Assertive Discipline: More than Names on the Board and Marbles in a Jar

Author(s): Lee Canter

Reviewed work(s):
Source: The Phi Delta Kappan, Vol. 71, No. 1 (Sep., 1989), pp. 57-61
Published by: Phi Delta Kappa International
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20404058 .
Accessed: 02/01/2012 13:10

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .
http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of
content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms
of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Phi Delta Kappa International is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to The Phi
Delta Kappan.

http://www.jstor.org
 Assertive Discipline

More Than Names on the

Board and Marbles in a Jar

Mr. Canter explains the

background of theprogram
and addresses some of the
issues that are frequently
raised about Assertive F
Discipline.

. . . . . . . .
.~~~~~~~~

BY LEE CANTER

A BOUT A YEAR ago Iwas

on an airline flight, seated
next to a university profes
sor. When he found out
that I had developed the
Assertive Discipline program, he said,
"Oh, that's where all you do is write the
kids' names on the board when they're
bad and drop marbles in the jar when
they'regood."
The university professor's response
disturbed me. For some time rye been
concerned about a small percentage of
educators - this professor apparently
among them - who have interpreted my
program in a way that makes behavior
management sound simplistic. More im
portant, rm concernedwith theirmis- : ; . 0 ;
guidedemphasison providingonly nega- ;:. : ;
tive consequenceswhen studentsmisbe- ;-X !t,. ,i0.
LEE CANTER is president of Lee Canter .,-::
& Associates, Santa Monica, Calif He is the ei e..
author of many books on behavior manage- ~
ment and is the developer of theAssertive Dis-t.,.".
cipline program.

Illustrationby RobColvvnn S E P T E M BE R 1989 57


The key to
Assertive Discipline
is catching
students being
good - and letting
them know that
you like it.
have. The key to dealing effectively with
student behavior is not negative - but
positive - consequences. To clarify my
views for Kappan readers, I would like
to explain the background of the program
and address some of the issues that are
often raisedaboutAssertive Discipline.
I developed the program about 14 years
ago, when I first became aware that
teachers were not trained to deal with stu
dent behavior. Teachers were taught such
concepts as "Don't smile until Christmas"
or "If your curriculum is good enough,
you will have no behavior problems."
Those concepts were out of step with the
reality of student behavior in the 1970s.
When I discovered this lack of train
ing, I began to study how effective teach
ers dealt with student behavior. I found
that, above all, the master teachers were
"You're here to teach, Mr. Gooch. You must stop telling your students,
'That's for me to know and for you to find out.'"
58 PHI DELTA KAPPAN
assertive; that is, they taught students
how to behave. They established clear
rules for the classroom, they commu
nicated those rules to the students, and
they taught the students how to follow
them. These effective teachers had also
mastered skills inpositive reinforcement,
and they praised every student at least
once a day. Finally, when students chose
to break the rules, these teachers used
firmandconsistentnegativeconsequences
- but only as a last resort.
It troubles me to find my work inter
preted as suggesting that teachers need
only provide negative consequences - can be sent home to parents, who then
check marks or demerits - when stu
dents misbehave. That interpretation is
wrong. The key to Assertive Discipline
is catching students being good: recog
nizing and supporting them when they
behave appropriately and letting them
know you like it, day in and day out.
THE DISCIPLINE PLAN
It is vital for classroom teachers to have
a systematic discipline plan that explains
exactly what will happen when students
choose to misbehave. By telling the stu
dents at the beginning of the school year
what the consequences will be, teachers
insure that all students know what to ex
pect in the classroom. Without a plan,
teachers must choose an appropriate con
sequence at the moment when a student
misbehaves. They must stop the lesson,
talk to the misbehaving student, and
do whatever else the situation requires,
while 25 to 30 students look on. That is
not an effective way to teach - or to deal
with misbehavior.
Most important, without a plan teach
ers tend to be inconsistent. One day they
may ignore students who are talking,
yelling, or disrupting the class. The next
day they may severely discipline students
for the same behaviors. In addition,
teachers may respond differently to stu
dents from different socioeconomic, eth
nic, or racial backgrounds.
An effective discipline plan is applied
fairly to all students. Every student who
willfully disrupts the classroom and stops
the teacher from teaching suffers the
same consequence. And a written plan
know beforehand what the teacher's stan
dards are and what will be done when
students choose to misbehave. When a
teacher calls a parent, there should be no
surprises.
MISBEHAVIOR AND CONSEQUENCES
I suggest that a discipline plan include
amaximum of five consequences for mis
behavior, but teachers must choose con
sequences with which they are comfort
able. For example, the first time a stu
dent breaks a rule, the student iswarned.
The second infraction brings a 10-minute
timeout; the third infraction, a 15-minute
timeout. The fourth time a student breaks
a rule, the teacher calls the parents; the
fifth time, the student goes to the prin
cipal.
No teacher should have a plan that is
not appropriate for his or her needs and
that is not in the best interests of the stu
dents. Most important, the consequences
should never be psychologically or phys
ically harmful to the students. Students
should never be made to stand in front
of the class as objects of ridicule or be
degraded in any other way. Nor should
they be given consequences that are in
appropriate for their grade levels. I also
feel strongly that corporal punishment
should never be administered. There are
more effective ways of dealing with stu
dents than hitting them.
Names and checks on the board are
sometimes said to be essential to an As
sertive Discipline program, but they are
not. I originally suggested this particu
lar practice because I had seen teachers
interrupt their lessons tomake such nega
tive comments to misbehaving students
as, "You talked out again. I've had it.
You're impossible. That's 20 minutes af
ter school." Iwanted to eliminate the need
to stop the lesson and issue reprimands.
Writing a student's name on the board
would warn the student in a calm, non
degradingmanner. Itwould also provide
a record-keepingsystem for the teacher.
Unfortunately,someparentshavemis
interpretedtheuse of names and checks
on the board as a way of humiliating stu
dents. I now suggest thatteachersinstead
write an offending student'sname on a
clipboard or in the roll book and say to
the student,'You talkedout, you disrupt
ed the class, you broke a rule. That's a
warning. That's a check."
In addition to parents, some teachers
havemisinterpreted elements of theAs
sertiveDiscipline program.The vastma
jority of teachers - my staff and I have
probably trainedclose to750,000 teach
ers - have used the program to dramat
ically increase their relianceon positive
reinforcementand verbal praise. But a
small percentageof teachershave inter
preted theprogramina negativemanner.
There are several reasons for this. to follow certain directions, theymust
First, Assertive Discipline has become a teachthe specificbehaviors.Teachers too
generic term, likeXerox or Kleenex. A often assume that students know how
numberof educatorsare now conducting they are expected to behave. Teachers
training in what they call Assertive Dis
ciplinewithout teachingall thecompeten for each activity during the day - lec
cies essential tomy program. For exam
ple, I have heard reportsof teacherswho
were taught that they had only to stand
in front of their students, tell them that act behaviors they expect from the stu
therewere rules and consequences, dis
play a chart listing those rules and con
sequences, and write the names of mis
behaving studentson theboard.Thatwas
it.Those teacherswere never introduced
to theconcept thatpositive reinforcement
is thekey to dealingwith students.Such
programsare not in thebest interestsof
students.
Negative interpretations
have also come
fromburned-out,overwhelmed teachers
who feel they do not get the support
that they need from parents or adminis
trators and who take out their frustrations
on students.Assertive Discipline is not
a negative program, but it can be misused
by negative teachers. The answer is not
to change the program, but to change the
teachers. We need to train administra
tors,mentor teachers, and staff devel
opers to coach negative teachers in the
use of positive reinforcement. If these
teacherscannot become more positive,
they should not be teaching.
POSITIVE DISCIPLINE
I recommend a three-step cycle of be
haviormanagement to establish a posi
tive discipline system.
wrong with you?Get back towork.") In
stead, teachersshould focuson those stu
dentswho do follow the directions, re
phrasing theoriginaldirectionsas a posi
Xhenever tive comment.For example, "Jasonwent
back to his seat and got right to work."
teachers want Third, if a studentis stillmisbehaving
after a teacherhas taughtspecific direc
students to tions and has used positive repetition,
only thenshouldthe teacheruse thenega
follow certain tive consequencesoutlined in his or her
Assertive Discipline plan. As a general
directions, they rule, a teachershouldn'tadministera dis
ciplinary consequence to a studentuntil
must teach the the teacher has reinforced at least two stu
dents for the appropriatebehavior. Ef
specific behaviors. fective teachersare alwayspositive first.
Focusing on negative behavior teaches
students thatnegative behavior gets at
tention, that the teacher is a negative per
son, and that the classroom is a negative
First,whenever teacherswant students place.
An effectivebehaviormanagementpro
grammust be built on choice. Students
must know beforehandwhat is expected
of them in the classroom, what will hap
firstneed to establish specific directions pen if they choose to behave, and what
will happen if they choose not to be
tures, small-groupwork, transitionsbe have. Students learn self-discipline and
tween activities, and so forth. For each responsiblebehaviorby beinggiven clear,
situation,teachersmust determinethe ex consistent choices. They learn that their
actions have an impact and that they
dents. themselves control the consequences.
For example, teachersmay want stu I wish teachers did not need to use
dents to stay in their seats during a lec negative consequences at all. I wish all
ture, focusing theireyes on the lecturer, students came to school motivated to
clearing theirdesks of all materials ex learn. Iwish all parents supportedteach
ceptpaperandpencil, raisingtheirhands ers and administrators. But that's not the
when theyhave questions or comments, realitytoday.Many childrendo not come
and waiting to be called on before speak to school intrinsicallymotivated to be
ing.Once teachershave determined the have. Their parentshave never takenthe
specificbehaviorsfor each situation,they timeor don'thave theknowledgeor sklfls
must teach the studentshow to follow the to teachthemhow tobehave.Given these
directions.Theymust firststatethedirec circumstances, teachersneed to set firm
tions and, with younger students,write and consistent limits in theirclassrooms.
the behaviors on the board or on a flip However, those limitsmust be fair, and
chart. Then theymust model the be the consequences must be seen as out
haviors, ask the students to restate the comes of behaviors that students have
directions, question the studentstomake chosen.
sure theyunderstandthedirections, and Studentsneed teacherswho can create
immediatelyengage the students in the classroom environmentsinwhich teach
activity tomake sure that they understand ing and learning can take place. Every
the directions. student has the right to a learning en
Second, after teaching the specific vironment that is free from disruption.
directions, teachers- especially at the Students also need teacherswho help
elementary level - must use positive them learnhow to behave appropriately
repetitionto reinforce the studentswhen in school.Many studentswho are catego
they follow the directions. Typically, rized as behaviorproblemswould not be
teachersgive directions to the students so labeled if their teachershad taught
and thenfocusattentiononly on those stu themhow tobehave appropriatelyin the
dents who do not obey. ("Bobby,you classroom and had raised their self
didn'tgo back toyour seat.Teddy,what's esteem.
SEPTEMBER 1989 59
 classroommanagement.2Research con
WHY ASSERTIVE DISCIPLINE? ducted in school districts inCalifornia,
The average teacher never receives Oregon, Ohio, andArizona has shown
in-depth, competency-based training in thatan overwhelmingmajority of teach
managing thebehaviorof 30 students.No A smorgasbord ers believe thatAssertiveDiscipline helps
one teachesteachershow tokeep students to improve theclimate in the schools and
in their seats longenough for teachers to
approach to class the behavior of students.3
make good use of the skills they learned No one should be surprised that re
in their education classes. Inmost in
room management search has verified the success of the
stances, behaviormanagement is taught forces teachers program when teachers use the skills
througha smorgasbordapproach- a lit properly. Numerous research studies
tle bit ofWilliam Glasser, a littlebit of to sink or swim. have shown that teachersneed to teach
Thomas Gordon, a little bit of Rudolf students the specific behaviors that they
Dreikurs, a littlebit of Lee Canter. The Too many sink. expect from them.Research also shows
teachers are told to find an approach that that student behavior improves when
works for them. teachersuse positive reinforcementeffec
Such an approach to trainingteachers tively and that thepairing of positive re
inbehaviormanagement is analogous to inforcementwith consistentdisciplinary
a swimmingclass inwhich nonswimmers supportfrom thebuilding administrator. consequences effectively motivates stu
arebriefly introduced- without practice Without an administrator backinga teach dents to behave appropriately.4
- to the crawl stroke, thebreast stroke, er's efforts to improvebehaviormanage Any behavior management program
theback stroke,and the side stroke; then ment, without an administratorto coach thatis taughtto teacherstodaymust have
they are rowed to the middle of a lake, and clinically supervise a teacher'sbe a solid foundationin research.Many so
tossed overboard, and told to swim to haviormanagement skills, that teacher called "experts"advocate programs that
shore, using whatever strokeworks for is not going to receive the necessary are based solely on their own opinions
them. In effect, we're telling teachers to feedbackand assistance tomaster those regardingwhat constitutesa properclass
sink or swim, and too many teachers are skills. roomenvironment. When pressed,many
sinking. Parental supportfor teachers'discipli of theseexpertshave no researchvalidat
The lack of ability tomanage student nary efforts is equally important.Many ing their opinions or perceptions, and
behavior is one of the key reasonswhy teachersbecome frustratedand give up many of theirprogramshave never been
beginning teachersdrop out of teaching. when theydon'treceive such support. We validatedforeffectiveness inclassrooms.
Teachersmust be trained thoroughly in must trainteachersto guarantee the sup We can't afford to train educators in pro
classroommanagement skills. It is not port of parentsby teaching teachershow grams based only on whim or untested
sufficient for them to know how to teach to communicateeffectivelywith parents. theory. We have an obligation to insure
content. They will never get to the con In teacherftainingprograms,participants that any trainingprogram in behavior
tent unless they know how to create a are led to believe that today's parents management be based solidly on tech
positive environment inwhich students will act as parents did in the past and give niques that have been validated by re
know how to behave. absolute support to the school. That is search and that have been shown towork
Assertive Discipline is not a cure-all. rarely the case. Today's teachers call par in the classroom.
It is a startingpoint.Every teachershould ents and are told, "He's your problem at Research has demonstrated that Asser
also know how to use counseling skills, school. You handle it. You're the profes tive Discipline works and that it isn't just
how to use group process skills, and how sional. You take care of him. I don't a quick-fix solution. In school districts in
to help studentswith behavioraldeficits know what to do. Leave me alone." Lennox, California, and Troy, Ohio,
learn appropriateclassroom behaviors. teachers who were trained 10 years ago
Inaddition,classroommanagementmust still use the program effectively.5 The
RESEARCH AND ASSERTIVE DISCIPLINE
be part of an educator'scontinuingpro program works because it is based on
fessionaldevelopment.Teachers routine Over the last several years, a number practices thateffective teachershave fol
ly attendworkshops, enroll in college of dissertations,master's theses, and re lowed instinctively for a long time. It's
courses, receive feedbackfrom adminis searchprojectshave dealtwith Assertive not new to have rules in a classroom. It's
trators, and take part in regular inservice Discipline. The results have consistent not new touse positive reinforcement.It's
training to refine their teaching skills. ly shown that teachersdramatically im not new to have disciplinary conse
Classroommanagementskillsdeserve the prove studentbehaviorwhen theyuse the quences.
sameattention.Unfortunately,some edu skills as prescribed. Teachers who use Teachers who are effective year after
cators view training in Assertive Dis Assertive Discipline reduce the frequen year take the basic Assertive Discipline
cipline as a one-shot process; they attend cy of disruptive behavior in their class competencies and mold them to their in
a one-day workshop, and that's supposed rooms, gready reduce thenumberof stu dividual teaching styles. They may stop
to take care of their training needs for the dents they refer to administrators,and using certain techniques,such as putting
rest of their careers. dramaticallyincreasetheirstudents'time marbles in ajar or writing names on the
One day is not enough. It takes a great on-task.1 Other research has demonstrat board. That's fine. I don't want the lega
deal of effort and continuing training ed that student teachers trained inAsser cy of Assertive Discipline to be - and
for a teachertomaster the skills of class tive Discipline are evaluated by their I don'twant teacherstobelieve tey have
roommanagement.A teacheralso needs master teachers as more effective in touse -names and checks on thieboard

60 PHIDELTA
KAPPAN
or marbles in a jar. I want teachers to
learn that they have to take charge, ex
plain theirexpectations,be positivewith
students, and consistently employ both Save the Bfaby!
positive reinforcementandnegative con
sequences.These are the skills thatform A
the basis of Assertive Discipline and of
Response to
any effectiveprogramof classroomman
agement. 'Integrating the Children
1. Linda H. Mandlebaum et al., "Assertive Dis
cipline: An Effective Behavior Management Pro Of the Second System'
gram," Behavioral Disorders Journal, vol. 8,1983,
pp. 258-64; Carl L. Fereira, "A Positive Approach
to Assertive Discipline," Martinez (Calif.) Unified
SchoolDistrict, ERICED 240 058,1983; andSam
mie McCormack, "Students' Off-Task Behavior and
Assertive Discipline" (Doctoral dissertation, Univer
sity of Oregon, 1985).
2. Susan Smith, The Effects of Assertive Dis To throwout the baby (bydismantling special education)
cipline Training on Student Teachers' Self Concept because the bath water ismurky (thereare still unresolved
and Classroom Management Skills" (Doctoral dis
sertation, University of South Carolina, 1983). problems)wouldproduceunintendedresultsof disastrous
L. Moffett et al., "Assertive Discipline,"
3. Kenneth
proportions, these authors charge in their response to a
California School Board Journal, June/July/August
1982, pp. 24-27; Mark Y. Swanson, "Assessment November Kappan article.
of the Assertive Discipline Program," Compton
(Calif.)Unified SchoolDistrict, Spring 1984; "Dis
cipline Report," Cartwright (Ariz.) Elementary
School District, 10 February 1982; and Confeder
ation of Oregon School Administrators, personal
letter, 28 April 1980.
4. Helen Hair et al., "Development of Internal BY GLENN A. VERGASON AND M. L. ANDEREGG
Structure in Elementary Students: A System of
Classroom Management and Class Control," ERIC
T
ED 189 067, 1980;EdmundEmmer andCarolyn O SAY THAT we are dis attack based on researchmethodology
Everston, "Effective Management: At the Begin turbed by the attack on spe that is so clearly flawed.2 While it is
ning of the School Year in Junior High Classes," cial education that appeared bothhealthyandhelpful to raisequestions
Research and Development Center for Teacher Edu
cation, University of Texas, Austin, 1980; Marcia
in theNovember 1988Kap about educational practices, these re
Broden et al., "Effects of Teacher Attention on At pan is an understatement.' searchers have gone beyond the data to
tending Behavior of Two Boys at Adjacent Desks," We do not understandwhy profession conduct a campaign to change special
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, vol. 3,1970,
als in special education are attempting to education in their own image. Their
pp. 205-11; HiU Walker et al., The Use of Nor
mative Peer Data as a Standard for Evaluating Treat
make major changes in the professional previous articleson this issue 3and their
ment Effects," Journal of Applied Behavior Analy practiceof regulareducation.Moreover, speecheshave promptedone critic to de
sis, vol. 37,1976, pp. 145-55; Jere Brophy, "Class we question why such well-known re scribe their efforts as more a "public re
room Organization and Management," Elementary searchers as Margaret Wang, Maynard lations campaign" than a research ef
School Journal, vol. 83, 1983, pp. 265-85; Hill
Walker et al., "Experiments with Response Cost
Reynolds, andHerbertWalberg are so fort.4Others have characterized their
in Playground and Classroom Settings," Center for
dedicated to dismantling special educa solutions as "patentmedicine."5
Research in Behavioral Education of the Handi tion. The movement they championhas One of the premises in the Kappan ar
capped, University of Oregon, Eugene, 1977; been given different names - the Regu ticle (and elsewhere in thewritings of
Thomas McLaughlin and John Malaby,
and Measuring
"Reducing
Jour
larEducation Initiative, the SharedRe these three educators) is the idea that
Inappropriate Verbalizations,"
nal of Applied Behavior Analysis, vol. 5,1972, pp.
sponsibility Initiative, theGeneral Edu regulareducation and special education
329-33; Charles Madsen et al., "Rules, Praise, and cation Initiative - but the underlying form separate systems. Our own ex
Ignoring: Elements of Elementary Classroom Con message is the same: a group of special perience andour discussionswith teach
trol," Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, vol.
educators knows what is best for all kinds ers and administrators do not lead us
1, 1968, pp. 139-50; Charles Greenwood et al.,
"Group Contingencies for Group Consequences in of education. to accept that notion. In fact, the very
Classroom Management: A Further Analysis," We also question why professionals children that thesewriters hope to res
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, vol. 7,1974, who are so well-known for their interest cue from special education are, by and
pp. 413-25; and K. Daniel O'Leary et al., "A To in research persist in pursuing a plan of large, in regular education classes for
ken Reinforcement Program in a Public School: A
and Systematic Analysis," Journal of
most of the school day. Special educa
Replication GLENN A. VERGASON (Metro Atlanta!
Applied Behavior Analysis, vol. 2,1969, pp. 3-13. tion is an adaptive support system for the
Georgia State University Chapter) is a pro
5. Kenneth L. Moffett et al., Training and Coach mildly handicapped; it is not a separate
fessor in the Department of Special Educa
ing Beginning Teachers: An Antidote to Reality
tion and coordinator of the Special Education system.
Shock," Educational Leadership, February 1987,
Administration Program at Georgia State Wang, Reynolds, andWalberg suggest
pp. 34-46; and Bob Murphy, Troy High School:
An Assertive Model," Miami Valley Sunday News, University, Atlanta, whereM. L ANDEREGG that special education programs are usu
Troy, Ohio, 12 March 1989, p. 1. IB is a doctoral student in special education. ally "pull-out" programs and criticize

SEPTEMBER 1989 61