Lauren Sandler
EDUC 531
Dr. Williams
April 7, 2010
The Fundamental Hypothesis of
Win-Win Discipline
 Quality classroom discipline, in which students
manage themselves in a responsible manner, is
achieved when the teacher and students work together
cooperatively to find a common ground in handling
behavior problems in the classroom environment
What is meant by Win-Win
Discipline?
 This method allows students and teacher to work
together to find acceptable solutions to behavior issues
 During this process the concerns of the teacher and
students are addressed and resolved in a satisfactory
manner for all
 The teacher and students benefit or “win” thus making
this method of Win-Win Discipline work for all
The Theorists behind Win-Win
Discipline
 Spencer Kagan
 Clinical psychologist, educational consultant who specializes
in the research and development of discipline strategies and
life skills training. Co-author of Win-Win Discipline
 Patricia Kyle
 School counselor, school psychologist and university
professor who researches and writes about discipline in the
classroom. Co-author of Win-Win Discipline
 Sally Scott
 School administrator and teacher trainer. Is the lead trainer
in the Win-Win Discipline method since its inception. Coauthor of Win-Win Discipline
The Goal of the Process
 Win-win discipline believes that disruptive behavior is
a beginning point for helping students become more
responsible & self-directing
 Teachers are advised to provide a positive learning
environment, engaging instruction & an interesting
curriculum
 A “we” approach is needed to be created in which the
teacher and students and work together on the same
side towards the same end goal
 The goal of Win-Win Discipline, according to Scott,
Kagan and Kyle is that over time students will become
empowered to make choices in behavior that are
beneficial to them as well as being compatible with the
interests of the class
 Simultaneously, students will develop life skills that will
serve them advantageously throughout the rest of their
lives
 Disruptive students are not seen as “bad kids”, but as
individuals who are ineffectively attempting to meet
their personal needs
Win-Win Discipline Premises
 Kagan, Scott and Kyle stated the following as the Win-
Win Discipline premises:
 The ultimate goal is to teach autonomous responsibility,
not cease disruptions
 Most disruptions can be categorized into 4 types:
Aggression
Breaking Rules
Confrontations
Disengagement
 Positions are neither right or wrong, but are a fact of
universal human condition
 Disruptions usually come up from one of seven student positions
that are thought of as currently existing motives, emotions or states
of mind
Attention-seeking
Avoidance of failure
Anger
Control seeking
Energetic
Boredom
Being uninformed
 Teachers shouldn’t accept disruptive behaviors, but always accept
and validate student positions
 In meeting the needs of the students that are associated with given
positions, students will sometimes engage in disruptive behaviors
 If teachers proactively respond to the four behaviors and seven
positions they can prevent most disruptive behaviors that could
possibly occur
Win-Win Discipline Key Elements
 The Three Pillars
 Same side

students, teacher and parents work together on the same side
for the enhancement of the educational experience for all
 Collaborative solutions

Teacher and students collaborate in the identification of
problems and proposal of solutions
 Learned responsibility

Results from continually emphasizing autonomous proactive
life skills and self-management
 Preventative measures
 Teachers can do these in advance to reduce disruptive
behaviors to make it easier for the needs of the students to be
met in the classroom
 ABCD Disruptors
 Four categories of disruptive behaviors teachers contend with
 Student positions
 Composites of perceptions, emotions and attitudes that exist
in individual students at any given moment
 Class rules
 Agreements worked out in a cooperative manner between the
teacher and students. Kagan, Scott and Kyle suggest they be
kept simple, limited in number and write them on a poster for
all to see. All students must understand the rules by being
carefully taught by the teacher and practice them until they
become natural to follow
 Moment-of-distraction structures
 Strategies that teacher apply at the moment of student misbehavior
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Picture it Right: “If we were at our very best right now, how would we
look?” (154)
Make a Better Choice: “I want you to think of a better choice right now.”
(154)
To You…To Me: (To you, this lesson may be boring; to me, it is
important, because….” (154)
 Follow-up structures
 The requirement of time and repeated experiences in responsibility
development
 4 types of follow-up
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Establishing new or reestablishing existing preventative procedures
Creating moment-of-disruption procedures
Implementing a follow-up structure (i.e. same side chat or responsible
thinking exploration)
Offering life skill training (i.e. self control or personal relations)
 Life skills
 Anger management and self motivation
How does Win-Win Discipline Work
 Before the beginning of class
 Preventing Disruptive Behavior

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Make the curriculum challenging and interesting
Have cooperative activities that allow the students the chance to
work together in a meaningful way
Have a interesting, stimulating teacher who adapts the curriculum to
the needs and interests of their students
 Learn How to Identify Student Positions
 Anticipate Disruptive Behavior Types
 Commit to the Application of the Three Pillars of Win-
Win Discipline at All Times
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Each of the three pillars utilizes certain discipline structures for
teachers to use when students make unacceptable choices in
behavior
Designed for use at three different points: moment of disruption;
follow-up; and working toward long-term solutions
ABCD Disruptive Behavior Types
 Aggression
 Taking hostile actions against others
 Physical aggression: biting, kicking, pulling, pinching, hitting
and slapping
 Verbal aggression: swearing, verbal put-downs, name-calling,
ridiculing
 Passive aggression: stubbornly refusing to adhere to
reasonable requests
 Breaking Rules
 May break rules for a variety of reasons


Bored, desirous of attention, wanting to control, angry, energy-filled,
trying to avoid failure, not having the ability to follow a rule, or not
understanding what is expected of them
Examples include: making strange noises, gum chewing, passing
notes, not turning in work, talking without permission or being out
of their chairs
 Confrontations
 Power struggles among students or between the teacher and
student in order to get one’s way or strongly argue their point


Examples include: complaining, refusal to comply, giving reasons
why something should be done differently or are not good, and
arguing
Students may pout or make disparaging remarks about the teacher
or task when they do not get their own way
 Disengagement
 Reasons for disengagement

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Might have something more interesting they are thinking of
Feel like they cannot perform the task
Find the task too boring or difficult
 Passive disengagement
 Not listening, not finishing work, acting helpless, working off task,
or saying “I can’t” (157)
 Active disengagement
 Excessive help requests, put-downs, and comments like “I’ve got
better things to do” or “It would be better if….” (157)
Student Positions: Intervention
Strategies
 The art of Win-Win Discipline is to identify the position
the misbehavior comes from
 The teacher must communicate acceptance of the position, but
must also refuse to accept the disruptive behavior it engenders
 Remember that student positions are not considered negative, but
reflect the needs or conditions of the student when they act out
 Effective teachers attempt to gain the perspective of the students in
order to understand and deal with what could be prompting their
behavior and realize that each disruption is a chance to help
students learn how to behave more responsibly
 Attention-Seeking Students
 May interrupt, work slower, goof off, show off, or ask for extra help
 How to deal with attention-seeking students

Moment of disruption:

Include hand signals, appreciation, affirmation, physical proximity, Imessages, or personal attention

Follow-up:
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Meeting with the student and talking about their need for attention with
them and how it could be met in a positive manner
Long-term solutions:

focusing on the interests of the student, building self-validation and selfconcept skills
 Avoiding Failure
 No one likes to fail or feel like they are inept and will rationalize
their inadequacies in order to avoid feeling embarrassment.
 How to deal with avoiding failure disruptions

Moment of disruption:
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Teachers can encourage their students to try
Reorganize and present the information in smaller pieces
Assign partners
Follow-up and Long-term strategies:
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Ask students how responsible people deal with fear of failure
Teachers may also include peer support
Show how mistakes could lead to excellent learning
Team Pair Solo in which students practice activities as a team first, then in
pairs and then alone
 Being Angry
 How to deal with anger disruptions

In Win-Win Discipline there are many strategies teachers can utilize in
dealing with angry disruptions
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Provide a cool down and thinking time, tabling the matter, asking the
students to determine what responsible ways of handling anger there are
Long-term interventions: conflict resolution conferences, practice selfcontrol skills, or class meetings
 Control Seeking Students
 How to deal with control seeking disruptions

Moment of disruption:
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Follow-up:
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Scott, Kyle and Kagan suggest that teachers acknowledge the power
Use Language of Choice: a method in which the teacher provides the
students with a choice
Provide options for when and how works is to be completed
Schedule a class meeting or later conference to talk about the situation
Gather student input concerning what causes students to struggle against
their teacher and find a way as to how that struggle can be avoided
Long term strategies:


Involving students in the decision-making process
Work with them in establishing class agreements concerning challenging
the teacher
 Overly Energetic Students
 How to deal with overly energetic student disruptions
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Moment of disruption:
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Follow-up:
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Provide breaks during the lessons
Allow time for progressive relaxation
Channel energy in a productive manner
Remove distracting elements
Teach calming strategies
Provide activities for students to work off their energy in a positive way
Long-term solutions:
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Manage energy levels during classroom instruction
Connect the interests of students to the lesson
 Bored Students
 How to deal with disruptions coming from bored students

Moment of disruption:
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Teachers can restructure the task needed for learning
Involve students more actively
Infuse time energizers
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Follow-up:
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Talk privately with the students and give them helping roles like a
recorder, coach or gatekeeper
Long-term solutions:

Teachers can give their students a rich, relevant, and developmentally
appropriate curriculum in which the students will be actively involved in
the learning process and one that emphasizes cooperative learning and
attention to multiple intelligences
 Uninformed Students
 How to deal with disruptions coming from uninformed students

Moment of disruption:
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Follow-up:
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Gently ask the students if they know what they should do
 If they do not then the teacher can reteach them at the time
 If they need just some support then have the student work with a
partner
More careful attention when giving directions, modeling, and practicing
the responsible behavior
Long-term solutions:
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
Encouragement
Focus on the strengths of the student
More on Responding in Moment of
Disruption
 In summary, at the moment of disruption, the
teacher should
 End the disruption quickly & refocus students back to
the task at hand
 Acknowledge the student position, if necessary
 Communicate that the disruptive behavior is not
acceptable
 Work with the student to find a solution that is mutually
satisfactory to all
 However, for students who exhibit persistently
disruptive behavior, the teacher may have to utilize
more prescriptive measures, such as consequences like
an apology, loss of activity or restitution
 A personal improvement plan is created to build the
offending student’s consequences into
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1. Warning: The student receives a warning from the teacher
2. Reflection time: The student is given the opportunity to
think about their disruptive behavior and how to improve it
3. Personal Improvement Plan: The disruptive student
creates a personal improvement plan to develop responsible
ways of meeting their needs
4. Phone call to Parent or Guardian
5. Visit to the Principal’s Office
Long-Term Goals for Student
Positions
 Kagan, Scott and Kyle suggest the following long-term
goals to be associated with the various student
positions
STUDENT POSITION
LONG-TERM NEEDS &
GOAL FOR STUDENT
Attention seeking
Needs self-validation
Avoiding failure,
embarrassment
Needs self-confidence
Being angry
Needs self-control
Control seeking
Needs self-determination
Being energetic
Needs self-direction
Being bored
Needs to self-motivate
Being uninformed
Needs to self-inform
Follow-Up Structures to Reach
Long-Term Goals
 Same-Side Chat
 Through teacher-student discussion they will learn more
about one another and realize they are working on the same
side towards better conditions for everyone
 Responsible Thinking
 Activities used to direct students toward reflection on 3
considerations
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(1) Their needs and the needs of others
(2) How they treat other people
(3) How they conduct themselves
 Such a responsible thinking activity for following up on
disruptive behaviors could include the following for students
to answer
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(1) What if everyone acted that way?
(2) How would I like to be treated?
(3) What would be a win-win situation?
 Reestablish Expectations
 Discuss and reteach, (if necessary), expectations concerning
procedures, routines and rules in the classroom
 Strengthens acceptance, knowledge, application,
understanding and adherence to classroom expectations
 Identify Replacement Behavior
 Teachers guide their students to accept, generate and practice
responsible behaviors they can use to replace disruptive
classroom behaviors
 Establish Contracts
 Contract agreements between individual students and the
teacher will clarify and formalize agreements made between
both parties
 Contracts could increase the likelihood that the student will
remember, identify with and honor the written agreement
 Establish Consequences
 Used as a last resort when all other follow-up methods have
failed
 They are conditions agreed upon by the teacher and students
to invoke when students misbehave
 Consequences must be aligned with the Three Pillars of WinWin Discipline
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Same-side orientation
Established through student-teacher collaboration
Instructive and aimed at helping students learn how to conduct
themselves with greater personal responsibility
 May call for responsible thinking, an apology or restitution
 An genuine apology has 3 parts
 (1) Statement of remorse or regret
 (2) Statement of appropriate future behavior
 (3) Request for acceptance of the apology
 Restitution by the student
 Taking care of emotional or physical damage done
Promoting Life Skills
 The progressive development of “life skills” are a major
goal of Win-Win Discipline
 Examples include: empathy, good judgment, self-
control, anger management, perseverance and impulse
control
 Teachers need to work on these skills throughout the
curriculum and when responding to students at
moment of disruption, follow-up and long-term
solutions
 Scott, Kyle and Kagan believe that by fostering life
skills, teachers can avoid ineffective methods that end
a disruption, but leave students more than likely to
disrupt in the future
Parent & Community Alliances &
Schoolwide Programs
 Win-Win Discipline provides various suggestions for
parent-teacher communication and interaction
 During the first week of school teachers should make
contact with the parents of their students
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Letters sent home
Class websites
Class newsletters
Email
Phone calls
 Parent’s nights and open houses create person-to-
person communication opportunities
 Conferences between the teacher and parents
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Show parents that they are valued as allies and could
encourage parents to serve as tutors or mentors to their child
 Schoolwide programs encourage entire school
involvement
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Assemblies
Incentive programs
 Broader community involvement
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Field trips
Guest speakers
Apprenticeships
Adopting and working with senior citizens or in day care
Initiating Win-Win Discipline
 Kagan, Scott and Kyle suggest how Win-Win
Discipline can be introduced by teachers to their
students
 Start by setting the tone for a win-win climate in the
classroom
 Tell students that the class is to be built on the Three
Pillars of Win-Win Discipline
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Same side
Collaborative solutions
Learned responsibility
 Create class agreements by constructing a chart
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Use the headings “Disruptive Behavior” and “Responsible
Behavior” and the subheadings “Say” and “Do”
As a class, discuss what disruptive things people would say
and do to garner attention and then discuss what responsible
things people say and do for attention
Ask students how they feel about the lists
Make sure students know that their opinions and cooperation
are valued and that they will always be involved in the
decision-making process
 During the first few weeks of class be sure to use
activities that will strengthen the concept of the Three
Pillars

Reassures students that discipline will not be done to them,
but happens with them

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With collaboration with the students teachers might decide
on preferred classroom procedures; talk about discipline
structures and the reasons behind them; create follow-ups
and consequences; and garner student input on a few
curriculum decisions
 Can be accomplished during a series of class meetings
Teachers can show their students how they would help them
in turning disruptive behaviors into good learning solutions
 Reflection, follow-up and long-term solutions come into play
Also remember to start establishing alliances with parents
during these first few weeks
Summary
 Discipline is not something you do to students. It’s something
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you help students acquire
Use the Three Pillars of Win-Win Discipline
Win-Win Discipline identifies the ABCD’s of Disruptive
Behavior that spring from one or more of the 7 student positions
Meet the needs of the students through acceptable behavior by
maintaining their dignity while encouraging them to identify
acceptable behavior under the circumstances
The ultimate goal for Win-Win Discipline is for students to learn
how to manage themselves, meet their needs via responsible
choices and the development of life skills that will help them in
the future
Teachers must seek parent and community alliances and develop
schoolwide programs for combating disruptive behavior