Level 2: Recovery
Strategies:
1.) Acknowledging Student's Positions
I plan on always keeping in mind the position of my student whenever a discipline problem has occurred in the classroom. As an educator I have to work to realize that not all disruptions are personal and that my students are people as well who experience a myriad of frustrations, fears, and confusion. I will use the seven positions as mentioned in the Win-Win Discipline website to understand where my students is coming from and try to meet their needs (Kagan, Kyle, & Scott, 2004).
2.) Establishing an "I can" Attitude
One of the three C's of Cooperative Discipline is the fostering of an I can attitude among students. I plan on doing this in several ways. The first way is by having a discussion at the beginning of the year about the forbidden words in my classroom, I Can't. Once it has been established that those words serve no purpose for the students in the class I will work to prove that if you just buy into the work we do you will be able to accomplish any goal. I will also have a day in the very beginning of the year where I show examples of people doing all sorts of things that they didn't think they could do. (Albert, 1996).
3.) Doing the "Unexpected"
In my class one way that I plan on helping a student recover from disruptive behavior is to do something unexpected to regain the attention of the student or the class. Albert gives examples of ways that doing the unexpected can change the dynamic of a disruption. Some examples are to play music, turn off the lights, change your voice, or talk to the wall. I feel like this is a valuable strategy because it changes the course of the confrontation and will more than likely break any emotional component down. This makes it easier to address the behavior and the position of the student rather than simply reacting to their action (Albert, 1996).
4.) Respond to Outbursts Privately
If it is possible my plan for recovery would be to have a private conversation with the student to determine the real cause of the outburst and to brainstorm possible solutions to the problem. I would want the student to know that ultimately I still respect them as a person and want them to be in the best possible position to succeed so we can work together to create an environment where that is a possibility for them.
5.) Disciplining with Respect
It is important that as an educator I remember to keep my interactions with students respectful and to remember that they are people, very young people, who are still trying to figure things out. Whenever I have to discipline a student I need to remember to be consistent, to punish the behavior not the student, and to see the humanity in all of my students. If I don't make the effort to keep the discipline respectful it could turn into a vicious cycle that is negative for the students, for the class, and for me (Curwin & Mendler, 1999).
6.) Start Each Day Fresh
I think another priceless strategy for recovery is to start each day fresh. To put away anything that had happened the day before and to start over with a clean slate. I think this will help to alleviate some of the frustration that educators can feel towards a student who is in need of more assistance when it comes to discipline. However, if I start each day fresh I can approach every student and every situation with the proper respect and attitude to ensure that the best results are achieved.
1.) Acknowledging Student's Positions
I plan on always keeping in mind the position of my student whenever a discipline problem has occurred in the classroom. As an educator I have to work to realize that not all disruptions are personal and that my students are people as well who experience a myriad of frustrations, fears, and confusion. I will use the seven positions as mentioned in the Win-Win Discipline website to understand where my students is coming from and try to meet their needs (Kagan, Kyle, & Scott, 2004).
2.) Establishing an "I can" Attitude
One of the three C's of Cooperative Discipline is the fostering of an I can attitude among students. I plan on doing this in several ways. The first way is by having a discussion at the beginning of the year about the forbidden words in my classroom, I Can't. Once it has been established that those words serve no purpose for the students in the class I will work to prove that if you just buy into the work we do you will be able to accomplish any goal. I will also have a day in the very beginning of the year where I show examples of people doing all sorts of things that they didn't think they could do. (Albert, 1996).
3.) Doing the "Unexpected"
In my class one way that I plan on helping a student recover from disruptive behavior is to do something unexpected to regain the attention of the student or the class. Albert gives examples of ways that doing the unexpected can change the dynamic of a disruption. Some examples are to play music, turn off the lights, change your voice, or talk to the wall. I feel like this is a valuable strategy because it changes the course of the confrontation and will more than likely break any emotional component down. This makes it easier to address the behavior and the position of the student rather than simply reacting to their action (Albert, 1996).
4.) Respond to Outbursts Privately
If it is possible my plan for recovery would be to have a private conversation with the student to determine the real cause of the outburst and to brainstorm possible solutions to the problem. I would want the student to know that ultimately I still respect them as a person and want them to be in the best possible position to succeed so we can work together to create an environment where that is a possibility for them.
5.) Disciplining with Respect
It is important that as an educator I remember to keep my interactions with students respectful and to remember that they are people, very young people, who are still trying to figure things out. Whenever I have to discipline a student I need to remember to be consistent, to punish the behavior not the student, and to see the humanity in all of my students. If I don't make the effort to keep the discipline respectful it could turn into a vicious cycle that is negative for the students, for the class, and for me (Curwin & Mendler, 1999).
6.) Start Each Day Fresh
I think another priceless strategy for recovery is to start each day fresh. To put away anything that had happened the day before and to start over with a clean slate. I think this will help to alleviate some of the frustration that educators can feel towards a student who is in need of more assistance when it comes to discipline. However, if I start each day fresh I can approach every student and every situation with the proper respect and attitude to ensure that the best results are achieved.