Thomas Gordon: Discipline as Self-Control

Thomas Gordon was a clinical psychologist who pioneered the teaching of communication skills and conflict resolution to parents, teachers, youth, and managers of organizations. He believed that classroom discipline is best accomplished by helping students develop an inner sense of self-control. He urged teachers to use non controlling methods of discipline instead of reward and punishment.

Gordon had eleven Principal Teachings.

1. Teachers should try to influence students rather than control them. He thought that the more teachers tried to control, the less they were able to exert positive influence.

2. Students' coping mechanisms are strategies that students use when confronted with coercive influence. The three coping mechanisms are fighting, taking flight, and submitting - none conducive to good education.

3. Non controlling methods of behavior change are available for influencing students to behave properly. Teachers should not use authoritative power or rewards and punishments.

4. I-messages are statements on which people tell how they personally think or feel about another's behavior and its consequences. They should be used when attempting to influence others.

5. You-messages are statements of blame leveled at someone's behavior. They should not be used when attempting to influence others.

6. Shifting gears is a tactic that involves changing from a confrontational to a listening posture. This is a helpful strategy when students do not listen to teachers I-messages.

7. Win-lose conflict resolutions can end disputes temporarily but is usually ineffective. Usually there is a winner and a loser in this conflict resolution and usually has a detrimental effect on the loser.

8. No-lose conflict resolution is a way of ending disputes by enabling both sides to emerge as "winners".

9. Communication roadblocks are comments by well-meaning teachers that shut down student willingness to communicate. Moralizing and telling students what they ought to do are examples of this.