Lect 08 & 09, Assertive Dscipline

ASSERTIVE DISCIPLINE MODEL CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT Assertive Discipline: Lee Canter



Similar to behavior modification strategies also differs in significant ways



Behavior modification emphasizes on reinforcing appropriate behaviors and ignoring inappropriate behaviors



Assertive discipline emphasizes on punishing unacceptable behaviors and rewarding acceptable behaviors

Lecture 8 & 9

W HAT IS BEING ASSERTIVE? Being: Self-confident  Self-assured  Confident  Firm  Forceful  Pushy 

ASSERTIVE DISCIPLINE APPLIED IN SCHOOL 

Teacher:



Chris: Teacher:



Chris: work  Teacher: and  Chris: Jess.  Teacher: 

and do

ASSERTIVE DISCIPLINE MODEL  Canter

believes that teachers have traditionally ignored their own needs in favor of satisfying students’ needs, assuming that as teachers they are expected to behave this way

Chris, I want you to take your seat now and do your work I’m going to start in a minute I want you to go to your seat now and do your work! I’m going to. You don’t make other students like you do me. Chris, you must got to your seat immediately start working on your assignment! Just a minute, I have to get some paper from Chris, you must take your seat and go to work right now or you must come in after school it!

Teachers labour under many other misconceptions. These include: 

Good teachers should be able to handle discipline problems without any help from administrators or parents



Firm discipline may cause children psychological harm



Discipline problem do not persist when students are provided with activities that satisfy their need



Misbehavior is deep seated causes that teachers can have no influences

 Teachers

also have needs, wants and feelings as their students do

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ASSERTIVE DISCIPLINE MODEL 

According to Canter teachers need to change their indecisive approaches to discipline. First they must insist their own rights as teachers. These include:  The right to establish classroom rules and procedures that produce the optimum learning environment 



ASSERTIVE DISCIPLINE MODEL 

The right to insist on behavior from student that meets teachers’ needs and that encourages the positive social and educational development of students The right to receive help in discipline from both parents and school administrators

Becoming an assertive teacher involves becoming forceful and self-assured with students. The assertive teacher is able to: ◦

Identify wants feelings in interpersonal situations

◦

Verbalize wants and feelings in a straightforward way

◦

Persist in stating wants and feelings

◦

Use a firm tone of voice

◦

Maintain eye contact when speaking

◦

Reinforce verbal statement with congruent nonverbal gestures

RESPONSE TO MISBEHAVIOR

THE NONASSERTIVE STYLE

 Teachers



Fail to let their students clearly know what they want and what they will not accept.



Fail to back up their words with appropriate, decisive actions



They threaten the misbehaving student but stop implementing their threats



Ignore the unacceptable behavior

may respond to students’ actions in one of three ways 

Nonassertive



Hostile



Assertive

THE HOSTILE STYLE 

Address students in an abusive way



Make derogatory remarks and often lose their temper



Put down their students



Sometimes they make overt or implied threats of violence

THE ASSERTIVE STYLE  Clearly

communicate their wants and feelings to their students and indicate willingness to back up their words with actions if necessary

 Ensures

greater compliance with their demands and expectations

 Establish

limits for their students and enforce them

 Give

explicit direction to a child such as “ stop running in the halls and walk” stop writing on the desk or you will have to sand and refinish it

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ROAD BLOCKS FOR BECOMING

ROAD BLOCKS FOR BECOMING

ASSERTIVE

ASSERTIVE

 For

 Children

most teachers the most common roadblock to becoming more assertive is their own doubt about their ability to deal with student's behavior problems

 Some

students they feel misbehave of Emotional illness Hereditary Brain damage Ignorance Peer pressure Inadequate parenting  Lower socio economic status  Or other influences      

with such problems can create difficulties for teachers but the problem can be managed if teachers are assertive.  First teachers must  Realize that such children can be handled in the regular classroom  Must learn to implement assertive discipline techniques consistently  Ordinary discipline procedures will not work with such children  With some of these children teachers will have to be firmer and others may require a lenient treatment

ROAD BLOCKS FOR BECOMING

ROAD BLOCKS FOR BECOMING

ASSERTIVE

ASSERTIVE

 Teachers

must realize that they have the right to set limits and to ensure that children do not exceed them



When children have sever behavioral problems teachers have the right and responsibility to ask for help from school administrators and other teachers

 They

must get over the fear that children will develop an aversion to education if teachers set strict limits

 Children

come to school burdened by emotionally and educationally crippling environment

 However

teachers who allow such children to go

APPLYING ASSERTIVE DISCIPLINE

STEP 1: ESTABLISHING RULES OR EXPECTATIONS 1.

1.

Establish rules or expectations

2.

Track misbehavior

3.

Use punishment to enforce them

4.

Implement a system of positive consequences

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Complete all assignments Do your own work Don’t talk without receiving permission Follow directions Don’t leave the classroom without permission Don’t fight Don’t swear Sit up straight in your seat Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself Come to class on time Don’t steal

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STEP 2: TRACK MISBEHAVIOR 

Once students have been informed of teachers expectations, teachers must follow through to ensure that their demands are met

WHEN A STUDENT AT PRIMARY LEVEL BREAK A RULE 1st instance: name on the board – you receive a warning 2nd instance: one check mark – you lose 10 minutes of free time 3rd instance: two check marks – you lose 20 minutes of free time 4th instance: three check marks – you lose 30 minutes of free time, and your parents are called 5th instance: four check marks – you lose 45 minutes of free time, your parents are called and you are referred to principal

WHEN A STUDENT AT JUNIOR OR SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL BREAKS A

RULE: 1st instance: a  2nd instance: 

3rd instance: citation are called.  4th instance: citation called, and principal  5th instance: 

PROPER ASSERTIVE LANGUAGE

Name on the board –you receive warning One check mark –you receive a citation and 45 minutes of detention Two check marks –you receive a and detention, and your parents Three check marks – you receive a and detention, your parents are you are referred to the Four check marks –you receive an in school suspension

STEP 3: USE PUNISHMENT TO ENFORCE LIMITS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

TEACHERS MUST ALSO EFFECTIVELY EMPLOY

Time out Withdrawing a privilege Detention Being sent to principal’s office Parents may be called on to help when their children misbehave Send them to another class Make a tape recording of their disruptive students

Four different methods are used to request compliance: -Statements such as “Everyone should be working” are hints. - “Would you please get to work?” has a question format -“I want you to open your books and get to work” is an I-message. - “Get to work now!” is an example of a demand. 

-

Whenever possible its best to use hints, questions and I-messages to request for desired behaviour.

STEP 4: IMPLEMENT A SYSTEM OF POSITIVE CONSEQUENCES  Personal  Positive

attention by the teacher notes or telephone calls to

parents  Awards  Special

privileges  Material reward  Home rewards  Group rewards

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SOME PROBLEMS WITH 



PUNISHMENT

If teachers really care about students they should be prepared to use any necessary and appropriate means to help children eliminate inappropriate behaviour



Students will sense this determination in teachers and quickly conclude that they have no choice but to comply with the teacher’s expectations

Punishment of all kinds provokes resistance and resentment which children may take out on other people such as peers



Punished children feel worse about themselves and resent those who punish them (Kohn, 1993, p167)



Research shows that children subjected to physical punishment tend to be more aggressive than their peers and are likely to grow up and use violence on their own children.



Even “acceptable” levels of punishment may lead to aggression and unhappiness.

SOME PROBLEMS WITH

 Calculation

of risks involves children spending their time trying to figure out how they can get away with something or avoid something

PUNISHMENT 

Punishment is not effective in the long run as it does not eliminate the behaviour as intended



Punishment leads to three possible outcomes:

 Children

who blindly conform fail to learn self government. Their wills are broken by punishment. Such children are prone to accept what is told unquestioningly (include slogans and propaganda) and may tend to draw illogical conclusions

Calculation of risks Blind conformity  Revolt  

 Children

who revolt openly oppose the teachers

influence

EFFECTS OF PUNISHMENT STUDIES IN LABORATORY SETTING

STUDIES IN LABORATORY SETTING 



Punishment can be an effective means of controlling behavior if certain specific conditions prevail. ◦

Timing

◦

The intensity of punishment and complexity of task being performed

◦

Escalation

◦

Frequency

Punishment can promote 

Aggressiveness



Revenge



Withdrawal



Poor teacher student relationship



Inhibit learning

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STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF ASSERTIVE DISCIPLINE 

One commonly used kind of punishment advocated by Canter is suspension or expulsion

W EAKNESS ◦

The practice of warning students by putting their names on the board may entice some students to misbehave who otherwise would not.

◦

Students angered by warnings and sanctions may go further in their rebellion than they ordinary would.

◦

Students may be embarrassed by having their names on the board

◦

Fails to promote self-direction in students

◦

Fails to deal with underlying causes of discipline



Strengths 

It is simple to use



The personal desire of the teacher can be enforced



It involves parents and administrators in the discipline process

WEAKNESS 

Advocates suspension for extreme misbehavior when far too many children are out on suspension



Canter recommends using positive reinforcement while emphasizing punishment. In actual practice positive reinforcement is ordinarily excluded



Punishment stimulates rebellion and promotes the very behavior it is designed to eliminate

Rules THEORY INTO PRACTICE

 Rules

School Code of Conduct Classroom Discipline Plan  Consists of three parts

 Limited



that will let students know what behaviours are expected in the classroom at all times





Rules



Rewards



Consequences

number

 Rules

that are observable. Vague rules are difficult to apply

 Rules

that apply to behaviour only

 Consider

involving students in choosing rules

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Positive Recognition

Positive Recognition

 Praise

 Praise



Non-verbal  Verbal 



 Tangible

rewards Individual / behaviour certificates etc.  Class Wide Rewards

 Tangible

rewards Individual / behaviour certificates etc.  Class Wide Rewards 



 Special  Positive

Non-verbal Verbal

 Special

privileges

 Positive

notes home

privileges notes home

POSITIVE RECOGNITION (after Specifying Clear Activity Directions) Establish a Discipline Hierarchy Example:1. Warning 2. Move to another place 3. Lose 1 min of break 4. Lose two mins break 5. Fill out a behaviour think sheet 6. Contact the parent 7. Head teacher & Parental meeting 8. Severe Clause



Consistent praise “Catch them being good”



Effective praise is personal



It is specific and descriptive



It must be genuine



Effective praise is age-appropriate

USING POSITIVE RECOGNITION TO MOTIVATE PUPILS TO BEHAVE

Positive Repetition ( Supportive Feedback) After giving a “Direction” 

 

 

Negative Statements Stop talking and get back to work Don’t do this. Stop that! How many times have I told you? What are you doing? You, you and you, you’re not sitting properly (assembly).









Positive Statements Jenny and Danny are sitting up with their arms folded Stephen is lining up by the door as expected Jeff, thank you for having your eyes on me. Good. Well done the people in this row you are sitting properly.



Positive reminder to reinforce pupils who are not yet following directions



Use scanning and circulating techniques and recognise the appropriate behaviour as you teach



Make a goal to praise every student sometime throughout the day



Use the class-wide recognition system to motivate your class toward a specific behavioural goal

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THEORY INTO PRACTICE REDIRECTING NON-DISRUPTIVE OFF-TASK BEHAVIOUR  Differentiate between disruptive and non-disruptive behaviour 

Non-verbal  







IMPLEMENTING CONSEQUENCES 

Calm Assertive Statement



Be consistent –provide a consequence every-time a

“The Look” Close proximity

Verbal 

THEORY INTO PRACTICE

Use the pupil’s name Proximity praise

If redirecting is not effective it may be appropriate to provide a consequence

pupil chooses to disrupt 

Re-focus pupils who attempt to argue with you



Offer the consequence as a CHOICE



Find the first opportunity to praise after child has been disruptive

ASSERTIVE DISCIPLINE DEMONSTRATION

TCorrective HEORY INTO PRACTICE Feedback ( What does it sound like?) 

Karen the direction was –to work quietly



I need you to turn around and work quietly



Karen turn around or you will choose to have a Warning



I understand what you are saying but the direction is –to work quietly



The direction is – to work quietly



Karen you have chosen to lose 1 min of your break.



That’s neat work Karen and now you’re working quietly and learning.

•

Use “ broken record” technique

•

Apply a consequence after giving a

“CHOICE”

Thank you. 

[ NEED ALSO FOR FAST TRACK ]

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