Assertive Discipline

Since the 1970s, viewpoints and theories about classroom management have proliferated. One of the more widely used of those theories is assertive discipline, developed by Lee and Marlene Canter in 1976. Assertive discipline is a structured classroom management system designed to help teachers maintain orderly classrooms by positively influencing student behavior. It was one of the first classroom management approaches systemized to the point that it could be widely distributed to schools and school districts across the United States. It represented a new way of marketing classroom management strategies because the developers packaged the program for delivery in a uniform fashion for teacher use in every classroom.

Assertive discipline originated when Lee and Marlene Canter collaborated to discover new techniques to deal with disruptive classroom behavior. Their research and experiences became the framework for assertive discipline, a model of classroom management grounded heavily on behavioristic principles. In 1976 they founded Canter and Associates, Inc., to market their assertive discipline program and related books, programs, and publications.

The Canters based their theory on the following assumptions: Teachers have a right and responsibility to define acceptable and unacceptable classroom behavior; student compliance is required to create and maintain an effective learning environment; and teachers should be assertive (confident, firm, and direct), as opposed to aggressive (hostile) or nonassertive (passive or indecisive) in their response to student misbehavior.

The assertive discipline model is grounded on the assumption that children are not innately motivated to behave appropriately in school. Thus the model incorporates the use of clear behavioral expectations, positive recognition for compliance, and negative consequences for noncompliance. The objective is to motivate students to choose appropriate behavior. As students learn to make responsible choices, they develop, at least in theory, ownership of their behavior, take responsibility for its consequences, and develop long-term habits of appropriate behavior.

Teachers who use the assertive discipline model begin with clear expectations for student behavior. They develop a short list of rules that describe observable behaviors that are always expected. Some teachers include students in this rule-making process. Rules are explained, modeled, taught to students, and consistently applied. A list of rules is posted in the classroom and sent home to parents. A system of rewards and consequences is developed and clearly explained to students.

Students receive positive recognition when they behave appropriately or exceed expectations. The purpose of the recognition is to reinforce and teach appropriate behavior, increase students' self-esteem, and create a positive learning environment. Examples of reinforcement might include verbal praise, positive phone calls and notes to parents, special privileges, and classroom rewards.

When students choose to break the rules, consequences are delivered quickly, calmly, and with consistency. Assertive teachers do not waver or become sidetracked by students' arguments or accusations. Instead, they calmly reiterate the same request and expect a behavior change. A previously established hierarchy of consequences for students who choose inappropriate behavior is applied according to the seriousness of the misbehavior. Because not every circumstance fits neatly into a guideline, professional judgment and a student's best interests are additional considerations. Since the goal of the consequence is to allow students to learn appropriate solutions to problems, a connection is made between the student's choice of behavior and the resulting consequence. When repeated behavioral strategies do not yield desired results, teachers seek additional support from the school counselor, administrator, or students' parents.

...