Beliefs About Discipline Inventory

Structure 4

Beliefs About Discipline Inventory

Mentor will give the Beliefs AboutDiscipline Inventory to the protégé to complete. Allow time for protégé to complete inventory and then have a reflective conversation about their classroom discipline model. It is important for a beginning teacher to reflect on their particular discipline model. This inventory enables teachers to reflect on their beliefs. Insights into beliefs…

  • Enables teachers to analyze their classroom discipline when having difficulty
  • Aids teachers in making decisions about adopting or adapting a new discipline model
  • Helps teachers predict problems and adapt when forced to implement a discipline plan contrary to beliefs
  • Helps teachers understand their students’ reactions to a discipline plan different from one they experienced in the past or at home
  • Helps educators understand reasons for a colleagues choice of approaches to discipline
  • Enables a teacher to recognize the need to change an approach to discipline or rethink beliefs

Background Information for Beliefs About Discipline Inventory

Glickman and Wolfgang (1986) hypothesized "that teachers believe and act according to three approaches of discipline, yet usually one is predominant in their beliefs and actions."

Have your protégé take the inventory. As the inventory states "There are no "right" or "wrong" answers--but merely indicators of your own personal views."

Usethe Beliefs About Discipline Inventoryas a talking point to discuss your protégé’s views on discipline as well as your own.

A high percentage of responses in TableIrepresent a leaning towards the Human Relations-Listening Approach to discipline; in Table II, towards theConfronting-Contracting approach; and in Table III, towards the Rules/Rewards-Punishmentsapproach to discipline. By examining which table contains the largest number of responses, you can identify the approach to discipline that dominates your beliefs. The table with the second largest total of responses represents your second most prominent belief. Of course, the table with the fewest total responses represents the discipline approach that you least believe in.

If you have an equal number of responses in each table (or close to equal), this may indicate your approach to discipline is eclectic rather than clearly defined with any one of the discipline models.

This is intended to give you a general picture of how strongly you believe in each of these three discipline approaches.

(Managing Appropriate Behavior, Georgia Teacher Evaluation Program)

Depending on your protégé’s results the mentor might want to refer them to professional articles/booksso as to fine tune their discipline style. The following are considered experts in the different categories.

Table 1
Relationship-Listening / Table 2
Confronting-Contracting / Table 3
Rules-Consequences
Beliefs:
  • Teacher is supportive of the student's own attempts at problem solving
  • Behavior that is observed is not all that should be considered in understanding how to change the behavior.
  • Behavior is changed by providing an environment in which students can express their emotions and thoughts.
/ Beliefs:
  • Teacher and student work together to arrive at joint solutions to behavior problems.
  • Students are taught to be aware of how their behaviors enhance or detract from their functioning in society.
  • The role of the teacher is to be one who clarifies expectations, establishes and enforces boundaries and is in communication with the student about these issues.
/ Beliefs:
  • Teacher is the planner and organizer of an environment that modifies student behavior.
  • Behavior must be observed to understand how it can be changed.
  • Behavior can be changed through a system of planned reinforcement and consequences.

Research:
  • Sigmund Freud - Psychoanalysis
  • Carl Rogers - Freedom to Learn
  • Thomas Gordon - Teacher Effectiveness Training
  • Thomas Harris - I'm OK-You're OK
  • Sit Simon - Values in Teaching
/ Research:
  • Rudolph Dressers - Natural and Logical Consequences
  • William Glassier - Reality Therapy
  • Jane Nelson - Positive Discipline
  • Barbara Colors - Winning at Teaching
  • Linda Albert - Cooperative Discipline
  • Richard Corona - Discipline with Dignity
/ Research:
  • B. F. Skinner -ClassicalConditioning
  • James Dobson -Dare to Discipline
  • L. Canter -Assertive Discipline
  • Saul Accelerate -Behavior Modification for the Classroom Teacher
  • F. Jones' - Positive Classroom Discipline

NOTE: Mentors are to bring the Discipline Inventory completed by the protégé to the next monthly meeting. Mentors should make three copies, one for the protégé, and one for the mentor and turn one copy in to trainers. Mentors should give this page of professional article and book titles to the protégé to serve as a resource.