Consequences
How to Determine a Student's Goals
Do I feel...
Dreikurs'
...annoyed?
...beaten or intimidated?
...wronged or hurt?
...incapable of reaching the
child in any way?
(Attention)
(Power)
(Revenge)
(Helplessness)
1. Ask yourself how you feel
2. Confront the student & watch for recognition reflex
3. Observe reaction to corrective action
Could it be that you want...
...special attention?
...your own way and hope to be boss?
...to hurt others as much as you
feel hurt by them?
...to be left alone?
(Attention)
(Power)
(Revenge)
(Helplessness)
- Consequences differ from punishment
- All consequences should be natural or logical
- Natural consequences should be prevented in dangerous situations
- Consequences should be applied consistently
- Isolation should be avoided unless:
- it is used as a natural consequence
- the teacher is angry and needs a chance to cool down
Ways to Respond to Misbehavior
Social Discipline Model
1. Ignore the behavior in the moment
2. Natural & logical consequences
3. Class meetings
Reaction to Correction
(Attention)
(Power)
(Revenge)
(Helplessness)
Stop, then repeats misbehavior
Refuses to stop, or increases misbehavior
Becomes violent or hostile
Refuses to cooperate, participate, or interact
Alfred Adler
1870 - 1937
Rudolph Dreikurs
1897 - 1972
- Social Psychologist
- Contemporary of Freud
- Believed the central motivation of all humans is to belong and be accepted
Drawbacks & Limitations
Praise & Encouragement
- All behavior, including misbehavior, is orderly, purposeful, and directed toward achieving social recognition
- Theory based on the work of Alfred Adler
- Adapted discipline model to both teachers & parents
- Teachers can be taught to use psychology
Overall Model
Democratic Classroom
- Overly simplified categories
- Assumes all "misbehavior" has a social or emotional purpose
- Sometimes behavior is unrelated to the classroom
- Some misbehaviors are hard to categorize
- Assumes all teachers should follow the same disicpline practices
- Teacher is a power authority
- Voting for council - popularity contest
- Council meetings could be hard to control
- Time constraints in classroom
Alfie Kohn
- Use praise sparingly
- Too much praise can make a student:
- dependent on praise
- question the sincerity of the praise
- believe they are inferior and the teacher is overcompensating
- feel worthless when they are unsuccessful
- afraid to try anything that might end in failure
- Use encouragement instead
- conveys respect, trust and belief in student
- lack of skill does not diminish student's value
- Some power struggles are initiated by adults (or student is truly powerless)
- Consequences = "Punishment Lite"
- Retaliation not based on understanding relationship between punishment & crime
- Tit-for-tat consequences
Consequences
Examples
"You get a gold star for doing that."
"You must be happy with playing that game."
- Requires student understanding of distinction between consequences & punishment
- There are not always obvious "logical" consequences
- Alignment with school policy
"I like what you've done."
"It must be a good feeling to know you're doing well."
"Great job! What a smart person."
"I'm going to tell everyone how proud I am of you."
"You have every reason to be proud."
Power & Control
Attention Getting
- Student feels inferior, unable to measure up to expectations
- Tries to get his own way, be the boss
- Forces himself on others
- Teacher feels beaten or intimidated
- Constantly looking to belong
- Looking for recognition
- May try to seek constant praise or criticism
- Teacher feels annoyed
My Two Cents
The Democratic Classroom
Four Categories of
Misbehavior
"In a democratic classroom, pupils and the teacher are united in planning, organizing, implementing, and participating in their common activities."
Dreikurs
Emmer & Evertson
VS.
Autocratic
Democratic
Helplessness
Revenge
- Group discussions & class councils
- Participation in decision making
- Students are involved in establishing and maintaining rules
- Equal rights for all
- Students must be trained in democratic methods
- Order and limits are necessary
- Cooperation rather than competition
Leader
Friendly voice
Invitation
Influence
Stimulation
Winning cooperation
I tell you what I will do
Selling ideas
Guidance
Encouragement
Acknowledgment of achievement
Helping
Discussion
I suggest & help you to decide
Shared responsbility of team
Boss
Sharp voice
Command
Power
Pressure
Demanding cooperation
I tell you what you should do
Imposing ideas
Domination
Criticism
Faultfinding
Punishing
I tell you
I decide, you obey
Sole responsibility of boss
- Unable to gain attention or power
- Blames others
- Seeks revenge
- Teacher feels wronged or hurt
Immediately correct disruptive behavior
Rewards help build a positive climate
Good grades are a powerful incentive
Focus on achievement
Teacher creates rules & consequences
Teacher enforces rules
Ignore disruptive behavior
Rewards kill independent initiative
Grades are not needed or effective
Focus on effort
Class participates in creating rules
Class council helps enforce rules
- Feels worthless
- Unable to do anything to change their situation
- Has given up
- Does not seek attention
- Teacher feels incapable of reaching the child in any way
Works Cited
Charles, C. M. Building Classroom Discipline. New York Etc: Longman, 1992. Print.
Dreikurs, Rudolf, Bernice Bronia. Grunwald, and Floy C. Pepper. Maintaining Sanity in the Classroom: Illustrated Teaching
Techniques. New York: Harper and Row, 1971. Print.
Emmer, Edmund T., and Carolyn M. Evertson. Classroom Management for Middle and High School Teachers. Boston: Pearson,
2013. Print.
Kohn, Alfie. Beyond Discipline: From Compliance to Communtity. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision & Curriculum
Development, 1996. Print.
Wolfgang, Charles H. Solving Discipline and Classroom Management Problems. 7th ed. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,
2009. Print.