Lesson7-3-2




	ESE502 : The Class : Discipline : Levels : Lesson7-3-2

Developmental Discipline - Level 2

Discipline for Democracy
Learning Community

Teacher Facilitator and Guide
• understanding • leadership • giving • orderliness • fair
• structure • high expectations • kind • scholarship • patience

Student Socially responsible, Explorer and doer

seeks justice and fairness
works to please and accomplish
depends on teachers to define honor, to understand
seeks out and relishes friendships and companionship
relishes abilities and strengths and pushes body with exuberance

Classroom
• democratic • highly social • organized • uncluttered • structured and meaningful • friendly and fair

Curriculum
• exciting and demanding • stimulating • challenging • process based • evaluated appropriately • highly individualized • developed for group work • hands-on integrated projects, units

SETTING
The Level Two classroom in Discipline for Democracy is based on developing and acknowledging need for and power of peer esteem while strengthening student self-worth and developing a sense of community. We begin the student's journey as a fully participating member in a just and democratic society. Until a child is eight or nine, there is little understanding of rules. Some students keep the rules as part of their nature, some work around the rules of the system, some refuse to be bound by rules and only obey through a sense of fear. The middle school student is usually developmentally ready to think about rules, to recognize other view points. [The student does not fully understand the innuendoes in rules and regulations, but can at least realize that others see things differently.] The student is ready to broaden perspective and to maintain an established value system of natural and logical consequences. The youth can be taught to think about rules, what they protect, why they have been developed and made. The youngster generally has an emerging set of “Do’s and Don’ts” that are held inviolate. And the student tends to see every rule, practice and procedure in a black and white, one answer only, manner.

It is an ideal time to explore reasons for rules, to discuss how rules come to be, why we honor them through obedience and how they protect us and those we love. The discussions can be rudimentary and work best if we remember that the development of the youth suggests someone capable of very linear, very narrow, even opinionated thinking. Also, as pointed out by Piaget (1973), the student is likely to define “fair” as fair to me. The moral or ethical view of the world which translates into a need to have control over the self and over life from the student’s perspective is vigorously pursued. Moving from “FAIR TO ME” to a concept of equitable, fair to society, socially responsible, may take years. For some, it is a lifelong journey.

Added to the intensity about rules, fairness and laws, is a blossoming interest in others. This is one of the most social periods of life. Youngsters want best friends, reach out to strangers through pen pal letters, write to movie stars and sports heroes. They are expansive in most social situations. As the student matures through the grades, there is an interest in friends, then clubs, then cliques. The swing around returning to autonomy shows a “we-they” emphasis rather than a “Me” personal isolation because the social and expansive drive is so strong.

For many students, there is a transition from seeing parents as the only true authority to some viewing the teacher as ultimate authority. This is a social perspective - a change in referent source, but it also comes from the changes in cognitive processing. The student has moved into the concrete operational stage of cognition (Piaget, 1973) and along with this growth, there is growth in how thinking occurs. The excitement of thinking about things differently is often manifest in a desire to share the insights and to gain confirmation from others (Vygotsky, 1978) or to vehemently defend an idea against the ideas of others.

In another sense, these comes from the emerging ego development (Erikson, 1968). As a young child the opinion or belief system that is held is seen as a world view. As the child “grows up” s/he gains awareness of the rich diversity of ideas and life views. The first reaction is to hold to one personalized view. However, the educational process, peer interactions and a dynamic teacher beckon the child to peek tentatively beyond the spreading fingers of the hands covering the eyes.

With these three tremendous forces pushing the youngsters of this age and stage, we have an unprecedented opportunity. Level Two captures this by using “the just community approach, whereby students learn to democratically share decision making responsibility,” (Kohlberg 1987).

Classroom tools:
• loving • gentleness • sharing • social responsibility & relationship • courteous • respect for self • respect for others • dignity • self esteem • self discipline • valuing others • valuing the dignity of life • self direction • scholarship • obedience • honor • organization • stewardship • respect for authority • truthfulness • honest to & about self • honest with others • initiative • dedication to learning & thinking

Let’s Begin!
Implementation in Intermediate Grades
The classroom (and school) is set up to teach and model self-control and personal responsibility. The opportunity to teach appropriate socialization skills is interwoven through the curriculum and through the classroom management procedures. There is an Honor Board prominently on display in each classroom. The board is the center of the room. It is constructed in such a way that name cards can be inserted and removed easily and efficiently. It is helpful if the card is laminated since the students will make note of consequence team actions of the reverse side.

Example of Classroom Honor Board

The name on the board represents this person as a respected member of the learning community. If a student behaves in an unfair or disrespectful manner, then it becomes the offender’s role to remove his or her name from the Board. Neither the teacher nor another student ever removes another’s name from display. No fuss is made, no attention given, and no evidence of anger or a punitive feeling is shown.

If the student refuses to take down the card, the teacher and class members ignore the attempt at a power struggle and proceed with class activities. It is a foundation of a democratic society, and thus of the democratic classroom, that each of us is responsible for our own behaviors, not only with respect to recognizing poor choices or flagging self control, but also in coping with the consequences. It is also a fact of reality that “fair” as a black and white, get away with nothing universe, does not exist. It becomes increasingly important to help students deal with this fact, since getting even, and an “eye for an eye” define the emerging recognition of this developmental stage and the belief in the importance of justice. For this developmental stage, mercy and mitigating circumstances are concepts which apply to “me”, first person only, and no mercy is necessary or warranted for others who break the rules.

Since the student has been a part of classrooms for several years, procedures can be reviewed, but the teaching of learning behaviors can be more of a review and remediation than an introduction and drill. For this age group, it is important to see the introduction and teaching of process skills and socialization as a focal point. It is important to explicate norms for this age group. In this type of classroom, it is helpful if the teacher initiates and facilitates discussions about the purpose of school, the role of the teacher and the role of students. Since ownership of the educational process is being shared, the vision of what education means and its value to self and society can be explored as a way of giving more meaning and understanding to the emerging student of citizenship.

At the beginning of the year the teacher develops and posts the rules and both negative and positive consequences. As soon as the students are able to assume more responsibility for classroom structure and management, a series of class meetings occur to codify or modify the management program. The process tools for helping the class make use of these components are shared by all class members who are willing to abide by the rules and procedures. Those who work to promote the social system need to continue to feel a pride of membership and ownership in the structure. As they become more adept at leadership and self discipline the rewards of participation will become intrinsic.

Some students will not be mature enough to work well in a social system. In the instances of reluctance, the teacher and other class members continue to present expectations and show good faith in guiding the progress . . .gently . . . clearly . . . justly . . . consistently . . . and lovingly. Some students will display absolute refusal. Several key points must be considered in working with these students.

The first key point to keep in mind is that they will not learn by being ejected from the learning environment. The practice of sending students into the hall, to the office or suspending them from school is neither moral nor viable. These same youngsters will continue to live in our neighborhoods, they may continue to misbehave and they will have more time on their hands, not less. We are almost assuring the fact that they will be uneducated and at the same time reinforcing a potential sense of justification for getting even with social systems. These same students will grow up to vote against bond elections and speak in disrespect of teacher and education. Or perhaps they will be incarcerated, again out of the reach of society, out of touch with their gifts, no longer contributing to self development or the welfare of others.

The second is that a punitive attitude negatively effects everyone - complying and socially skillful students as well as the student who is off cue. It also affects the teacher in a negative way, decreases effectiveness, self control and joy in the setting. If one student becomes the brunt of disapproval, the students lose an innate unconscious sense of belief in justice and we diminish the safety in the environment. At the same time, we cannot let others rule the classroom by ignoring bad behavior. This also undermines the safety and security of the setting. ?

Students need to know that the teacher cares for the erring student and can find good in every youngster. Unconditional love has its greatest test with misbehavior. It is easy to love if there is no reason to feel discomfort. By being loving with the wayward student we let behaving students know that their mistakes will be seen, and that our response will be a nudging, correcting, and building.

The third is that students may need to consistently be reminded that their most important task is to control themselves. When a student is misbehaving our response must call them back to personal accounting. Here are some examples:

Never give up on a student!

A section on working with difficult youngsters is included in this material under the heading “Impulse Control.” It is vital, in reviewing any material with respect to misbehavior, to maintain a focus on responsibility. If a technique will enhance personal responsibility, it is appropriate. If it will strip the student of choice, curtail intrinsic motivation to self monitor and self control or demean the student, the procedures may need to be modified so that such personal damage of future ability to cooperate and behave as a productive citizen is not permitted.

Once the thorough learning of expected procedures has been accomplished by teaching ,drill, review, modeling and consistent use, the components become the machinery that runs the classroom. The Honor Board, consequence team, classroom meeting are not an external part of the school day but the very heartbeat of the educational program. The program begins to take on important meaning. Civics is no longer something we study, civic duty and civility is practiced, thought about, reflected upon, and thus changes our behaviors. Higher order thinking becomes an honored if not automatic part of the curriculum as the students work to vouchsafe honor and learn to value the privileges accorded them and the importance of options in any situation.

Important questions surface, issues that bring differing views and ideologies to light. Democracy becomes more than a note in history, it is a studied, discussed, living part of working with others and it becomes something worthy or sacrifice. Freedom, responsibility, governing by the people to reach a mutual goal, to maintain privileges and options, these become part of every day rather than hypothetical principles from days gone by and written about in books.

Consequences

In addition to the Honor Board, Rules and Consequences, the student is given a wider participation in the democratic proceedings of the classroom. A five member Consequence Team concept is established at the beginning of the school year. Membership in the team typically lasts for one week and rotates through the class. Once a team is selected, they serve for the prescribed time. The exception occurs if a student on the team chooses to break a rule and has his or her name in the Negotiations Box. By choosing to break the rules, the student loses the privilege of helping to govern. Anyone whose name is off the Honor Board is not considered to be in good standing for voting or participating in governance of the classroom community. That privilege can be restored as soon as the student has committed once again to self control and made any necessary restitution.

The duty of the Consequence Team consists of conducting a meeting for the benefit of members of the class. Students who have chosen to break the rules of the class are asked, one at a time, to talk about the choices made and advance a personal plan for making better choices and keeping the rules. Typically, the erring student will fill out a Self Management Worksheet prior to the team meeting. If the student is able to suggest a means of restitution, that is also offered. This is not a time for a student to protest and it is not a forum for questioning guilt or innocence. It is in no way a trial.

Once a student proposes restitution, the Consequence Team may accept or reject the proposal through a motion, a second and a vote. After the Consequence Team has accepted a logical consequence for the infraction, then the student name card is marked on the reverse side with the date, rule broken and restitution. The name placard is placed on the Restitution Board until mutually agreed upon terms are met. When the terms are met (usually less than 24 hours elapses), the student restores their name to the Honor Board.

The teacher and the rest of the class is present for the meeting. The Consequence Team leads the meeting using Robert’s Rules of Order (similar to the U. S. Legislative rules). Students from the class may participate if the consequence team recognizes them. The typical reason for such participation would be to suggest a plan to make better choices or offer a good plan for restitution. It would be unusual for that to be necessary since the student who has broken the rule will generally have a plan already prepared. The teacher can assist students in the task before the team meets, or can discuss possibilities for restitution and perspective on future options.

The teacher, as executive of the class, never leaves the class meeting. The teacher has veto power and uses it if inappropriate restitutions are suggested. The teacher can assist the team or student in looking for logical consequences which could serve as a measure of restitution. The teacher can also call a point of order it the meeting begins to take the shape of a punitive setting or the student displays an inability to deal with a student team process. This meeting may never be used to hurt a student, become a forum for tattling, name calling or anger.

Summary of Tools and Procedures for Level Two

Honor Board with each student's name prominently displayed.
Poster listing the rules and examples of positive and negative consequences
Rotation process for infraction of rules.
1. 1st infraction, the student removes own name from Board (no further infraction, student returns to Honor Board at beginning of next day)
2. 2nd infraction, student places name card in the Negotiations Box
3. Erring student fills out self management form (with help if needed)
4. Consequence Team ( 5 students) meets each day and determines or accepts "logical" consequence and restitution for infraction
5. Offending student "repays" the learning community by making restitution
6. Student places own name back on Honor Board
Consequence Team - This is a group of three to five students selected to serve for one week to assist fellow students to follow classroom and school rules. (They must be on the Honor Board to serve).
1. Meetings are conducted using Robert's Rules of Order (which teaches the class the methods for participating in democratic procedure and appropriate conduct).
2. Time may be allotted from the Social Studies or life skills program since this teaches governance and socialization skills.
3. Students are directed to apply a process of natural and logical consequences (Dreikurs, 1968) in the interest of teaching and promoting consistency, fairness, and personal responsibility.
4. Students are viewed by self and class as responsible for own conduct.
5. Teacher steps out of punitive role and becomes the facilitator and model of constructive democratic process.
There is a Values Rule for the Honor Board.
The most appropriate slogan for this socialization age group is "Be Fair.” The teacher and class explore various aspects of this concept a few minutes each day as a part of Social Studies or life skills training and in the process of the rulings of the consequence team.
There is a "practice of the week" established and students work to apply fairness in the selected way.
Example: Be Fair - "Do your own work";
Be Fair - "Try to see my side of it".

Through this process, several benefits occur:

The student's esteem referents - teacher and peer group are acknowledged and enhanced.
Student are actively taught and become engaged in governance procedures, self management, relationship, conflict resolution, negotiating a fair settlement. Thus democracy becomes a living principle.
Student reliance on tattling and punitive measures is moved, by modeling and practice, to a less retaliatory position and the focus changes to restitution, seeking and building options and control of self rather than adult or peers as controllers. It also provides less incentive for student to seek control of others.
Each person practices becoming a responsible agent in the daily process of education.
The "magical" essence of group power and group pressure is practiced and utilized in a controlled setting. In this way, the need for group approval can be met in a more responsive and legitimate manner. It also demystifies the group identification process, allowing "good" students to achieve acceptance through positive behaviors. When there are legitimate ways to achieve group approval there is less of a power base for illicit group control.
1. Group acceptance should be less dependent on sexual favors
2. Group acceptance should no longer polarize around one aberrant sub-culture concept - less pull from gangs, drugs, violence.
3. A structured forum is provided for learning and practicing appropriate socially acceptable leadership skills.
4. Students will be able to identify with a peer group, to practice conformity and to find "social" acceptance, to establish competence in this modality and therefore legitimately meet the esteem need for social recognition rather than resorting to ethnic and drug or substance abuse related groupings in later years to recoup missed acceptance and popularity.
5. The need for stimulation and excitement can be paired with learning, school.

Role of the Teacher
In important ways the role of teacher does not differ from the supportive, nurturing and loving presence of earlier grades. Limits, structure and consistency are still very important and one of the major functions that students expect their teachers to perform. In fact, the concept of fairness, or holding everyone accountable and believing that “everyone should be treated the same” comes fully to life during this developmental stage. Indeed, the teacher’s role is cast as the clairvoyant. Tattling is no longer tolerated among peers, whining is considered immature, yet students fight and pout and carp if adults don’t somehow know about infractions and hold poor socialization and dishonorable choices to account. Further, grudges are a mainstay. Students who get away with breaking the rules are both loved and hated. Teachers who appear to be partial or who do not hold students accountable are deeply disliked. That sense of indignation and disgust becomes deep seated if teachers try to maintain an autonomous presence in the classroom.

Competence is also a vital teacher role. Since American education continues to test for skills and ideas out of sync with typical child developmental milestones, a significant number of youngsters are not ready for concepts and tasks when they are first presented. Thus, many middle grade students are clearly ready to learn to read, to attack penmanship skills, to actually learn spelling and phonetic rules, and the typical curriculum is no longer presenting the materials at an entry level. The middle school presents a special challenge, since the majority of the students have learned the basics. However, there are numerous examples of very bright and capable youngsters who need a fresh opportunity at learning and succeeding at the basics. Thus the teacher provides many different options for success and must be an accomplished teacher of initial skills as well as having depth and substance in a wide range of topics and subjects.

High demand and strong expectations are essential for the teaching role. Students this age usually have a strong sense of competence. They have a sense of control that empowers and energizes them. Their sense of omnipotence and omniscience is at an all time high. Many have excellent control or mastery of large motor skills. This is a wonderful time for riding bicycles, gymnastics, jumping, skating, swimming, running, playing ball. The ability to set a goal and accomplish it enhances the motivation to try more. They love to challenge themselves and are equal to the challenges of others. Competitive use of their bodies gives a sense of success, and their optimism tends to make a defeat easily explained away as a partial victory. This was over-heard during lunch.

“I got a fourth place ribbon in the race last night.”
“I didn’t see you come in for a really long time.”

“Well, I think about 38 girls came in before me, but we were all fourth ‘cause we finished the race and it was hot!” The teacher can capitalize on these tendencies. Motivation is high, energy is abundant. Tasks can be set with students which demand a great deal of detail work, fairly complex reasoning and concentrated effort. The students can work to organize, complete and evaluate themselves. They have the optimism to fail and try again. Most are very willing to risk. The majority can bring tasks to completion and then have the enthusiasm to start right in on another project.

The teacher’s high demand stance inspires the students. Care must be exercised to remember that with optimism comes false sureness. It is helpful to pare tasks into small bundles. Students need consistent monitoring of task size and help to strengthen and lengthen meaningful time on task. There is much to be gained by insuring task completion, too. Many of the most creative and gifted youngsters leave tasks nearly finished rather than coming to closure. This is a great time to teach taking a break, clearing the mind, allowing creative space, and then coming back to complete the task refreshed, rather than initiating a new direction.

Acceptance and warmth are crucial, but the ways students need it shown are myriad. The loving and supportive teacher needs a wide range of tolerance and social expertise. The teacher who nurtures students in the middle grades must have the ability to provide a supportive hand to a teen in anguish, to dry tears, to be prepared for a day in which accidents range from a student beginning a period to another wetting himself from too much excitement. One student comes to class anxious over trading baseball cards, another is upset about a peer on drugs. One student is upset about having a bra snapped, another about having a chance to buy a soda. One is trying to stop biting her nails, another is plotting a way to get out on a date against parental rule. One youngster wants to go in the bathroom alone so no one will make fun of her, another wants the solitude to get in a quick smoke.

The school ground issues can range from a student bringing a loaded gun to another selling drugs, to another wanting to be the one who stands and talks with the teacher on duty. One student’s job aspirations means getting to work in the cafeteria, another wants to leave for lunch early to peddle drugs. Love and acceptance for this age group becomes a very individualized teacher presence, a crucial yet undefined manifestation. And, through this modeled ambiance, students have more peace, and acceptance of self, others, strengths and weaknesses through participation in the educational setting.

Peer relationships are of such importance to this age group. Who is the person so sure of self that there was never a time when he worried he would be chosen last? Who is the adult who never once felt betrayed? Which of us grew through all the social activities and never had the hair creeping sensation that we had done ourselves in? Group activities, friendships, parties, clubs, activities most of us desire, most of us hope to be good at, all based on a set of social behaviors and life skills few are taught.

Since the students have such a developmental proclivity to spend time with friends and to be successful with peers, this is an ideal time to teach these skills and sets of behaviors. As Johnson & Johnson’s (1994) and Slavin’s (1985) research on cooperative learning shows, it is also an accelerator and benefit to learning to use group and cooperative learning situations along with individualized and competitive learning settings.

Many teachers have not had opportunities to work with cooperative learning. This makes it more difficult to envision the power of the setting and the teaching roles involved. Johnson & Johnson1 have written a number of books on the subject. Some of their material on learning through cooperation is presented next. Their material establishes four main functions for the teaching role; making initial decisions, setting up the lesson, monitoring and intervening, then evaluating and processing the outcome. Although the students become ever more active participants and eventually take major responsibility for learning, the teachers’ roles do not lessen. Instead they expand in diversity and complexity. The summary of teacher roles in cooperative learning suggests the following as essential entry level skills:

Make Decisions

specify objectives - include skills to learn or practice
decide and explain group size and student roles
assist in group assignments
arrange the learning environment
plan and provide learning materials and assists

Set the Lessons

explain the academic tasks, including definitions, examples, outcome
structure interdependence and group process skills
assure individual accountability
enhance esprit de corps in the entire learning situation
set learning tasks to be challenging manageable, and increase difficulty and sophistication of tasks and processes as ability and motivation increases
teach collaborative skills and group work
specify expected behaviors; sharing, working, recording, taking turns, sharing materials, full participation, stewardship, self awareness, discipline and self monitoring

Monitor and Intervene

set up face-to-face interaction, structuring and modeling summarization, giving and receiving explanations and elaborations
circulate during lessons giving feedback, clarification, assists, reinforcement
provide task assistance, research, creative ideas, but without ownership or personal strings attached
intervene when group interactions signal a need for modeling, new or more effective problem-solving techniques, energy and enthusiasm
develop an understanding of human nature, personal coping styles, needs, and the distinctions among bossing, majority rule and consensus

Evaluate and Process

assess student learning and emerging needs for learning new skills
assist students to accept evaluation responsibilities, including self monitoring, record keeping, personal growth needs and objectives
process group and social skill levels and needs with individual students, groups and the class
provide closure, summarization and model acceptance and recognition that some questions may take time, some may not be answerable, some may be a matter of taste or opinion, and that some things require closure, some require a time for thinking, some will require maturity or perspectives gained later in life.

In addition to the summary presented here, there are numerous books about group work, life skills, cooperative learning. In this case, research, best practice and most fulfilling and effective class practices all come together to make this a wonderful time to teach at the middle school level. In addition, the hands-on materials presented at the end of this section will facilitate the accommodation of new techniques.

Day One
Sample Dialogue: Introducing the Honor Board
In our classroom we will be expecting a lot of each other. As a way of showing class pride and accomplishment, each student’s name is already on display on our Honor Board. As you can see, I have put our school mascot and school cheer at the top of the board, since that is a way we show pride for the school. If you get a great idea about showing our honor, you can help us to transform the honor board to a new site and setting.

In the mean time, I’ll tell you how this works. Every day you will come in and your name will be on display. This entitles you to a lot of privileges and rewards which are a part of being a working and participating citizen. Here is the posted list of some of the positive consequences which are automatically yours because you are a contributing member of the class.

This is also a posted list of some of the negative consequences which are automatically yours if you have difficulty following the rules or take license with the rights of others through poor choices. These consequences are supposed to help two things happen. The first is that they are to help protect the rights of everyone in the classroom. The second is that these consequences are to help anyone who breaks the rules to get back in control of the self, have time to re-think the choice that was made and square things with the person who was cheated or who was hurt. Everything we do here will help us to grow, to make good choices, to become our best selves.

That doesn’t mean we can all have our own way. We just don’t see around everything we want to know what might happen if we always got it. Remember eating too much candy? You wanted it, right? It tasted great, right? But then your stomach started to really ache. Well, that’s just one example of not knowing about the stomach ache when you started wanting the candy. Turn to a neighboring student and share a time when things didn’t turn out like you thought. . . . . .(Class discussion) Someone share their story or a neighbor’s example. After one or two class examples, I want you to turn to a neighbor and each of you can share another story about not seeing the consequences at the beginning of your actions.

Okay. Who can review the reason for the honor board, and the positive and negative consequences? Now let’s talk about what happens if a student chooses to break the rules. The first time that a student breaks the rules, I will make a hand motion and the student comes up quietly, takes the name down and goes back to work. Maybe it was an accident, it is a bad day, the student forgot about the rules for the class. By showing good citizenship for the rest of the day, no one feels bad, not the student who made the poor choice or the class. The very next day the name goes back on the Honor Board and the student keeps right on working at self control, good learning skills and social behaviors.

Sometimes it’s a very bad day. Even though the student knows better, another rule gets broken, or the student gets upset about making a bad choice, about getting caught, or just is feeling shaky and before anybody can believe it, another infraction happens. Now the student who has the name off the Honor Board places their name in the Negotiations Box. This means that others in the class will be helping the student regain composure.

As you can see, there is a chart called Consequence Team. It has room for five student names in the slots. Each Monday, five students will be placed on the consequence team. It will be their job to hold a meeting for the class and help the student who has had trouble, figure out a way to make better choices and to repay the people who were hurt by the rule breaking actions.

Let’s review what might happen. Maybe we could role play this and some of you could help us see how to act if a rule does get broken and then if the person keeps making the wrong choices. Also, some of you who have had Honor Board experience can tell us how the rest of the class behaves and how the teacher is supposed to let someone know about breaking the rule. We might have to remember that this is not a time to hurt someone just because of a bad choice. This is not a time to smile, to snicker, to go “Shame - shame.” What else is okay and what is not so great? Let’s try using the system a few times.

Teaching Class Meetings
Now we’re going to learn how to run a class meeting. I need one person who plays the part of the student who has made poor choices and has had to place their name on the Consequence Board. I also need five people who would like to be on the consequence team. You have two pages in front of you. One is called Rules for Class Meetings. One says Natural and Logical Consequences. You already had time to read these, and now we are going to try this as a class.

Linda, you are going to act like the person who made poor choices, so let’s start there. The rule you had trouble with was pushing ahead in line and cutting in front of others to stand next to your friend. Linda, did you ever do such a thing really? Why wouldn’t you do that? Can others in the class talk about how that might be dangerous? How do you feel when someone cuts in front of you? Would you ever let someone go ahead if they asked? Are there emergencies when it might happen? Did you ever see a driver do that with a car? Was it dangerous? Does it make you feel better if the person says “I was holding her place?” Talk about this in your group for a few minutes.

In general, we have decided that it is not a good thing to do. We can see that it might be dangerous, and that it definitely hurts some peoples’ feelings, even if the person was holding a place in line for Linda. So Linda fills out her Self Management Worksheet. She writes down that she cut in line. How did it hurt others or take away their rights? Good. So Linda writes that down. Now we have that the rule was broken, and someone might have gotten hurt by the action. Next we look to see how Linda can make up to those who might have gotten hurt. On the consequence sheet it suggests that one consequence of breaking this rule might be to go to the back of the line. What do you think, Linda? How about the rest of you? Ah! Linda doesn’t want to be in the back of the line without her friend. It makes her upset to think about it. And some of you want more things to happen to Linda.

We have some important things to remember. This is not supposed to punish Linda. It is supposed to help her, help all of you learn to understand why we have rules and that they protect us and our feelings. It is supposed to give Linda a way to make a better choice next time. It is also supposed to be a chance for Linda to make up for hurt feelings or stepped on toes. It is not supposed to be a way to get Linda back because she hurt us. Once Linda finishes the sheet, she is ready for the meeting. If she needs help she can ask for it from the teacher or other class members.

Let’s say that the team holds the meeting and decides on the consequence that Linda has offered. Follow the Class Meeting and Parliamentary Guide papers and let’s see how this goes. [The meeting can be held two or three times and rehearsed. Each time it is wise to change the offenses and the people who are the main players. After the third time, bring closure and promise the class that practice sessions will happen again. Then review the whole Honor Board sequence one more time.]

Now we have a good understanding about how the class meetings will work. There are a few more questions we might want to consider. What happens if Linda does not stop? Sometimes we want our way so much that we take a lot of chances at getting caught or hurting others. The teacher can have a conference with Linda and see if something can be worked out as a compromise. Lots of times we make poor choices because we do not stop to look for other options. Linda’s friend could wait until they both can be in line together. Linda could always be the last in line and have the privilege of shutting the door for the class. Linda could choose another time to be with that friend and to see the others in the class as friends, too. Linda might have to call a parent and talk with them about the problem. The teacher might have a meeting with Linda and the friend and parents to find new ways of working things out.

No one in the class will yell at Linda or call out names. No one will make fun of her or be rude to her. We will remember that we are helping each other, that we are a team and that solving problems is the key, not punishing or getting even. What if a person is on the Consequence Team and they break a rule? The person cannot be on the Consequence Team unless they are working for the good of the class. It is important to follow the rules all the time. If a student’s name comes down from the Honor Board, on that day they cannot serve on the consequence team.

What will happen when a new student comes to the class who doesn’t know about the Honor Board? That’s a great idea. We will review the practices and give the new person a whole day to learn about the way it works and a chance to remember the rules. Actually that will be good for all of us since we will be reminded of the rules and practices. It will also give us a chance to be kind and understanding to a new student and help them feel at home with us.

What if everyone is keeping the rules and we don’t need a meeting? On those days we can have a little celebration. We can talk about ideas or issues that have to do with rules, how they are made and why we keep them. We could talk about what is fair and what is equitable. We could talk about some of the natural laws we have, like gravity and what would happen if it stopped being a rule or law. We could talk about what happens when people get blamed for things they didn’t do and what happens when people don’t get caught. We could learn new games and see why we have the rules for those games. We might play games and see how we did keeping the rules. We could even invent new games and make rules for those games. We could talk about the rules adults have, the rules teachers follow and the things that happen to parents if they break rules. If we all work as citizens, we will have many opportunities to talk about these important things.

What happens if the teacher breaks the rules? Teachers make mistakes just like students. If a teacher makes a mistake, it would be a good idea for the teacher to admit that it happened and to see if there is a way to make restitution. No matter how old we get or how hard we try to do the right, we make mistakes and we do things we wish we could change. If I make a mistake, I will try to be brave enough to admit it to you. I will apologize if I hurt your feelings, and I will try to make restitution. I will do the best job I can of modeling good citizenship.

I will also have different rules than students have and it will be important for me to share some of those differences with you. I will help take care of you and tell you about the rules. You won’t tell me about the way I must behave. . . But, I tell you what, I will appreciate it if you let me know if I am about to slip “big time!”

Introducing the Values Practices
Values Rule

By the age of nine most children have developed a sense of right and wrong. This is an important step for the youth. It signals a different way of perceiving and describing both actions and motives. The following story illustrates the difference between the youth at a pre-moral level and the person who has reached and acquired an internalized understanding of breaking and keeping rules.

Unlike Morgan, the typical middle school student will be able to understand that the lie breaks a sense of trust and may damage our friendship. The student may choose to lie about breaking a rule or taking something, but when asked why, it is usually to save face or to keep from hurting or damaging our friendship. It is, in a sense, a way of closing the door once the horse is out, but it shows a sense of personal ownership for behavior and the discussion is likely to reflect that difference.

Another major change in this age group comes with the use of the word “fair”. We sometimes refer to this age student as having “fair” for a middle name. Fair is said with a whine, in jealousy, in a sense of righteous indignation, as a plaintive cry about a perceived injustice. And it defines itself in the student’s mind as “I’m not getting the good deal,” rather than actual concern about equity or true justice for all. Another example helps explain the thinking.

This explains the values rule of Be Fair. It covers a full range of social, emotional and moral behaviors. It also begins the process of thinking about fair, beginning to understand what “Fair” really means and setting the stage for democratic practice in the classroom. When first initiated, students will have difficulty taking a perspective which is different from their own personal world view. As discussion, practice and role playing continues, the ability to see another’s point of view expands.

This is also the ideal time to help students develop an awareness of and appreciation for different cultures, backgrounds, ideas, belief systems, languages, ways of showing pride in heritage, celebrations. Of course, the main focus remains on learning to understand a personal set of beliefs and establishing and maintaining a sturdy character with good socialization skills. It is a time to value who each person is and develop a self appreciation in concert with tolerance and valuing of others.

Moving beyond Black and White

It is also important for the teacher to recognize that seeing things in Black and White calls students to extreme behaviors and a sense of punitive and demanding thinking that is difficult to manage. This means that the teacher has a responsibility to move the student beyond this simplicity in thinking. This not only makes the classroom more pleasant, it smooths relationships and group work and it assists students to develop better moral reasoning.

The student of this age can be taught to think in the next level of reasoning. One example might be to examine what “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,” means, to people now and what it meant to the Jewish nation when it was originated. This is a loose retelling of the story line in one chapter of Genesis, a book in the Holy Bible.

There was a beautiful maiden named Dinah. She had twelve brothers who loved her very much. In a neighboring country there was a prince who fell in love with her. In a biblical sense, he “knew” her. He then approached Dinah’s family and asked for her hand in marriage. The family was furious. The prince was not a Jew, he had broken both custom and law. Some of the brothers told the prince that he could have Dinah in marriage if his whole kingdom would become like the Jews and be circumcised. The king agreed. After three days, when the men were in no position to do battle, some of the brothers came upon the kingdom and killed everyone. In today’s slang, they didn’t just get mad, they got even. It is later in the Bible that we are told of the retribution to the brothers who did the planning and executing. They did not get the full inheritance that went to the rest of the family members.

Now it is clear that “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” is a higher commandment than retribution or vengeance. It was developed to assure that a person made restitution, and that the matter then stopped. No grudges were to remain. No further actions could be taken, by law.

If someone damaged another’s eye, there was a certain price placed on that loss. The offending party paid that set amount and the matter came to a halt. No one was allowed to do more, or they in turn were required under the law to make some restitution. Of course, the Jewish people during Biblical times did not ever literally hurt the offending or guilty party. No one really took another person’s eye or tooth in payment for the injustice. The idea has stood for centuries as a very moral way of behaving. For the youngster who sees only in Black or White, is an appropriate next step for advancing perspective and to work to understand and practice high order thinking and better grasp of options.

Teachers of the middle grades recognize that the students who are making the first steps into moral reasoning tend to be more likely to agree with the actions of the two brothers and a lot less likely to applaud the idea of making restitution and then dropping the matter. The values rule highlights this dimension of thinking, this way of dealing with students and with fellow beings. It not only is discussed, it is practiced through the Consequence Team meetings.

Fairy tales, myths, animal stories and biographies can also move the student forward. These forms of literature forms tend to be written in a very moralistic, black and white manner with hero being ever so good and villains being completely black hatted and evil. These tales, in addition to being readily available on video cassette, can be made into skits, plays, puppet show, readings, slap stick and jokes. The students love the characters, the music, the soul filling simplicity of pure good and abysmal evil. They love to cast themselves winning all the prizes, giving the black guard his due.

Finally, through teaching process skills, the ways that people work with each other, solve problems, resolve conflicts, negotiate compromise, the student gains insight into self. Good social skills, kindness, the manners which are vital in working side by side with others are established and practiced. These are important tools for use in the world of work and in establishing and maintaining lasting relationships.

These become the province of the middle grades. It is a time when the energy and excitement of working with others is present, even a driving force in the youngsters. It is a critical period when developmental energy flows into learning and mastering social interchange. The students love it, and teachers who love and understand students will be elated with the quick gains. It is taught side by side as a part of every day. And the student emerges with sophistication in self understanding, in working successfully with others and in fulfilling rather than dabbing at the heteronomous side of human nature.

Discipline for Democracy: Freedom to Learn

Portrait of the Learning Community Student

The program for this level is based on recognition that students seek justice - a fairness that needs definition

The Learning Community is based on developing and acknowledging need for and power of peer esteem while strengthening student self-worth and developing a sense of community. We begin the student's journey in a just system of self-authority grounded in a universally established value system of natural and logical consequences as is evidenced through human logic. Values Rules: Be Fair
Give your Best

Democratic governance is the basis of the 'just community approach' whereby students learn to democratically share
decision making responsibility. - Kohlberg
Keys to Utilizing the energy and developmental opportunities

Role of the student
The intermediate student stretches from students who are in a latent period to those who are deeply enmeshed in adolescence. For the purposes of more clearly explaining, this is a time for consolidating the gains of childhood, of having an innate sense of wonderment and competence. A new way of looking at the world comes quietly, a new feeling of control over self and body solidifies, a more through, less frantic way of approaching problems seems to settle, and a grand self assurance that peaks in the 12 and 13 year old and marks a middle ground. The bumper sticks that suggest hiring a teen while they still know everything may have been written by parents of this age group.

P		Physical development - for most, large muscle control is a source of joy, while small muscle control and ability to work with small pieces contributes to a sense of mastery. For some, this is a very awkward and distressing time.
E		Emotional development - a work ethic and a sense of status from accomplishing goals and ideas balances with a new feeling of guilt for things not done and for ways that rules and adult expectations were circumvented. Students work best when in concert with adult guidance and flourish and beam with positive encouragement.
P		Philosophical development - the student's moral reasoning is moving forward. The ability to see the viewpoint of others and a strong internal feeling of correctness provides a new world view for the student. For some, however, the reach for peer approval may move the emergence of a sense of correctness away from the normal community concepts of justice and embed them in gang justice.
S		Social development - the referent changes dramatically for many youngsters and a new interest in peer approval. The teen desire for best friends and a sense of invincibility tend to give a different role to parents and adult models.
I		Intellectual development - the consolidation of concrete conceptualization occurs and students learn a great deal through hands-on and interactive work. This is balanced with the addition of hormones for some students, which initially interfere with cognition. The sense of omniscience may also present barriers to learning.

Physical

This is a wonderful time for model building, puzzles, stamp collections, sports. The list of pastimes is almost endless and provides a sense of competence and well-being. Hobbies, sports, scouting, outdoor activities, provide a wealth of opportunities for the youngster to express individuality, to compete with peers and to cooperate in projects and social activities. Video games, Nintendo and computer work are almost addictive in their pull on youngsters. Television viewing can compete with more active pastimes and rob the student of gaining a feeling of being competent in sports and social gatherings. TV and video play also compete with activities for gaining experience. The youngster needs help making good choices and spending time in a diversity of activities. This is also the age when youngsters will choose involvement beyond capacity. It is helpful to assist with time management issues of belonging to to many organizations, taking too many lessons, talking too long on the phone, staying too long with a newly developed skill.

Many girls begin or reach puberty at this point. It is not unusual for the majority to be thinking about an adult body. Few boys are involved in adolescent growth. This is a time when girls tend to be larger than boys, taller, more coordinated. The sexual interest tends to be addressed in extremes, from disgust and talk of germs to boy crazy tittering and note writing. Boys are typically interested in androgynous grouping though some are interested in dating and “going steady”. Dances, kissing and sexual innuendoes in joking suggest that the focus is never far away from the emerging physical development.

Emotional

Self esteem and a sense of competence are at an all time high. But this is a dramatic age, so students who “don’t fit” or who don’t get called upon until the end can see themselves as tragically affected. Secretiveness begins in earnest. Girls wear make-up that’s forbidden, sneak alcohol from home to share with friends, and may steal or shoplift for the excitement and for one special shade of lipstick or nail polish that Mom won’t buy. Some girls keep a diary for the first time and write of fantasies with other youngsters or pour out dreams and future goals.

Youngsters may try a cigarette or a drink for the first time, grab hold of a moving truck while biking, go beyond the limits in ranging from home or hiking. This is an outstanding time to give students a sense of personal possibility as part of the curriculum. Perhaps students might try underwater diving or staying in an small enclosure if they think they want to be a marine biologist, to dig a few holes with a back hoe if interested in construction, to help younger children during breaks if they want to be a teacher, to fly in a plane if being a pilot or steward seems appealing.

Philosophical

The emergence of an internal understanding of right and wrong occurs during this age span. The desire to break rules and to have one’s own way is mitigated by a concern about getting caught, an anxiety about saving face, a worry about inferiority. Also, for the first time, the student develops an ability to truly see how another might feel. Until this point, the average child viewed life from a very egocentric perspective. The youth moved from “us” - me and MOM as an unconscious thought, to “me” - my family. Now, there is a recognition that all families are not the same, that people don’t just look different, they are different. They eat different food, have different dreams, want different rewards.

All of this may translates into a jutting jaw and a lot of talk about fairness and getting even. It may mean enhanced sensitivity to others, a desire to help the world, feed hungry people, ask others about opinions and needs. It will mean that justice is seen as black and white, that mercy has little room except when “I am in trouble.” And it signals the likelihood that truth is seen as an on and off switch.

This is a great time for patriotism, loyalty to country, to group or gang, to team and favorite movie star. This is a wonderful time to teach straightforward ideas. It is a great time to initiate questions about ethical issues or ask for reflection about perspectives. It is a great time to teach alternatives as choice, but not necessarily a great time to impress the recognition that for some things there are no right or wrong answers, poor or better choices.

This is an grand opportunity to teach students how to say no, but
not necessarily a great time to get promises that have deep ethical meaning. This is an excerpt from a recent D.A.R,E. graduation essay. The student had been present for every class meeting during an eleven week series teaching the students to abstain from alcohol and drugs. Her award winning essay stated:

“I will say “no” to beer. I don’t like the taste. “
When the student was asked it she would say “no” to a rum and coke, she replied. “I like the taste of that. Why would I say no?”

Social

As mentioned before, the student’s referent changes dramatically. If a child has learned to trust others, then there will still be a great respect for adults - a parent, a teacher, a coach. However, the great weight comes from peers. Best friends, sleep-overs, special clothes “like the other kids” and doing the popular thing take center stage. Since youngsters are so compelled by these development, it is wise to use the impetus and energy to teach better social interaction, the process of being more fully social, appropriate, kind, ethical in practices. The learning community gains much of the energy from this developmental area. Since peer interaction and learning with and through peers is such a push, using that energy constructively makes a great deal of sense and it also gives us a valuable tool for shaping student capacity for social skills. Teachers benefit from the energy students have to devote to social interaction. Students benefit from having help in learning to belong in appropriate ways, utilizing time and energy appropriately and having help[ in extricating self when interactions and commitment become too intense.

Intellectual

Learning styles become more apparent as do areas of interest and specialization. Since the student is thinking at conservation of matter levels and tends to need concrete experiences to understand abstractions, the more active and constructive the classroom is, the more successful and exciting the outcomes will be. This is also the age when students have excellent success thinking about alternatives and options. It is an fine time to teach about natural and logical consequences since there is a trend to see things in black and white, to cast mistakes in “Eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth” parameters. And it is an ideal time to set self monitoring in motion. The student of this age can do an outstanding job of developing objectives, measuring outcomes and keeping a chart on self behaviors. Self evaluation is actually safer than peer evaluation during this transition in ego development, since mercy and personal exceptions are readily provided for the self but seldom valued in others.

References
     Dreikurs, R. (1968). Psychology in the classroom. New York: Harper & Row.
     Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity, youth and crisis. New York: Norton.
     Johnson, D. W. & Johnson, R. T. (1994). Learning together and alone. MA: Allyn & Bacon.
     Kohlberg, L. (1987). Child psychology and childhood education. N.Y.: Longman.
     Piaget, J. (1973). Main trends in psychology. New York: Harper & Row.
     Slavin, R. (1985). An introduction to cooperative learning research. In Slavin, R. et al. (Eds.), Learning to cooperate, cooperating to learn. New York: Plenum Press.
     Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind and society: The development of higher mental process. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Once you have finished you should:

Go on to On-line Lesson 3
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E-mail J'Anne Ellsworth at Janne.Ellsworth@nau.edu