Kagan, Kyle, and Scott\'s Win-Win

¶ … Kagan, Kyle, and Scott's win-win discipline and apply them to your classroom management system. Why is each important to you?

Consistency

One of the most important characteristics, if not the most important is consistency. Students need a clear idea of what the rules entail, and crave stability. In this way, Kagan, Kyle and Scott (Charles, 2005) provide a four step process for dealing with behavior problems that returns the classroom to the tenor of consistency:

End the disruption quickly and refocus all students back to the lesson. 2. If necessary, acknowledge the student position; 3. If necessary, communicate that the disruptive behavior is unacceptable and finally, 4,. If necessary, work with the student to find solutions that are mutually satisfactory.

This idea is important to me for students thrive on consistency and become confused if any one of the rules is broken and its lapse ignored. For that reason, I once heard that it would be useful for a teacher to not only canonize her rules (they should be few, simple, obtainable and specific) at the beginning of the year, but also keep them at a prominent spot in the classroom, and refer to them throughout the year. A government needs a clear and consistent manifesto of rules in order to maintain well-being and constructive growth in its specific region. A teacher governs her classroom. She needs to maintain order for the well-being, satisfaction, and growth of her students.

Idea #2. Peer Study Buddies

A common reason that children misbehave is because of a fear of failure. Some religious educational institutions encourage their students by pairing off a less capable student with a brighter one. Not only does this create a big-brother / sister / small brother/sister situation where the two can -- if well-matched -- become potentially close and encourage each other's development, but the weaker pupil can exponentially succeed and improve in self-esteem. This peer study buddy system is also beneficial in that transmits the subject matter in a different way, focuses on the child's specialties, gives extra help, and enables the student to learn from mistakes.

An inspirational example of the usefulness of this project was told me by someone who taught in Hungary She only knew English; approximately 6 students in a class of 20 knew English -- the rest spoke in their native Hungarian. Using the Win-Win Discipline method she divided the class into groups, one English-speaking students translating the English-written sheet and educating the participants in her group under the tutelage of the teacher. The class at the end of the year, not only understood English, but also mastered the subject lesson.

Idea 3: Never Use Empty Threats.