BiographyBiography

William Glasser Biography

Born in 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio

Received BS and MA in clinical psychology Case Western Reserve University and received MD from UCLA

Believed problems should be viewed as irresponsible

Emphasized maintaining caring relationships

Developed Reality Therapy based on his Choice Theory

1) all we do is behave, 2 )almost all behaviour is chosen, and 3)we are driven by our genes to satisfy five basic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom and fun.

In Essence... In Essence... “...the most important need is love

and belonging, as closeness and connectedness with the people we care about is a requisite for satisfying all of the needs,” and

“Being disconnected is the source of almost all human problems such as what is called mental illness, drug addiction, violence, crime, school failure, spousal abuse...” (William Glasser Institute)

NON-COERCIVE NON-COERCIVE DISCIPLINE DISCIPLINE

Non-Coercive Discipline Non-Coercive Discipline States that students

should take responsibility for their actions

To do this, students and teachers should create student-teacher contracts which allow the student to devise their own goal, plan and solution with minimal direction from the teacher

Glasser also does not believe in rewards/ punishments because they are coercive and take away responsibility from the students (teacher-implemented) Glasser would prefer the students to create their own personal rewards for a job well done

Application in the Application in the Classroom Classroom

Glasser views misbehaviours stemming from 5 basic needs: survival, love/ belonging, freedom, fun and power

- He maintains that 95% of all misbehaviour stems from the need for power although love/ belonging he is the most important, as it affects the other needs

As Such... As Such...

There are 7 Caring Habits that should be used in the classroom:

-supporting-encouraging-listening-accepting-respecting-trusting-negotiating differences

To deal with misbehaving students...

- Avoid past actions and respond to what they are doing, what need they are trying to fulfill through their action, and how they are going to fix it

- Then the student and teacher create a contract and agree on solutions to solve the problem

More Helpful HintsMore Helpful HintsReinforcement and punishment are

not part of his reality therapy models He believes that consequences should

be natural and not teacher-directed Glasser also believes that punishment

is ineffective because it does not allow the student to take responsibility for their actions

Glasser is a strong believer in class meetings: a time to calmly discuss issues and create a plan to solve the problems

Glasser and Special Glasser and Special EducationEducation

Glasser believes that the most important basic need is love/belonging. This is especially important for special needs students as they may feel separated from their peers because of modified or accommodated curriculum or other activities.

Teachers should be encouraging and should also make use of class meetings to solve any impending problems

Glasser & Behavioural Glasser & Behavioural Exceptionalities Exceptionalities

Students with behavioural exceptions usually have other difficulties and emotional problems that could be caused by the home environment or from a lack of close relationships with other people.

Glasser would emphasis his reality therapy for the classroom. This would create a more unified classroom, and the child would feel comfortable enough to share the problems that they are facing.

A student-teacher contract would also encourage the child to be responsible and would help them create achievable goals

Sara Porter Sara Porter Sara is doing poorly in school because one of

her universal needs isn’t being met, Ms. Mercer is not following the seven caring habits, most notably encouragment

By not following Glasser’s seven caring habits, Ms. Mercer could be making Sara feel as though she doesn’t belong in the classroom, which could be leading to her defiant behaviours.

To solve this problem, Ms. Mercer should try and follow the Seven Caring traits, as Sara may open up to her about why she has trouble completing following instructions while completing a task.

If these traits are used sucessfully, Sara’s basic needs will be met, and this should lessen any undesirable behaviours.

BibliographyBibliography“The William Glasser Institute –

Home of Choice Therapy.” William Glasser Institute. 2009. 21 Jan. 2009 <http://www.wglasser.com/>