Democratic discipline in PDS.

Abstract

Late in the last century, universities and public schools experimented with partnerships to enhance teacher training and educator excellence. One of the most challenging concerns continues to be effective classroom management that can both control disruptions and enhance democracy. The authors propose an educational management plan that has been tested and refined within a Goodlad professional development schools' network over a period of four years. It has been successful with both the high school and college students.

Introduction

John Goodlad's broadly disseminated A Place Called School (1984) allowed university presidents, academic deans, professors, and school leaders to peer inside schools. What they saw were poorly supported k-12 classrooms in which teachers lectured and students listened and completed their assignments--silently. Goodlad, however, did not stop with disseminating the vilifying results. Instead, he launched a National Network for Education Renewal (NNER) designed to radically restructure teacher education by changing the relationship between schools and universities so that both could help realize a democratic agenda in our public schools. In his books, Teachers for Our Nation's Schools (1990) and in Educational Renewal: Better Teachers, Better Schools (1994), Goodlad outlined his basic beliefs. He stated that, "... we will not have better schools without better teachers, but we will not have better teachers without better schools in which teachers can learn, practice, and develop" (Goodlad, 2003, p.1).

To improve the quality of teachers, Goodlad recommended two initiatives that would work in tandem. The first was the establishment of a fundamental philosophy of education based on the moral and political dimensions of teaching and learning in a democracy, sometimes referred to as an agenda for democracy. The second included the establishment of an institute designed to advance the philosophical goals through national forums, research support, and school/university partnerships referred to as Professional Development Schools (PDS). Twenty postulates were developed to guide the philosophical inquiry as well as professional development. These postulates were used to guide the PDS network discussed in this paper (Goodlad, 1990,1994, 2002). A basic premise of Goodlad's agenda is that arts and science faculties, education professors, and public school teachers must collaborate in creative ways to bring about simultaneous renewal for all participants within a university and public school network that contracts to realize an agenda for democracy in America's schools. The PDS form the area for much of NNER"s restructuring agenda. Goodlad's 20 postulates provide a framework for university/school partners to begin the arduous task of restructuring so that fundamental democratic values and capacities can be realized in America's public schools--with faculty and students.

Many PDS under Goodlad's banner still use antiquated management or discipline plans that are based on out-moded behaviorism, peculiar rewards and punishments, external motivation or sheer coercion. If an agenda for democracy is to be realized, then the very classroom management strategies must encourage students to think about their rights and responsibilities within a democratic culture as they participate in school and/or classrooms.

Teacher educators and public school teachers might want to consider decision-making management plans that are both effective AND based on fundamentals of democratic decision-making. What follows is such a plan that has been tested in PDS networks, that is encouraged in the Moore PDS Network and that is undergirded by democratic participatory ideals. For clarification, our overview on what we call Democratic Discipline will be divided into four parts: 1) a brief overview and premise, 2) the five sections of the discipline plan, 3) the nature of class contracts, and 4) implications and possibilities for employing Democratic Discipline in Goodlad's PDS networks.

This discipline plan has four goals: subject mastery; training life-long learners capable of critical thinking; developing contributors to the common good; and preparing students to be good participants in democracy. An educator cannot move students towards these goals unless educator can maintain good classroom control and student discipline. This discipline plan has four parts that will be explained in this article with specific classroom examples:

* Class groups are set up based on the results of a student aptitude test (Logan, 2002).

* Lessons are taught with attention given to the Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Gardner, 2002).

* Students are taught the Theory of Emotional Quotient and are encouraged to 'buy into" raising theirs (Goleman, 1995).

* Teachers and students create two class contracts--one for how the class is to operate and one for when a student breaks that first contract (Pass, 2003).

Premise

There are five manifestations of misbehavior (Charles, 2002): (1) Aggression--physical and/or verbal attacks; (2) Immorality--acts contrary to accepted ethical norms (e.g., cheating); (3) Defiance of--refusal to do as the teacher requests; (4) Classroom Disruptions--talking too loud, etc.; (5) Goofing Off--e.g., fooling around, out of seat, etc.

Verbal attacks on teachers and students are increasing in the schools (Charles, 2002). For the most part, students who use violence come from homes where parents use violence (Massey, 1998). There was a time when teacher stress occurred mainly in secondary schools (Charles, 2002). Now elementary teachers report stress from student aggression (McCormick, 1997). By 1993, stressed-caused aggression was being reported as a major concern of prekindergarten teachers (Micklo, 1993). Now, even university faculties are noting unacceptable aggressive behaviors in students (Schneider, 1998).

Immorality refers to student behavior that is characterized by cruelty and deviant behavior. Ideally, when a student is taught to consider the feelings of others, ethical behavior should improve (e.g., the Golden Rule). Defiance of authority occurs when the student refuses to do as the teacher requests. Ideally, the goal of discipline is to reduce the need for teacher intervention over time by helping students to become self-disciplined. To reduce classroom defiance, teachers need to show the students how they can control their own behavior appropriately.

Defiance of authority and classroom disruptions (e.g., talking loudly, calling out, walking about the room, clowning and tossing things) are examples of students either being bored or wanting to be the center of attention. As this discipline plan is applied, not only will students not be bored but also they will be given their chance to be the center of attention. This plan will further help the students to internalize self-discipline and display it in the classroom. Goofing occurs when a student craves attention and is not getting it. This plan provides for chances to shine in front of the class because it utilizes the student's aptitude and mode of multiple intelligence. In addition, the way the groups are set up, the student can receive peer help and also give help. Some goofing off activities are: fooling around, out of seat, off-task behavior, dawdling, and daydreaming (Charles, 2002).

By doing preventive work, all of these reasons for misbehavior can be reduced drastically. Students will find that this method helps them succeed. Lessons become meaningful. This method provides for the class to monitor itself. The number of referrals to the office is drastically reduced. Students must be taught that everyone has the right to learn. When they misbehave in the classroom, they are not only keeping themselves from learning, they are also keeping others in the classroom from learning. The class writes a contract that everyone needs to abide by (including the teacher) so that this will not occur. Indeed, the class will police itself.

Knowing Your Student Through Use of an Aptitude Test

At the very beginning of the semester, teachers should discover each student's aptitude. Earlier, we tried matching the best student with the lowest-scoring student and the second highest scoring student with the second lowest scoring. We paired the class up and, at times, combined pairs into work groups of four. We found that the more intelligent students resented having to help the lower performing students. We also had personality clashes within the group. Then, we discovered a better method by using, Colors (www.truecolors.org). Don Lowry worked on a theory that was started by Hippocrates, developed under Carl Jung, and researched by David Keirsey (Lowry, 2002). This theory states that all people can be classified into one of personality inventories: leaders (gold), researchers (green), caregivers (blue) and entertainers (orange). Students are given the aptitude/personality test and score themselves. The student groupings are established with one gold, one green, one blue, and one orange in each learning group.

For student assessments, teachers make sure that participants have a wide array of both individual grades as well as group grades for homework assignments or projects. Investing in 4 colors of pens or pencils, teachers divide the assignment into subtasks by colors. Since each student writes their task using their color, it is easy to see at a glance if someone is not doing the work. There are few off-task behaviors. However, teachers will need to create assessments whereby the students have both individual grades/tasks within a group grade/assignment (Kagan, 2000). For example, when exploring the fall of the Roman Empire, the gold can write about the political reasons, the green can write about the economic reasons, the orange can write about the military reasons and the blue can write about the social/ethical reasons. All will write the introductory paragraph that has the thesis in it, the second paragraph that defends the thesis, and the conclusion. Another example would be a presentation on the causes of World War I. All would be involved in writing the first page of the presentation in which the causes are listed and the choices are defended. All would be involved in making a presentation poster on the topic. However, the gold would talk about imperialism, the green would talk about the rise of nationalism, the blue would talk about entangling alliances, and the orange would talk about the arms race.

Our final example is how colleges can utilize this approach. In our university's teacher preparation program, one-third of our teacher candidates could not present excellent lesson plans. Now they all do well because in our current senior methods class lesson presentations: the gold gives the standards and goals; the blue gives the objectives; the green gives the activity; and the orange gives the closure. All would do the assessment, selection of topic, selection of age level, and defense on why it was a proper lesson plan. We use class contacts to adjust the syllabus. We teach the class using Multiple Intelligences. Our candidates' failure rate on the state professional entrance test went 68% to 20% within two years.

Multiple Intelligences

After students learn their "Color," they discover what intelligences they have based on Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Teachers should try to cover all intelligences by use of different lesson strategies every week. For example, think of using some kind of hands-on, moving activity for kinesthetic intelligences or think about having students draw a map for spatial intelligences. Use this selection of teaching strategies to teach the students that, just because they cannot pass a pencil-and-paper test, they are not stupid. Using this approach, we were able to raise our high school students to the highest score possible on an AP US history document based question. Some of the students whose scores went up were considered (at the beginning of the school year) potential dropouts. Because we used used teaching strategies that made success certain in their MI category, we were able to encourage them to try to do better on pencil-and-paper tests. One success in one type of lesson strategy (kinesthetic) led to success in another type (linguistic). Teachers should give students the chance to learn from strategies that are geared toward each of the eight intelligences (linguistic, logical/mathematical, spatial, musical, naturalist, kinesethic, interpersonal and intra personal) so that everyone can raise their Emotional Quotient (EQ).

Use of EQ

Now, teachers explain to their students that the inter- and intra personal intelligences together are EQ (Goleman, 1995). People with high EQ know themselves (their assets and liabilities) and work on their liabilities. People with EQ also can understand/sympathize/empathize with others and can get others to improve themselves. The people who really succeed in life are not necessarily those with the high Intelligence Quotient (IQ) but the ones with the high EQ (Goleman, 1995). This is because IQ is limited to only two intelligences; namely, logical/mathematical and linguistic. In life, many problems cannot be solved with just those two intelligences. Many American CEOs of major companies today were "C" students while in school--but they had high EQ (Goleman, 1995). The goal of this discipline plan is not only to build subject mastery; it is also to raise each student's EQ so that they can succeed in life and be more effective in working with others.

Class Contracts

To help students work well with others, create a class contract that encourages the use of EQ. Teachers place students in their work/learning groups. Each group will write and present their ideas for the class contract. The one rule is that what goes for one, goes for all and all have to abide by it--once it is approved by majority vote. Golds write how we are to treat the teacher. Greens write how the teacher is to treat us. Blues write how we are to treat each other. Oranges write what we do when someone breaks this contract. Teachers need to remind students that the teacher must agree with their suggestions. All write how they want to be taught.

Each group then presents and the teacher writes down what is presented. After discussion, the teacher types it up and, in the next class, the groups go over their contract for edits. The edited version is then voted on and all (including the teacher) sign it. Part of the contract is related to what happens if someone breaks this contract. Successful contracts have been created by students as young as 3rd grade (Charles, 2002). Teachers should remind students that misbehavior should be turned into a learning experience. The teacher should lead the class to agree on the following discipline contract to be done if the contract is broken: (1) What did you do wrong? (2) Why did you do it? (3) What three things could you have done instead? (4) Next time, which one of these three things will you do?

Implications

If educators want to create democratic classrooms, they need to start by allowing their students to participate or "buy into" their own learning experience. Perhaps if Goodlad had visited classrooms that had democratic, student-centered management plans such as the one proposed in this article, he would have shared better news. He might have seen students meeting academic standards both independently and within effective small groups, and he might well have witnessed students consciously acting for the good of the whole as a result of their democratic initiatives to devise a class contract within which all could succeed. In 1996, we started work at a public high school that had been rated "underachieving" by its school district for 3 years in a row. We brought the ideas used in this article to the attention of those running the school. Adopting these ideas and adding lunch time and Saturday tutoring, that high school went to "acceptable" within a year and to "recommended" within two years. Luckily, John Goodlad is still alive. Let's just hope he lives long enough to see more of these democratic classrooms encouraged within teacher education programs and within public school sites that have as their aim Goodlad's Agenda for Democracy.

References

Charles, C.M. (2002). Building classroom discipline. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences: the theory in practice. N.Y.: Basic Books.

Gardner, H. (2002). Multiple Intelligences. Available: http://tippsychology.org/gardner.html

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. NY: Bantam Books.

Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence: it can matter more than IQ. NY: Bantam Books.

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Goodlad, J. (1994). The National Network for Educational Renewal. Phi Delta Kappan, 75 (8), p 632-38.

Goodlad, J. (2002). Teacher Education Research: The Outside and the Inside. Journal of Teacher Education, 53 (3), 216-21.

Goodlad, J. (April 16, 2003). Old wine in new bottles. National Network for Educational Renewal Newsletter. 2 (3) Available: http://depts.washington.edu/admin/april%202003%20newletter.pdf.

Kagan, S. (2000). Kagan. San Clemente, CA: Kagan Publishing.

Lowry, D. (2002). True colors. Available: http://www.truecolors.org.

Massey, M. (1998). Early childhood violence. ERIC Digest. ERIC Identifier: ED 424032.

McCormick, J. (1997). Occupational stress of teachers: Biographical differences in a large school system. Journal of Educational Administration, 34 (1), 18-38.

Micklo, S. (1993). Perceived problems of public school prekindergarten teachers. Journal of Research in Childhood Education. 8 (1), 57-68.

Schneider, A. (1998). Insubordination and intimidation signal the end of decorum in many classrooms. Chronicle of Higher Education. 54 (29), A12-A14.

Susan Pass, Clemson University, SC Bea Bailey, Clemson University, SC

Dr. Susan Pass is assistant professor of secondary education Social Studies. Her research includes exploring teacher impact in the classroom and challenging high-stakes testing. Dr. Bea Bailey is professor of secondary education English. Her research interest is in developing a theory and practical application for helping people cultivate a sense of place within a translocal global community.