LEE AND MARLENE CANTERASSERTIVE DISCIPLINE

Lee & Marlene married in 1970 & focused on the hopes for the future to make a difference in childrens lives.

Lee worked several years in the social work field, & then started to focus on teacher training & school consultation as a career. Marlene was teaching special education as she pursued the study of child development & special education techniques.During Marlenes teaching experience, she encountered a child whose behaviour was so disruptive that she needed to search for new techniques that would help the child to reach his full potential.

Lee & Marlene began researching disciplinary problems in the classroom, as well as those methods used by successful teachers to handle these problems.Thus Assertive Discipline came to the forefront of their lives.The focus began with a behaviour management plan based on consistency, clear expectations, follow-through, & the development of positive relationships.

What is it?Assertive discipline is a systematic & objective way of ensuring a teacher-controlled classroom.Teachers are demanding yet treat everyone fairly.Has a discipline plan that clearly outlines expectations as well as positive & negative consequences.

How has it evolved?Developed in the mid-70s as an authoritative approach.Now is more democratic to fit into todays classroom environments.The theory is more of a mindset & is often taught in classes or sold as pre-packaged programmes.Both individual classrooms & schools as a whole can benefit from the programme.

What is the theory behind it?No pupil should prevent a teacher from being able to teach & a student from being able to learn.Teachers should act assertively right away in dealing with a behaviour, as opposed to passively dealing with the behaviour later.The teacher entering the classroom needs to be trained in behaviour management in order to have a successful school year.

Teachers have the right to determine what is best for their classroom & tailor the programme to fit their needs.Students actually want teachers to control their behaviours.Society requires that its members act appropriately in all situations.Teachers have the right to request & get assistance from parents, administrators & society.

RESPONSE STYLESThe Canters believe that a teachers response style sets the tone of his or her classroom. This response style impacts students self-esteem & the students success in the classroom.

3 RESPONSE STYLESThe 3 response styles, according to the Canters, are as follows: Nonassertive Hostile Assertive

NONASSERTIVEOne in which the teacher is passive in response to student behaviour. Expectations are not clearly communicated to the students.No solid leadership is provided.Inconsistent in response to student behaviours.Students may be confused by this style.

HOSTILEOne who is able to meet his or her own needs in the classroom, but may do so at the expense of the self-esteem of his or her students.Uses discipline to control students rather than to empower them & teach them how to behave in an appropriate manner.Views the classroom as him or her versus the students.

ASSERTIVEThe teacher identifies the expectations clearly and follows through with consistency.The teacher explains to the students what behaviour is unacceptable and acceptable.The consequences of various behaviours are made clear to the students.

An assertive teacher understands the needs for students to have limits. A positive attitude is prevalent in an assertive teachers classroom.Appropriate behaviour does not go unnoticed in the assertive teachers classroom.

Classroom Discipline PlanRULES

POSITIVE RECOGNITION

CONSEQUENCES

POSITIVE RECOGNITIONWill motivate students to behave appropriately.Reduces problem behaviours.Helps to build relationships with students.Increases students self-esteem.

CONSEQUENCESSomething that will not be liked by the students, but is never potentially harmful to them.Consequences must be delivered to the students as a choice.Consequences do not have to be severe or harsh to be effective.

CONCLUSIONCanter has been criticized for some of his suggestions to monitor classroom behaviour, such as writing the misbehaving students name on the board.In an article in response to this criticism, Canter (Assertive discipline: More than) writes: It troubles me to find my work interpreted as suggesting that teachers need only provide negative consequences check marks or demerits when students misbehave.

Canter emphasizes that the key to an effective assertive discipline programme is to catch students behaving appropriately by recognizing them and supporting them when they are being good.Canters wish is to assist new teachers in their classroom management so they continue to pursue education as a lifelong passion and commitment.