Discipline as Self-

Control

Thomas Gordon
Philosophy of Discipline
 Gordon’s View of
Discipline

 The only truly effective

discipline is self-control,
developed internally in each
student. To develop student self-
control, teachers must give up
their power (controlling)
authority and replace it with
influence or persuasive
authority.
 Gordon’s Philosophy

 Noncontolling methods of behavior

change are available for teachers to
use in influencing students to behave
properly
 A problem is a condition,event, or
situation that troubles someone, and
exists only when someone is troubled
 When an individual is troubled by a
condition, event, or situation, that
individual is said to “own” the
problem
 Gordon’s Philosophy

 I-message are statements in which

people tell how they personally think
or feel about another’s behavior and
its consequences
 You-messages are statements of
blame leveled a someone’s behavior.
They should not be used when
attempting to influence others
 Confrontive I-messages are messages
that attempt to influence another to
cease an unacceptable behavior
 Gordon’s Philosophy

 Preventive I-messages attempt to

forestall future actions that may
later constitute a problem
 Preventive you-message (to be
avoided) are used to scold
students for past behavior
 Shifting gears is a tactic that
involves changing from a
confrontive to a listening posture
 Gordon’s Philosophy

 Students’ coping mechanisms are

strategies that students use when
confronted with coercive power
 Win-lose conflict resolution is a way
of ending disputes (temporarily) by
producing a “winner” and a “loser”
 No-lose conflict resolution is a way
of ending disputes by enabling both
sides to emerge as “winners”
 Gordon’s Philosophy

 Use “door openers” and active

listening, don’ use
“communication roadblocks”
 Participative classroom
management permits students to
share in problem solving and
decision making concerning the
classroom and class rules
 Problem solving is a process that
should be taught and practiced in
all classrooms
 Gordon’s Contributions
to Classroom Discipline

 Advocated participative management,

where teacher and students share in
the decision making
 Popularized the no-lose method of
conflict resolution
 Identified roadblocks to
communication that suppress
students’ willingness to discuss
problems
 Demonstrated how to clarify
problems, determine ownership, and
deal with problems
 Types of Authority

 Authority E-is based on expertise,

inherent in a person’s special
knowledge, training, skills, wisdom,
and education
 Authority J comes with one’s job
description
 Authority C comes from the daily
interactions and subsequent
understandings, agreements, and
contracts that people make
 Authority P is evident in a person’s
ability to control as opposed to
influence others
 Why Rewards Don’t Work

 Rewards can be
counterproductive because:
• Students become concerned only
with the reward, not with good
behavior
• When rewards are removed,
students revert to improper
behavior
• When students accustomed to
rewards do not receive them, they
feel they are being punished
 Why Punishments Do Not Work

 Punishment is also ineffective

because:
• It makes students feel belittled,
hostile, and angry
• It decreases student desire to
cooperate
• It teaches that might makes right
 Gordon’s Behavior
Window

 Student’s behavior is causing a problem for

the student only
• STUDENT OWNS THE PROBLEM
 Student’s behavior is not causing a problem
for either student or teacher
• NO PROBLEM EXISTS
 Student’s behavior is causing a problem for
the teacher
• TEACHER OWNS THE PROBLEM
 Behavior Window Skills

 Confrontive Skills- when teacher

owns the problems
• Modify the environment through
enrichment or limiting distracters
• Identify and respond to teacher’s own
primary feeling of worry,
disappointment, or fear that may be
bringing anger to the situation
• Send I-messages instead of you-
messages
• Shift gears by attentive listening when
students become defensive
• Use the no-lose method of conflict
resolution
 Behavior Window Skills

 Helping Skills- when the student

owns the problem
• Use listening skills-passive
listening, acknowledgement, door
openers, active listening
• Avoid communication roadblocks
 Preventive Skills- when no
problem exists
• Use preventive I-messages
• Use participative management in
solving and making decisions
 Assignment

 See Blackboard for this week’s

assignment. Please make sure
you submit your answers via the
digital drop box