Classroom Management Theorists

Rudolf Dreikurs (February 8, 1897, Vienna - May 25, 1972, Chicago) was an American psychiatrist and educator who developed psychologist Alfred Adler's system of individual psychology into a pragmatic method for understanding the purposes of reprehensible behaviour in children and for stimulating cooperative behaviour without punishment or reward. He suggested that human misbehavior is the result of feeling a lack of belonging to one's social group. When this happens the child acts from one of four "mistaken goals": undue attention, power, revenge or avoidance (inadequacy).

Dreikurs Principal Teachings

Discipline at its best is defined as self-control, based on social interest. Self-controlled students are able to show initiative, make reasonable decisions, and assume responsibility in ways that benefit both themselves and others. Social interest refers to students' efforts to make the classroom comfortable and productive, based on understanding that such classrooms better meet their personal needs.

Dreikurs Principal Teachings

Good discipline occurs best in a democratic classroom. A democratic classroom is one in which teacher and students work together to make decisions about how the class will function. Good discipline cannot occur in autocratic or permissive classrooms.

Dreikurs Principal Teachings

In autocratic classrooms, the teacher makes all decisions and imposes them on students, leaving no opportunity for student initiative and responsibility. In permissive classrooms, the teacher fails to require that students comply with rules, conduct themselves humanely, or endure consequences for their misbehavior.

Dreikurs Principal Teachings

Almost all students have a compelling desire to feel they are a valued member of the class, that they belong. Students sense belonging when the teacher and others give them attention and respect, involve them in activities, and do not mistreat them. When students are unable to gain a sense of belonging in the class, they often turn to the mistaken goals of attention, power, revenge, and inadequacy.

Dreikurs Principal Teachings

When seeking attention, students talk out, show off, interrupt others, and demand teacher attention. When seeking power, they drag their heels, make comments under their breath, and sometimes try to show that the teacher can't make them do anything. When seeking revenge, they try to get back at the teacher and other students, by lying, subverting class activities, and maliciously disrupting the class. When seeking to display inadequacy, they withdraw from class activities and make no effort to learn.

Dreikurs Principal Teachings

Teachers should learn how to identify mistaken goals and deal with them. When teachers see evidence that students are pursuing mistaken goals, they should point out the fact by identifying the mistaken goal and discussing the faulty logic involved. They should do this in a friendly, non-threatening manner.

Dreikurs Principal Teachings

Teachers should learn how to identify mistaken goals and deal with them. When teachers see evidence that students are pursuing mistaken goals, they should point out the fact by identifying the mistaken goal and discussing the faulty logic involved. They should do this in a friendly, non-threatening manner.

Dreikurs Principal Teachings

Rules for governing class behavior should be formulated jointly by teacher and students. Tied to those rules should be the logical consequences of compliance or violation. It is the teacher's responsibility to see that stipulated consequences are invoked. Good behavior (following the rules) brings pleasant consequences such as enjoyment of learning and associating positively with others.

Dreikurs Principal Teachings

Misbehavior brings unpleasant consequences such as having to complete work at home or being excluded from normal class activities. Punishment should never be used in the classroom. Punishment is just a way for teachers to get back at students and show them who's boss, and is usually humiliating to the student. Punishment has many bad side effects and therefore should be supplanted with logical consequences agreed to by the class.

Rudolph Dreikurs
Four Goals of Misbehavior

Introduction
Educators need to clearly understand the motivation behind students behavior. Dreikurs (1971) describes the four goals of misbehavior as: attention getting, power, revenge and displays of inadequacy. The following presentation will describe the characteristics of each behavior, which will include four specific management strategies in response to each goal. Further examples of interventions utilized with a particular student will be provided.

Attention Seeking
The student wants to establish her identity through useful contributions. The student will first attempt productive measures. If her teachers and peers do not recognize this, the student will seek further proof of self-reliance and meaningfulness.

Attention Seeking
At this point, the student will try a variety of measures to get attention and ultimately be noticed. Some typical behaviors displayed include, showing off, crying, speaking loudly, using charm, keeping the teacher busy, constantly asking questions (pretending not to understand) and responding overly sensitive to situations (drama queen).

Attention Seeking
Teachers find themselves frequently reminding and redirecting these attention- orientated students. After a while, the teacher is consumed by the students misbehavior and feels frustrated. The teacher begins to feel resentment toward the student because valuable teaching time is lost. The student has met her goal of having the teachers undivided attention by way of unproductive means.

Management Strategies ~ Attention Seeking Student

Try to make connections with the student throughout the day during non-instructional times. This is particularly important at the start of the day, as this will help to establish a healthy tone. During instructional times, get the student involved at the start of the lesson. greet the student as soon as she enters the room. engage the student in quick small talk. Try to provide the student with a responsibility, like handing out materials.

Management Strategies ~ Attention Seeking Student

Whenever possible, especially when the student is exhibiting an escalation in attention getting behavior, arrange for one-on-one time with the student. This may be during recess time to assist the with work or you may invite the student to eat lunch in the classroom with a friend. Always make sure to reinforce appropriate behaviors and redirect or ignore negatives ones. For example, if the student enters the classroom without announcing his arrival, you may thank him for coming into the classroom quietly. Remind him that this is helpful for those who are working and need to concentrate.

Seeking Power / Control

The goal of the power-seeking student is to have complete control over his environment, thus challenging any authority. These students feel an overwhelming need to be self-sufficient. These types of students are often described as having their own set of rules. The student typically refuses to recognize the classroom rules and procedures.

Seeking Power / Control

When the teacher redirects or reminds the student to follow teacher requests, the student is quick to exhibit his power. The control-oriented student will engage is several types of behaviors in order to reach his goal, such as; stubbornness, argumentative, lies, cheats, must win, must be in charge of every situation, disobedient, refusal to conformity of classroom rules, etc.

Seeking Power / Control

Teachers often feel threatened and emotionally get involved. This leads into some of the basic assumptions shared by many teachers; teachers need to be in control, establish authority, and must not allow students to get away with this type of behavior, especially in front of other students. Teachers try to control the child, which most likely will lead to a power struggle. This type of engaging response locks the teacher and student into the conflict cycle.

Useful Management Strategies ~ Control Seeking Student At all costs, avoid the trap of the

dysfunctional power struggle and not giving in. Try to help the student feel important without having to challenge authority. Provide various responsibilities in the classroom on a rotating basis. This makes the student feel important without allowing him to become possessive of certain jobs.

Management Strategies ~ Control Seeking Student

Explicitly provide directions for a given task with specific consequences. Say, You may do any ten math problems on your own and then you may use a calculator for the remaining ten. Or You may do any ten math problems with at least 90% accuracy and then you may work 20 minutes with the janitor. Sometimes surprise the student and agree with him. You may say, Wow, I see what you mean, this social studies assignment does require a great deal of writing. I can see why your upset.

Management Strategies ~ Control Seeking Student

Public praise may serve as a trigger to set this student off. However, try to acknowledge and reinforce appropriate behaviors whenever possible. Do this privately when the opportunity arises or leave a note for the student.

Revenge Seeking
The revenge-orientated student usually has a history of unsuccessful attempts of attention seeking behavior and power struggles with authority. This type of student feels that he is treated unfairly and others are out to get him. His goal is to seek revenge by getting back at them. When he hurts others, his goal is accomplished and he actually feels better.

Revenge Seeking
This type of student may do several behaviors in order to obtain his goal, such as; lies, steals, hurts others physically or emotionally, destruction of property and blames others for treating him unfairly.

Revenge Seeking
Teachers have feeling of anger, hurt and frustration toward the student. However, they must set emotions aside and generate an attitude of understanding, assistance and respect (unconditional positive regard). Revengeful behavior usually takes a great deal of time and effort to change. The goal is to help these students learn how to effectively cope and express with feelings of anger, frustration and disappointment.

Management Strategies ~Revenge Seeking

Conduct small group prosocial skills lessons in which the student participates but he is not singled out. Make sure that these lessons are during times when the student is calm and in a good space (emotionally). Establish a mutual contract with the student with the goal being to get along with others. The student can earn certain reinforcements when positive interactions take place. He can self-monitor his behavior as well.

Management Strategies ~Revenge Seeking

Make sure to be calm and matter of fact when issuing consequences for hurtful behavior. The consequences are clear and consistent. Take every opportunity to catch this student while he is being good. Praise him privately as public praise may set him off. Regardless of the severity of an episode, Treat each day as a fresh start.

 The goal of the student who displays inadequacy is to be left alone. There are usually two different motivational factors contributing to this goal. The first type is evident in the child who has failed at all attempts of attention, power and revenge seeking behavior. Without gaining a place in the world, she is left with feelings of despair.

Displays of Inadequacy / Assumed Disability

Displays of Inadequacy / Assumed Disability

The child, who has made the conclusion at a very young age, that he is worthless, exhibits the other type. These children are very quiet and withdrawn. They have a tendency to become even more withdrawn if attention is focused on them. They exhibit an attitude of helplessness, gives up easily or wont even attempt the task, wants to be left alone, set up for failure by placing unrealistic expectations of themselves and have on overall air of impending doom.

Displays of Inadequacy / Assumed Disability

Teachers often become frustrated with these students. The goal of the teacher is to help the student learn to overcome feelings of discouragement.

Management Strategies ~ Inadequacy

When introducing new concepts, I make sure to start with an activity I know the student can be successful. This allows the student to warm-up and feels confident before meeting challenging work. This format also works well for assessments. Call on this student when I know he can respond successfully. Do not force the student to participate in group activities, especially those that are socially or academically challenging.

 Allow the student to engage in fun learning activities with his peers. Organize the groups to ensure that he can exhibit his strengths and assist others in the group. Example, a student enjoys drawing. I helped develop an interest in comic book type art. This student now creates comic books as a hobby. I use this as a reinforcer at school.

Management Strategies ~ Inadequacy

References
Dreikurs, R., Grunwald, B., & Pepper, F. (1971). Maintaining sanity in the classroom. New York: Harper Row.

Kounins Principal Teachings Teachers need to know what is going on in all parts of the classroom at all times. Kounin verified that teachers good in discipline displayed this trait, which he called withitness. Good lesson momentum helps keep students on track. Kounin used the term momentum to refer to teachers' starting lessons with dispatch, keeping lessons moving ahead, making transitions among activities efficiently, and bringing lessons to a satisfactory close.

Kounins Principal Teachings

Smoothness in lesson presentation helps keep students involved. The term smoothness refers to steady progression of lessons, without abrupt changes or disturbing incidents. Effective teachers have systems for gaining student attention and clarifying expectations. Kounin called this tactic group alerting. Teachers must learn how to correct one pupil's behavior in a way that changes the behavior of others. This is called the Ripple effect.

Kounins Principal Teachings

Effective teachers keep students attentive and actively involved. Such student accountability is maintained by regularly calling on students to respond, demonstrate, or explain. Teachers good in behavior management are able to attend to two or more events simultaneously. This skill, which Kounin called overlapping, is shown when teachers answer questions for students doing independent work while at the same time instructing a small group of students.

Kounins Principal Teachings

Effective teachers see to it that students are not given overexposure to a particular topic. Overexposure produces satiation, meaning students have had their fill of the topic as shown through boredom, resistance, and misbehavior. Boredom [satiation] can be avoided by providing variety to lessons, the classroom environment and by pupil awareness of progress. Effective teachers make instructional activities enjoyable and challenging. Kounin described how fun and challenge delay satiation.

Jacob Kounin
Focuses on preventive discipline -- techniques and strategies designed to prevent the occurrence of discipline problems in the first place. Good classroom management depends on effective lesson management.

Kounins Principle Teachings

Teachers need to be attentive to all aspects of the classroom. Effective teachers keep students attentive and actively involved. Teachers should be able to attend to two activities at the same time. Activities should be enjoyable and challenging.

Kounins Key Ideas

The Ripple Effect Withitness Overlapping Effective Transitions Group Focus Satiation

The Ripple Effect

The "ripple effect" occurs when the teacher corrects a misbehavior in one student, and this positively influences the behavior of other nearby students.

Withitness
Awareness of what is going on in all parts of the classroom at all times.

Overlapping
Being able to attend to two or more issues at the same time.

Effective Transitions
Keeping lessons moving with avoiding abrupt changes.

Group Focus
The ability to keep members of the class or group paying attention to the task

Satiation
Being satisfied or having enough

Teachers can reduce satiation by:

Providing a feeling of progress Offering challenges throughout the lesson Being enthusiastic Adding VARIETY to the lesson

Fredrick H. Jones
Director of Classroom Management Training Program
Improving teacher effectiveness Emphasis on learner motivation and classroom behavior

Model based on his observations of teachers and their students behaviors Combines Instruction with Motivation

Avoiding Lost Class Time

Time Lost in a Classroom
50% Student Misbehavior and Being Off-Task 30% Talking Without Permission 19% Daydreaming, Out of Seat, Making Noises 1% Serious Behavior Problems

Avoid this lost time by

Using Effective Body Language Using Incentive Systems Efficient Individual Help

Effective Body Language

Stop Misbehaviors Without Wasting Time
Eye Contact Facial Expression (Calm/No Nonsense) Posture and Gestures (Pointing at a rule on the board) Physical Proximity

These Non-Verbal Acts Usually Stop Misbehavior and Avoid Verbal Confrontation

Incentive System
Motivates Students to
Do the right thing Maintain on-task Behave properly

Use Incentives to Build Student Cooperation

Preferred Activity Time (PAT)

Stars, Candy, and Prizes Motivate only the Achievers and Provide no Realistic Expectation

Positive Instructional Support

Move Quickly from Student to Student

Praise/Prompt/Leave
Have Visual Instruction Plans (VIPs)

Back-Up Systems
What if the student continues to misbehave?
Plan Ahead Sequence of Consequences Remember to have a plan for when the class is out of the classroom

General Guidelines
Set Up the Room to Facilitate Learning Gain Parental Support from the Beginning Pay Attention to Why the Disruptions are Happening Rules
Simple, Clear, Few Posted and Taught (Students know why) Reinforced Consistently, Calmly, and Promptly

Jones Principal Teachings

Approximately 95 percent of all student misbehavior consists of talking to neighbors and being out of one's seat, as well as generally goofing off, such as daydreaming and making noise. But it is this behavior that most often disrupts teaching and learning. On the average, teachers in typical classrooms lose approximately 50 percent of their teaching time because students are off-task or otherwise disrupting learning. This amounts to massive time wasting.

Jones Principal Teachings

Most teaching time that is otherwise lost can be recouped when teachers use Say, See, Do Teaching, provide efficient help to students, use effective body language, and use incentive systems. These are the hallmarks of good behavior management. Say, See, Do Teaching is an instructional method that calls for frequent student response to teacher input. It keeps students actively alert and involved in the lesson.

Jones Principal Teachings

Efficient arrangement of the classroom improves the likelihood of successful teaching and learning. This includes seating arrangements that permit the teacher to "work the crowd" as they supervise student work and provide help. Proper use of body language is one of the most effective discipline skills available to teachers. Body language includes eye contact, physical proximity, body carriage, facial expressions, and gestures.

Jones Principal Teachings

Teachers set limits on student behavior not so much through rules as through subtle interpersonal skills. These are the skills that convey that teachers mean business. Students will work hard and behave well when given incentives to do so. These incentives are teachers' promises that students will receive, in return for proper behavior, rewards in the form of favorite activities that can be learned by all members of the group for the enjoyment of all members of the group.

Jones Principal Teachings

To be effective, an incentive must be attractive to the entire group and be available equally to all. Incentives that are available only to certain members of the class will affect only the behavior of those few individuals and leave the class as a whole little changed. Students must learn to do their work without the teacher hovering over them. Jones calls students' reliance on teacher presence "helpless handraising."

Jones Principal Teachings

He devised a method of providing help very efficiently to students who call for teacher assistance during independent work. Jones says to be positive, be brief and be gone." The goal of discipline is for students to assume responsibility for their actions. All aspects of learning are improved when students do so.

Lee Canter
Researched Assertive Discipline Wrote Multiple Books in Classroom Management Research and ideas about Assertive Discipline has been around since the early to mid 70s

Canter Model
Based on thousands of hours of observing effective teachers Discovered that Assertive Discipline helps teachers teach and students learn Marlene Canter help in research and development of model Developed both principles and step of implementation

Principles of Model
Teachers should insist on responsible Behavior Failure to teach comes from poor class control Firm control maintained humanely is liberating. Teachers have basic rights as educators

Principles of Model Cont.

Students have basic rights as learners Teachers must clearly states the expectations, consistently apply the consequences, and never violates the best interests of the pupils The assertive teacher is more effective than the nonassertive or the hostile teacher

Assertive Discipline
Stating and teaching expectations early Persistence in stating expectations and wishes Use of a clear, calm, firm voice and eye contact Use of non-verbal gestures that support the verbal statements Influencing student behavior without threats or shouting Broken record technique

Steps of Assertive Discipline

1. Recognize and remove roadblocks to assertive discipline 2. Practice the use of assertive response styles 3. Learning to set limits 4. Learning to follow through on limits 5. Implementing a system of positive assertions

Advantages and Strengths

Develop good class control Student expectations are clearly stated Rules and limitations are also clearly stated Helps build classroom respect Positive, caring, and productive classroom environment

Disadvantages and Weaknesses

With out student/teacher respect model will not work Teaching style may not fit the needs of all students Can be a bad way to start off the year Teachers can become over controlling

Example
Teacher: "Vince, you have work to do. Get away from that window and sit in your seat." Student: "But I want to see the cop give that guy a ticket." Teacher: "I understand, but I want you to sit down now." Student: "'Just one minute, OK?" Teacher: "'No, Vince, I want you to sit down now. Student: "Aw, OK." If student does not obey after third time, then consequences should be placed into action

Canter and what we have learned

Classroom management is important to providing a productive learning environment Students safety is most important Students need to know and understand what is expected of them and what is required of them

Canters Model of Classroom Management

Ineffective classroom managers are:
Passive Inconsistent Reactive Non-assertive Begging and Pleading Hostile and Angry

Canters Model of Classroom Management

Effective classroom managers are:
In control Assertive Proactive Consistent Firm Calm

Effective classroom managers have a sense of efficacy.

Canters Model of Classroom Management

Rules:
Need to be visible and observable Applicable at all times Should be few, five at most Have student input

Rewards should have guidelines and use positive recognition Consequences should be non-violent, consistent, hierarchical organized, and comfortable to use.

Canters Model of Classroom Management

Critical components:
Teachers should be allowed to teach Assertive discipline is a philosophy and a systematic approach to classroom management Positive recognition/reward must be genuine and natural Consequences should be short term Positive reinforcement/recognition should be long term

The Canters Principal Teachings

Today's students have clear rights and needs that must be met if they are to be taught effectively. These students' rights and needs include a caring teacher who persistently works to foster the best interests of students. Teachers have rights and needs in the classroom as well. Teachers' rights include teaching in a classroom that is free from disruption, with support from parents and administrators as they work to help students.

The Canters Principal Teachings

The most effective teachers are those who remain in control of the class while always remembering that their main duty is to help students learn and behave responsibly. Teachers must continually model through their own behavior the kind of trust and respect for students that they want students to show toward others. A good discipline plan, built upon trust and respect, is necessary for helping.

The Canters Principal Teachings

Students limit their own counterproductive behavior. Such a discipline plan contains rules and consequences, and it must be fully understood and supported by students and their parents. Teachers should practice positive repetitions. Positive repetitions involve repeating directions as positive statements to students who are complying with class rules, for example, "Fred remembered to raise his hand. Good job."

The Canters Principal Teachings

Negative consequences are penalties teachers invoke when students violate class expectations. They are brought to bear only when all else fails. They must be something students dislike (staying in after class, being isolated from the group) but must never be physically or psychologically harmful. Positive consequences are rewards, usually words or facial expressions, that teachers offer when students comply with class expectations. The Canters consider positive consequences to be very powerful.

The Canters Principal Teachings

Today's teachers must both model and directly teach proper behavior. It is not enough for teachers simply to set limits and apply consequences. They must go well beyond that to actually teaching students how to behave responsibly in the classroom. Teachers can have success with a majority of students deemed difficult to manage. They can accomplish this by reaching out to those students, learning about their needs, interacting with them personally, and showing a constant willingness to help.

The Ginott Model

Haim Ginott(1922-1973)
A Glimpse of His Life.
Began his career as a school teacher in Israel in 1947 before immigrating to the United States. Then he earned a doctoral degree in clinical psychology, from Columbia university, in 1952. During his work at the guidance clinic, in Jacksonville Florida, he refined his unique combination of compassion and boundary setting. His work had a significant impact on the way adults relate to children. His goal was to help parents and teachers socialize children while simultaneously cultivating their emotional well being. He taught adults how to relate to children in a caring and understanding way without diminishing their authority.

Key elements of the Ginott Model

Congruent Communication Fostering Independence and Self Respect Avoiding the Perils of Praise

Congruent Communication
Congruent communication is a way of communicating with students that increases self-esteem and decreases conflict. It involves talking with and responding to students in an empathic manner. It also involves appropriate expression of anger, and the use of sane messages that are logical and rational.
Talk to the situation, not to the personality and character is the cardinal rule of communication. (Quote from teacher and child p. 84) When angry, an enlightened teacher remains real. He describes what he sees, what he feels, and what he expects. (P.84) A teacher cannot be artificial and effective. Nothing defeats him more than phoniness. No one can pretend respect and care without being detected. Skill divorced from genuineness is soon unmasked. (P.84)

Congruent
A child spills paint: Oh. I see the paint spilled. We need water and a rag. A child forgot to return his book to the library: Your book needs to be returned to the library. Its overdue A class is getting ready to go to gym and two girls are playing catch with their sneakers: It makes me angry to see that. Sneakers are not for throwing. They are for wearing to the gym.

Incongruent
A child spills paint: You are so clumsy. Why are you so careless? A child forgot to return their book to the library: You are so irresponsible! You always procrastinate and forget. Why didnt you return the book to the library? Teacher goes with his/her first impulse to yell and punish.

Fostering Independence and Self Respect

Ginott believed that dependency breeds hostility. Therefore, teachers should encourage autonomy. Facilitating autonomy-children need to make choices about their behavior. Teachers can meet this need by giving students small choices, such as the number of problems they are given for homework. Guiding emotion- use reflective listening. This will help children clarify their own emotions. Children are dependent on their teachers, and dependency breeds hostility. To reduce hostility a teacher deliberately provides children with opportunities to experience independence. The more autonomy, the less enmity; The more self-dependence, the less resentment of others.(Quote from teacher and child p. 91)

Avoiding the Perils of Praise

Evaluative praise places a judgment on character traits. Evaluative praise can be destructive. (Apple example) Appropriate praise tells students what they have accomplished while letting them draw their own conclusions about its value. Praise, like a drug, may make a child feel good-for the moment. However, it creates dependence. Others become his source of approval. He relies on them to quench his craving and establish his value. They must tell him his daily worth.(Quote from teacher and child p. 126)

Examples of Appropriate Praise

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

So, Where Is the Discipline?

The essence of discipline is finding effective alternatives to punishment. To punish the child is to enrage him and make him uneducable." (Teacher and Child p. 147,148) In discipline whatever generates hate must be avoided. Whatever creates self-esteem is to be fostered. (Teacher and Child p.148) The emphasis is on prevention. Ginott believed that discipline problems could be prevented through loving, warm, and patient action on the part of the teacher, and that when a problem occurs the emphasis should be on the problem, rather than the individual. (Examples from book)

Strengths
The Ginott model is very effective in helping teachers establish positive communication with their students. The focus is on empowering students to develop their own sense of responsibility and independence, and the model creates a venue for teachers to facilitate students progress in this area. Can be incorporated into the use of any discipline model, because the concepts of the Ginott model complement both the more structured discipline models and the less structured discipline models.

Weaknesses
The Ginott model does not give a specific method for dealing with more serious ongoing discipline problems. Many people prefer to have a more structured procedure for dealing with serious misbehavior.

Insufficient support for teachers who are used to a more traditional role in dealing with students.

Case Study
Rhoda, a 12 year old migrant, who has a language deficiency, is coming to school with bad body odor. The students and parents are complaining, and the teacher has chosen to ignore the situation. He had just received a note from the principal stating that he must address the rotten smell emanating from his room.

Identify the problem

The problem is we have a student with a serious hygiene problem that is causing disruption in the classroom.

Objective

Rhoda will have a self-awareness that there is a problem with her personal hygiene.

Solutions
The teacher will indirectly incorporate components of daily hygiene into a math lesson on volume or money. For example teaching students how to measure volume and giving the assignment to measure the volume of water that builds up when they are taking their DAILY shower. Parent-Teacher-Interpreter Conference (Ginotts Way)

Implementation
Conduct math lesson on volume or money, including personal hygiene terminology and correlate it to math problems. Provide worksheets to the students, along with daily hygiene items that will be related to the math lesson. Allow the students to keep the items for use at home. Conduct a parent/teacher/interpreter conference using Ginotts method of parent education: Recitation Sensitization Learning of Concepts Teaching and practice of better skills *Will meet in 2 weeks to review progress

Evaluate
After the lessons were taught there was a noticeable difference in Rhodas personal hygiene for two weeks, and the students complained less. After two weeks the odor returned, and solution two had to be implemented. With the help of the interpreter the parents became aware of the importance of the issue of personal hygiene and the problem was resolved.

Ginotts Principal Teachings

Learning always takes place in the present tense, meaning teachers must not prejudge students or hold grudges. Discipline is little-by-little, step-by-step. The teacher's self-discipline is key. Model the behavior you want in students. Learning is always a personal matter to the student. Large classes often make teachers forget that each student-learner is an individual who must be treated as such. .

Ginotts Principal Teachings

Teachers should always endeavor to use congruent communication, which is communication that is harmonious with students' feelings about situations and themselves The cardinal principle of congruent communication is that it addresses situations. It never addresses students' character or personality. Teachers at their best, using congruent communication, do not preach or moralize, nor impose guilt or demand promises. Instead, they confer dignity on their students by treating them as social equals capable of making good decisions.

Ginotts Principal Teachings

Teachers at their worst label students, belittle them, and denigrate their character: They usually do these things inadvertently. Effective teachers invite cooperation from their students by describing the situation and indicating what needs to be done. They do not dictate to students or boss them around, which provokes resistance. Teachers have a hidden asset upon which they should always call, namely, "How can I be most helpful to my students right now?"

Ginotts Principal Teachings

Teachers should feel free to express their anger, but in doing so should use I-messages rather than you-messages. Using an I-message, the teacher might say "I am very upset." Using a you-message, the teacher might say "You are being very rude." It is wise to use laconic language when responding to or redirecting student misbehavior. Laconic means short, concise, and brief, which describes the sort of responses Ginott advocates.

Ginotts Principal Teachings

Evaluative praise is worse than none at all and should never be used. An example of evaluative praise is "Good boy for raising your hand." Teachers should use appreciative praise when responding to effort or improvement. This is praise in which the teacher shows appreciation for what the student has done, without evaluating the student's character (e.g., "I can almost smell those pine trees in your drawing").

Ginotts Principal Teachings

Always respect students' privacy. Teachers should never pry when students do not wish to discuss personal matters, but should show they are available should students need to talk.

Use sane messages when correcting misbehavior. Address what the student is doing, don't attack the student's character [personal traits]. Labeling disables. Use communication that is congruent with student's own feelings about the situation and themselves.

Ginotts Principal Teachings

Invite cooperation rather than demanding it. Teachers should express their feelings--anger--but in sane ways. "Sarcasm is hazardous. Praise can be dangerous; praise the act, not the student and in a situation that will not turn peers against the pupil. Apologies are meaningless unless it is clear that the person intends to improve. Teachers are at their best when they help pupils develop their self-esteem and to trust their own experience.

References
REFERENCES Ginott, H. G. Teacher and Child New York: Collier Books Macmillan Publishing Company, 1993 Handouts, for this assignment, from Ms. Cavin http://faculty.leeu.edu/~bestes/resources/modelsofdiscipline.html http://www.arfamilies.org/family_life/Educators/ginott_method.htm http://www.betweenparentandchild.com/index.php?s=conten&p=Haim http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/dr._haim_ginott/ http://eqi.org/ginott.htm www.inspiringthots.net/movie/trs-power.php

Linda Alberts Principal Teachings

Students choose their behavior. How they behave is not outside their control. Virtually all can behave properly when they see the need to do so. Students need to feel that they belong in the classroom. This means they must perceive themselves to be important, worthwhile, and valued. When students misbehave, their goal is usually either to gain attention, gain power, exact revenge, or avoid failure. At times, misbehavior can also occur because of exuberance or simply not knowing the proper way to behave.

Linda Alberts Principal Teachings

Teachers can only influence student behavior; they cannot directly control it. By knowing which goal students are seeking teachers can exert positive influence on behavior choices that students make. Teachers in general reflect three styles of classroom management: permissive, autocratic, and democratic. Of the three, the democratic style best promotes good discipline. Albert refers to these three styles as the hands-off, hands-on, and hands-joined styles.

Linda Alberts Principal Teachings

The Three C's -- capable, connect, and contribute -are essential in helping students feel a sense of belonging. When students feel capable, they are able to connect personally with peers and teachers and able to make contributions to the class and elsewhere. With the three C's in place, the incidence of misbehavior drops dramatically. Teachers should work cooperatively with students to develop a classroom code of conduct. The code of conduct stipulates the kind of behavior expected of everyone in the class.

Linda Alberts Principal Teachings

Teachers should also work cooperatively with students to develop a set of consequences to be invoked when the classroom code of conduct is transgressed. When students participate in developing consequences, they are more likely to accept them as fair and reasonable. When conflicts occur between teacher and students, the teacher should remain cool and relaxed. Teachers should adopt a businesslike attitude and use a calm yet firm tone of voice.

Linda Alberts Principal Teachings

Encouragement is the most powerful teaching tool available to teachers. Few things motivate good behavior as much as does teacher encouragement. Teachers should remember that in order to develop a good system of discipline, they require the cooperation of students and parents. Both should be valued as partners and their contributions brought meaningfully into cooperative discipline.

B.F. Skinners Principal Teachings

Even before Redl and Wattenberg published their suggestions for working with the group, a Harvard psychologist named Burrhus Frederic Skinner was making interesting findings about how our voluntary actions are affected by what happens to us immediately after we perform a given act.

B.F. Skinners Principal Teachings

Skinner is respected as perhaps the greatest behavioral psychologist of all time. He earned his doctorate in psychology at Harvard in 1931 and from that time almost until his death in 1990 published articles and books based on his findings and beliefs about human behavior. During all those years, Skinner never concerned himself with classroom discipline. However, his followers saw the applicability of his findings, especially in regard to encouraging students to behave acceptably in the classroom. Those followers, sometimes referred to as "NeoSkinnerians," devised and popularized the procedure of behavior modification which is used extensively in different realms of human learning

B.F. Skinners Principal Teachings

Behavior modification (not a term Skinner used) refers to the overall procedure of shaping student behavior intentionally through reinforcement. This procedure still comprises a major part of many teachers' discipline systems,. particularly at the primary grade level. Constant reinforcement, provided every time a student performs a desired act, helps new learnings become established. The teacher might praise Jonathan every time he raises his hand, or privately compliment Mary every time she turns in required homework.

B.F. Skinners Principal Teachings

Intermittent reinforcement, in which rewards are supplied only occasionally, is sufficient to maintain desired behavior once it has become established. After students have learned to come into the room and get immediately to work, the teacher will only occasionally need to express appreciation. Behaviors that are not reinforced soon disappear or, as Skinner said, become extinguished. If Roberto raises his hand in class but is never called on, he will sooner or later stop raising his hand.

B.F. Skinners Principal Teachings

Successive approximation refers to a behavior-shaping progression in which behavior comes closer and closer to a preset goal. This process is evident when skills are being built. Here students are rewarded regularly for improvement.

Punishment often has negative effects in behavior modification and hence is not used in the classroom. Skinner believed punishment could not extinguish inappropriate behavior.

B.F. Skinners Principal Teachings

Although Skinner did not concern himself with classroom discipline per se, his discoveries concerning the shaping of desired behavior through reinforcement led directly to behavior modification, still used to speed and shape academic and social learning.

Years ago many primary grade teachers used behavior modification as their entire discipline system, rewarding students who behaved properly and ignoring those who misbehaved.
Very few teachers now use behavior modification as their discipline system,yet Skinner's principles of reinforcement are applied in classrooms everywhere.

Prepared by Professor J. McNair