Concept of Classroom Discipline

Q1: What is the objective of Classroom

Discipline?
Objectives of Classroom Discipline:
1.Maintain a productive learning environment
2.Teach students to be self-directing and
responsible.
3.Promote civility among members of the class.
Misbehaviour is minimised

Productive classroom
Learning is maximised
 Concept of Classroom Discipline
Q 2: What is discipline?

It is the influence teachers exert to:

------Produce productive learning environments
------Minimise misbehaviour and irresponsible
behaviour
 Concept of Classroom Discipline

Q3: Can we equate classroom management to

discipline management ?
Concept of Classroom Discipline
What is discipline?

The influence teachers exert to:

• produce productive learning environments
• minimize misbehaviour and irresponsible behaviour

What is discipline management?

Teachers’ efforts to:

• maintain classroom decorum and
• secure students’ cooperation in learning and
exercising self-control and responsible behaviour
 Concept of Classroom Discipline

What is the difference between discipline management and

classroom management?

Classroom Management

Discipline
Management

Classroom Management involves organizing classroom and materials, establishing

routines,
developing positive teacher-student relationships
 Concept of Classroom Discipline
• Classroom mgt involves organising classroom
and materials, establishing routines and
developing positive teacher-student
relationships

• 3 Types of Classroom discipline:

1. Preventive – proactive intervention (Skinner’s Shaping
Model)
2. Corrective – action or consequence of misbehaviour
3. Supportive - telling students (need not be verbal, can
be gestures), do not carry out the consequences
 Types of Discipline
1. Supportive Discipline
Even the best laid preventative discipline strategies may fail
periodically throughout the school year.

When a teacher offers a verbal warning or a suggestion for

correcting behavior while a student is disobeying an established
classroom rule, the teacher is using supportive discipline.

Supportive discipline is distinct from punishment in that it

provides a student with suggestions and options for correcting a
behavior before a consequence is necessary

Reminders, redirection and nonverbal communication are all

examples of supportive discipline.
 Types of Discipline
2. Corrective Discipline
When a student has failed to redirect her behavior after
repeated attempts at supportive discipline, a teacher may
opt for a corrective discipline strategy.

Corrective discipline refers to the set of consequences

delivered to students following an infraction.

Corrective discipline strategies should be adapted to the

students' age or grade level

Examples of strategies: verbal altercations (not advisable);

time-out
 Types of Discipline

3. Preventative Discipline
The goal of preventative discipline is to provide proactive
interventions to potential disruptive behaviors by clearly
explaining to students what behaviors are and are not
appropriate.

A preventative discipline strategy also establishes the types

of consequences that will follow a forbidden act or behavior.
At the end of this lecture, you will be able to:

1. Explain the key concepts of Canter’s Assertive

Discipline Model

2. Elaborate on 9 behaviours to be practised for

Assertive Discipline

3. Describe an example of the application of Canter’s

Discipline Model

4. Given a scenario, explain how Canter would have

dealt with the discipline problem
 Models of Discipline
1. Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model
2. Dreikur’s Confronting Mistaken
Goals
3. Kounin’s Withitness and
Organisation Model
4. Alfie Kohn's Beyond Discipline
5. Gordon's Discipline as Self-Control
Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model

Canter's Key Ideas

1. Teachers should insist on decent,
responsible behaviour from their students
(asserts the expected behaviour from
students = classroom rules).

2. Many teachers labor under false

assumptions about discipline, believing that
firm control is stifling and inhumane.
 Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model
Canter's Key Ideas

3. Teachers have basic educational rights in their

classrooms including:

o The right to establish optimal learning

environments

o The right to request and expect appropriate

behavior

o The right to receive help from administrators

and parents when it is needed.
Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model
Canter's Key Ideas

4. Students have basic rights in the classroom too,

including:

o The right to have teachers who help limit

inappropriate, self-destructive behavior

o The right to choose how to behave, with a full

understanding of the consequences that will
follow automatically from their choices.
Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model
Canter's Key Ideas

5. The needs and rights of teachers and students,

are best met through the use of assertive discipline.

The teacher:

• communicates clearly his/her expectations to

students and
• follows up with appropriate and consistent
actions which do not violate the best
interests of the students.
Insert Assertive Discipline 1.mp4
Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model
9 Behaviours for Assertive Discipline

Assertive discipline involves the use of the following

behaviours. To be effective they must be used consistently:
•  Identify expectations clearly.
• Be persistent in stating expectations and feelings.
• Be willing to say "I like that" or "I don't like that".
• Practice assertive response styles.
• Use a firm tone of voice, eye contact, gestures etc.
• Requests appropriate behavior verbally.
• Set clear limits and consequences.
• Practice the broken record technique.
• Ask school principals and parents for support in your
efforts to help students.
Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model

Five steps to Assertive Discipline

Examples of Responses

If students are fighting, what would your response be?

A Non- Assertive Response: 'Please stop fighting.‘

A Hostile Response: 'Hey Bloody Idiots! You think you are

both so tough? Wait till you get a taste of
my cane."
An Assertive Response: 'We do not fight. Sit down until you
cool off.‘
Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model

Five steps to Assertive Discipline

Examples of Responses

If students talk out of turn, what would your response be?

 

A Non- Assertive Response: ‘Please wait for your turn’.

A Hostile Response: ‘Are you stupid or what? How many times

must I tell you to raise your hand before
you speak?’

An Assertive Response: Don’t answer until you raise your

hand and I call on you.
Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model

Using voice, eye contact, gestures

Tone of voice: firmly neutral and businesslike; not
sarcastic or threatening

Eye contact: look students straight in the eye but do

not insist students do likewise

Gestures: facial expressions together with arm

and hand movements but not finger or
fists

Use of students’ names: makes messages penetrating

Physical touch: light touch; risky; students’ violent

reaction.
Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model

Requesting appropriate behaviour verbally

Hints: statements made from time to time reminding

students of teacher’s expectations

I-messages: telling students how behaviour is

affecting the teacher

Questions: hints or commands put in the

interrogative form

Demands: statements that direct student what to

do (risky if no action follows through).
Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model

Set clear limits and consequences

Example of negative consequences for a particular day:

First - Name on board (a warning)

Second - Check by name (15 minute detention)
Third - Second check (30 minutes detention)
Fourth - Third check (30 minutes detention; student
phones parents and explains)
Fifth - Fourth check (30 minutes detention; student
phones parents, explains, and meets with the
principal.)
Sixth - Student suspended.
Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model

Set clear limits and consequences

Examples of positive/favourable consequences:

• Personal attention from teacher

• Positive notes to parents
• Special awards
• Special prvileges
• Material rewards
• Home rewards
• Group rewards.
Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model
Use broken record technique

Teacher: "Alex, we do not fight in this room. I will

not tolerate fighting. You must not fight
again."

Student: "It's not my fault. Pete started it. He hit

me first."

Teacher: "I understand that might be the case. I

didn't see it. However you will not fight
in my class."

Student: "Well Pete started it."

Teacher: "That may be. I'll watch but you must

not fight in this class.”
Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model

Strengths

• incorporates practices of other models

• emphasizes rights of students and teachers
• addressing situation not student’s character
• ease of implementation
• caring for students
• gaining support from parents and administrators
Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model

Key Issues

• too controlling, harsh, too aggressive,

overpowering for younger children
• too demeaning for older students
• too focused on suppressing bad behaviour
that it excludes emphasis on the building of values
for good, responsible behaviour
Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model

Application of Model

Kwan is in your class and is quite docile. She never disrupts

the class and does little socializing with other students.
Despite your best efforts Kwan rarely completes an
assignment. She doesn't seem to care. She is physically
present but makes little effort or contribution to the life of the
class. How would you deal with Kwan using assertive
discipline?
Canter’s Assertive Discipline Model
o Communicate the class expectations clearly to Kwan. Be
assertive and check that Kwan has received your
message (Ask questions to make sure).

o Use a firm tone of voice and maintain eye contact when

reminding Kwan of the expectations.

o Be consistent when you follow through with pre-

established consequences. Make the negative
consequences more severe and the positive
consequences more attractive until you find the level that
works for Kwan.

o Let Kwan's parents know how her behaviour concerns

you. Explain that Kwan's best interests are served by the
the parents and yourself working together to help her
 Skinner’s Shaping Model
 
Key Ideas

1. Behaviour is shaped by its consequences, by what

happens to the individual immediately afterward.
2. Systematic use of reinforcement (rewards) can shape
students' behaviour in desired directions.
3. Behaviour becomes weaker if not followed by
reinforcement.
4. Behaviour is also weakened by punishment.
5. In the early stages of learning, constant reinforcement
produces the best result.
6. Once learning has reached the desired level, it is best
maintained through intermittent reinforcement, provided
only occasionally in order to avoid immunity.
 Skinner’s Shaping Model
 
7. Behaviour modification is applied in these two main
ways:

• The teacher observes the student perform an

undesired act; the teacher rewards the student; the student
tends to repeat the act.

• The teacher observes the student perform an

undesired act; the teacher either ignores the act or
punishes the student, then praises a student who is
behaving correctly; the misbehaving student becomes
less likely than before to repeat the act.
 Skinner’s Shaping Model
 
8. Behaviour modification successfully uses various kinds
of reinforcers. They include:

(a) social reinforcers such as verbal comments,

facial expressions, and gestures;
(b) graphic reinforcers such as marks and stars;
(c) activity reinforcers such as free time and
collaborating with a friend; and
(d) tangible reinforcers such as prizes and printed
awards.
 Skinner’s Shaping Model

Key Issues

• Free will
• Control of students’ thoughts and action (compliance)
• Reduces intrinsic motivation
• Used too frequently – students become immuned
• Plays role in preventive and supportive control but
much less in correcting misbehaviour (once reward is
removed misbehaviour returns)
Skinner’s Shaping Model

Preventative Discipline

The goal of preventative discipline is to provide proactive

interventions to potential disruptive behaviors by clearly
explaining to students what behaviors are and are not
appropriate.

A preventative discipline strategy also establishes the types

of consequences that will follow a forbidden act or behavior.
 Skinner’s Shaping Model
• Catch Muthu being good (doing anything that is
appropriate). Reward him whenever he participates or
works.
• Reiterate the class rules regarding work. Praise Muthu
whenever he follows the rule.
• Consider stronger reinforcers. If praise is ineffective,
use points, tokens, or other tangible objects to reinforce
and shape Muthu's improvement.
• Set up a contract with Muthu. Identify a reward that is
exceptionally attractive to him. Outline what he must do
in order to earn the reward. Share the contract with Muthu's
parents to enlist their support. Reinforce every improvement
Muthu makes.