Supportive Discipline techniques help youth make good choices when change is necessary. When discipline problems arise, meting out punishment is an over-reaction and often escalates the situation rather than calming and solving. This is because punishment only serves as a deterrent but does not necessarily change behaviors. In fact, repeated punishments for the recalcitrant student may leave him embittered and angry, and even antagonistic towards the school authority. Wolfgang (1999) integrates the philosophy and theory of counseling with discipline. Supportive techniques are half way on a power continuum from minimum to maximum use of power. The continuum reflects the level of autonomy and control given to the student to take personal charge of behavior and help re-establish order in the educational setting.

When students misbehave, it is because of inner emotional turmoil or a feeling of inadequacy. Allowing the student to ‘talk it out’ will help him develop insights and become more purposeful in his behavior. Carl Rogers believed that people have a natural capacity for growth and development, a strong desire to become mature, socially adjusted, independent and productive. He showed in his teaching, that a non-threatening relationship characterized by non-judgmental acceptance, warmth and respect, helped the student discover the capacity to use self control for growth, change, and personal development (Rogers, 1951). The teacher, as facilitator, stands ready to provide subtle hints and supports while the student refocuses and gains self control.

The corrective aspect of discipline involves the use of teaching strategies and intervention procedures to promote acceptable behaviors and change undesirable detractions from the learning community. The type of intervention depends on the seriousness of the problems presented. When dealing with more serious problems like aggression and bullying, there may be a need to mete out appropriate learning activities as a way to teach better choices and self control. The teacher conveys the message that a person has to bear the consequences of his wrong behavior, and learn better ways to get needs met and prevent further offenses. All these three aspects of discipline contribute to the ultimate goal of discipline—self-control. If students are motivated to learn, know the ground rules and exercise self-control, there will be very little need for classroom discipline. This type of discipline grants the student the power to decide on how he will change, with encouragement, and develop a mutual agreement for change. This approach to discipline offers students a unique opportunity to explore and express their ideas and feelings in a non-evaluative, non-threatening environment, reflect on their own behavior and make choices to empower individuals to own and manage their problems.

There is a strong resemblance between Wolfgang’s Confronting-Contracting Face of discipline and Reality Therapy, a cognitive behavioral approach to counseling developed by William Glasser (1965). Reality Therapy supports students being responsible for their own behavior. He believes that all human behavior is motivated by striving to meet basic psychological needs including the need to love and to be loved and the need for self-worth. These two needs have been incorporated into one need which he calls “identity”. When individuals are frustrated in their attempts to satisfy their need to be loved and to feel worthwhile, they develop a “failure identity” and resort to other avenues such as delinquency and withdrawal. Glasser believes that this “failure identity” can be changed to a “success identity”, but only when individuals change their behavior in such a way that their needs for love and self-worth are met. and individuals make honest appraisals about their actions, face reality squarely, assume personal responsibility and decide to do what is right, responsible and realistic (George & Cristiani, 1995).

Glasser (1972) includes the following steps:

1. Be involved. The teacher communicate concern to the student, along with warmth and understanding. \
2. Focus on behavior, not feelings. The emphasis here is on helping the student recognize how actions are detracting from the learning community.
3. Focus on the present. The past is important only as it relates to present behaviours.
4. Make value judgements. Students are helped to self-and determine whether they are engaging in responsible behavior. Is it getting what they want or is it hurting themselves and others?
5. Make a plan. The student works with the teacher or others to develop a specific course of action that will change irresponsible behavior to responsible community building behavior.
6. Get a commitment. Glasser believes that a plan is worthwhile only if the student makes a specific commitment to carry it out.
7. Accept no excuses. Since not all plans succeed, Glasser suggests that when a plan fails, one should focus on developing new, more realistic plans rather than investigating why the old plan failed.
8. Eliminate punishment, but don’t give up. Plan failures are not to be met with punishment, only with the natural consequences that the student has to live with. The learning community and students do not give up when plans fail, but repeat the cycle again, seeking better understanding of antecedents and pro-active, supportive ways to make necessary changes and develop more mature ways to support needs. (Wubbolding, 1991).

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