I’d like to say something to teachers who might be struggling to use DWS for the first time.  I was in your place a couple of years ago.  I think one early mistake that I made––that is probably common to many people––is to think that simple knowledge of the levels is the “magic key” to DWS.  Initially I assumed that once students knew the levels and could identify their own level at any point in time, all I had to do was ask, “At what level is this behavior?” and the child would magically move to Level C or D.  Teaching the levels alone won’t do this.

The levels are a unique vocabulary aspect of DWS.  They enable teachers and students to communicate more easily about types of behavior choices and they also enable students to reflect silently in their heads on their past/current/future behavior with descriptive vocabulary beyond “good/bad,” but they are only one part of DWS.

Each part of DWS is helpful in and of itself––procedures, positivity, choice/eliciting consequences, impulse control, reflection, levels––but the real payoff comes when you learn to keep all the parts going at the same time.  It’s a multi-year learning process for most of us to perfect but well worth it for anyone planning to teach for very long.

My school has spent a great deal of money training us on L&L.  Buy DWS.  It includes Jim Fay’s philosophy and is much easier to use since it is a “system” and can be used “publicly” without any demeaning of the student.

When I need to remind students about talking I say (over my microphone) gently, playfully, “Do you need authority?”  They always say, “No.”  I then say lovingly, “Why not?”  They always say, “Because I’m going to stop.”

I have found it tremendously useful to incorporate social time into my lessons by having kids discuss with each other briefly before responding individually for the whole class.

The questioning becomes second nature over just a couple of months and after you build the relationship with your class you will need to use the questions less and less.

I used L & L somewhat successfully for a year and then discovered DWS; it changed my life.

QUESTION:

2) One of the key points in DWS is that classroom management is the responsibility of the teacher. (Discipline, on the other hand, is the responsibility of the students.) As such, teachers hold the responsibility for creating classroom procedures. Students become involved in the learning part of the equation. They learn the procedures that have been established and taught by the teacher. They don’t create the procedures––they follow them. By following the procedures of the classroom, students automatically act on Level C, the level of acceptable classroom behavior. By choosing to follow the procedures––even when the teacher isn’t present––they can operate on higher Level D, the level of internal motivation and self-discipline.

POSITIVE TEACHER LANGUAGE – using words and tone as a tool to promote children’s active learning, sense of community, and self-discipline

• This fits in well with DWS.

LOGICAL CONSEQUENCES – responding to misbehavior in a way that allows children to fix and learn from their mistakes while preserving their dignity

• Although responding to misbehavior in a way that allows children to fix and learn from their mistakes while preserving their dignity, fits with the DWS philosophy, the idea that logical consequences are effective in achieving this goal does not. DWS offers the understanding that logical consequences are simply another form of punishment.

ACADEMIC CHOICE- increasing student learning by allowing students teacher-structured choices in their work

• “Choice” is one of the three guiding principles behind DWS so this statement would tie in well with DWS. All people feel more motivation when they they have choices. In addition, they are also more likely to feel cooperative when they sense they have choices available to them.
• DWS goes one step further though. Using the Hierarchy, teachers can give students the understanding that learning and quality-of-learning also involve choice. A teacher cannot decide how well a student learns; the choice is up to the student. If a student is interested in moving forward at the greatest speed or with the best results, he/she can consciously choose to take on the traits of a good or great student. It’s up to them. The teacher will support the efforts of the student, but the student must make the choice with regard to their own academic behavior. In my experience, an amazing thing happens when you make students aware of these choices in a non-coercive way. The students want to aim for the highest level. I find this one of the most exciting aspects of using the Hierarchy. I have the perfect tool for motivating my students––both my eager little grade ones and my older discouraged teenage students.

CLASSROOM ORGANIZATION – setting up the physical room in ways that encourage students’ independence, cooperation, and productivity

• This would connect well to the DWS Teaching Model. It’s the teacher’s responsibility to manage and organize the structure of the classroom. Responsive Classroom has specific ideas that might be useful to a DWS teacher.

WORKING WITH FAMILIES – creating avenues for hearing parents’ insights and helping them understand the school’s teaching approaches

• This proactive goal/strategy would also tie in very well with the DWS philosophy.

COLLABORATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING – using conferencing, role playing, and other strategies to resolve problems with students

• This strategy also ties in nicely.

I have an older version of Dr. Marshall’s book which doesn’t include the DwStress Teaching Model. Is there one available online?

RESPONSE:

Click here for the Discipline without Stress Teaching Model.