THE LEARNERS

OF TODAY
and
ASSERTIVE DISCIPLINE
Mr. Melchor P. Pablico
Educ 105 Instructor

*The Children of Today

The Children of Today

Have different learning styles
Mature-thinkers
Smart and witty
Can hardly focus on class
activities
due to distractions
other factors like physical,
psychological, and emotional
problems

The Children of Today

What academic
specialists and
authors say

Leone (2001)
The learners of today may be
equipped with the technological
gizmos and gadgets but they
are less motivated, they lack
concentration and they
definitely need help.

Canter (1992)
Being a teacher is a challenging
job especially in todays world.
One may find, like many teachers
today, that it is increasingly
difficult to establish a classroom
environment that is free from
disruptive behavior.

Usova (1999)
A teacher cannot concentrate
on helping children learn if
he/she is using much of his/her
time and energy struggling to
achieve order or worrying
about his/her failure to do so.

Canter (1992)
In spite of the difficulties that
you (teachers) face, you can
create and maintain the kind of
classroom in which you can
effectively teach,
and your pupils can learn and
grow academically and socially.

Objectives:
1. To present the characteristics
of the 21st Century learners in the
elementary grades;
2. To identify difficult behaviors in
the classroom;
3. To tackle the identified
contributing factors to pupils
misbehavior;

Objectives:
4. To discuss on the effectiveness of
the Assertive Discipline Approach in
managing the pupils of today; and
5. To instill the significance of a wellmanaged class with pupils who are
on-task and are fully motivated.

Characteristics of the
21st Century Learners
1. Skilled multi-taskers

2. Highly visual learners

Characteristics of the
21st Century Learners
3. Experiential
4. Very sociable and interactive
5. Have short attention span

Characteristics of the
21st Century Learners
6. Need immediate feedback

7. Very independent learners

The 3 Kinds of Learners

(Prensky)
1. Those who are truly selfmotivated
2. Those who go through the
motions
3. Those who tune us out

The learners of today are so

much engaged

Some childrens
comments:
I could have nothing to do and Ill
find something in the internet.
Everyday after school, I go home
and download music its all I do!
On the Internet, you can play
games, you can check your mail,
you can talk to your friends, you
can buy things

Elementary pupils
today

Difficult Behaviors in the

Classroom
Ramblin
g

Grandstandi
ng

Hostility
/
Resistan
ce

Shyness

Arguing

Griping

Talkativen
ess

Sharpshooti
ng

Side
Conversatio
ns

MISBEHAVIOOOR
RR!!!

MISBEHAVIOR
(Charles)

an intentional
behavior that is
considered
inappropriate
for the setting
or situation in
which it occurs

5 Categories:
Aggressi
on

Immorali
ty

Class
Disrupti
ons

Defiance
of
Authorit
y

Creating
Mistakes

Discipline (Charles)
what
teachers do to
help
students/pupils
behave
acceptably in
school.

Arguments on
Effective
Discipline

ASSERTIVE DISCIPLINE
PRACTICES OF TEACHERS

INTERVENTION!

Lee Canters
ASSERTIVE DISCIPLINE
MODEL

- United States
- 1970s
-continually been
developed through the
years
- product of research

Basic Question:
What did teachers who
had few discipline
problems do that other
teachers with more
problems did not do?

What is Assertive Discipline?

- a structured, systematic
approach designed to
assist educators in
running an organized,
teacher-in-charge
classroom environment

Assertive vs. Non-Assertive

*
*
*
*

Calm
* Reacts easily
Unemotional
* Emotional
Lots of eye contact
* Inconsistent
Uses praise
* Pleads/begs

Key Ideas:
1. The teacher insists and expects
responsible behavior from the learners.
2. Adequate classroom behavior is
maintained.
3. Both teacher and learners have
rights.

Benefits of Assertive
Discipline
> Class time is used
productively;
> It prevents discipline
problems from occurring; and
> It provides supportive
control when a warning is all
that is required.

Rights of Teachers
To establish optimal learning
environments;
To request and express
appropriate behavior; and
To receive help from
administrators and parents as
needed.

Canter: Assertive Discipline is

a competency-based approach
to classroom and school
discipline designed to provide
educators with the skills and
confidence necessary to
ELIMINATE discipline as a
problem in the classroom or
school.

The Assertive Discipline

Working Model

Steps:

ASSERTIVE DISCIPLINE
Theory into Practice
Rules
Rules that will let students know what
behaviors are expected in the classroom at all
times
Limited number
Rules that are observable; Vague rules are
difficult to apply
Rules that apply to behavior only
Consider involving the pupils in choosing rules

Examples:
We follow the given directions.
We keep hands, feet, objects and
unkind words to ourselves.
We stay on task.
We use the appropriate noise level.
We only walk in the classroom.

Positive Recognition
Praise
Non-verbal
Verbal
Tangible rewards
Individual / behaviour certificates etc.
Class Wide Rewards
Special privileges
Positive notes home

CONSEQUENCES / SANCTIONS
Children deserve structure
Children deserve limits
must be something that children do
not like but never physically or
psychologically harmful
are a CHOICE
do not have to be severe to be
effective
easy for you to implement
must be appropriate for your pupils

Assertive
Discipline
Techniques

1. POSITIVE RECOGNITION
(after specifying clear activity directions)

2. Consistent praise Catch them

being good
3. Effective praise is personal.
4. It is specific and descriptive.
5. It must be genuine.
6. Effective praise is age-appropriate.

Positive Repetition ( Supportive

Feedback) After Giving a Direction
Negative Statements

Positive Statements

Stop talking and get back

to work.
Dont do this. Stop that!
How many times have I
told you?
What are you doing?
You, you and you, youre
not sitting properly
(assembly).

Jenny and Danny are

sitting up with their arms
folded.
Stephen is lining up by
the door as expected.
Jeff, thank you for having
your eyes on me. Good.
Well done to the pupils in
this row, you are sitting
properly!

REDIRECTING NON-DISRUPTIVE
OFF-TASK BEHAVIOR
Differentiate between disruptive and nondisruptive behaviour
Non-verbal
The Look
Close proximity
Verbal
Use the pupils name
Proximity praise
If redirecting is not effective it may be
appropriate to provide a consequence.

IN IMPLEMENTING
CONSEQUENCES:
Use calm, assertive statements.
Be consistent provide a consequence
every-time a pupil chooses to disrupt.
Re-focus pupils who attempt to argue
with you.
Offer the consequence as a CHOICE.
Find the first opportunity to praise after
child has been disruptive.

Corrective Feedback
( What does it sound like?)
Karen the direction was to work quietly.
I need you to turn around and work quietly.
Karen turn around or you will choose to have a
Warning.
I understand what you are saying but the
direction is to work quietly.
The direction is to work quietly.
Karen you have chosen to lose 1 min of your
break.
Thats neat work Karen and now youre
working quietly and learning. Thank you.

Remember:
The art of teaching is the
ability of successful teachers
to blend academics and
behavior management
efforts
into a cohesive whole.

In the Hands of a Gifted Teacher

Positive Repetition
This technique will help encourage
pupils to follow the many directions you
give each day.
Heres how positive repetition works:

1. Give a direction.
2. Immediately look for at
least two pupils who are
following the direction.
3. Say the pupils names
and restate the direction as
they are following it.

Examples:
Direction:
Please bring out your paper
and pencil.
Positive Repetition:
Tony and Jane have their
papers and pencils ready.

Direction:
Please move into your
groups.
Positive Repetition:
Harold is now in his group
area. That was very fast!
Marj is in her place, too!

Consistent Praise

An effective way to encourage

pupils to continue their appropriate
behavior is to continually monitor
the class even while teaching
and provide frequent praise and
positive support to those pupils
who are on task.
A S S E RT I V

Keep these
guidelines in
mind:

A S S E RT I V

Effective praise is personal.

Always include the pupils name.
A statement like Thank you for
working quietly is not as
meaningful as John and Shirley,
thank you for working quietly.
A S S E RT I

Note:
Although most of them do, remember
that not all 21st Century learners
respond well to praise given in front
of their peers. With these pupils, it is
best to deliver praise quietly after
class or spontaneously during a
transition.

A S S E RT I V

Effective praise must be

genuine.
To be convincing to pupils, to show
that you really mean what you say, be
genuinely appreciative of their
appropriate behavior.

A S S E RT I V

Effective praise is
descriptive and specific.
When praising pupils, be specific.
That way, they will know exactly what
they did to deserve the praise and will
be more likely to repeat those
behavior.

A S S E RT I V

Examples:
Descriptive Praise

Vague Praise

Cora is lining up for

Very good,
recess. Thanks,
Cora!
Cora.
Thank you for
putting the books
away, Willy.

Nice job, Willy!.

A S S E RT I

Scanning
The scanning technique is useful
when you are working with a small
group of pupils, or an individual pupil,
and the rest of the class is working
independently. The objective of this
technique is to reinforce pupils who
are on task, thereby encouraging
them to remain on task.

A S S E RT I V

This technique will help you

recognize pupils who normally may
not receive attention until they
misbehave. By using this technique,
you can keep independent workers
on task and still remain working with
one small group.

A S S E RT I V

Heres how to use

the scanning
technique:

A S S E RT I V

1 When you are working with a small

group, look up every few minutes and
scan the pupils who are working
independently.

A S S E RT I V

As you notice pupils who are

working appropriately, take a moment
to recognize their good behavior.
Linda is working quietly on her
coloring book. Thank you, Linda.

A S S E RT I V

The pupil will appreciate the

recognition and continue working
independently. Other pupils will get
the message that you are aware of
whats going on in the room, and will
be motivated to stay on task
themselves.

A S S E RT I V

Circulating the Classroom

While pupils are working
independently, circulate the room and
give positive recognition. One-onone, you can let a pupil know that you
recognize his or her appropriate
behavior. This positive recognition is
given quietly a special message
from the teacher to the pupil.

A S S E RT I V

Leni, youve done a great job on your

writing. You finished the entire work
on time!
Brenda, youve been very cooperative
today. You are really trying hard to
get along with everyone.

A S S E RT I V

There is no need to ever phase out

this technique. Each time you
circulate the classroom you have an
opportunity to show your pupils you
care, and that you notice their good
efforts.

A S S E RT I V

The Look:
Just giving a look that says Im
aware of and disapprove of your
behavior is an effective way of
redirecting non-disruptive off-task
behavior.

A S S E RT I V

Heres how this technique

works:

Instead of attentively listening to an

English lesson, France aimlessly sits
tipping her chair back on two legs. When
the teacher notices Frances off-task
behavior, she makes direct eye contact
with her and looks at her with a firm, calm
look on her face. She maintains this eye
contact until France puts all four legs of
her chair on the floor and begins to
listen attentively.
A S S E RT I V

Physical Proximity
Sometimes you dont even have to
say a word to redirect a pupil back on
task. Simply walk over and stand
close by the pupil. The pupil will
know why youve arrived at his/her
side and will respond.

A S S E RT I V

Heres an example of
physical proximity at work:
While reading a story to the class, the
teacher notices that Art has put his head
down on his desk and has tuned out.
Continuing to read, the teacher walks back
to Arts desk and stands near his desk
while she proceeds with the story. Art
notices her presence, lifts his head and
starts paying attention.

A S S E RT I

Mentioning the off-task pupils

name while teaching
Just mentioning a pupils name while
you are teaching a lesson may be
enough to redirect his or her attention
back on task.

A S S E RT I V

Heres an example of a
teacher using this technique:
While at the board teaching a Math lesson,
the teacher notices that Allan is off task and
not paying attention. The teacher, in a matterof-fact manner, continues the lesson saying,
All right, for our next problem lets say that
Allan is planning to buy a balloon at P10.00
each, but he only has P9.00
As soon as Allans name is mentioned, he
looks up, tunes in, and immediately begins
paying attention.

A S S E RT I V

Proximity Praise
An effective way to redirect a nondisruptive off-task pupils back on
task is to focus on the appropriate
behavior of those pupils around him.

A S S E RT I V

Heres an example of a
teacher using proximity
praise:

The entire class, with the exception of

Rodel, is working independently on
their assignments. Rather than doing
his assignment, Rodel is idly
doodling pictures in his notebook.
On either side of Rodel, Rowena and
Beny
A S S E RT I V
are both doing their work.

Wanting to get Rodel on task, the

teacher says, Rowena and Beny are
doing an excellent job on their
assignments.
As she expects, Rodel looks around
him, notices what is going on and
gets back to work.

A S S E RT I V

This technique is doubly effective.

Off-task pupils are motivated to get
back on task, and pupils who are on
task receive well-deserved praise.

Moving In
Many times physical proximity is all
that is needed to help calm down a
pupil and stop the disruptive
behavior. Heres an effective
technique to use when a pupil is
being disruptive in class:

A S S E RT I V

1 Move close to the pupil.

Walk over to the pupil. Get close.
Show your concern and in a quiet,
firm manner let the pupil know that
his or her behavior is inappropriate.

2. In a caring manner, remind

the pupil of the consequences
received so far, and what will
happen next if the misbehavior
continues.

A S S E RT I V

Hazel, I am concerned that your

behavior today is going to result in
consequences that you dont really
want. Youve been doing such a good
job all week. Im proud of the work
youve done and Id like to see it
continue. Now youve received a
warning and two consequences. One
more disruption and I will be calling
your parents tonight. Do you
understand?
A S S E RT I V

With older pupils, move

out.
With older pupils, it may be more
appropriate to move out of the
classroom to speak to the pupil.
Removing the audience of peers may
increase the effectiveness of your
limit-setting efforts.

A S S E RT I V

When you move out, remember to:

stay calm;
avoid arguing with the pupil; and
recognize the pupils feelings.

A S S E RT I V

Refocusing an argumentative
conversation
When a pupil starts arguing with you,
you must stay in charge. Do not get
involved in an argument. Do not let
the student pull you into a pointless
exchange. Instead, stay in control,
refocus the conversation and help get
the pupil back on task.

A S S E RT I V

Heres what to do:

Stay calm.
State what you want: I want you to
sit down and do your assignment.
Preface your statement of want with
understanding for the pupil.

A S S E RT I V

 Repeat your statement of want a

maximum of three times. If the
pupil still argues, let her know that
she may be choosing to receive a
consequence.

A S S E RT I V

Heres an example of a
teacher using the refocusing
technique with a disruptive
pupil:

A S S E RT I V

Teacher :

(calmly but firmly) Noel, I want you to

sit down and get to work on your
assignment.

Noel :

Its almost done. Ill finish it tonight.

I need to talk to Frank about our
report for Mr. Pablico. Well be quiet.
We wont bother anyone.

Teacher :

I understand, Noel, but I want to

sit down and do your work for
this class.
A S S E RT I V

Noel :

But I need to talk to Frank. Its important.

Why are you making such a big deal out
of this?

Teacher :

Noel, I see that youre upset, but sit down

and begin your work.

Noel :

Im just trying to get my work done. Its

due tomorrow.

Teacher :

Noel, if you do not get to work

immediately, you and I will call
your mother during lunch.
ASS
The choice is yours.

E RT I

CONCLUSION &
RECOMMENDATIONS
> Assertive Discipline is not a
cure-all.
> It is a starting point.
> It should be a part of the
teachers continuing
professional development
program.

CONCLUSION &
RECOMMENDATIONS

> Teachers need support

from administrators.
> Teachers must be
continually trained
thoroughly in classroom
management skills
particularly Assertive

CONCLUSION &
RECOMMENDATIONS

> As teachers refine their

teaching skills, classroom
management skills deserve
the same attention.
> It is not a one-shot
process, and one day is not
enough.