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DOCUMENT RESUME CG 027 566 ED 405 536 Richmond, Christine AUTHOR Beyond Contemporary Confusion: Away from Punitive TITLE Practice. PUB DATE [96] NOTE 7p Viewpoints (Opinion/Position Papers, Essays, etc.) PUB TYPE Information Analyses (070) (120) EDRS PRICE MFO1 /PCO1 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Behavior Modification; Counseling Techniques; *Counseling Theories; Counselor Attitudes; *Counselor Teacher Cooperation; Elementary School Students; Elementary Secondary Education; Foreign Countries; Intervention; Models; Secondary School Students; *Teacher Administrator Relationship ABSTRACT Behavior management presents an ongoing challenge that requires complex intervention skills on the part of guidance personnel. This paper presents strategies for helping school-based personnel move away from traditional punitive behavior management practices that are derived from a time when public humiliation of someone for social-rule-breaking behavior was acceptable classroom practice. The following keys have the potential to unlock the complexities of behavior management and assist counselors in promoting the shift from the paradigm of "punish disruption" to (1) use descriptive models; "support social skilling": (2) intentionally avoid playing games; and (3) recognize the strength of small and incremental changes. The shift to a paradigm of support through social training has not yet gained universal appeal in schools, and it is certainly misunderstood by the general community. In order to facilitate productive and enduring change, helping professionals need to provide enough framework for teachers to participate in risk-taking behavior and trust this process to remain committed to intervention plans when the support person is no longer there. An example of this minimalist approach to behavior management is found in the Behaviour Management Skills Training Package in which a small number of useful microskills have been described in practical terms. (LSR) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** Beyond contemporary confusion : Away from punitive practice. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement Christine Richmond "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY CENTER (ERIC) Department of Education 0 This document has been reproduced as C received from the person or organization rC4A-104104 . originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve Education House reproduction Quality. Points of view or opinions staled in this docu- Brisbane ment do not necessarily represent official TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES OE RI position or policy. INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." Behaviour management from a guidance perspective is a complex and potentially fraught situation. We are invited, on the one hand, to witness the daily practical struggle of the teacher working at a point of need with finite emotional resources and limited options, a situation that has the potential to become in any moment overwhelming. On the other hand, we as guidance personnel are bound to keep the big picture in perspective. What is the vision of the school? What is the intent and the direction of the intervention called behaviour management, generally, or management of this particular student's behaviour in the context in which we are invited to work? The problem for effective guidance practice is one that requires a special combination of forthrightness and sensitivity that can take years of training and practice in fieldwork to refine. r My personal struggle to achieve this balance derives from a central belief (not an i it original idea) around which I organise my professional behaviour, and a particular focus. I behave as if I live in a democracy all of the time. This has impact on the daily choices that derive from the dilemmas hidden in each of the complex, multi-layered situations that confront people like ourselves particularly in situations that are redolent with power and control issues, people who choose to work as helpers and change a, have agents. My sister, an Anglican priest and PhD would say we are not the ones that done the choosing, but then again, with god as your employer you'd feel quite confident about debating this point. Our work, whether we do it because of driving ambition, or sense of vocation, or an inextricable mix of the two, lies at the critical interface of change. Guidance work is often misunderstood, devalued and even debunked by the client it temptation to which all group itself. The invitation to take this personally is a constant of us have probably succumbed, at least to some extent, at times. On the other hand, HIRST COPY AV/11111 API there is always the seduction of the role of expert with all the trappings of secret knowledge and clinical remoteness extrapolated in the ruthlessness of certain, ritualised therapies. This sometimes begins with a seduction down the honey-sweet and hopeless path of 'you are the one who will save my son (my class, my family, my marriage, my sanity). The child that no one but you understands'. Guidance has the opportunity to rise like the phoenix from the frozen ashes left as a legacy of the economic rationalism of right-wing decision-makers. Keeping focussed on the big picture is far more important than spending energy on worrying about the impact of daily fieldwork frustrations. Those of us who struggle with the pressure of not only the consequences of rationalist decision-making on the support available for fragile, and marginalised groups, but also misunderstanding from those for whom we are attempting to advocate, have a clear understanding of this point. Becoming consumed by coal-face frustrations is pointless and emotionally expensive. The sad comfort is that the need for helping professionals with guidance expertise has never been more evident. This paper describes a number of keys that have the potential for helping our clients move beyond contemporary confusion and away from punitive practice in behaviour management, in other words to make the shift from the paradigm of 'punish disruption' to `support social skilling'. Key #1: Use descriptive models. The following model, for example, describes the difference between the focus of guidance work with administrators and teachers in behaviour management. Teachers, as coal face workers have a fine and constantly updated understanding of the details of behavioural difficulties with students and are able to comprehensively articulate their own wants as far as classroom work and curriculum engagement is concerned. Administrators, on the other hand, have a clear idea of the need to simultaneously provide support for efficient classroom work which, as a central activity, lies at the heart of the organisation and to provide leadership in the development of a set of plans that operationalise the vision of the school. When guidance is called to facilitate the work of personnel on one or both sides of the organisation, it is useful to consider that coal face workers and big picture workers do not typically share a similar perspective on the task of, in this case, managing student behaviour. They do not necessarily share a common language and 3 about administrators in the set of concepts. Indeed, attributions made by teachers the theme of 'you context of problematic behaviour management are variations on communication with don't support me'. Administrators contribute to this unproductive attributions about teachers not being willing, or failing to show commitment or demonstrating inability to follow the established plans. Guidance officers can use this model to help school-based personnel to come to in order to move the key grips with the idea of the reality of difference in perspective problem solving that players beyond counterproductive communication towards valuing that very incorporates the idea of acknowledging the practical necessity of articulating the difference. The change agent has responsibility for facilitating and intersection of the two disparate perspectives. particularly one experiencing the In my experience it is less likely that a teacher, make the imaginative leap pain of working in 'survive the day' mode has the energy to what they have of understanding to comprehend, and appreciate in pragmatic terms, perspective. There may be superficial never experienced, the administrator's kinds of skills and understanding of the nature of the job, but little appreciation for the job done successfully. For the time that is needed for the administrator to get the vision, and then must example, to be an effective leader the administrator must have a necessarily appreciate the work out ways to engage the staff in fulfilling it. Staff don't for the task, partly engagement with this process and can openly express resentment because the relevance to their daily work is not immediately apparent. that they are Administrators have all been coal-face workers and demonstrate day to day classroom located on a continuum of knowledge of the complexities of the other is 'out-of- work. One end of the continuum is labelled 'up-to-date' and of his/her location touch'. The administrator does not always have the same picture the organisation share. Credibility and communication on the continuum that others in issues can be confounded by this factor. in acknowledging The role of guidance here can be to engage the administrator that they, as leaders and the different expertise of the teacher's role and to recognise that include gains in perspective and managers have moved on, with consequences will facilitate responsible losses in immediacy of experience. The wider perspective tend to allow a systems-level decision-making, but losses in immediacy of experience 4 hard- certain romantic gloss to build over time. Layer after layer inexorably blur the effects of change. edged realities of daily classroom stressors and obscure the subtle Key #2: Intentionally avoiding playing games. invitation to contribute to In difficult situations there is usually an ever-present perspective. conversations that articulate divergent perspectives from a power-game alienating the other sets of By participating, even tacitly, the guidance officer risks and outcome, of this stakeholders. Since an underlying objective, for both process the success of the specialised type of work is for the players to work cooperatively, is played intervention is under threat if the invitation to play is taken. A power game from any of three positions: demanding and Persecutor position, where the change agent is drawn into 1. where they are pushing for change in the best attempt to make it happen or punitive 'management' tempted to participate in constructing more and more of the perceived disruptor. in acknowledging the Victim position, where the change agent participates 2. stakeholder or legitimacy of the miserable controlling behaviour of the raises rather than contributes to complaining interactions and inadvertently relieves anxiety. responsibility for doing Rescuer position, where the change agent takes over 3. the tasks of the stakeholders. people working at the interface The seduction of power games is a real danger for conflict. It can feel 'right' to of change which is,at any moment, at the heart of short term at least, a popular persecute, complain or rescue, and it is, in the self-perpetuating intervention choice. The problem, though, is that power games are different about how people and, by playing, nothing is achieved that is substantially are managing. Alternate positions that are more useful: information. This can Instead of persecuting increase the others' access to 1. that are incorporated in be achieved through teaching, and all the processes task analysing and giving the act of teaching including: coaching, instructing, of these different types feedback. There are best practice ways to perform all of skills. 5 in self- through structured inquiry reflect on practice Instead of complaining, 2. critical action research. processes called reflective processes or in group Useful questions include: helped? What happened that - stuck? the situation to remain What was it that encouraged - difference? differences that made a What were the - things differently? How could I/we do - wanted? Are we getting what we - decisions? How outcome driven are our - process? How respectful is the - that can holding environment 'doing for' create a Instead of rescuing and 3. intervention position include Microskills in this facilitate change processes. listening, for example: the process of active have as their base all of those that and gentle confronting. educational counselling mediating, negotiating, the difference intervention that makes of the chosen It is the intentionality will arbitrate the consequences. responsive modes, and between reactive and changes. small and incremental the strength of Key #3: Recognise classrooms, issues in their with behaviour management Teachers, when grappling is survival. The the overriding agenda point of need where are commonly at a includes: helping professional this context for the consequences of diminished information may be for accessing more the teacher's capacity emotionally expensive agenda tends to imply an because a survival environment they may not be able to stressed and/or depressed the teacher may be so strategies the trying out of new of failure through entertain the possibility practices that there is no defensive about current the teacher may be so will be movement possibility that there level of plans at a very low committed to change the teacher may be direct the change agent's follow through when commitment and fail to support is removed professionals need change, helping productive and enduring In order to facilitate participate in risk-taking teachers to be able to enough scaffolding for to provide just 6 behaviour and trust the process enough to remain committed to intervention plans example when the support person is no longer there. In behaviour management, one Skills Training of this minimalist, no-frills approach is the Behaviour Management described in practical Package where a small number of useful microskills have been do not pretend to how and why terms. These self-help or collegial support materials help teachers increase be comprehensive but do provide enough scaffolding in order to confidence increases, the their confidence and poise in behaviour management. Once substantially shifted away teacher is no longer at a point of need and the agenda has able to make from survival to one of experimentation where he/she becomes more sense of the work. complexities that These three keys have the potential for unlocking some of the personnel move away from traditional present in the work of helping school-based time when to publicly punitive behaviour management practices that derived from a acceptable classroom humiliate someone for social rule breaking behaviour was training has not yet gained practice. The shift to a paradigm of support through social by the general universal appeal in our schools, and is certainly misunderstood of choice when the chips community. Punishment still appears to be the intervention We, as helping professionals, need to keep this are down and people are under stress. to stimulate big picture shift firmly in mind and work in resolute and courageous ways difference in the way that the small difference that will make a big and enduring the coalface. teachers, individually and in groups, manage students at 7 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and improvement (OERI) Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) REPRODUCTION RELEASE (Specific Document) DOCUMENT IDENTIFICATION: I. Title: Beyond Contemporary Confusion: Away From Punitive Practice. Author(s): Christine Richmond Corporate Source: Publication Date: Queensland Guidance and Counselling Association September, 1996 II. 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