If discouragement is the problem, then encouragement must be the answer
Recently I surfed into a parenting blog. It featured the following quote that spoke of an ancient form of what I would call “discipline positivity!” In the Babemba tribe of South Africa, when a person acts irresponsibly or unjustly, he is placed in the center of the village, alone and unfettered. All work ceases, and [...]
Teaching Primary students to walk in a line
Recently, I saw a posting on the ProTeacher group, in which a teacher shared a great process for helping young children learn to stay in line while walking. Firstly the students were taught four procedures for how to walk appropriately in the school: Stand directly behind the person in front of you. Face your body [...]
How can I explain the difference between Level C and D?
QUESTION: What is the best way to explain the difference between internal and external motivation––in other words, the difference between DWS Levels C and D? I am having trouble with this. RESPONSE: Initially I use very concrete examples connected directly to the classroom. I describe Level C as the level where students do the right [...]
I was talking with a friend yesterday who told me the following story. Recently she had been chatting with a man who coaches soccer teams of 8 and 9 year olds. He mentioned that this year he’d had a lot of difficulty in getting his players to work together as a team. My friend, an experienced [...]
I’m worried about the part where kids decide their own consequences.
A response from Allan, a member of the DWS Yahoo Group Sometimes it is not easy to move away from rewards and punishments so eliciting consequences from kids is not as bad as imposing consequences––but we need to aim to move away even from this. We want kids to think of the word “consequences” as [...]
Incorporate some daily positivity – with riddles!
Dr. Marshall encourages teachers to remember that people always do better when they feel better. Because young people are no different than adults in this respect, one of the three principles that form the foundation of the Disicipline without Stress Teaching Model is Positivity. Dr. Marshall reminds teachers to develop a coaching mindset from which misbehavior is [...]
Making learning an option – The “Principle of Choice” at work!
After first reading Marv’s DWS book more than ten years ago, I started to become conscious of the importance of deliberately planning for “choice” in my teaching. Certainly, as I took on a job at a local Alternate High School six years ago––working one-on-one with sullen, illiterate and often, ashamed teenagers––providing choice was a [...]
Books by Jeanette Winter – Level D, every one of them!
Author/Illustrator, Jeanette Winter, has written some amazing story books recording the efforts of ordinary people––turned heroes––through their initiative and Level D actions. Any one of these picture books could be used to introduce or deepen an understanding of the concepts of Level D. Even adults and older students appreciate Winter’s books––not only as beautiful works of [...]
When do you introduce the Hierarchy?
QUESTION: Do you introduce the DWS Hierarchy during the very first morning meeting or do you wait until a situation arises to talk about it? BUT then I think you might embarrass the child whose behavior is inappropriate… Help! RESPONSE: One thing that I love about DWS is the whole concept of being proactive and [...]
Start-of-School “Procedures Tour”
For the past three years my elementary school has conducted a “School Procedures Tour.” In the first year we conducted it in the spring––as a response to what teachers felt was some poor behaviour around the school at that time. Following that, we became more proactive; we started our school year with our tour. By planning [...]
