Two Approaches to Classroom Discipline
By: Erin Karner
CI 406
James Scholar Project
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Title Page
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Introduction
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Love and Logic Teaching Approach
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Discipline with Dignity
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Reflection
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Bibliography
7
Introduction
Imagine you just got hired as a first year teacher in a 3rd grade classroom. You’re full of excitement and nerves. How do you begin planning for your year? What will your classroom look like? How will you memorize all the student’s names right away? All of these questions and more will be floating through your head but there is one question that you should think about critically: How do I want to manage my classroom?
Classroom management a complex area of teaching that is one of the best ways that a teacher can be successful and unsuccessful. As a first year teacher, you will have a lot to think about related to classroom management. First, in order to create positive social interaction, engaging learning experiences and self-motivation, a teacher must critically analyze his or her own actions that encourage this kind of classroom environment (Burden & Byrd, 224). Learning your very own style to classroom management is important and will happen naturally. However, this does not mean that you should not prepare classroom management strategies ahead of time in order to find out what works and what does not. One place to start is by thinking of your philosophical perspective when it comes to teaching and classroom management. Would you say that you prefer a classroom that is more teacher-centered or student-centered? How does your philosophical opinions relate to how you would like to manage your classroom? What specific strategies will you implement to create the ideal classroom for both your students and yourself? Thinking about these questions can help you create your very own classroom management style. For now, let’s take a close look at two management philosophies that have had their trials in real classrooms and have been successful for different kinds of teachers. The first classroom management approach we will be looking at is the “love and logic” approach. Next, we will compare this approach to a classroom management strategy known as “discipline with dignity”. As you read about these classroom management approaches, think about how either one could be implemented in your future classroom.
Below is a YouTube video talking about a management strategy that works for one first year teacher. Can you picture yourself implementing these strategies? Keep these strategies in mind as we look at the “love and logic” and “discipline with dignity” classroom management approaches and compare and contrast them.
New Year Teacher Survival Guide: Classroom Management
Love and Logic Teaching Approach
The first classroom management approach that we will look at is “Love and Logic” which was developed by Charles Fay, a Ph.D student, Jim Fay, an educational expert, and Foster Cline, a child psychiatrist. This classroom approach is also more generally known as a way to communicate and work with children and students. Since this approach is so flexible, it can be used with other classroom management strategies in a specific classroom and in a whole school. There are many components of “Love and Logic” that can be applied to various situations in a classroom. Let’s look at the main goal of “Love and Logic”, which is to promote positive, respectful and healthy relationships between students and educators (Jones et. al., 24).
The main goal of “Love and Logic” is in line with what Jones et. al. says is the most important part of classroom management, student-teacher relationships: “student-teacher relationships are the single most important component of classroom management and an essential part of creating a highly effective community of learners” (24). One of the easiest ways to develop student-teacher relationships is by being positive and respecting your students. One way that “Love and Logic” encourages this is by suggesting teachers to implement “gold” statements in their classroom. “Gold” statements are positive statements that show empathy for students but also encourage them to work out problems independently to ultimately develop self-worth and self-responsibility (Fay & Funk, 27). Fay & Funk contrast “gold” statements with “garbage” statements which are idle statements that tell students what to do but do not provide much meaning or power behind them (27). They go on to say how an effective teacher will not only provide empathy and understanding, but they will eliminate anger from their voice and resist lecturing a student during a behavior problem or academic trial (36). You may be wondering how this one component of “Love and Logic” helps improve the classroom environment. According to Fay & Funk (1995), students think for themselves with support from an adult. Therefore, students are thinking and learning about decisions and consequences all while building positive, respectful relationships with adults and educators who believe that they can succeed in the classroom. With students becoming more self-regulated and independent, they will more than likely become more engaged with their school experience since “school disengagement is [mostly] linked to a lack of opportunities for students to fulfill their needs for independence and self-determination” (Rubin, 43).
What are other components related to “Love and Logic” classroom management? When using “Love and Logic” in your classroom, students will receive immediate consequences for their actions that do not follow classroom expectations. Consequences and limits within the classroom are handled without anger and often involve student choice. This approach to handling discipline keeps students attention and helps students to solve their own problems with encourage and help from a trusted adult. This also translates to real-world problems that students either encounter or will encounter in the future such as bullying, social issues, familial conflicts, and more. Overall, the components involved in the “Love and Logic” classroom management approach are put together to make classroom management simple, empathic towards student’s learning and social needs and to make classroom learning fun and meaningful.
Watch this video clip of Foster Cline, one of "Love and Logic"'s founding researchers. He is giving a talk about how "Love and Logic" can build children's character by giving them a chance to be independent and self-reliant when handling tough problems in their lives.
Discipline with Dignity
The second classroom management approach that we will look at is called “Discipline with Dignity”. This approach was founded by Dr. Richard Curwin and Dr. Allen Mendler and is currently being used in 12 different countries around the world. Similarly to “Love and Logic”, this approach is flexible and can be applied in a classroom setting or a whole-school setting. “Discipline with Dignity” encourages responsible thinking, cooperation, mutual respect and shared decision-making. You may be thinking that both of these classroom management strategies seem very similar, and you are right! The core goals of each management strategy share many characteristics and it is up to you to see which components of each strategy you like and/or dislike and how you can apply them to your future classroom. Let’s look more in depth to “Discipline with Dignity” and we can see what makes this approach unique.
The main goal of “Discipline with Dignity” is to creative positive motivation for children to adopt behaviors that allow them to be successful in their own way in the classroom. When implementing “Discipline with Dignity” it is important to realize that this approach will not yield results immediately but will create optimal results in a gradual way if done correctly. The best way for a teacher to begin to implement this approach is to build connections with students. Like “Love and Logic”, showing respect and empathy to students is crucial when gaining their trust. By building connections with students, teachers are beginning the process of behavior management and the prevention of problems in the classroom. Since “Discipline with Dignity” encourage student growth and self-responsibility, making a connection with a trusted adult will give a student someone to look up to or to ask advice from when making their own decisions. Similarly to the "Love and Logic" approach to classroom management, student choice is held in high regard in order to develop student responsibility and self-worth. That being said, the following quote from Butchart (2005) is representative of classroom management strategies that are quite different from both "Love and Logic" and "Discipline with Dignity": "Ironically, perhaps tragically, throughout the last two centuries and more, the ends of classroom management have seldom included democratic considerations" (180).
“Discipline with Dignity” also stresses the importance of creating a safe and effective learning environment for students. While making connections can be a way to make students feel safe in the classroom, so is the physical layout of the classroom. Unfortunately, “teachers are not often trained in modifying the classroom environment to encourage academic engagement and discourage disruptive behavior” (Fullerton & Guardino, 11). Modifications to the classroom environment are an easy way to potentially impact a student’s learning abilities and show that you care about their ability to succeed in your classroom. This slight modification may go a long way and can prevent student behavior issues that may arise due to a lack of functionality within the classroom.
As you can see, there are many similarities between the “Love and Logic” and “Discipline with Dignity” classroom management approaches such as showing empathy towards students’ conflicts and behavioral issues, giving students opportunities to be independent, providing choice in the classroom and by simply caring. The differences between these two strategies are more in the details of how teachers implement these components and the main goals of the approaches.
Your turn: Do the components of these approaches match your optimal classroom management style? Do they challenge your ideas about classroom management? How? Reflect on these questions as you read about my thoughts regarding these two management strategies.
Reflection
Each of the classroom management strategies that we discussed, “Love and Logic” and “Discipline with Dignity” are approaches that I would like to implement in my classroom because they match my ideal teaching style. I know that one of my strengths is building relationships with people and working with students one-on-one. Both of these approaches emphasize the importance of building connection and trust with your students. I hope to make connections with my students starting from the very first day of class when I get my own classroom. From there, I feel that creating a classroom management plan by taking crucial aspects from each management approach will help me create the ideal classroom environment for me as a teacher. Personally, I believe that these two management strategies will serve my students really well and give them just the right balance of cooperation with adults and independence that they need to acquire self-motivation and development as a learner.
Bibliography
Butchart, R. (1995). Discipline, Dignity, and Democracy: Reflections on the History of Classroom Management. Educational Studies, 26(3), 165-184.
Fay, J. & Funk, D. (1995). Teaching with Love and Logic: Taking Control of the Classroom. The Love and Logic Press, Inc. Golden, CO. (1), p. 101.
Fullerton, E. & Guardino, C. (2010). Changing Behaviors by Changing the Classroom Environment. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(6), 8-13.
Jones, K., et. al. (2013). Exploring the Complexity of Classroom Management: 8 Components of Managing a Highly Productive, Safe, and Respectful Urban Environment. American Secondary Education, 41(3), 21-33.
MacSuga, A. & Simsonsen, B. (2011). Increasing Teachers' Use of Evidence-based Classroom Management Strategies through Consultation: Overview and Case Studies. Beyond Behavior, 20(2), 4-12.
Miller, R. & Pedro, J. (2006). Creating Respectful Classroom Environments. Early Childhood Education Journal, 33(5), 293-299.
Rubin, R. (2012). Independence, Disengagement, and Discipline. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 21(1), 42-45.