1. Positive student discipline in the
Foreign language classroom   
A practical look at the discipline challenges facing
world language teachers and effective ways
to influence positive behavior. 
What are some common behavioral problems
that occur in the foreign language classroom?
10/16/2014

2. Nancy Valdés M.Ed. Who is she? 10 years teaching experience –
Masters Degree – Secondary Education Adult Learning and
Education Technology
Bachelors Degree - Psychology Minor - Spanish
Associates Degree – Arts Emphasis on Human Relations
10 years teaching experience –
Social Studies and Spanish Language K-12

3. By C.M. Charles, Publisher: Pearson
Building Classroom Discipline, (10th Edition)
By C.M. Charles, Publisher: Pearson
Many approaches to discipline:
Ronald Moorish
Harry and Rosemary Wong
Fred Jones
William Glasser
Spencer Kagan
Craig Seganti
and Marvin Marshall
Classroom Management = processes and procedures = teacher responsibility
Classroom Discipline = student’s responsibility

4. Marvin Marshall Dr. Marshall is an experienced teacher, counselor,
and administrator at all levels of public education.
Monthly electronic newsletter: free online
Promoting Responsibility and Learning

5. Discipline Without Stress Teaching Model
Handout #1
Discipline Without Stress Teaching Model
Confusing classroom management with discipline:
Classroom Management = classroom organization, student procedures, teaching procedures
Teacher’s responsibility.
Classroom Discipline = self-control and appropriate behavior.
Student’s responsibility.
10 Specific teaching habits that hinder learning
and lead to misbehavior

6. No one has the right to take away the rights of others
Students are in charge of their own discipline
Marshall: Even though students are generally inclined to behave responsibly, they often don’t – either because they don’t know how to or because peer pressure or lack of self control overrides their better judgment.
No one has the right to take away the rights of others
to learn or to teach.
Teachers: Endeavor to establish a positive attitude in the classroom, by emphasizing in daily interactions with students:
Positivism Choice Reflection

7. Three Principles to Practice:
1. Positivity – Changing negatives to positives
“No running” becomes “We walk in the hallway.”
“Stop talking” becomes “This is quiet time” or
“Is this the best use of your time?”
2. Choice – response thinking and impulse control:
so students are not victims of their own impulses.
3. Reflection - Since a person can only control another person temporarily and because no one can actually change another person, asking REFLECTIVE questions is the most effective approach to actuate change in others.
Okay Nancy - so how do I do that on top of everything else?

8. TEACHING THE HIERARCHY CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING
Handout #2
Raise Responsibility System (RRSystem)
TEACHING
ASKING
ELICITING
TEACHING THE HIERARCHY
The hierarchy engenders a desire to behave responsibility and a desire to put forth effort to learn. Students differentiate between internal and external motivation – and learn to rise above inappropriate peer influence.
CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING
Students reflect on their chosen LEVEL. This approach SEPARATES THE PERSON FROM THE BEHAVIOR, thereby negating the usual tendency to defend one’s actions. It is often this natural tendency to self-defend that leads to confrontations.
GUIDED CHOICES
If disruptions continue, a consequence or procedure is ELICITED to redirect the inappropriate behavior. This approach is in contrast to the usual coercive approach of having a consequence imposed.

9. Teaching the Hierarchy to Students
Activities useful in teaching the names and characteristics of the four levels:
* visualizing each level – then drawing a picture of it.
* describing it in writing
* describing it orally to others
* listening to other’s examples of applying the levels to what goes on in school.

10. Marshall’s Hierarchy of Social Development
Students move through these at different levels.
TEACHING the Levels of Self Discipline to your students:
Everyone should have:
Blank white paper folded hamburger style
1) Explain who is in charge of discipline – right to learn / right to teach
2) Students define different levels of self discipline (draw – discuss)
3) I understand you are growing and can make mistakes –
here’s how I can help: blue form
4) Any questions?

11. Levels of Social Hierarchy – Levels of Self Discipline
Handout #3
TEACHING THE LEVELS
Levels of Social Hierarchy – Levels of Self Discipline
Level D - Democracy -
Level C - Cooperation/Compliance
Level B - Bossing / Bullying / Bothering
Level A - Anarchy

12. No sense of purpose or order.
LEVEL A – Anarchy (lowest level)
No sense of purpose or order.
No consideration for other students or the teacher.
Seldom accomplishes anything worthwhile in class.
Needs someone to take authority over them.
This level is characterized by chaos, being out of control, or unsafe.

13. No consideration for the others or the harm they are doing.
Level B - Bossing
Bullying
Bothering
No consideration for the others or the harm they are doing.
Do what is right only when forced to.
Needs someone to take authority over them.
This level is characterized by
lack of impulse control
lack of consideration for others
inappropriate behaviors.
Saying: “Control us because we are not capable of controlling ourselves.” 
Students are bossing, bullying, or bothering others without consideration of the harm they are doing.
Students obey only when forced to do so.
They are saying, “I am unable to control myself, I need you to boss me.”
Marshall says that sharing this concept with students has a profound effect on how they behave afterward.

14. Level C - Cooperation/conformity
Conforms to expectations set by others.
Cooperative due to external influences – rules, teacher demands,
to please parents, peer pressure.
The motivation is EXTERNAL. Rewards, fear of punishment, or ridicule. Fear of peoples reactions, to please parents or teachers.
COLLEGE!!!!

15. Being responsible without being asked, told, rewarded, or punished.
Level D - Democracy and taking the initiative to do the right thing (highest level/most desirable)
Student takes the initiative to do the right thing because they know it is best for the class, the school, and themselves.
Being responsible without being asked, told, rewarded, or punished.
Develops self-discipline Demonstrates initiative Displays responsibility Does good because it is the right thing to do.
The motivation is INTERNAL.
Level D motivates students to make decisions about their personal behavior, regardless of circumstances, personal urges, or influence from others.

16. Note: Marshall suggests teaching students:
Democracy requires citizens to make decisions for
themselves, rather than having decisions made
for them.
Democracy expects people do the right thing
because they understand it is best for
themselves and the people around them.

17. Steps to intervene when students misbehave.
Handout #4
Steps to intervene when students misbehave.
Step 1: Use an unobtrusive tactic:
facial expression and or eye contact
hand signal, moving near the student
changing voice tone
thanking students for working
saying “excuse me,” or asking students for help.
Speaking directly to them, softly, right ear

18. The I don’t know response. If you did know what would it be?
Step 2: Check for understanding: reflective questions:
Ask what level they are choosing - never ask WHY!
Tom, reflect on the level you have chosen
Do not mention the specific behavior concentrate on the student’s choice of behavior.
We are not attacking the student we are separating the student from the inappropriate behavior, sometimes difficult to master.
The I don’t know response.
If you did know what would it be?
* The person who asks the question controls the conversation.
* Are you angry at me or the situation? Reflection – feeling
* What you do you suggest we do about it? What else….what else…what else? People don’ t argue with their own decisions.

19. Step 3. Use guided choice: authority without punishment
Handout #7
Step 3. Use guided choice: authority without punishment
Place a form on the students desk and quietly ask the following:
Do you prefer to fill this out in your seat, in the rear of the room on in the office?
The form has the following three questions.
What did I do? (Acknowledgement)
What can I do to prevent it from happening again? (Choice)
What will I do? (Commitment)
Ask: Do you know why the form was given to you?
Do you think it is personal? How can I help?
Guided Choice overall can effectively stop the disruption, provide the student a responsibility-producing activity to encourage self-reflection, and allow the teacher to return promptly to the lesson.
Asking, rather than telling the student to do something can reduce confrontation, minimize stress and preserve student dignity.

20. Step 4: Make a self-diagnostic referral:
If after two attempts and the guided choice essay the behavior continues, then a self-diagnostic referral is given.
Items such as:
Describe the problem that led to writing this
* Identify the level of behavior
* Explain why this level of behavior is not acceptable.
* On what level should a person act in order to be socially responsible?
* If you had acted on an acceptable level, what would have happened?
* List three solutions that would help you act more responsibly?
Keep this on file for a year, to assist with future discussions with teacher, student, or administration.

21. Step 5: Give an additional self-diagnostic referral:
Give this again, if behavior persists and then send
copies of these to parents with brief description
of the issues.
Step 6: Give a final self-diagnostic referral:
This is the final one. In all of these referrals, it is the student who has identified the problem and proposed positive solutions. The student has done most of the thinking and planning which gives ownership to the student, a necessary ingredient for lasting change.
Marshall says this is rarely used.
Having a system to rely on is superior to having a talent for teaching.

22. Positivism: An emotion of optimism
Being around optimistic people generates good feelings.
Teacher as encourager, mentor and role model
rather than rule enforcer
Energizes students
Obedience compliance fosters apathy, resistance, and defiance.

23. Giving students options -- 2-3 choices best
Empowerment of choice
Giving students options choices best
Discussing options engenders cooperation and reflection
Then compliance. i.e. “What do you think we should do about this situation?”
Listen to them – strange for the student
After a mutually agreed upon action is arrived at,
“I can live with that.”
The “I don’t know” response – taking responsibility

24. Handout #5 & 6
Reflective questions
Process of thinking about one’s own behavior and judging it’s merits = plays a major role in changing one’s behavior for the better.
Teachers can establish expectations and empower students
to attain them.
Not by coercion, but by reflective questions that prompt students to think about how they are behaving. I.e. “If I wanted to be successful in this class right now, what would
I be doing?” In most cases the answer is apparent and they begin doing it.

25. Benefits of the Raising Responsibility System:
Reduces discipline referrals, class removals, and suspensions.
Handles classroom disruptions simply and easily.
Uses authority without resorting to punishment.
Raises individual and social responsibility.
Reduces the influence of peer pressure.
Promotes motivation for learning.
Integrates character education.
Improves school climate and enhances school safety.
Reduces stress.

26. STUDENTS AND PUNISHMENTS
Punishments deprive young people of the opportunity to take
responsibility for their own actions.
Imposed punishment moves ownership of the problem from
the student to the adult.
Behavior may temporarily change at the threat of punishment
– but not the way the student WANTS to behave.
Punishment is temporary and transitory. Once the punishment
is over, the student has “served his time” and is
“free and clear” from further responsibility.
Punishment, by its very nature, is counterproductive to good
teaching because punishment fails to foster responsibility,
cooperation, or positive motivation.

27. Any questions? Summary:
Did we address some of the concerns at the beginning?
Three important thoughts:
Students are responsible for their own behavior.
Students are being trained to take responsibility for their own behavior and actions.
Teachers can focus on content, deployment and assessment. (The fun part!!!)
Any questions?

29. Summary: 1. Difference between Classroom management and discipline
Principles to Practice: Positivism, Choice, and Reflection
3. The Raise Responsibility System – Decreases stress
4. Teaching the Levels of Self-Discipline (Social Hierarchy)
5. Steps to intervene and redirect inappropriate behaviors
6. Use reflective questions and choices to empower responsibility and self-discipline