Foundation of Education

Key unit competence: Apply a range of strategies to prevent and respond to misbehaviour in a positive and respectful

manner.

Introductory Activity

Observe the above image and explain what is happening? What can you see on the image? 

What do you think the adult people are doing? What is the difference between the two pictures?

5.1. Concepts of positive discipline

Activity 5.1

Suzanne and Tom are in P3 A. On an examination day, they arrived 30 minutes late to school for their after-noon session. They fear to enter and stayed outside. When the teacher saw them, she called them to come closer.

She asked them why they were late. After hearing their explanations, the teacher allowed them to pass the exam. 

After two hours, all students submit their copies except Suzanne and Tom because the teacher gave them additional 30 minutes. In the other class P3 B, two pupils were also late about 5 minutes, their teacher refused them to pass exam. She chased them and gave them 0 out of 50 (fifty) marks.

  - Those two teachers have reacted after noticing the latecomer.

     Which one do you think have done it well? Justify your answer.

   - Based on the above story, try to name and explain what teacher Suzanna has done.

5.1.1. Definition of positive discipline

The idea of discipline being synonymous with punishment is ingrained in our psyche. 

The first thing we think of when we hear the word “discipline” is usually something negative.

However, the word discipline originates from the Latin word ‘disciplina’ which means teaching, which in turn comes from ‘discipulus’ which literally translates to pupil.

For whatever reason, over the years, discipline has gone from meaning “to teach” to “to punish”! Today we explore “positive discipline” an idea that focuses on reverting things back to the roots. The following are ideas about positive discipline:

   - When children do something wrong, instead of punishing them, teachers or parents teach and guide them to set the              behavior right.

   - Positive discipline is non-violent and is respectful of the child. It is an approach to teaching that helps children succeed,        gives them information, and supports their growth and their learning.

   - Positive discipline is based on children’s rights to healthy development, protection from violence and participation in            their learning and environment.

  - Positive discipline is a tool for parents, caregivers, teachers and community members to use to assist them in managing       children’s behavior without abusing them emotionally, physically, socially, mentally or spiritually. 

The way children learn and develop differs, because no two children are the same. 

Children grow and develop patterns but at their own individual pace. There are set ages and stages for child development.

To sum up, ‘Positive Discipline in the classroom’ is, according to Nelsen (2017), a program that teaches important social and life skills, in a manner that is respectful to both the adults and the children in the situation; raising young people to be responsible, respectful, and resourceful members of their community. 

It is based on the theory that children who have a sense of connection to their community (home and school) and whose input is regarded as meaningful are less likely to engage in misbehavior. To be successful members of the community children need to be taught the necessary social and life skills.

Positive Discipline is based on the understanding that discipline must be taught and that discipline teaches.

5.1.2. Understanding discipline versus punishment

Punishment is an action or penalty that is imposed on a student for misbehaving or breaking a rule. 

However, the impact on students can be very harmful, from inducing physical or emotional pain to not being effective in reducing future misbehaviors. Punishment is used to control the behavior of students, in two different ways:

     - Negative discipline involves verbal disapproval and reprimands.

     - Corporal punishment involves severe emotional or physical pain.

Unfortunately, both forms of punishment focus on the misbehavior and may do little or nothing to help a child behave better in the future. Moreover, the child learns that the adult is superior, and the use of force – be it verbal, physical, or emotional – is acceptable, especially over younger, weaker persons. This lesson can lead to incidents of bullying and violence in school, where older children dominate younger ones and force them into giving the bullies money, food, homework, or other valuable items.

Furthermore, rather than leading to a child with inner control, such punishment makes the child angry, resentful, and fearful. It also causes shame, guilt, anxiety, increased aggression, a lack of independence, and a lack of caring for others, and thus greater problems for teachers, caregivers, and other children.

Alternatively, positive discipline is the practice of training or teaching a student to obey the code of behavior or rules in both the short and long term. Instead of controlling the behavior of students, teachers can use positive discipline to develop a child›s behaviors through self-control and making positive choices.

The following table summarizes some of the positive features of discipline as opposed to what a punishment-oriented environment is like:

5.1.3. Criteria for positive discipline

The following are the criteria for an effective positive discipline:

•  Helps children feel a sense of connection (Belonging and significance).
•  Is mutually respectful and encouraging (Kind and firm at the same time.).
• Is effective long - term (Considers what the child is thinking, feeling, learning, and deciding about himself and his world – and what to do in the future to survive or to thrive.).
• Teaches important social and life skills (Respect, concern for others, problem solving, and cooperation as well as the skills to contribute to the home, school or larger community.).
• Invites children to discover how capable they are (Encourages the constructive use of personal power and autonomy.

5.1.4. Importance of positive discipline

The purpose of positive discipline is to teach in such a way that children can develop their inner guidance system so they can function responsibly by themselves. Because adults won’t always be around to tell children what to do, we must instill inner discipline and help children develop the ability to think, judge, and make decisions on their own.

Youth need to learn self-discipline with little issues, so they have the experience and confidence to deal with larger issues later. This process takes time, but the end product is worth the investment.

Using positive discipline techniques help teachers to overcome the many challenges in the classroom and help students learn and make better choices in the future. In fact, using positive discipline in the classroom not only increases academic success in the classroom but provides many other benefits, including:

   - Students show respect for the teacher

    - Students are on task and engaged

     - Less disciplinary measures are needed

     - Fewer suspension and expulsions

     - Students see rules as fair

      - Attendance improves

Application Activity 5.1

Differentiate Positive Discipline and Physical and Psychological Punishment

5.2. Principles of positive discipline

Activity 5.2

Explain how a positive discipline should be.

The positive discipline approach is based on several education principles. As explained in the following paragraphs, positive discipline is:

• Holistic: The approach recognises that all aspects of children’s learning and development are connected to each other. For example, understanding children’s social development helps to understand why their behaviour and motivation levels may change. The positive discipline approach is based on understanding the links between individual development, learning, behaviour and academic achievement, family relationships and community health.
• Strengths-based: It recognises that all children have strengths, capabilities and talents, and aims to emphasise and build on their abilities, efforts and improvements. Mistakes are not seen as failures, but as opportunities to learn and improve. Takes children’s developmental stages into account and aims to discipline in an age-appropriate way.
• Constructive: Positive discipline emphasizes the educator’s role in building learners’ self-esteem and confidence, developing independence, and fostering their sense of self-efficacy. Rather than punishing learners’ academic or behavioural mistakes, the educator explains, demonstrates and models the concepts and behaviours to be learned. 

           Rather than trying to control learners’ behaviour, the educator seeks to understand it and to guide it in a positive                     direction. Positive discipline focuses on achieving educational goals in a safe learning environment.

•  Inclusive: Positive discipline is respectful of children’s individual differences and equal rights. All children are included in the educational process, and all are entitled to the same standard of education. In positive discipline, the emphasis is on teaching children’s individual needs, strengths, social skills and learning styles within an integrated classroom – to the best of the school’s ability. This includes identifying and understanding learning challenges, finding ways to teach every child effectively and adapting the classroom environment to ensure each one’s success.
•  Proactive: The focus is on helping children to succeed in the longterm. Rather than responding to problems with immediate or shortterm reactions, the focus is on understanding the roots of learning and behaviour difficulties and putting in place strategies that will help to address issues in the long-term.
•  Participatory: It works on the principle that children are more interested in learning when they feel part of the process. Learners are motivated to learn when they feel engaged in the learning process. Positive discipline involves learners in making decisions. Rather than force and control, this approach seeks out learners’ opinions and perspectives, and involves them in creating a classroom environment that supports learning.
• Dignity: Positive discipline invites teachers to respect the child’s dignity and ensure mutual respect.
•  Understanding: Positive discipline invites teachers to respect the child’s motivation and life views, to understand the reasons behind their behaviour and tackle the negative beliefs behind their behaviour rather than trying to change the behaviour itself.
•  Fairness: Positive discipline promotes justice, fairness and nondiscrimination among children.
• Personal development: teachers should respect personal development stage when using positive discipline. That means positive discipline respects the child’s developmental needs and quality of life.
• Social and life skills: Positive discipline promotes active participation and aims at developing the child’s character with a set of personal skills such as: self-discipline, social skills, cooperation, effective communication, problem solving, respect, solidarity, and concern for others.
•  Potential and autonomy: Positive discipline encourages children to discover their potential and capacities and to make a constructive use of personal power and autonomy. Positive discipline respects the child’s motivation and life views
• Encouragement instead of praise: this shifts the focus from success to effort and improvement and builds long-term self-esteem and empowerment. The child’s participation is maximized.

Application Activity 5.2

Read this case study and say whether the reaction of the teacher respects principles of positive discipline. What could the teacher do differently?

Sabina: I live two kilometers from my school. In the morning, sometimes I have to fetch water and sweep the compound around our house before I can go to school. I have no money for transport, so I walk to school. I know that being beaten is just the way things are at our school. Sometimes, because I am tired, I take it easy. I will just take the three canes. Sometimes, I try to hide in the bush until the teacher leaves, but most of the time there is no escape. I just have to take the beating.

Sabina’s teacher: I have to make sure the children understand that coming late to school is not acceptable. They have to know that there are consequences for their lateness. I always give them three canes. Some of them are even used to it. They just offer themselves up because they know I don’t listen to any excuses.

5.3. Positive discipline approach

Activity 5.3

Read the case study below, and answer the questions that follow

MUHIRE is the youngest of eight children in his family. His mother died when he was a baby. His father works away.

 From a young age MUHIRE was a burden on those who looked after him. He lacked the nurture of his mother and his brothers beat him for behaviour they found annoying, such as spilling food or wetting the bed. He struggles in school.

 He often feels embarrassed about finishing last, but he is proud of his physical strength. At the start of class, one of the smartest, KALISA made a joke about MUHIRE’s school shoes, which were in a bad condition. Others laughed. Feeling embarrassed and wanting to recover his self-respect, MUHIRE hit KALISA, pushing him over.

The teacher ordered MUHIRE to kneel. Upset and humiliated, MUHIRE swore under his breath. The teacher responded by striking him across the back with a stick.

1) How the teacher punished MUHIRE?

2) What do you say about the approach used by that teacher when handling MUHIRE’S bad behaviours?

3. What are the best strategies that the teacher could have used to address the situation?

5.3.1. Positive discipline strategies

There is no magic formula that will answer all disciplinary questions. Nor is there one perfect way to discipline. 

No method is going to work with every child or in every situation. What we can do is to commit ourselves to a positive approach in our discipline...one that includes respect, clearly defined expectations, setting limits, and using reasonable consequences.

A positive approach to discipline helps adults and children work together rather than against each other.  It preserves a child’s dignity and self-esteem while encouraging cooperative, positive, and loving relationships.  Learning to use positive discipline is based upon mutual respect and cooperation, which can have a powerful effect on helping a child develop confidence and a strong self-image.

The short-term goal of discipline is to guide behavior on a daily basis and to protect children from hurting themselves and others. The long-term goal is to help children become self-disciplined and responsible for their own behavior. 

They need to be able to rely on themselves.

Motivating a child to cooperate is the key to effective discipline. When teacher’s relationship with a child is a series of power struggles, the teacher is bound to lose. We want children to have a clear understanding of what is expected of them. To accomplish this goal, teachers don’t have to humiliate or harm a child’s self-esteem or body. Teachers can guide children with love and firmness toward the goal of self-discipline and stable self-esteem.

Here are a few positive discipline strategies to try:

•  Use the power of the positive. Positive statements tell a child what to do rather than what not to do, and they promote a more positive environment for learning and nurturing self-esteem. Given half a chance, children want to please teachers. By using encouragement as an incentive for behaving appropriately, we can build a child’s positive self-image and sense of individuality because we are placing the power in their hands.
• Hold a positive expectation. Children are very sensitive to teachers’ attitudes about them. If teachers perceive a child as responsible and cooperative, teachers unconsciously give them more opportunities to demonstrate their competence and develop a sense of responsibility. The more trust and confidence you place in a child, the more the child learns that they are worthy of trust, and, in turn, the more trustworthy they become.

Give directions in a positive way. Teachers request children what to do in a clear and respectful language.

• Acknowledge positive behavior. Perhaps the most significant element of a positive approach to guiding behavior is acknowledging behaviors we want to be repeated. Most children spend great stretches of time behaving well.

This deserves recognition. Positive recognition shows a child they can get the attention they need without misbehaving.

If teachers focus their time, attention, and energy on the positive, negative behavior will soon decrease and the positive will increase. By noticing children doing things right, teachers bring out the good that is already there.

By acknowledging positive behavior, teachers offer encouragement in the form of descriptive praise.

•  Be specific in your encouragement -- describe in concrete terms what you see and how you feel. Rather than “You’re doing a good job.” tell the child, “I like the way you cover your notebook by yourself this morning.” The child’s conclusion: “I’m responsible and can take care of my things.”
• When giving encouragement, focus on the action, not the doer. Avoid statements like “You’re an angel.” or “You’re terrific!” that set unrealistic standards for a child to live up to. Effective praise should be a way of celebrating rather than evaluating a child.

Some practical strategies to be used in behaviour management

• Teacher–child relationship

The heart of effective behaviour management is building positive relationships with children. This allows the teacher to connect to the children forming a strong foundation from which behavioural change can take place.

The following are ways of building relationships:

   - Welcome the children as they enter the classroom.

   - Ensure all children understand what is expected of them.

   - Create a positive environment where each child feels relaxed and accepted.

   - Show an interest in each child’s family, talents, goals, likes and dislikes.

    - Engage with the children during lunchtime and playtime.

   - Treat each child with respect, never embarrass or ridicule.

   - Share all successes with the class.

   - Believe by recognizing their strengths that every child has the ability to learn and achieve.

   - Involve the children in making decisions regarding rules and activities within the classroom.

•  Language used in positive approach

It is important to focus on positive rather than the negative statements when interacting with children, guiding them towards positive outcomes rather than highlighting their mistakes.

• Children’s manners and respect

Many children do not have good manners modeled at home. It is therefore important for teachers to model and reinforce manners to help develop children’s social skills. Manners not only make a good impression on others but also make us feel good about ourselves.

Examples:

   - Always acknowledge and reinforce when a child demonstrates good manners.

   - Encourage children to treat others with respect by modeling the desired behaviour.

  - Inform the children of the importance of treating others the same way they like to be treated.

   - Role play various situations to demonstrate appropriate responses.

   - Understand the roots of child’s behavior.

• Rules

Rules create clear expectations for the children and need to define what acceptable behaviour is. 

These must be reinforced on a regular basis and placed in a visible place on the classroom wall. Include the children in developing the rules as this will give them ownership and they will be more likely to accept their terms and conditions and therefore comply.

In general, there are a number of difficulties in laying down formal written rules many people would argue that the behavior of class, like that of most primary, face to face groups, should be governed by conventions rather than by edicts. Rules require to be expressed in children’s behavior.

Tips to be considered when designing classroom rules:

  - When designing your classroom rules, they should be: – clear – comprehensive – enforceable.

  - Write the rules in a positive way and avoid using ‘don’ts‘. For example, ‘I will walk sensibly around the school’ rather                 than  ‘Don’t run around the school‘.

  - Children require understandable directions. Hence, the rules need to be specific and explainable, e.g. telling children to       ‘Be good‘or ‘Don‘t do that‘ is too vague.

   - Display the class rules and go over them with the children on a regular basis.

    - Check children’s understanding of the rules.

   - Explain the rationale behind the rules.

  - Be consistent in enforcing the outcomes for breaches of the rules when an incident occurs.

Note:

Even if the above strategies may work to shape the positive discipline, teachers should remember that teaching by example is powerful! Teachers as role models.

Teachers are an extremely important role model in children’s lives. Children will notice how they approach stressful situations, resolve conflicts, solve problems, and conduct yourself, in general, around other children and adults.

Teachers need to recognize that the easiest way to reinforce positive discipline is to serve as a role model of appropriate behavior.

Teachers must model the behavior they want to see in children. When teachers lead, guide, and help children improve their choices, they are literally guiding children along paths that will give them the best chance for growth, happiness, and success. Deciding to use a positive approach to guiding young children can create a bond and an understanding that can last throughout a child’s entire life!

5.3.2. Strategies for handling positively the unwanted behaviors

Activity 5.3.2

Observe the above illustrations and explain what is happening? 

What strategies can you use to handle those bad behavior?

Helping children correct behavior is taking the time to give feedback on the choices they made and discussing why their choices are important so they can make a wiser choice next time.