whenever a student(s) did something that irked me, I would establish a procedure. For example, when I suddenly heard the pencil sharpener being used while I was talking, I taught a procedure. I simply had the student place the pencil in a raised hand. This indicated to me the desire to sharpen a pencil. When … >>>

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