Martin, G., & MacNeil, A. (2007, September 7).
A Learning Approach to School Discipline: Problem Solving Instead of Punishing.
Retrieved from the ConnexionsWeb site: http://cnx.org/content/col10443/1.5/
"The Phi Delta Kappan/Gallup public opinion poll has consistently rated discipline as the number one or two problem in response to the question what is the biggest problem facing public schools."(Martin & MacNeil, 2007) Teachers and administration can be held responsible for this issue for many reasons. One being, teachers have not been "holding students accountable for their actions,"(Martin & MacNeil, 2007) which can sometimes end in a situation where parents sue the school when disciple actually does occur. Bullying is another major issue that teachers may be at fault for. "Authors and researchers suggest that the reason for bullying in our schools is that it is modeled by school faculties and school leaders."(Martin & MacNeil, 2007) Children are very perceptive and may take cues from adults in their lives including teachers. It is important for teachers and principals to have positive relationships that are displayed in the classroom. There should be an open door policy so students know there is constant communication and no one is working in isolation. This will foster the feeling of community that Martin and MacNeil find so important.
Disciple plays such a huge role in schools because if it is not dealt with in the proper manner, it may lead to school violence, and school failure. "Student discipline patterns are predictors of future failure in high school, delinquency, special education referral, alternative school placements, and incidents of school violence."(Martin & MacNeil, 2007) Discipline needs to be taken seriously be teachers and schools so children can be successful. "Clearly, improving student discipline is not only a safety issue, but also an academic and social imperative."(Martin & MacNeil, 2007) Furthermore, children are given less tools to handle social and academic struggles, but are asked to preform at a much higher level. As Martin and MacNeil state "At the same time that more is expected from schools in terms of academic outcomes, many students come into the schoolhouse without having acquired the social and behavioral skills they need to succeed."
In the 1990s disciple in schools was "largely based on methods of coercion, punishment, and rewards." (Martin & MacNeil, 2007) The largest problem with this system is it "tends to view children as inherently bad or as a problem to be fixed. In order to be made to behave, adults must use power (coercion), discomfort (punishment), or some type of enticement (rewards)." (Martin & MacNeil, 2007) Children have no desire be on their best behavior if they do not internalize the desire, and without adults present children's behavior was chaotic. In the same regards, children's response to rewards for positive behavior are not authentic assessments of internalizing behavior. "All the rewards and all the punishments in the world are not going to get an inefficient way of learning or thinking to change. Students are making decisions every time they make an action. Their decisions are based on their experience, beliefs, wants, and needs." (Martin & MacNeil, 2007) Essentially, students need to be prepared to face the real world and a system of rewards and punishments does not always provide the best preparation.
For this reason, the culture of schools needed to change, where children have the desire to be their best. Most recently, school discipline has been a topic of much discussion, whether portrayed negatively from the media or from educators conducting research. "The school’s culture is reflected in how faculty, parents, and students treat one another. In particular, the principal has a vital role in shapingschool culture, with the moral climate of the school reflecting the principal’s modeling of ethical values, along with the faculty’s character and commitment (Heath, 1999). The relationship between the principal and the teacher becomes the model of what all other relationships in the school will be like." (Martin & MacNeil, 2007) In regards to discipline strategies, principals are putting most of the blame on the classroom teacher for causing as many issues as some students (Martin & MacNeil, 2007). If the appropriate behavior is modeled by adults, children will begin to strive create healthy relationships between children and adults.
However, "the creation of a discipline policy must have as its central purpose student self-discipline. It must be flexible and most of all focused to correct the behavior of the student. Schools need to stop offering rewards and threatening students with punishments." (Martin & MacNeil, 2007) If the school community is strong, and children will respond to to positive relationships with adults, and not be focused on behavior driven by rewards. "If you are going to build a positive relationship with the student, you must better understand each other." (Martin & MacNeil, 2007) Children can have these types of relationships if there is a strong community and culture in the school. "Relationships are based on belonging, identifying with place, providing members with security, sense and meaning." (Martin & MacNeil, 2007)" If a child feels like he/she has these types of relationship with people in school, they will be able to problem solve, instead of creating negative behaviors.
"Problem solving forces students to look at their choice of actions and the results of those actions. They cannot deny the facts or shove the blame to anyone else. They know what they did and they know what happened as a result. Although these are usually the negative behaviors and negative results, they soon begin to see how new choices are producing positive results." (Martin & MacNeil, 2007) Children feel good about themselves when they are receiving positive feedback, and building a strong relationships with teachers. "The students soon learn the power they have to make things better or worse. Your job is to reinforce it and guide the students in using it in positive manners." (Martin & MacNeil, 2007) This empowerment of students allows children to succeed, not by discipling them, but by teaching them. (Martin & MacNeil, 2007) As mentioned earlier, relationships are the key to positive behaviors in schools. "The importance of informal interpersonal relationships is the most dynamic source of power in organizations today (Kanter, 1996). Schools need to use this power to develop commitment, equality and justice. Building Community through school culture requires leaders that have a strong sense of purpose and encourage reflection and dialogue." (Martin & MacNeil, 2007) These methods focus on the environment rather than the individual child and promote a style of teaching that will encourage all students to reflect on what they are learning and how they are behaving. This is very similar to school wide positive interventions and behavior plans. They are both focused on less reactive and more preventative measures. However, we feel that PBIS is more data driven, and the continuum of school-wide instructional and positive behavior supports allows for more precise application of a whole school support plan. (http://www.pbis.org/school/what_is_swpbs.aspx)
References:
Martin, G., & MacNeil, A. A Learning Approach to School Discipline: Problem Solving Instead of Punishing. 2007, September 7. Retrieved from the ConnexionsWebsite on November 1, 2009: http://cnx.org/content/col10443/1.5/
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