Narrator: Now lets have a look at that same scenario, but this time around the Teachers response to behaviour will be based on 2 key educational theories:
- Dreikers Behavioural Theory; and
-Glassers Choice Theory
Glassers Choice theory highlights the danger in using too much coercive power in the classroom. Key to this theory is that a punishment based system of control is destructive to relationships. When used within a teacher-student relationship it will always destroy the ability of both the teacher and the student to find satisfaction in the relationship, and will result in both parties becoming disconnected from those with whom they want to be connected
Whilst it is important to not react emotionally to the situation, and sustain a moderated tone of voice, as Dreikers Theory suggests, it is critical that Teachers don't just accept students inability to comply to classroom rules. For example:
Quick Roleplay :
(Same scenario Dave and James walk in and start talking)
(Teacher remains calm, continues with her lesson. Stops looks at boys who keep talking
but then continues with the lesson - boys continue to be quite distruptive - teacher then says..)
Teacher: Excuse me Dave, but is that your usual seat.
Dave: No Ms, but I feel like sitting here this afternoon.
Teacher: Fair enough, but try and not talk to James to much. Your distrupting the class.
Dave : Yeah sure Ms ( sneaky smile )
Narrator :
Can anyone point out where the teacher went wrong in this case?
Whilst the teacher has remained calm and not provoked the student further by ordering him to go back to his usual seat, she has neglected to correct or at least make the student aware of his misbehaviour. Glasser's Theory suggests that students are capable of learning to acknowledge alternate behaviours they may display in a classroom. As such teachers must incorporate an element of choice into disciplanary measures. Teachers may reinforce 'good' choices with rewards.
...continue with lead in into Role Play of correct teacher response. There must be an element of choice involved, a progressive level of punishment, teacher does not emotionally resppond to students provocative behaviour......
-------------THEORY TO INCORPORATE INTO ROLEPLAY-------------------------------------------
THEORY 1 : Dreikurs' Theory
According to Dreikurs all misbehaviour reflects children's decision about how they can most effectively belong to, or be recognised by the group. Students who are confident of their ability to find a place - to belong through constructive activity - will tend not to be a problem. Such individuals have developed feelings of equality and worth and are interested in co-operating with others and in participating usefully within a group. They face each school demand, be it intellectual, social, physical, or emotional, with confidence in their ability to cope with the demand. There is no need for them to misbehave because they know that they can function constructively and co-operatively in the class.
In contrast, there are discouraged children who feel that they cannot cope with the various school demands and decide to adopt unacceptable ways of behaving which they believe will gain them status and a sense of group recognition.
Teachers need constantly to remind themselves that they are the targets of disturbing classroom behaviour and that their reactions tend to sustain and strengthen undesirable behaviour. Before teachers can begin to assist individual children, they must stop giving undue attention, fighting, retaliating, or accepting students display of inability. That is the first and necessary step in any corrective program. Students who constantly disturb, disrupt, fail to learn, invite attention, rebel, or violate orders are discouraged individuals who feel that they cannot find a place in the class through constructive and co-operative behaviours and consequently turn to more destructive and inadequate behaviour in their attempt to find a sense of significance.
There are a number of processes designed to help pupils to develop more adequate ways of behaving but, before these approaches can be used, teachers must stop responding to unacceptable behaviours. As a first step teachers should train themselves to go against their first impulse and, consequently, break the detrimental cycle whereby a student acts and teachers react.
Rudolph Dreikurs describes four goals of students' misbehaviour: attention seeking, power seeking, revenge seeking, displaying inadequacy. These goals are based on the mistaken belief it will get the student the recognition/attention that they want. I like Dreikurs theory because in hightlighting teachers feelings in response to student misbehaviour,it gives another set of tools to analyse student behaviours. I often find that I get an emotional reaction to a behaviour first and then need to spend quite some time trying to work out why I am feeling that way. Dreikurs' work lets us use our feelings as a pointer to appropriate behaviour management. With Dreikurs theory he suggests that if a teacher is feeling annoyed by a student's behaviour then the student is most likely to be attention seeking; if the teacher feels threatened, then the student may have been power seeking; if hurt, then revenge seeking; if powerless with the student, then the student may have been displaying hopelessness/inadequacy.
THEORY 2: GLASSERs choice THEORY
When deciding to use Choice Theory in an elementary classroom, teachers must share with their students that they have a say in what they learn and how they learn it. In order to have their “say” students must learn to make choices.
In order to convey the message, a suggested way to teach the theory concept is by teaching through the use of skits or role-playing. William and Carleen Glasser have created a series of skits to assist teachers (although written for use basically in secondary schools) in teaching the theory. The skits help in teaching students about such concepts as building trust, making connections and responsible choices, making decisions, talking together, acquiring knowledge to using knowledge, authentic assessment, competency, getting along, caring and respecting, moving from external control to internal control, teaching Choice Theory to others and every student can succeed.
William Glasser, M.D. (born May 11, 1925) is an American psychiatrist.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he is the developer of reality therapy and choice theory. His ideas, which focus on personal choice, personal responsibility and personal transformation, are considered controversial by mainstream psychiatrists, who focus instead on classifying psychiatric syndromes, and who often prescribe psychotropic medications to treat mental disorders. Glasser is also notable for applying his theories to broader social issues, such as education, management, and marriage, to name a few. Glasser notably deviates from conventional psychiatrists by warning the general public about the potential detriments caused by the profession of psychiatry in its traditional form because of the common goal to diagnose a patient with a mental illness and prescribe medications to treat the particular illness when, in fact, the patient may simply be acting out of unhappiness, not a brain disorder. Glasser advocated the consideration of mental health as a public health issue
The term choice theory is the work of William Glasser, MD, author of the book so named, and is the culmination of some 50 years of theory and practice in psychology and counseling. Choice Theory posits that behavior is central to our existence and is driven by five genetically driven needs, similar to those of Abraham Maslow:
Survival (food, clothing, shelter, breathing, personal safety and others)
and four fundamental psychological needs:
Belonging/connecting/love
Power/significance/competence
Freedom/responsibility, and
Fun/learning
Choice Theory posits the existence of a "Quality World" in which, starting at birth and continuing throughout our lives, we place the people who are important to us, things we prize, and systems of belief, i.e. religion, cultural values and icons, etc. Glasser also posits a "Comparing Place" in which we compare the world we experience with our Quality World. We behave to achieve as best we can a real world experience consistent with our Quality World.
Behavior ("Total Behavior" in Glasser's terms) is made up of these four components: acting, thinking, feeling and physiology. Glasser suggests that we have considerable control or choice over the first two of these, and little ability to directly choose the latter two. As these four components are closely intertwined, the choices we make in our thinking and acting greatly affect our feeling and physiology.
The source of much unhappiness are the failing or failed relationships with those who are important to us: spouses, parents, children, friends & colleagues. The symptoms of unhappiness are widely variable and are often seen as mental illness. Glasser believes that "pleasure" and "happiness" are related but are far from synonymous. Sex, for example, is a "pleasure" but may well be divorced from a "satisfactory relationship" which is a precondition for lasting "happiness" in life. Hence the intense focus on the improvement of relationships in counselling with Choice Theory—the "new Reality Therapy".
Choice Theory posits that most mental illness is, in fact, an expression of unhappiness and that we are able to learn how to choose alternate behaviors that will result in greater satisfaction. Reality Therapy is the Choice Theory-based counseling process focussed on helping clients to learn to make those choices.
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