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

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