Chapter 3
Misbehavior
 Implies willful wrong doing for which a
child must be disciplined or punished.
 Children can internalize the negative label
of the behavior and will start to feel negative
about themselves.
Mistaken behavior reminds us:
 Children are just at the beginning of a
lifelong learning process. (in the
process of learning we all make
mistakes)
Misbehavior versus mistaken
behavior
 Misbehavior makes us think of punishing,
 Misbehavior makes us think about moral
labeling of the child
 Our goal should be to teach the child
appropriate ways to behave.
 Mistaken behavior makes us think of
educating and guiding
WE need to remember:
 The child is in development, not a finished
product
 The process of learning and development are
complex
 Through methods and curriculum, educators need
to accommodate the developmental and
experimental circumstances of each child
 Guiding behavior is a big part of every teacher’s
job
Avoid “Me Against You” Discipline
 We must remember that all children are
basically innately good who have much to
learn, naïve little people, with a small
amount of experience to draw upon, who
want to please us, be accepted, and to be
approved and loved.
Common Sources of Motivation
 At the level of encountering and experimentation
the motivation is curiosity or involvement.
 At the level of adjusting and socially influenced
mistaken behavior the motivation is the desire to
please and identify with others,
 At the level of the survival and strong emotions,
the motivation is unmet basic needs (trust, safety,
security, love, food, etc)
Three Levels of Mistaken Behavior
 Level Three Strong-Needs Mistaken
Behavior
 Level Two: Socially Influenced Mistaken
Behavior
 Level One: Experimentation Mistaken
Behavior
Level One: Experimentation
 The child is learning through full
engagement in the experiment of life
 ,much as the name experimentation states,
the children are trying out behaviors, words,
and responses and then seeing how these
play out in the world of the classroom.
 This can be very different depending upon
the personality of the child
Level Two: Socially Influenced Mistaken
Behavior
 This is actually learned behavior that the child has
tried before and got the result the child was
looking for!
 The child is reacting to the influence of others,
repeating behavior that is modeled, suggested, or
reined,
 Children are reaching to the authority of persons
important in their lives
 Both intentional and unintentional behaviors
result
Level Three: Strong Needs
Mistaken Behavior
 Most difficult to see
 Child has experienced their environment as
a dangerous and painful place over which
they have little control.
 The behavior patterns tend to be rigid and
exaggerated. Protection is of utmost
Comprehensive Guidance
Strategies
 Obtain more information
 Build a relationship with the child
 Prevent problem situations
 Intervene in non punitive ways
 Teach child alternatives
Understanding Mistaken Behavior
 Intentionality versus accident
 Aggression
 Level one usually to show power or experimentation
 Level Two: socially influenced rewards itself and child
learns that it has power!
 Level Three learned that it is a “life tool’ in dealing with
the world
Parent Communication
 Need to first understand HOW the parent sees the
child