Ch+10+notes

Authoritative Input from ** RICHARD CURWIN ** and ** ALLEN MENDLER ** : //__ Discipline with Dignity __// __ Fundamental Hypothesis of __//__ Discipline with Dignity __// Misbehavior does not become a significant problem in classrooms that maintain student dignity and provide genuine hope for and expectations of success. Richard Curwin is a university professor, private consultant, and former teacher. Allen Mendler is a school psychologist and psychoeducational consultant. They write and consult widely in   matters related to discipline and working with youth who are challenging. Among their books are // Discipline with Dignity // (Curwin and Mendler, 1988 // ), Rediscovering Hope: Our Greatest // // Teaching Strategy // (Curwin, 1992), // As Tough As Necessary: Countering Violence, Aggression, // // and Hostility in Our Schools // (Curwin and Mendler, 1997), // Discipline with Dignity for // // Challenging Youth // (Curwin and Mendler, 1999), and more recently, // Connecting with Students // (Mendler, 2001) and // Making Good Choices: Developing Responsibility, Respect, and Self- // // Discipline in Grades 4-9 // (Curwin, 2003). Curwin and Mendler’s Discipline Associates website: [|www.disciplineassociates.com]. // Discipline with Dignity // focuses on maintaining acceptable student behavior by emphasizing student dignity and providing a genuine sense of hope to students who otherwise are likely to   drop out of school. Originally intended for all students, the program in recent years has emphasized working productively with students considered to be difficult to manage. Curwin and Mendler ask teachers to accept the fact that helping students learn to behave acceptably in school is an essential part of teaching. They urge teachers to do everything possible to instill the hope and promise of success, especially in students who chronically misbehave, by   always interacting with students in a manner that preserves their dignity, while making sure that no discipline tactic interferes with their willingness to learn. • All students misbehave at times, usually for inconsequential reasons such as fun and expedience, and most teachers have found ways to deal with minor misbehaviors, actions that generally are irritating. • More aggressive, hostile, and violent misbehaviors are unacceptable because they disrupt learning, threaten others, or place students in danger of failing. • // Dignity // refers to respect for life and for oneself. Chronically misbehaving students see themselves as losers and have stopped trying to gain acceptance in normal ways. To maintain a sense of dignity, they believe it is better to stop trying than to continue failing, and that it is   better to be seen as a troublemaker than as stupid. • // Behaviorally at risk // refers to students whose willful behavior prevents their learning and puts them in serious danger of failing in school. The // at-risk // label often is misinterpreted and misapplied. Curwin and Mendler use the term to refer solely to behavior, not to the nature of   the student. • Some educators estimate that approximately five percent of all students are behaviorally at   risk of failure in school. • Most students who chronically misbehave have lost all hope that education will serve them. Teachers must help these students regain a sense of hope and believe that school can be of   benefit. • Learning must be attractive, interesting, worthwhile, and bring success. Teachers can explore ways to ensure success and motivate // all // students. • Underlying principles of effective discipline always should be kept in mind: (1) Dealing with student behavior is an important part of teaching. (2) Always treat students with dignity. (3)   Good discipline must not interfere with student motivation to learn. (4) Responsibility is   more important than obedience. • Responsibility, not obedience, is the goal of discipline. // Responsibility // involves making the best possible decision. // Obedience //, a short-term solution, means “do as you are told.” • // Consequences // are preplanned results that are invoked when class rules are broken. They are logical, conventional, or generic, and best when planned by teacher and students together. An // insubordination rule // should be established that removes the student from the classroom when the student refuses to accept an assigned consequence. • Wise teachers de-escalate potential confrontations with active listening, speaking later with the student, and keeping all communication private. • Students are becoming increasingly aggressive, hostile, and violent, and doing so at an earlier age. // School-wide approaches // to deal with violence should (1) teach students how to make non-violent choices when threatened or frustrated, (2) model non-hostile methods of   expressing anger, frustration, and impatience, and (3) emphasize teaching of values that relate to cooperation, safety, altruism, and remorse. • To help students move toward value-guided behavior, schools and educators should (1) identify core values that the school wishes to emphasize, (2) create rules and consequences based on those core values, (3) model the values during interactions with students and staff, and (4) eliminate interventions that violate the core values. • A // social contract // describes decisions about class rules and consequences that the teacher and students create together. These are written, dated, and signed by teacher and students, posted in the room, and sent to caregivers and administrators. • A six-step plan will help teachers and students deal with aggression, hostility, violence, and conflict. • Incidents and effects of bullying and hate crimes are grossly underreported. Bullying and hate crimes seldom put perpetrators in danger of failing in school, but often they have devastating effects on students and seriously trouble teachers.
 * Chapter 10 Discipline through Dignity and Hope for Challenging Youth **
 * Main Ideas **

__ APPRAISAL OF THE MODEL __
Curwin and Mendler’s approach has several strengths. Its primary tenets assert that student dignity must be preserved and that lasting results only are achieved over time. To that end it   provides teachers realistic help for understanding and working with students who chronically misbehave. They offer suggestions to help teachers retrain themselves in advance to better meet the needs of their students in situations they might encounter. They also describe a four-phase plan for schools and educators to help students move toward value-guided behavior, and give suggestions for dealing with conflict and violence. The insubordination rule is a concrete tool for teachers to use with students who are behaviorally at-risk. They offer a six-step solution for dealing with aggression, hostility, violence, and conflict. They also give attention to dealing with bullying and hate crimes. A major obstacle that teachers encounter adopting the approach is the changes they must make concerning their roles and responsibilities. They must recognize that the teacher’s role is to help students regain hope and believe that school can be of benefit. Additionally, must do this while always keeping student dignity intact. In this role, teachers calmly must accept being called nasty names, acknowledge that slanderous expletives leveled at them may be partially correct, and all the while keep wanting and trying to help the very students who spurn their efforts. They also must accept that change will occur slowly, if at all, but sincerely believe that the students are worth every effort. ** Fundamental Hypothesis of ****// Discipline with Dignity //** Misbehavior does not become a significant problem in classrooms that maintain student dignity and provide genuine hope for and expectations of success. ������ Presented the concept of student dignity as the cornerstone of effective classroom discipline. ������ Stressed an understanding that most chronically misbehaving students have no sense of hope. ������ Provided a systematic approach to discipline based on preserving dignity and restoring hope. ������ Made concrete suggestions for dealing with aggression, hostility, and violence. ������ Make concrete suggestions for dealing with bullying and hate crimes. ������ Made suggestions to help teachers retrain themselves to better meet the needs of their students in situations they might encounter. • A systematic approach that has teachers helping students regain hope and believe that school can be of benefit, always keeping their dignity intact. • Emphasized student dignity, motivational responsibility, and progress over time for lasting results. • A four-phase plan for schools and educators to help students move toward value-guided behavior. • A six-step plan to deal with aggression, hostility, violence, and conflict. • Suggestions for dealing with bullying and hate crimes. • Suggestions to help teachers retrain themselves in advance to better meet student needs in situations they might encounter. • The social contract and insubordination rule are concrete tools for teachers to use with students who are behaviorally at-risk. • Online support includes a Teacher’s Lounge with teaching tips and editorials. • It is difficult for most teachers to remain understanding and helpful when students behave atrociously. • Asked teachers to make changes in themselves to better meet student needs. Many teachers are reluctant to make these changes in their thinking—that schools exist solely for the benefit of students—and actions. • Change will occur slowly, if at all. This also is difficult for some teachers to accept. ** Discipline ** —Effective discipline must emphasize responsibility more than obedience, treat students with dignity, and never interfere with motivation to learn. This is true for all students, and especially for those referred to as behaviorally at risk. ** Dignity ** —respect for life and for oneself. Students with chronic behavior problems see themselves as losers and have stopped trying to gain acceptance in normal ways. In order to   maintain a sense of dignity, they tell themselves it is better to stop trying than to keep on failing, and that it is better to be seen as a troublemaker than as stupid. ** Hope ** —the belief that things will be better for us in the future. For the most part, students who are behaviorally at risk have lost hope that education will serve them. Teachers can help these students regain hope and succeed. • Make learning more attractive, interesting, worthwhile, and possible to succeed. • Redesign the curriculum. • Encourage different ways of thinking. • Provide for various learning styles and sensory modalities. • Allow for creativity and artistic expression. • Use grading systems that provide encouraging feedback without damaging the students’ willingness to try. ** Students who are behaviorally at risk ** (of failing because of misbehavior) • Are making poor or failing grades. • Have received, but do not respond to, ordinary punishments and/or consequences. • Have low self-concepts in relation to school, shown as apathy and reluctance to try. • Have little or no hope of finding success in school. • Associate with and are reinforced by other “hopeless” students. Some educators believe that approximately five percent of all students are behaviorally at risk of   failure in school. • Maximize personal importance and relevance for students. • Set up authentic learning goals—goals that lead to genuine competence that students can be   proud of and display. • Help students interact with topics in ways that are congruent with their interests and values. • Actively involve students in lessons—use their senses, move about, talk, make lessons fun. • Give students numerous opportunities to take risks and make decisions without fear of   failure. • Show genuine energy and interest in the topics and working with students. Try to connect personally with them as individuals. • Each day do at least one activity that you love. • Make class activities events that students look forward to. Make them wonder what will happen next. • Dealing with student behavior is an important part of teaching. • Always treat students with dignity. • Good discipline must not interfere with student motivation. • Responsibility is more important than obedience. Responsibility means “make the best decision possible.” Obedience means “do as you are told.” ** Consequences ** —actions teachers take when students transgress class rules. • // Logical // —students must make right what they have done wrong; logically related to the behavior (make a mess, clean it up). • // Conventional // —those that are commonly in practice, such as time out, removal from the room, and suspension from school; rarely logically related to the behavior. • // Generic // —reminders, warnings, choosing, and planning that are invoked when misbehavior is   noted. Simple // reminders // often stop the misbehavior. // Choosing // allows students to select a   plan for improving their behavior from several options. // Planning // requires students to plan their own solution to a recurring behavior problem, with specific steps they will follow. Plans are written, dated, and signed. • // An insubordination rule // should be established that removes student from the classroom when the student refuses to accept an assigned consequence. • Use active listening. • Arrange to speak with the student later. • Keep all communication as private as possible. • Invoke the insubordination rule if a student refuses to accept a consequence. • // Crisis // —such as fights. • // Short-term // —to stop misbehavior while preserving dignity of teacher and student: using Imessages, PEP (privacy, eye contact, proximity), PEP notes or cards (with words or phrases   of appreciation or correction), Privacy 3-step (privately set limit, offer choice, or give    consequence), and LAAD tactics (listening, acknowledging, agreeing, deferring action). • // Long-term // —working to meet the needs of students over time: creating a caring classroom, teaching students self-control and concern for others, setting clearly defined behavior limits, emphasizing responsibility over obedience, teaching conflict-resolution skills, and helping students network with others. To deal with violence, schools must adopt school-wide approaches that • teach students how to make non-violent choices when threatened or frustrated, that serve them more effectively than do violent choices • model for students non-hostile methods of expressing anger, frustration, and impatience • emphasize the teaching of values that relate to cooperation, safety, altruism, and remorse • Identify the core values of the school • Create rules and consequences based on the core values • Model values with students and staff members • Eliminate interventions that violate core values • Use privacy, eye contact, and proximity when possible. • Politely but clearly indicate what you want. Use “please” and “thank you.” • Tell the student that you see a power struggle brewing that will do no one good. Defer discussion to a later time. ** Bullying ** : intentionally and repeatedly committing hurtful acts against others. Common forms of   bullying: physical, verbal, emotional, or sexual. ** Hate crimes ** : similar to bullying, but related to a dislike for other races, ethnic groups, or   religions. Typically they involve intimidation, harassment, bigoted slurs or epithets, force or   threat of force, and vandalism. • Use the six-step solution. • Name, then solve the problem. • Learn to have patience. • Wear an invisible shield that deflects all bad thoughts and unkind words. • Use words that work. Be polite, ask if you have done something that upset the other person, apologize if you have offended the person. • Plan for confrontation. • Stop, calm down, breathe, relax. • Think and quickly explore options and foresee what will happen if you use them. • Decide what you want to happen. • Decide on a second solution if the first doesn’t work. • Carry out the solution you believe best. • Evaluate the results—have you accomplished what you hoped? • Adopt the stance that we teachers are responsible for teaching all students and that they are worthy of our best effort. • Learn to identify the reasons for misbehavior and address those reasons in class by teaching students to identify and deal with them. • Develop a repertoire of effective discipline strategies and use them patiently and persistently. • Remove or limit the causes of misbehavior. • Use affirmative rather than negative labels. • Create a caring classroom. • Set clearly defined limits on behavior. • Emphasize responsibility and always strive for responsible student behavior rather than mere obedience. • Take steps to overcome your natural resistance to working with youth who are challenging. • Develop a repertoire of effective discipline strategies and be patient and persistent. • Always strive for responsible student behavior rather than mere obedience. • Use tactics that tend to overcome student resistance: personal interest, personal interaction, kindness, helpfulness, encouragement, acknowledgment of effort, challenge rather than threat.
 * Curwin and Mendler’s Contributions to Classroom Discipline **
 * Strengths of Curwin and Mendler’s Work Challenges of Curwin and Mendler’s Work **
 * Motivating students who are behaviorally at risk **
 * Disciplining students who are difficult-to-control **
 * Preventing escalation **
 * Categories of discipline strategies **
 * Dealing with Aggression, Hostility, Violence, and Conflict **
 * A Four-Phase Plan for Schools and Educators **
 * Suggestions for dealing with confrontations **
 * Suggestions for dealing with violence in the classroom **
 * The six-step solution: **
 * Among suggestions to help teachers retrain themselves **
 * Additional suggestions for working with youth who are challenging **