Beyond Discipline

Alfie Kohn

Classroom Management

EDUC 360

Beyond Discipline

Alfie KohnClassroom Management

Beyond Discipline

• operates under the premise:– Students are

responsible for their own behavior

– Students are capable of controlling their own behavior

Beyond discipline looks like

• A student-directed management style

• Teachers allowing students to experience natural consequences

• Absence of physical or psychological punishments

Beyond discipline

• Does not promote removing student with misbehavior from the classroom

• Creates a unconditional community

• Designs classroom as a safe place

Beyond discipline

• Promotes creating a sense of belonging

• Teaches unconditionally

• Has high expectations with unconditional acceptance

• Sees student separate from behavior

Kohn promotes…

• Working with children to encourage their social and moral development which means…

Utilizing children’s need…

• To be able to make their own decisions

• To belong• To learn and apply

learning

So focus on…

• Learning • Classroom

environment• Set of values vs rules• Natural curiosity and

need to learn

Community environment has

• No competition• No rewards• Words of

encouragement• Respect• Sense of belonging• Class meetings

When misbehavior happens…

• Focus on curriculum• What is the purpose

of the task?• Is the learner

constructing new information?

Emphasize a curriculum based on

• Students’ affinities• Opportunities to

construct new knowledge

• Working with peers• Group projects• Multiple learning

styles

Remember students are…

• Compassionate• Sympathetic• Courteous • Curious • Constructivists

creating their own knowledge