Posts Tagged the levels

How do students benefit from operating on Level C or D?

QUESTION:
Dr. Marshall says that we should teach students that in this system of discipline, operation on Levels A and B “automatically invites the use of authority” by the teacher. My students understand that continued operation on the lower levels will result in the use of authority. They see this as a good reason for raising the level of their behavior to something higher.

Now I’m wondering: Is there anything that “automatically” accompanies behavior on Levels C and D?

RESPONSE:
Yes! Firstly, it should be understood that operation on any one of the four levels of the Hierarchy is accompanied by logical and predictable results related to:

• self-esteem and;
• the quality of relationships that are created with authority … >>>

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What level is an accident?

QUESTION:
What if a child trips and accidentally hurts another student? Is this Level A behavior according to the RRSystem of discipline?

RESPONSE:
When teaching the Discipline without Stress Hierarchy, it is important to ensure that students understand that with regard to Level A, we are discussing deliberate actions that result in damage or injury, not accidents. Accidents are unrelated to discipline.… >>>

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How can I make the Discipline without Stress levels meaningful to students?

QUESTION:

I am still waiting for my Discipline without Stress book to arrive, but this morning I introduced the system to my class anyway. Even though it’s almost the end of the year, I have such big behavior problems that I decided I had nothing to lose and everything to gain! However, I must have done something wrong because the very students who need this system most, were the ones who didn’t pay attention to the discussion and mocked the levels right from the very start. Any suggestions for making this system real to kids who don’t pay much attention to things like this?

RESPONSE:

Here is an example of just one small discussion I have had with my own >>>

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Should I start introducing the Levels of Development from A or D?

First Question:

When introducing the Levels of Development, I assume that I should focus on one level at a time. Do I start with Level A or Level D?

Response:

To me, it makes sense to begin with Level A and end with D; I want to end on a positive and inspiring note!

Second Question:

Would it be best to introduce one new level each week, or one new level each  day, while revisiting the previous levels?

Response:

There are many ways to introduce the Levels of Development. The number of lessons used for introducing the four levels would depend on your own preference and might vary with the age of your students. High school teachers typically … >>>

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Can the levels be renamed in opposite order?

QUESTION:

Just wondering–could the levels be renamed to go in the opposite order? The younger kiddies have been so programmed to think that A is the best and what they should be striving for. To them, D means needing improvement. I’m afraid my kids will get confused when I tell them Level A is the worst level.

RESPONSE:

From a primary teacher on the Disicpline without Stress mailring:

I thought the same thing until I taught it to my children. My second grade class learned the terms the first day of school. I had a harder time with getting my mind around it than they did! Their minds are remarkably resilient and flexible.

As a reminder for me, … >>>

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How can I motivate students to take more interest in their own learning?

RESPONSE:
One thing that I love about Marvin Marshall’s approach is that the results go beyond what all other discipline approaches offer.  As you inquired about, teachers can easily use Discipline without Stress to inspire students to put effort into their own learning.  I use it all the time for this purpose myself.

Here’s just one example.

Let’s say that you arrange for a guest speaker whose topic relates to some aspect of the course you are teaching. Firstly, it would be proactive to discuss how audience members should behave when a guest is addressing the class; a wise teacher would go over Level C expectations. Remember, in this approach it is the teacher’s expectation that all students operate at >>>

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How can I explain “anarchy?” in the context of this discipline approach?

QUESTION:
Some of my youngsters are struggling with the word “anarchy.” How can I explain what it means in a simple way?

DR. MARSHALL’S RESPONSE:
Remember that young people’s brains are like sponges. They can absorb anything. The trick is to make meaning of what is absorbed. This will enhance learning and memory.

For older children:
Break “an/archy” up by teaching that the prefix “an” means “not,” “without,” or “lacking”– in this case, “without rule.” Compare this with other prefixes such as “mono,” which means “one,” and “olig” which means “a few.”

Explain that:
• Monarchy is rule by one person (like a king).
• Oligarchy means rule by a few people.
• Anarchy means that there is no … >>>

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How can I get all my students to Level D?

QUESTION:
I’ve been using Discipline without Stress for a few months now and my students seem to understand about the four levels of behavior. Generally their behavior is acceptable, but they aren’t operating on Level D all the time yet. What can I do about this?

RESPONSE:
Surprising as it might seem, having all students operate on Level D is not the goal for the teacher in this discipline system. Although the world would certainly be a better place if everyone chose to operate at Level D, it’s probably not realistic to expect that students will be able to reach that high level of conduct on a consistent basis. Rather, the teacher’s goal is to have all students operating at … >>>

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I have some parents who don’t like that “D” behavior is better than “A.”

QUESTION:
I have some parents who don’t like that “D” behavior is better behavior than “A” when it comes to talking about discipline.  My students get letter grades for conduct and a few parents have a difficult time with D being good in the classroom but not on the report card. Can you help me with this?

DR. MARSHALL’S RESPONSE:
This is a common question and a natural assumption, yet the assumption that students get confused is very often not an accurate one. The proof would be to ask the students.

Much of our language–and much of what we do in life–depends on context. Here are some examples:

• When do we use “to” or “too” or “two”? It … >>>

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