Discipline by Design

I have just read an article entitled Discipline by Design that I urge you to read. The article talks about how students are at different levels of discipline just like they are at different levels of reading or math. You wouldn't give all of your students the same reading assignment because they are all on different reading levels and you shouldn't discipline all of your students the same way either. There are four stages of student discipline:

1. Recalcitrant Behavior

The Power Stage: Might makes Right!

2. Self-Serving Behavior

The reward/punishment Stage: "What's in it for me?"

3. Interpersonal Discipline

The mutual interpersonal Stage: "How can I please you?"

4. Self-Discipline

The social order Stage: "I behave because it is the right thing to do."

People in stage one are often defiant and refuse to follow directions. Most children "progress beyond" this level around ages four or five, but few older children are still in this stage. It is called the power stage because there is an imbalance of power between the child and the authority figure. For students who are still at this level within the classroom, you have to sure that you have eyes in the back of your head. Students are less likely to misbehave if they know that you are constantly watching them and what they do.

Children in stage two have a very self-centered attitudes. These children only represent a small percentage of the students within the classroom. They behave because they will receive something such a reward or because of the punishment that they may receive. Much like the above stage, these children need to have a constant eye on them to keep them in line.

Children in stage three care about what others think about them and want everyone to like them. These students make up the middle/junior high schools. They are beginning to develop a sense of discipline. These students need little reminders of what is expected of them. However, in the classroom you may find that several of your students are between the second and third stage. These students may misbehave in some classrooms and not in others. To foster this child's behavior, let him/her know that you care about their behavior in his/her other classes as well as your own.

Children in stage four know the difference between right and wrong and hardly get into any trouble at all. These students do not like assertive discipline and become annoyed when a teacher has to use so much class time in order to deal with discipline problems.

As elementary teachers we will probably work with students within stage one and stage two the most. We need to be able to identify what stage a student is in and be ready to help him/her work to reach the next stage. One big mistake is to try to get students to skip a stage. You must have reasonable expectations and be happy when you see improvement. Also get to know your students so that if you see a change in behavior you can ask about what ever the cause may be instead of yelling and/or getting on to him/her. There are many external factors that can affect a child's behavior.

** see the link to the article posted under "interesting links"!