Discipline Answers

QUESTION: I am looking for a reflection form for primary students. I know that it won’t be used for a while but I wanted to have something ready.  Can you suggest what one might look like? RESPONSE: At the grade one level that I teach, children have very few writing skills, especially at the beginning [...]

QUESTION: I’m trying to get a handle on this whole concept of guided choices and procedures.  I guess I don’t really understand what a procedure is or how you would use a procedure when a student is misbehaving.  Can you give me an example? DR. MARSHALL’S RESPONSE: Teaching procedures is teaching expectations. Here is an [...]

QUESTION: I understand what a Level B student is but sometimes I hear teachers asking, “Do you want me to become a Level B teacher?” Can you explain what this is all about? RESPONSE: One important understanding students receive when the teacher introduces the DWS Hierarchy in the beginning of the year is that people [...]

QUESTION: I have an ADHD student in my class who takes up at least a third of my time. I’m not sure if this would be part of the DwStress approach, but I have decided that from now on he will go to the In-School Discipline Room whenever he is disrupting my class. I feel [...]

QUESTION: I’ve just taken over in a classroom where the kids are used to freely talking. Today I kept them in from break because they were talking so much that we couldn’t get the work done. This made them really mad at me!  In this discipline system, how do I communicate to the students that [...]

QUESTION: My class talks so much that I would like to keep them in at recess to get their work done. Is this against the philosophy of DwStress?? RESPONSE: It would depend on how the situation comes about. Dr. Marshall points out that imposed consequences are typically viewed as punishments by students and so lead [...]

QUESTION: I’ve always used logical consequences with my students. It seems like such a sensible way to discipline. I’m surprised that Dr. Marshall recommends NOT using logical consequences. Can you explain why? RESPONSE: You’re correct in thinking that Dr. Marshall does not advocate the use of logical consequences. Whenever a consequence might be deemed necessary [...]

QUESTION: I’m new to Discipline without Stress and never heard of the term, “imposed consequences” before. What exactly does Dr. Marshall mean by this? RESPONSE: When Dr. Marshall refers to “imposed” consequences, he is speaking about any consequence that has been determined BY the adult, FOR the student. An imposed consequence is one that has [...]

RESPONSE: To me, this describes a situation in which no one is actually involved in planning or imposing consequences in any way–the consequence simply happens as a matter of course, as a natural outcome of one’s actions. For example, if a child loses his coat at school, then one natural consequence of the situation is [...]

QUESTION: The only discipline program that I know of that refers to “elicited” consequences is Marvin Marshall’s Discipline without Stress. Can you explain what he means by “elicited” consequences? RESPONSE: According to the dictionary, “elicit” means “to draw out.” Elicited consequences are consequences that are drawn out FROM the child. Dr. Marshall’s third and final [...]