Discipline as Self-Control

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Discipline as Self-Control

• Thomas Gordon Philosophy of Discipline

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Gordons 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.

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Gordons 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

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Gordons Philosophy

• I-message are statements in which people tell how
  they personally think or feel about anothers
  behavior and its consequences
• You-messages are statements of blame leveled a
  someones 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

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Gordons 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

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Gordons 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

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Gordons 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

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Gordons 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

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Types of Authority

• Authority E-is based on expertise, inherent in a
  persons special knowledge, training, skills,
  wisdom, and education
• Authority J comes with ones job description
• Authority C comes from the daily interactions and
  subsequent understandings, agreements, and
  contracts that people make
• Authority P is evident in a persons ability to
  control as opposed to influence others

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Why Rewards Dont 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

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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

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Gordons Behavior Window

• Students behavior is causing a problem for the
  student only
• STUDENT OWNS THE PROBLEM
• Students behavior is not causing a problem for
  either student or teacher
• NO PROBLEM EXISTS
• Students behavior is causing a problem for the
  teacher
• TEACHER OWNS THE PROBLEM

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Behavior Window Skills

• Confrontive Skills- when teacher owns the
  problems
• Modify the environment through enrichment or
  limiting distracters
• Identify and respond to teachers 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

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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

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Assignment

• See Blackboard for this weeks assignment.
  Please make sure you submit your answers via the
  digital drop box