MEJ/September'86 23

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often expressed frustration in cop-
ing with the variety of student be-
havioral problems they faced daily.
I sense that they often have not had
any logical plan to solve their prob-
lems but have usually reacted to
discipline problems rather than act-
ed to develop a successful manage-
ment plan. During the workshop we
not only discuss the techniques of
preventive discipline but also de-
vote several days to the study and
discussion of three basic models
for solving discipline problems.
Back to the basics ...
To understand children, their be-
havior, and, ultimately, discipline
strategies, teachers must have a
knowledge of basic psychological
theory. In their excellent book on
discipline, Charles H. Wolfgang and
Carl D. Glickman state:
If the teacheris able to view the context
of his or her own behavioras indicative
of a certain psychological position, it
will help to clarify the need to change
either his beliefs or actions. In knowing
various major psychological theories
the teacher additionallygains a greater
working knowledge of alternative ap-
proacheshe or she may use at different
times in working with individualstu-
dents.'
Three major educational theories
are based on the fields of humanis-
tic, Gestalt, and behaviorist psy-
chology.
The humanistic approach
Humanism, the first model, is a
rather flexible and individualized
approach to solving discipline prob-
lems. The teacher is very conscious
of the inherent individual differ-
1. Charles H. Wolfgang and Carl D. Glickman,
Solving Discipline Problems. Strategies for the
Classroom Teacher (Boston: Allyn and Bacon,
1980), 10.
24 MEJ/September'86
ences among students and often
serves as a counselor in communi-
cating with the problem student.
Solving problems humanistically
represents an attempt to draw out
the student's inner emotions and
feelings, which are often the root of
the problem. This interaction be-
tween teachers and students does
not offer a quick solution to prob-
lems but often requires much time
and patience from the teacher.
Perhaps most fundamental to
this approach is the teacher's use of
appropriate communication and lis-
tening skills. The teacher must
avoid language that is demeaning,
sarcastic, moralizing, or judgmen-
tal. The teacher must attempt two-
way communication with the stu-
dent through opportunities for dia-
logue and active, concerned
listening. The teacher should not
stress "I"but instead refer to "me,"
"you," "we," and "us" in any dia-
logue. Communication must indi-
cate empathy and interest in the
student and his or her problems.
An effective strategy few teach-
ers attempt to use is student feed-
back. Any beginning teacher, or one
in a new classroom situation,
should "feel the pulse" of his class-
es by providing students the oppor-
tunity to communicate, either ver-
bally or in writing, their reactions
and feelings. This can take place
early in the year, as part of coopera-
tive planning, or later, following a
particular activity, to assess student
attitudes, feelings, and suggestions
for improvement. Some student
comments may hurt for a while, but
the long-range values are extremely
useful.
Because many of the strategies
within humanism are based on psy-
choanalytic theory, a common criti-
cism is its limitation for large group
discipline problems. This criticism
is not unfounded, but many group
problems can be alleviated by com-
munication and cooperative prob-
lem solving; the "no-lose" method,
where discussion of several options
leads to a mutually acceptable solu-
tion, is particularly recommended
for group situations. The following
steps provide for teacher-student
interaction and mutual problem
solving:
1. Define the group discipline prob-
lem.
2. Generate possible solutions.
3. Evaluate effectiveness of possi-
ble solutions.
4. Decide which solution seems
workable.
5. Implement solution.
6. Evaluate effectiveness of results.
Experienced teachers recognize
that children often play games with
them that result in discipline prob-
lems, and each summer the work-
shop members generate an exten-
sive list of the games students play.
Typical are the show-off, the class
clown, the bully, and students who
constantly whine and alibi. Rather
than treat the game with some su-
perficial strategy, one must find the
basis for the misbehavior, which
usually stems from frustration,
insecurity, or a need for attention.
The teacher must take steps to
eliminate the "pay-off"; that is,
whatever generates and sustains
the misbehavior. The teacher must
not resort to playing the game by
mirroring the student behavior; sar-
casm and negative teacher behavior
only foster similar student behav-
ior. The problem must be resolved
in a cool, professional manner that
will represent a model for the stu-
dents.
Gestalt
Even though the term "Gestalt
psychology" is a familiar one, many
teachers are more comfortable with
the label "social/democratic educa-
tion" to describe this approach.
Gestaltists define growth and be-
havior as the student's interaction
with his environment: peers, teach-
ers, parents, school, and social and
extracurricular life. Misbehavior is
often the result of a student's misdi-
rected attempts to achieve recogni-
 SAMPLE BEHAVIORALCONTRACT
Contract between
(student)
Description of behavior problem:
Description of desired behavior:
Plan for behavior change:
Schedule of conferences to evaluate student's progress:
Consequences if contract is not met:
Comments:
Signed Date
(student)
Signed Date
(teacher)
Figure 1.
tion and approval from those within
his environment. Alfred Adler de-
scribes this process:
We always come upon the outstanding
fact that throughoutthe whole period
of development,the child possesses a
feelingof inferiorityin its relationsboth
to parentsand the worldat large... this
feeling of inferiorityis the cause of his
continual restlessness as a child, his
cravingfor action, his playingof roles,
and pittingof his strengthsagainstthat
of others....2
Many music educators find this
model useful in working with larger
classes, particularly performance
groups, yet some Gestalt strategies
can be valuable in solving individ-
ual discipline problems. To make
the best use of this approach in
group situations, the teacher must
stress the need for a total effort
from all involved, as well as a sense
of individual student responsibility
toward the full group. No one stu-
dent is expendable if the goals of
the group are to be reached. Teach-
ers must take care to outline clear,
attainable rules for behavior and
2 AlfredAdler,ThePracticeand Theoryof Individ-
ual Psychology (Totowa, NJ: LittlefieldAdams,
1970), 33
and Date
(teacher)
Copies to:
the consequences for misbehavior,
poor attendance, or personal irre-
sponsibility.
For individual discipline prob-
lems, the teacher should use strate-
gies that will eliminate the undesir-
able behaviors. An example might
be the student who is seeking atten-
tion through misbehavior. This at-
tention must be denied by tempo-
rarily removing the student from
the group; at the same time, the
teacher must outline positive steps
that the student can take to be
admitted back as a productive,
well-behaved member.
Another recommended strategy
is to channel problem students into
useful, correct behavior by assign-
ing a special task or responsibility
helpful to the teacher or group.
With the shy, withdrawn student
who is not usually a problem, the
teacher should provide some type
of recognition that can help build
self-esteem and peer approval.
These steps can aid in helping a
problem student:
1. Identify, detail the student's mis-
behavior.
2. Determine what techniques are
working or not working with the
student.
3. Work with the student privately
to help him analyze his misbehav-
ior.
4. Develop a cooperative plan for
improving behavior. This can take
the form of a written "Behavioral
Contract."
5. Outline rewards for acceptable
behavior as well as consequences
for misbehavior.
6. If during the implementation of
the plan or contract, behavior does
not improve or worsens, act quickly
on consequences.
7. With the successful completion
of the plan or contract, reinforce-
ment must be obvious and sincere.
A sample behavioral contract is giv-
en in figure 1.
The busy music educator too of-
ten forgets the larger goal of educa-
tion-developing responsible and
functioning citizens-at the ex-
pense of the many short-range ac-
tivities and performances demand-
ed of our field. The message of the
Gestalt approach must not be lost
on our profession.
[Mis]Behaviorism
In the view of the behaviorist, a
student develops according to the
conditions of his or her environ-
ment. The teacher maintains exten-
sive control of this environment by
shaping the student's behavior and
academic development. In this ap-
proach, teaching and discipline
take a more direct form than in the
humanistic or Gestalt models. By
asserting his authority, the teacher
is in full control. Critics of behav-
iorism claim that little recognition
is given to the student's feelings
and emotions, in deference to the
end product of improved behavior.
On the other hand, behavioral disci-
pline strategies for either a class
setting or the individual problem
MEJ/September'86 25
student can usually be quickly im-
plemented and achieved.
Behavior modification, perhaps
the most familiar of the three disci-
plinary approaches, can be used as
a curricular tool or a behavioral
strategy. The teacher controls and
shapes the student's behavior by
selective use of positive reinforce-
ment or punishment. To be effec-
tive, a behavior modification strate-
gy must be carefully planned and
implemented. A framework for this
strategy would include:
1. Select a specific behavior to be
changed.
2. Establish goals for improved be-
havior.
3. Determine how the success of
the strategy is to be evaluated.
4. Select reinforcement and punish-
ment techniques.
5. Provide an environment for im-
proving the behavior.
6. Carry out the strategy.
7. Evaluate the effectiveness of the
strategy.
Several practical applications of be-
havior modification to school mu-
sic programs are thoroughly de-
scribed in R. Douglas Greer's De-
sign for Music Learning.3
Attempting to identify and solve
too many behavioral problems at a
time often makes strategies un-
wieldy. It is better to narrow the
focus; workshop participants have
successfully dealt with a specific
problem in rehearsals, improved
the start or conclusion of a class,
improved general attitude, and en-
couraged participation.
Specific behavior modification
techniques that have been found to
be successful include obvious
praise and encouragement and the
giving of tangible rewards that are
attainable and enjoyable, including
token systems, free days, special
trips, parties, and special privileges.
Successful punishment strategies
include time-out or isolation of
problem students, fines, negative
practice, and satiation. Our teach-
ers have found the behavior modifi-
cation strategy to be particularly
effective at the elementary level.
More extensive and sophisticated
3. R. Douglas Greer, Design for Music Learning
(New York:TeacherCollege Press, 1980).
26 MEJ/September '86
reward and award systems and out-
of-class activities like trips and spe-
cial events have been more usable
at the middle school and secondary
levels.
Assertive discipline, a behaviorist
technique first developed by Lee
Canter and Marlene Canter, has re-
cently increased in popularity and
is often instituted through in-ser-
vice programs as a school-wide
strategy.4 This strategy's strength is
based on the right of teachers to
establish a classroom environment
that provides for optimum learning
for all students. Furthermore,
teachers have every right to request
appropriate behavior from all stu-
dents. If proper behavior is not
shown, immediate and effective
consequences must result. Parental
and administrative support and in-
volvement are also expected in sup-
port of teacher discipline.
The strategy, much like behavior
modification, has specific proce-
dures to be implemented by the
teacher:
1. Have a small set of rules, approxi-
mately five.
2. Set very clear limits and conse-
quences for misbehavior.
3. Communicate rules, limits, and
consequences clearly.
4. Use the blackboard to indicate
names of students who misbehave.
5. Check off student names on
board if misbehavior continues.
6. Act quickly on misbehavior.
7. Reinforce correct behavior ver-
bally and through contingencies
and privileges.
8. Communicate not only misbehav-
ior but exemplary behavior to par-
ents.
For continued severe problem
behaviors, the school should imple-
ment in-school as well as out-of-
school suspension programs entail-
ing evening or Saturday sessions.
Written contracts have also been
helpful for specific problem stu-
dents. School-wide programs some-
times use discipline cards that are
carried from class to class by a
student for follow-up and reinforce-
ment of consequences by the total
school staff.
4. Lee Canterand MarleneCanter,AssertiveDis-
cipline (Los Angeles: Lee Canter Associates,
1972).
The right approach?
From these many ideas and tech-
niques, the effective and caring
teacher will choose those that best
benefit the student and group.
Again, flexibility is the key to effec-
tive teaching. One must be aware
that no one approach to solving
discipline problems will be success-
ful for all students and classes. The
choice is yours!
Selected readings
General discipline
Charles, C. M. Building Classroom Disci-
pline. New York: Longman, 1981.
National Education Association. Discipline
in the Classroom. Washington, DC: NEA,
1980.
Swick, Kenneth J. Disruptive Student Be-
havior in the Classroom. Washington, DC:
NEA, 1980.
Wolfgang, Charles H., and Carl D. Glickman.
Solving Discipline Problems: Strategies
for the Classroom Teacher. Boston: Allyn
and Bacon, 1980.
Humanistic discipline
Ernst, Ken. Games Students Play, and What
to Do About Them. Mellbrae, CA: Celestial
Arts, 1973.
Gordon, Thomas. T.E.T.: Teacher Effective-
ness Training. New York: David McKay,
1974.
Harris, Thomas. I'm OK-You're OK: A
Practical Guide to Transactional Analy-
sis. New York: Harper and Row, 1969.
Jones, Vernon, and Louise Jones. Responsi-
ble Classroom Discipline. Boston: Allyn
and Bacon, 1981.
Raths, Louis, Merrill Harmin, and Sidney B.
Simon. Values and Teaching. Columbus,
OH: Charles Merrill, 1966.
Simon, Sidney B., Leland B. Howe, and H.
Kirschbaum. Values Clarification: A
Handbook of Practical Strategies for
Teachers and Students. New York: Hart,
1972.
Gestalt discipline
Dreikurs, Rudolph. Discipline Without
Tears: What to Do With Children Who
Misbehave. New York: Hawthorne, 1972.
Glasser, William. Schools Without Failure.
New York: Harper and Row, 1969.
Rinne, Carl H. Attention: The Fundamentals
of Classroom Control. Columbus, OH:
Charles Merrill, 1984.
Behaviorist discipline
Canter, Lee, and Marlene Canter. Assertive
Discipline. Los Angeles: Lee Canter and
Associates, 1972.
Clarizio, Harvey F. Toward Positive Class-
room Discipline. New York: John Wiley
and Son, 1976.
Greer, R. Douglas. Design for Music Learn-
ing. New York: Teachers College Press,
1980.
Madsen, Charles, and Clifford Madsen.
Teaching/Discipline. Boston: Allyn and
Bacon, 1980. A