Creating PeacefulClassroomsJudicious DisciplineAnd Class Meetings

Ourcurrentnarional. .

conversattOnconcermngschoolviolenceand student

discipline is oftenfocusedon reactzvemeasures.

Als. Landau and

i/;!r. Gathercoalsuggesta

betterapproach.

BYBARBARAMcEWANLANDAUAND PAULGATHERCOAL

EEPING schools safe whilepreserving productive learningenvironments is an increasingconcern for educators every-where. Teachers and adminis-

trators are seeking strategiesthat will help students learn

to act respectfully and responsibly. Re-searchers who are also teachers, adminis-trators, and specialists in Michigan, Min-nesota, and Oregon are documenting howthe constitutional language of rights andresponsibilities, incOlporated into a demo-cratic management framework called Ju-dicious Discipline, can support equitable, re-spectful, and safe classroom environments.Recent studies have focused on incorporat-ing the language of citizenship rights andresponsibilities into class meetings to teach

BARBARA McEWAN LANDAU is directorof teacher education in the Department of Ed-ucation,Universityof Redlands,Redlands,Calif.PAUL GATHERCOAL is an associate profes-sor and directorof educationaltechnology.Cali-fornia Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks,Calif.

450 PHI DELTA KAPPAN

CLASSROOMPRACTICE

Illustration by Robert Mayo

positive goal setting and peaceful conflictresolution.

An Overview of

Judicious Discipline

Judicious Discipline is a comprehen-sive approach to democratic classroom man-agement that is based on the constitution-al principles of personal rights balancedagainst societal needs.I This frameworkgives students opportunities to practice ex-ercising their own rights andtheir responsibilities to pro-tect the needs of others to be

safe, healthy, and undisrupted.\Vhat makes Judicious Disci-

pline unique is the constitu-tional language that is usedto promote reasoned deci-sion making and a peacefulschool climate.

Teachers who are usingJudicious Discipline begin by teachingstudents about their personal freedoms.Young students rrught be taught simply thatthey have the right to be themselves. Old-er students might be told that the rightsthey have in school come primarily fromthe First, Fourth, and 14th Amendments.2Some teachers introduce these rights aspart of a social studies unit. However, inmiddle or high schools where teachersrrught never be responsible for teaching so-cial studies, Judicious Discipline is equal-ly effective as the framework for all man-agement decisions.

The next step is to teach students thatrights in a democracy must always be bal-anced with social responsibilities. JudiciousDiscipline offers four compelling state in-terests as the basis for classroom rules: health

and safety, property loss and damage, le-gitimate educational purpose, and seriousdisruption. Adaptations of the four inter-ests translate into classroom rules such as

"Be safe. Protect our property. Do yourbest work. Respect the needs of others."These four rules are sufficiently broad inscope to address any management issuethat might arise at any grade level or inany setting. .

After rights and responsibilities havebeen introduced, students can learn to gov-ern their own behaviors by assessing theiractions in terms of Time, Place, and Man-ner (TPM). Students are asked or ask them-selves, "Is this the appropriate time forwhat is happening? Is this the appropri-

ate place for what you are doing? Is thisthe best manner?" Students are encour-

aged to evaluate their own actions in termsof basic societal expectations.

The current studies examining the ef-fectiveness of Judicious Discipline all showevidence that, when the language of citi-zenship rights and responsibilities is usedto mediate problems, students and teach-ers can use personally neutral, socially ac-cepted terminology for peaceful conflictresolution. Research consistently indicates

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that this constitutional framework for de-

cision making contributes to a decrease indropout rates, in acts of violence in andaround schools, and in referrals to the of-fice, while also resulting in an increase inlevels of daily attendance.

Our current national conversation con-

cerning school violence and student dis-cipline is often focused on reactive meas-ures. Judicious Discipline does not waitfor problems to occur. Teachers who usethis constitutional framework for class-room rules and decisions are "front load-ing" the expectations for behavior by teach-ing them through class discussions, groupactivities designed to create rules based onconstitutional concepts, and class meetingsdesigned to resolve classroom conflictspeacefully in a democratic forum.

A RecommendedStructure for Class Meetings

Using the language of rights and re-sponsibilities is only the first step in fos-tering safeschool climates.Tobe mostef-fective, these concepts must be revisitedduring regularlyscheduledclass meetings.The structureforclassmeetingsthatis mostcompatible with Judicious Discipline in-cludesthe followingbasicelements,drawnfrom several sources.)

1.Determinewhocan calla classmeet-ingand whenitshouldbeheld.Someteach-ers who use Judicious Discipline make itknown that any student in the class can

call a meeting whenever he or she feelsone is necessary. Other teachers determinea specific time, place, and manner for meet-ings. Either approach, or some combina-tion of the two, works well as long as themeeting schedule includes topics suggest-ed by students and ensures that they willhave genuine input into solving problems.

2. Seat students and teachers so that

they can see the faces of all participants.How students and teachers are positionedsays much about power relationships. Stu-

dents often sit in a circle on

a rug or, at older levels, attheir desks. Sitting in rowscan have the effect of exclud-

ing students or enabling stu-dents to exclude themselves.

3. Establish the expecta-tion that names will never be

used in class meetings. Thepurpose of class meetings isto discuss issues, not individ-

uals. Using names is an accusatory actionthat makes people defensive. It also causesill feelings. This rule should be clearlystated and its rationale understood before

any meeting ever occurs.Students will almost certainly need to

practice how to discuss issues and not peo-ple. Teachers should plan on providingfirm guidance in this area. It is simply notappropriate to use class meetings to putstudents on trial, particularly when so manyinappropriate behaviors are associated withconfidential issues such as family prob-lems or learning disabilities. While otheritems on this list can be adapted to suit theneeds of individual classrooms, this oneelement must be faithfully followed.

4. Establish the expectation that the meet-ing will stay on topic. This is not a timefor students to tell personal stories aboutthemselves or their families. If students

are wrestling with difficult personal prob-lems, they need an opportunity to speakprivately with a teacher or a counselor.

5. Never coerce a student into partici-pating during a class meeting. Every stu-dent should have the opportunity to "pass"when he or she feels the need to do so.

6. Maintain class-meeting journals. Im-mediately following each meeting, bothteachers and students should take a few

minutes to record their thoughts aboutwhat took place. Topics for journal entriesrrught include concerns, clarifications, de-lights, and topics for future discussion.4

Democratic class meetings help students

FEBRUARY2000 451

practice the skills of compromise and me-diation. Teachers can use this format to

model respect and trust by actively listen-ing to and acting on the ideasshared by their students.

As a general rule, theyounger the student, the more"concrete" and brief the meet-

ings should be. For example,when discussing behavioralexpectations with 5- or 6-year-olds, it is best to cite specificexamples and use clear mod-els. Structured role playing,story telling, or using pup-pets or flannel board figurescan help young students learn how to an-swer such questions as "How should webehave when someone isn't willing to sharewith us? How can we tell someone when

we are angry without hitting or yelling?"For older students, meetings can be

less frequent and discussions more ab-stract. A sample topic might be the prob-lem of keeping up with homework whileparticipating in extracurricular activitiesor working at an after-school job. Regard-less of the educational level at which theyare conducted, class meetings help stu-dents learn how to develop and achievegoals.

Results

The studies of Judicious Discipline be-ing carried out in Michigan, Minnesota,and Oregon each have a slightly differentfocus,but all are findingpositiveoutcomes.

Michigan. In southern Michigan, theadministrator and faculty of an elemen-tary school adopted Judicious Disciplineand class meetings as part of their schoolimprovementplan. Five months later, pos-itive effects were already evident whenone group of third-graders demonstrateda knowledge of peaceful conflict resolu-tion. When asked what to do when theyfeel angry, they were quickly able to citeat least 20 peaceful alternatives to fight-ing because this topic had been explicit-ly addressed in class meetings and prac-ticed on a daily basis.

Minnesota. The studies in Minnesotahave focused on assessing student attitudestoward school and how they are being af-fected by Judicious Discipline. During the1995-96 academic year, a pilot study of aprogram combining Judicious Disciplineand class meetings was conducted in a

452 PHI DELTA KAPPAN

sixth-grade-only school. The study useda questionnaire to determine the stages ofsocial development evident in the students

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who participated in the program.' The fourpossible stages were:.Dependence. Students are generallydependent and fear punishment. Motiva-tion is extrinsic and based on praise andencouragementfrom teachers and parenticaregivers..Rebellion. Noise levels tend to be highand trust levels low.Aggressive interactionsand put-downs are common. Behavior isextrinsically motivated by peer-group ap-proval and moderated by fear of punish-ment.

.Cohesion. Students are friendly andtrust one another and the teacher. There islittle disruptive behavior. Breach of classnorms brings strong group disapproval..Autonomy. Individuals are self-direct-ed, able to seek and give support but alsoable to function well without it. Students

take responsibility for their own learning,and disruptive behavior is virtually non-existent. Students rely on self-awarenessand empathy rather than rules to choosebehavior.

Once the study was under way, twohomeroom teachers consistently held classmeetings throughout the year; 10 home-room teachers did not. Questionnaires wereadministered at three times during theschool year. At the beginning of the 1995-96 school year, the survey results indicat-ed that most of the students were at simi-lar stages of social development. By Feb-ruary 1996, however, differences in surveyresults began to emerge, indicating that stu-dents participating in class meetings feltmore empowered and had a greater senseof belonging to the group. The final ques-tionnaire results, gathered in May 1996,showed that the teachers conducting classmeetings continued to maintain high lev-els of student autonomy, while the teach-

ers who had failed to continue using classmeetings saw their students regress to lev-els of rebellion and dependence.'

Oregon. The study beingconducted in Oregon is de-signed to assess whether at-tributes of resiliency can betaught. Research into resilien-cy is largely motivated by thedesire to discover why somestudents who come from dif-

ficult home situations strug-gle in school while other stu-dents from equally challeng-ing circumstances succeeddespite the hardships they

are facing.'

Researcher Bonnie Benard charac-terizes the resilient child as one who is

socially competent, with problem-solv-ing skills, and a sense of autonomy, pur-pose, and future. Benard's. . . researchidentifies three key facts. . . that pro-duce resiliency in children: I. The pres-ence of at least one caring, supportiveadult in the child's life; 2. the commu-

nication of consistently clear and highexpectations to the child; and 3. the pro-vision of ample opportunities for thechild to participate and contribute inmeaningful ways.'

Teachers who are participating in theOregon study use a combination of Judi-cious Discipline and class meetings to fos-ter characteristics of resiliency. Duringmeetings they establish clear and high ex-pectations and respond to behavioral prob-lems in a caring manner. They give theirstudents the opportunity to participate inreasoned decision making in order to shareresponsibility for governing the classroom.

The Oregon study is part of a larger in-vestigation of resiliency being conductedby researchers from extension agencies as-sociated with universities in Nevada, Ore-gon, Wyoming, California, and Colorado.In the Oregon study, the principal investi-gator has been working closely with threeelementary school teachers, two of whomare team-teaching at the intennediate levelin a small rural school and one who is lo-cated in an urban school that serves an

economically deprived, culturally diversepopulation. The risk factors of poverty, ra-cial inequality, alcoholism, and drug abuseare all present in the Oregon settings:

The participating Oregon teachers useclass meetings as a time to help their stu-

dents practice goal setting and participatein problem solving. In one classroom, stu-dents were given the opportunity to de-termine the best use of a new cupboardthe teacher had installed. In another class,several meetings included discussions onhow to care for the pet rats occupying vari-ous cages in the room. In both cases, thestudent input was listened to and actedupon.

The teachers also use the time to teach

constitutional rights or to present legal casesaffecting student rights. The impact of thesediscussions was evident when Bonnie Tmk-er, a member of the family involved in thelandmark Supreme Court case protectingFirst Amendment freedoms for students

in public schools,1Ovisited one of the class-rooms. She was treated as a celebrity bythe students, who listened to her presen-tation intently and then clamored for herautograph.

Using Class MeetingsTo Teach Goal Setting

During the class-meetingprocess in allparticipating sites, students are encour-aged to set goals for themselves and to de-termine how they will attain those goals.While individual goals are kept private,there are frequent discussions of how toset and achieve goals. Teachers ask suchquestions as "How are we doing on ourgoals?"That way studentscan discusstheirprocess of settingand attaininggoals with-out revealing a goal that they might notwant to share publicly with others.

In one Minnesota classroom, a gener-al goal was set for students to be more co-operative when working with a specialistin their building. While the students didnot sharetheirindividualideas of how eachwould contribute to achieving this goal,they did talk in general terms about howto get along with this person. At no timedid their classroom teacher allow them tomake disparaging remarks about the oth-er teacher. Rather, they all acknowledgedthe fact that things were not working wellin the other classroom and that life wouldcontinuallypresent such challenges.Then,basedon thatpremise,theydeterminedhowthey might cooperate to resolve the prob-lems.

In one of the Oregon classrooms, thestudents were concerned that their phys-ical education teacher was not allowingthem to get drinks as often as theyfelt they

454 PHI DELTA KAPPAN

needed during class. The students invitedthe teacher to attend a class meeting andexplained their concerns to him. He, inturn, discussed his need to have them en-gaged in curriculum activities rather thangetting drinks during their class time.Through discussion, they reached a com-promise that was satisfying to all of them.

As one student reported in a journalentry, "Something that is going well is that[the physical education teacher] is lettingus have more drinks. Usually he lets ushave one drink and it's in the elementarywing where the water is warm. Now weget drinks in the high school end wherethe water is cold."

Researchers in all three states found

that a common topic for discussion is be-havior on the playground during recess.Quoting from one student's journal, "Al-most everyone gets bullied at recess. Mostpeople have a hard time dealing with it,so I think everybody will feel much bet-ter after talking about it." After one of theparticipating classrooms discussed the top-ic, another stUdent wrote, "We talked aboutplayground behavior and ideas for nextyear's fourth-graders' playground behav-iors and how to handle sixth-graders onthe playground. We did good."

One of the Oregon teachers developeda structured approach to individual goalsetting. She created a worksheet called a"Goal Wheel." The hub of the wheel pro-vides students with a space in which todraw "a picture of me making my goal."Below, there are three blank lines for stu-dents to write down their goals. The rimof the wheel is divided into five spaces,one for each day of the school week. Inthose spaces, the students keep a dailyrecord of their progress toward achievingtheir goals. If a goal is achieved at the endof the week, the student sets a new goal.If not, the goal is either continued or re-vised in some way to make it more achiev-able. The goals may seem mundane, butall of them contribute to a classroom thatfunctions more effectively. For instance,one student's goal was to have his P.E.shoes on in time to go to the gym. Anotherstudent set the goal of being ready to workby the time the second morning bell rangin her classroom.

The positive effects of the class-meet-ing process are evident in journal entriessuch as: "At class meetings we have timeto talk about problems and concerns. Wealso decide how we want to do things.

Class meetings are good for learning newstuff. They are also good for solving prob-lems."

Conclusion

The Minnesota, Michigan, and Oregonteachers using Judicious Discipline haveall seen positive results, primarily reduc-tions in acts of fighting or other angry out-bursts. In addition, the consistent use ofclass meetings based on the framework ofrights and responsibilities has provided stu-dents with an opportunity to discuss issuesof common concern peacefully. In Oregon,this process has been used to promote thecharacteristics of resiliency by enabling stu-dents to practice goal setting and to haveauthentic input into the management of theirclassrooms. While the studies are continu-

ing, the initial data indicate that the com-bination of Judicious Discipline and classmeetings promotes citizenship and sup-ports safe, productive learning climates.

I. Forrest Gathercoal, Judicious Discipline, 4th ed.(San Francisco: Caddo Gap Press, 1997).

2. See Barbara McEwan, Practicing Judicious Dis-cipline: An Educator's Guide to a Democratic Class-room, 2nd ed. (San Francisco: Caddo Gap Press,1994).

3. See, for example, William Glasser, Schools With-out Failure (New York: Harper & Row. 1969); Thom-as Lickona, Educating for Character (New York:Bantam Books, 1991); and Alfie Kohn, Beyond Dis-cipline: From Compliance to Communiry (Alexan-dria. Va.: Association for Supervision and Curricu-lum Development, 1996).4. Barbara McEwan, Paul Gathercoal, Marina Don-ahue, Lori Greenfield, and Anne Marie Strangio,"Empowering Students to Take Control of TheirOwn Decisions: The Synthesis of Judicious Disci-pline, Class Meetings, and Issues of Resiliency," pa-per presented at the annual meeting of the Ameri-can Educational Research Association, San Diego,1998.

5. The Social Development Group Research Branchof the South Australian Department of Education.Developing the Classroom Group (Adelaide: SouthAustralia Education Department, 1980).6. Barbara McEwan, Paul Gathercoal. and VirginiaNimmo, "Applications of Judicious Discipline: ACommon Language for Classroom Management,"in H. Jerome Freiberg, ed., Beyond Behaviorism:Changing the Classroom Management Paradigm(BoslOn: Allyn and Bacon. 1999).7. John Dacey and Maureen Kenny, Adolescent De-velopment (Madison, Wis.: Brown & Benchmark,1994).

8. Thomas Kneidek, "The Mid Kids: Riding theWaves from Childhood to Adulthood:' Northwest

Education. Fall 1996, pp. 2-9.

9. Dacey and Kenny, op. cit.10. Tinker v. Des Moines Independent CommunirySchool District, 393 U.S. 503 (1969). K