Discipline Answers

QUESTION: I love the question suggestions in the DWS book, but like the author said, it’s a skill that takes practice. I usually need a lot of practice and that means I’ll need the questions nearby to refer to often. I just don’t understand how teachers remember everything! RESPONSE: The questions in Dr. Marshall’s book [...]

  In his book, The First Days of School; How to Be an Effective Teacher, classroom management guru, Harry Wong, quotes research conducted by Madeline Hunter.  He asks us to consider the following information: For a child to learn something new, you need to repeat it on the average 8 times. For a child to [...]

QUESTION: As a first grade teacher, I totally agree with DWS being the best way to go.  However, I have some concerns about the developmental readiness of young children to operate on the level of Democracy on the Hierarchy.  I seem to recall from my Ed. Psych. class that this level of behavior was ‘normally’ expected [...]

QUESTION: Sometimes I have trouble choosing the right words.  I usually always ask a question though.  For example I might ask,  “Why are you talking during this lesson?“ or “Why are you choosing to play with your pencil instead of listening?” DR. MARSHALL’S RESPONSE: Never ask “Why?”  It is accusatory. And besides people often do [...]

One day last February we learned that a new boy would be joining our grade one class.  In an effort to be proactive, my teaching partner, Darlene, planned a class meeting the day before he arrived.  She wanted to encourage the students to welcome the new child and she also hoped to avoid a situation [...]

QUESTION: I’m  going to start using DWS in my classroom this coming year.  My grade level uses Fun Friday/Study Hall.  I’m confused on how I can incorporate DWS into Fun Friday.  Am I just overthinking this issue? RESPONSE: I have no personal experience with Fun Friday/Study Halls but I gather it’s a reward for those [...]

A couple of summers ago, I attended a Smartboard workshop for teachers in our district.  The presenter from the company had an effective signal for getting everyone’s attention.  For two years since, I’ve used the idea successfully with my grade ones. I don’t use this particular signal when I’m in a rush to get everyone’s [...]

QUESTION: What is a good response to people who argue that extrinsic rewards are okay for students because they’re just the same as an adult getting a paycheck at the end of the week?  When people say this, I cringe.  I know it’s not the same, but I don’t know how to argue the point [...]

Featured this week on TED.com is a rare 4 minute video clip taken from a 1972 lecture by Victor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning. You may remember that in the early pages of the DWS book, Dr. Marshall mentions Victor Frankl.  Dr. Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, dramatically demonstrated through his own actions and [...]

RESPONSE: When there is a discipline issue, my first course of action is to return to the DWS Teaching Model.  Guided by the first step, I review my procedures: Have I taught/practiced this particular procedure enough times for this child to be successful? Can I offer this child a chance to find his own procedure or [...]