The Discipline with Dignity model is based upon the belief that the most effective and respected teachers express their beliefs, demands, and expectations within the context of clear values and goals that benefit learning.  They hold students accountable by expressing approval and disapproval, and they seek consequences that teach each student a connection between what they have done and what happens as a result of those actions.  (Curwin, R. and Mendler, A., 1997).
The Discipline with Dignity model promotes student regulation with guidance, and moderate teacher control/power.  It therefore calls for moderate disciplinary intervention.
The model is formed on the foundation of the Humanistic Education, which is an attempt to humanize education.  Its emphasis is on self-awareness and self-knowledge.

The criteria for deciding whether the discipline approach is humanistic is as follows:

1. Does the approach pay as much attention to personal knowledge (knowledge of oneself in relation to self, others, and society) as it does to public knowledge (knowledge of external realities)?
2. Is there a thorough integration of emotional, intellectual, and behavioral learning, with no one emphasized at the expense of the others?
3. Are the goals and objectives of this approach congruent with the studentsí personal and professional needs?
4. Is the approach geared more toward the liberation of the learnerís unique life style than toward his domestication into pre-established norms and standards?
5. Does the approach extend and expand the choices the individual has for responding to his world?
6. Does the approach mutually enhance the growth of all of the participants?  I someoneís personal growth achieved at the expense of someone else?

Self-knowledge leads to greater creativity, less distorted perception of reality and greater freedom.  Self-knowledge is a major means toward growth and actualization (which is the highest level in Maslowís model of Self-Actualization).  Self-knowledge also leads to higher response-ability (greater variety of choices).

According to the Motivation for At-Risk Students (Alderman, 1990), ìhelpless students need to learn to link their successes and failures to their own effortsî.  The theory of attribution helps us understand the reasons students identify as causes for their success or failure.  One of the basic tenets of the Discipline with Dignity model is that students learn to acknowledge consequences as direct result of their choices. This model teaches the students that they are responsible for creating their own consequences, which in turn helps them to generalize this thinking to the area of academic achievement. It helps students develop the internal/stable attribution for success, which allows students to consistently attribute success to their own efforts or see success as a consequence of their own actions.

2) Action ñ what can be done when misbehavior occurs to solve the problem without making it worse.

3) Resolution ñ what can be done for the out-of-control student.

1. Let students know what you need.  Establish clear and specific guidelines that define rules and consequences for both you and your students.
2. Provide instruction at levels that match the studentís ability.  Students usually act out in defense against feeling like a failure.  Inability or unwillingness to adapt the teaching style to lower or higher academic levels based on the studentís needs, offers the student a valid excuse for acting out.
3. Listen to what students are thinking and feeling.  Students misbehave when they feel anxious, fearful, or angry.  Identifying with studentsí negative feelings and conveying understanding and empathy through reflective or active listening can usually short-circuit the cycle that leads to disruption.
4. Use humor.  Many frustrating situations can be lightened by learning how to poke fun at yourself and by avoiding defensiveness.
5. Vary your style of presentation.  Due to studentsí short attention span, alternate approaches (ex.: lecture with discussion).  Continually using the same approach will create inattentiveness and restlessness, which may lead to disruption.
6. Offer choices.  Offer students choices and help them see that consequences are results of their choices.
7. Refuse to accept excuses.  Once there are sensible rules and consequences established in the classroom, all misbehavior is greeted with a specific consequence.  Accepting excuses teaches students how to create better excuses and how to be irresponsible.  If legitimate excuses are accepted, they must be included as part of the rules.
8. Legitimize misbehavior that you cannot stop.  If everything humanly possible has been done to stop a certain behavior but it still continues, it should be legitimized.  When certain types of misbehavior are legitimized the fun of acting out fizzles.
9. Use hugs and touching in communicating with kids.  A pat on the back, touch on the shoulder or handshake can go a long way toward establishing bonds with kids.  Supplement words with nonverbal displays of caring and concern.
10. Be responsible for yourself and allow kids to take responsibility for themselves.  The teacher should be responsible for being prepared to teach.  The teacher is not responsible to come prepared for the student, to judge the excuses a student gives, or to do his/her work for him.
11. Realize and accept that you will not reach every kid.  Some children must be allowed to choose failure.
12. Start fresh every day.  What happened yesterday is finished.  Today is a new day.  Act accordingly.

Action stage
1. As a warning the teacher names the inappropriate behavior and the consequence if it is repeated.  The teacher does not lecture, shout, moralize or sound hurt or aggressive.
2. If a rule is broken after the first warning, the teacher does not discuss the reason, does not allow the child to offer excuses or blame someone else, a consequence is implemented without exception.
3. The teacher walks around in order to use proximity control to prevent and resolve minor classroom annoyances that may not be covered in the social contract.

Resolution stage
1. If the problem behavior persists and set consequences are not effective, the teacher holds a conference with the student to create a mutually acceptable plan that will help them get along better in class.
2. After three unsuccessful attempts at individual contract negotiation, the teacher suggests enlisting a third party to assist in negotiations.

Action stage - The second dimension of the three-dimensional approach.

Discipline with Dignity - A responsibility discipline model created by Richard     Curwin and Allen Mendler.

Humanistic education -  Education with an emphasis on self-awareness and self-knowledge.

Prevention stage  - The first dimension of the three-dimensional approach.

Proximity control -   A technique in which a teacher controls student behavior by placing him or herself close to the student.

Social contract -  The main component of the Prevention stage of the three-dimensional approach.

Resolution stage -  The third dimension of the three-dimensional approach.

Three-dimensional approach ñ An approach for handling classroom behavior, comprised of setting rules, enforcing consequences and dealing with out-of-control behavior.

- Students are taught personal responsibility by creating their own rules and consequences.
- Students experience democracy in action by making decisions as a team and.
- The environment created in the classroom fosters respect between the students and the teacher.

- Participating in creating classroom rules allows students to develop good school citizenship, which is part of the school curriculum.
- The students take ownership of their actions and learning, which increases their motivation and in turn affects overall achievement.
- Because students were involved in the creation of rules, no additional instructional time needs to be spent on the explanation of classroom rules.

- Allowing students to develop rules and consequences for the teacher as well as for each other, creates positive environment and fosters respect between the teacher and the students.
- Students develop teacher expectations, which aim to enhance their learning.
- Responsibility is learned by practicing it, making choices, and experiencing consequences.
- Getting students involved in the process of establishing rules and consequences shows the students that their opinions and ideas matter and that they are valued by the teacher and their peers.
- The process of establishing social contract creates a democratic environment, which serves as a good lesson on democracy.
- The model fosters teamwork by requiring the students to work together on setting rules and consequences.
- As part of implementing the model, the teacher models and encourages children to utilize non-aggressive means for resolving conflicts.

- Consequences are enforced without exceptions, even for students with generally good behavior.  This could discourage students with legitimate excuses.
- Model may be difficult to implement in the lower elementary grades because of the complexity of the stages.
- Out of control students are offered individual negotiations. Too much individual negotiation may be unreasonable.
 
 

Curwin, R. and Fuhrmann, B. S. (1975).  Discovering your teaching self: Humanistic approaches to effective teaching.  Prentice-Hall, Inc.: NJ.

Curwin, R. and Mendler, A. (1988).  Discipline with dignity.  ASCD.

Curwin, R. and Mendler, A. (1997).  Discipline with dignity: Beyond obedience.  The
Educational Digest, 63, 11-14.

Curwin, R. and Mendler, A. (1980).  The discipline book: A complete guide to school  and classroom management.  Reston Publishing Company, Inc.: VA.