Educational Discipline Models

Over these past few months I’ve started doing some more formal research into different discipline models to support 121’s approach. Although what we are doing doesn’t fall neatly into any one model I found resonance with a few of them.

Glasser’s Model: Making Choices

William Glasser makes use of what is called the ‘class meeting’ method, where the class together decides on what behaviour is acceptable or not and what the consequences of negative behaviour will be. This model is based on the idea that learners are rational beings capable of making decisions about their own behaviour, It forces learners to continuously make choices for themselves. When a learner misbehaves they are given a clear choice: You can stop doing that or you can face either this consequence or that consequence. Learners are asked: "What choices did you have? Why did you make that choice? Did you like the result? What have you learned?"

This is an approach 121 makes us of all the time in detention. At the start of every detention session, the main facilitator (which we call the ‘pilot’) walks the class through a process of defining what behaviour is or is not acceptable in the detention session. This is approached in a different and creative way each week. The facilitators then outline the consequences of negative behaviour. Usually these are a series of consequences learners can choose from. For example, if they are disrupting their small group, they may either spend the rest of the session with the pilot at the front of the class, or with the teacher on duty elsewhere in the school. Most choose to sit with the pilot and still be part of what is happening.

Ginott’s Model: Modeling the behaviour you want to see

In this model, key is modeling what you want learners to do. This forms the backbone of our approach at 121. It’s no use having a program on controlling your anger if we as facilitators keep losing our tempers! We also see no point in yelling at learners to keep quiet. Rather than reducing the noise, we would only be adding to it! We make use of silence as a form of silencing the group. The pilot will stand at the front of the room and wait with a silent ‘presence’, catching the eye of learners that continue to talk until the group comes to quietness. This takes longer but saves the pilot their voice and their energy!

Ginott stresses that teachers need to speak to learners as they would want to be spoken to. Sarcasm is seen as hazardous, as is attacking the learner personally. Rather, educators are encouraged to address what the learner is doing as opposed to labeling the learner themselves as being ‘bad’ or ‘disruptive’. “Labeling disables”. Ginott argues that teachers are at their best when they help learners develop their trust in themselves and their ability to control their own behaviour.

There are several other models that we’ll explore in later blog posts. What many of these models have in common is that they encourage learners to take personal responsibility. Rather then needing to rely on external factors to keep them in line, they need to learn self control and, paradoxically, the freedom that comes from imposing limits and boundaries on ourselves.

Update, October, 2008

121 continues to be a growing experience for all of us. Just as we think things are moving in one direction, things change and we find ourselves being stretched into something new. These past few months have held some wonderful ups but also some unexpected downs that we don’t always know how to process. But again and again we are assured of God’s guidance and leading.

New Facilitators on Board

In May we spoke about our detention program at a local church and got eight university students on board to help as facilitators in our detention program. This brought our team to a total of twelve. Between May and September we had two fantastic terms of detention at Pretoria North and Clapham High Schools. It was a good time of growing our team and sharpening our program. Over the past few months we can really see a change in the way we have learnt to handle some very challenging situations with patience and grace!

Alternative Ways to Discipline

One of the lessons we’ve been learning is how to respond to discipline challenges with firmness and love. We don’t want learners to walk all over us but not do we want to be cruel and unkind to people who have been created by a God who loves them and wants to draw them back to Him. In struggling to strike this balance, we’ve learnt so much about alternative ways to achieve a positive atmosphere in a classroom without needing to raise our voices or lose control.

Red Alert Program

We ran a Red Alert program (a three-week program for learners that repeatedly attend detention) with six learners in August which was really successful. Our facilitators felt they really could engage with the learners on a meaningful level and we saw real life change taking place.

Time and again we realize that our program is not a quick-fix solution but something that goes much further and deeper. We have learners returning to detention repeatedly who at first challenge our authority at every turn, disrupting the program in every way they can. But after a few weeks we start seeing a change in them. They start looking at us differently, seeing us as someone worth respecting rather than to opposing. They start listening to what we have to say, and begin to grapple with the issues we place before them.

Losing and Gaining Schools

One of the major downs that we’ve experienced is that Clapham High has decided to end their relationship with us. This was an enormous blow as we felt we were making good progress there and found the school a fantastic learning ground for our facilitators. The school felt, though, that they wanted a more aggressive approach to discipline. We’ve been marketing our program to new schools and trust that other doors will open.

A Stretching Experience

From the very beginning, 121 has been an organization that has stretched the faith and character of each of us that have been involved. We’ve been stretched tremendously on the strategic and managerial side, having to learn to let go a lot of our own ideas so that God’s plan can take place. We’ve also been stretched significantly in the classroom where our weaknesses are sometimes ruthlessly exposed by teenagers testing our resolve! In all of this, we have found God to be faithful, and to work all things for the good in ways we could not have imagined!