Restrain Your First Response

Restrain Your First Response

If a student suddenly starts misbehaving and the behaviour surprises you, don’t issue reprimands or punishments before you look for the reasons for the behaviour? Look for ‘Positions’.

Win-Win Discipline is based on the concept of ‘Positions’. Almost every disruption springs from an attempt to meet needs associated with one of seven positions. Positions are ‘the place a student is at’ For example, the student that is constantly asking questions, clowning around, has something to add to everyone else’s comment, makes strange noises, blurts out etc is almost certainly in a position of seeking attention. Attention Seeking is one of the seven positions identified in Win-Win Discipline. Once we see disruptive behaviour as merely an attempt to meet needs associated with a position our job becomes clear. The student needs to learn non-disruptive ways to meet those needs. When that happens the student wins: he/she gets needs met without becoming a discipline problem and learns responsible behaviour for life. We win also, and so does the rest of the class: we become a smooth-running, productive learning community. More on the Seven Positons next month. ‘How to Recognise and Identify Student Positions.’