Assertive discipline

Assumptions

Students must be forced to comply

with rules
Students cannot be expected to
determine appropriate classroom
rules and follow them
Punishment will cause students to
avoid bad behavior and engage in
good classroom behavior

More assumptions

Good behavior can also be

encouraged by positive reinforcement
For proper classroom management,
parents and school administrators
msut help to enforce rules.

Lee Canter

Child guidance specialist

Established an organization called Canter
and Associates
Provides training for teachers who want
to become more assertive in their
teaching
http://www.canter.net

Assertive discipline

Emphasizes punishing unacceptable

behaviors
Providing reinforcement for behaviors
that are acceptable to teachers

Canter believed that teachers

generally ignored their own needs in
the classroom in favor or satisfying
the students needs.

Misconceptions according the

Canter

Teachers should be able to handle

discipline problems without help

Firm discipline will be harmful to

children and cause psychological
harm (or disrupt the student teacher
rapport)

Misconceptions according the

Canter

Discipline problems do not persist

when students are provided with
activities that satisfy their needs

Misbehavior has causes over which

teachers have no influence

Canter believes these misconceptions

lead us to discipline students in
wishy-washy ways
This leads to other problems

To combat the problems

Teachers need to change their

indecisive approaches

Insist that their own rights as a teacher

are met

Teacher rights

To establish classroom rules and

procedures that produce optimum
learning environments
To insist on behavior from students
that meets the teachers desires
To insist on behavior that leads to
positive social development

More teacher rights

To insist on behavior that leads to the

educational development of students
The right to receive help from
administrators
The right to receive help from parents

Steps in the process

Step 1. Create positive student

teacher relationships

Discipline procedures should be applied

fairly to everyone
Teacher must model what trust and
respoct look like
Teachers must instruct students in the
procedures expected

Step 2 Establish rules or expectations

Usually 5 or 6 rules
Teachers makes the rules
Rules satisfy the teachers needs
Communicate the rules

Poster

Names on the board with check

marks to indicate the degree of the
punishment

Step 3. Tracking the misbehavior is

important

Tracking should be private

Negative consequences should be
predetermined and applied strictly
according to plan.

Four methods to request

compliance

1. Hints

2. Question

Would you please get to work?

3. I message

Everyone should be working.

I want you to open your books and get to

work.

4. Demand

Get to work now.

Methods to make the requests work

more efficiently

Eye contact
Use hand gestures
Use student names when making
requests
Use physical touch if appropriate

Broken record technique

Repeat the demands several times if

the students

ignore you or
object to request or
argue with it

Step 4. Use negative consequences to

enforce limits

Time out
Withdrawing a privilege
Detention
Send to principals office
Call parents
Send them to another class

Do not issue threats

Follow through with what ever you say
you re going to do
Some teachers have made recodings of
the misbehaviors

Step 5. Implement a system of

positive consequences

Less systematic than the negative

consequences
Can use

Personal attention from the teacher

Positive notes to calls to parents
Awards
Special privileges
Group rewards