Have you ever read a book and thought to yourself, “Wow! I must immediately go and do everything that book said because it all sounds so wonderful!”? I most definitely have, and it is what I am currently doing with a book that I just finished reading.
Lost at School by Ross W. Greene, PH.D., focuses on how we can work with students that have behavioral challenges to help them overcome the tendencies they have that lead to outbursts. Dr. Greene split discipline into three different categories, Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. Plan A is the type that we are most familiar with, and what ninety-five percent of school discipline is. Plan A involves setting an expectation, the student does not meet that expectation, so the pre-decided discipline is given to them. Most students will react positively to this discipline, however there are some students that will not seem to be phased by this. Plan B involves looking at why the student is reacting negatively, and what can be done to change that reaction. Plan B focuses on collaborating with the student to figure out what the best plan is moving forward. Plan C involves putting some issues on the back burner to focus on what is the most important issue. This may mean putting an academic issue aside to focus on a behavioral struggle so the student can better focus on his academics. Plan B is the discipline structure that the book features because of the positive change it can bring.
Plan B is focused on what Dr. Greene has defined as Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS). This structure starts with focusing on what the student is struggling with. Let’s say you have a student that struggles with some transition times, and when you ask them to hurry, they get frustrated and intentionally slow down or completely stop. This then causes the whole class to slow down, not just that one student. Specifically write down what that struggle is, such as “Justin has difficulty switching from silent reading time to science class. This names what specific struggle the student has, rather than simply using the blanket statement, “Justin has trouble transitioning classes”.
After the first step is completed, it may feel like the hard part starts. This is where the collaboration comes in. Have a meeting with the student and ask them what makes it hard to transition between silent reading time and science class. The student responds with, “I am always at a good spot in my book, and you make me stop”. Once you understand what their struggle is, ask the student what he feels is the best way to fix this. By offering the student a chance to share his opinion, you are showing him that you care about his opinion. So often the students are used to simply being told how things are, that this may come as a surprise. He may give a suggestion about allowing him to finish even after the time is over. You need to remind him that the others would be affected by that as well, not just him. This process may take some back and forth, but the solution should be one that is mutual and realistic for both teacher and student. Both should feel like they have a clear plan on how to move forward. If in several weeks the positive change starts to stop, the solution must not have been realistic for either the student or the teacher. The solution will need to be revisited if this is the case.
This collaborative form of discipline may at times seem like you have given up on punishing the student. You may wonder what the other students will think of this. An important point that Greene brings out is that students will notice more quickly a student that receives the same punishment frequently yet displays no positive changes. This will undermine a teacher’s authority just as quickly, if not more than not handing out punishments. Students know that it is pointless to keep doing something the exact same way and expect different results. There is no reason that we as teachers should be treating discipline the same way.
What I have given here is a very brief overview of Plan B, or the CPS way of discipline. I would highly recommend reading the book if this piqued your interest, or if you are struggling with some difficult students. One aspect of the book that makes it enjoyable is the story that continues throughout each chapter to show how to practically put into practice what each step of the plan looks like. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the book Lost at School, click here.
Confident Classroom 