A Comparison of Discipline Models

Jeffrey Ford

Grand Canyon University – EDU 536

April 9, 2013

| Pragmatic Classroom | Win-Win Discipline | Real Discipline | Strengths | * Wong’s practices are very procedural in nature. They show a teacher how to conduct their classrooms in a productive way. * Wong puts emphasis on the idea that a students achievement is based on how a teacher manages his/her classroom. | * In this theory, teachers and students work hand-in-hand in a classroom which promotes a good teacher-student relationship. * This theory seems to be very positive in nature and looks to create a positive learning atmosphere through collaboration. | * Teaches children how to conduct themselves in an acceptable manner. * The overuse of rewards makes students see them as ends in themselves. * Overuse of praise actually creates a sense of dependence and decreases motivation. | Weaknesses | * Wong’s practices do not really go into detail as to what to do when children misbehave. * The idea of stating all responsibilities and procedures on paper as rules could seem tedious to both students and teachers. * Wong’s theory rests solely on what the teacher does and does not focus on student needs such as when they have learning or mental disabilities. | * Since this discipline theory focuses on the formation of teacher/student relationship, it may become a problem because students may not respect the teacher as their authority figure. * This theory gives students the ability to make their own choices and in some instances, a student may not have the capability of making the right decision. | * When students do not comply, Morrish suggests that the teacher insists on a do-over and that the student has no choice in acting the way they are acting. * Morrish’s belief that all children are self-centered and only think of themselves. * Morrish’s belief that students are not mature enough to make choices on their own and must be taught how to make the right choices. | Advantages | * Wong’s theory focuses on the important things that teachers need to do to be successful which is a beneficial tool for new teachers. * The Wong’s are very good at giving examples and making the process of a well-managed classroom clear and concise. | * Kagan points out ways in which teachers can deal with and approach types of misbehavior. * In win-win discipline, the students are treated as equals by the teacher and the teacher includes the students in decision making when it comes to procedures. * This theory sees discipline as something you acquire through learning life skills such as anger management and self-control | * Students understanding that discipline benefits everyone in the classroom. * The idea that teachers consistently focus on the positive and not what students may do wrong. * The idea that teachers should allow failure and permit students to express themselves freely in order to increase self-esteem. | Disadvantages | * Wong’s theory is almost too much of a fantasy. It is basically saying that if a teacher effectively manages his/her classroom, then there will be no misbehavior. * No clear cut answers to what happens when a student misbehaves. * The theory seems way too exact and doesn’t take into account the diversity of students teachers will face. | * With too much importance placed on students and teachers being on the same side, it could decrease the amount of respect the student has for the teacher. * This theory does not seem to be rigid enough when it comes to disciplinary action from the teacher. * The students are given too much control in the classroom. | * Real discipline does not rely on high natural motivation. * Morrish’s belief that the purpose of discipline is to make students do what they don’t want to do. * Morrish’s belief that today’s disciplinary actions allows students to underachieve and that teachers should focus on discipline rather than behavior management. |

Compare and Contrast | * The pragmatic classroom theory and the win-win discipline theory have a comparison in that they both promote student autonomy which gives the students choices in how they are disciplined. In contrast, the real discipline model believes that students are not old enough or mature enough to make their own decisions, so teachers should make decisions for them. * All three models are in comparison in that all classrooms should have a written set of procedures for which a classroom should be governed by. They also compare in the idea that discipline is not about consequences as much as it is about teaching structure and the skills needed in the real world when it comes to obeying rules. * All three models also believe that promoting positive attitudes and being positive towards students is important. * The real discipline model and the win-win discipline model compare because emphasis is placed on teaching students how to manage and conduct themselves in an acceptable manner. |

There are pieces of each of the models that agree and disagree on. For example, I think that the pragmatic classroom is a perfect model for teachers and it gives detailed instructions on how to manage a classroom but I don’t think that it covers discipline enough. It seems like this model just assumes that if a teacher follows these rules, then his/her classroom will run smooth and there won’t be any problems. Having solid procedure for misbehavior is important in a classroom and I don’t think that the Wong’s covered this very well in their model. The real discipline model, on the other hand, uses disciplinary action in a context that I don’t agree with. First and foremost, I do not believe that students are not mature enough to make their own decisions when it comes to misbehavior. To me, the real discipline model sounds more like a dictatorship. Morrish states that students should not have any say in the disciplinary process and I totally disagree with that. I think that if students can be a part of the procedure making process, then they will be more likely to follow it because they helped create it. I do agree with Morrish on some things though. For example, I think that putting emphasis on rewards is detrimental because students begin to expect a reward for every good behavior and if they don’t get the reward, they may act up. I also believe that students should be given the opportunity to fail sometimes because failure does increase self-esteem when a student achieves after failure. I also agree that praising students too much can create problems in a classroom because if that student comes to expect a praise for every good thing they do, then they will be let down when the teacher does not praise them. Appraisal can create dependency and decrease motivation if not used correctly.
In the win-win discipline model, I agree that students should be considered equals in a classroom and that the teacher should include them in the decision making process. I like the idea of same side where students, teachers, and parents all work towards the same common goal when it comes to education. Of the three models, this model probably appealed to me most because it seems to be student friendly. The only real problem I see with this model is that the teacher may not be of enough authority to the student to gain respect from him/her which could cause problems in the long run.