California Career and Technical Education Standards

• ECDFS.A.A6.4 Determine practical strategies for finding solutions to common behavioral problems.
• ECDFS.FS.10.4 Understand positive guidance and discipline techniques that promote feelings of ...

• Spare the Rod...Spoil the Child? - Hooks / Set

  As students enter the classroom, they get their program notebooks out of the file cabinet drawer for their period. (All my students in each of my classes are required to have a program notebook that is almost always kept in their folder in their class period's drawer in a 5 drawer cabinet.)

  I instruct them to get to their seats with their notebooks and write down the quote on the board "Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child" and take 5 minutes to write down under it, their understanding of what that proverb means...after about 5 minutes, ask for a few volunteers to share.

  Next prepare to watch a few short video clips that deal with child discipline. On the board I have a likert scale of 1-5 with 1 equaling:

  • A FORM OF DISCIPLINE THAT IS EMOTIONALLY HARMFUL AND POTENTIALLY PHYSICALLY ABUSIVE (1)

  and 5 equaling:

  • A FORM OF DISCIPLINE THAT HELPS TO DE-ESCALATE OR CALM A SITUATION AND PROVIDES THE CHILD AN OPPORTUNITY TO UNDERSTAND BOUNDARIES WITHOUT THREATS, PHYSICAL MISTREATMENT, OR ABANDONMENT. (5)

  I ask students to create this same Likert scale in their notebooks and to analyze some of the methods observed in the following videos and then mark them on their own likert scale where they believe they appropriately belong. The older video (black and white) shows the caregiver providing two forms of discipline for students to notate, the newer video (color) covers 3 potential forms of discipline being suggested by the various characters in response to the situation for students to identify and notate. Tell them to be on the ready with their pencils to record the appropriate information!

  • Child Discipline Scenario - God's Step Children [ Watch Video ] [ Download Original Video ] An example of discipline from the film God's Step Children
  • Child Discipline Scenario - Different Strokes [ Watch Video ] [ Download Original Video ] An example of discipline options suggested for Arnold by his family
  • Likert Scale Example on Board [ View Image ] [ Download Original ] Picture of the simple scale I put on the board for the students to recreate in their notebooks
• Discuss the Various Forms of Discipline Viewed - Group Work

  Based on the two video clips, students should have identified two methods of discipline from the older video and the three to four discipline options considered in the newer video clip. All students should be given 2-5 minutes to place the various forms on the Likert Scale provided they were to record in their notebooks.

  Now, you should lead a discussion on the first video and ask students to share where they rated the lecture the teacher gave the young lady, and the eventual spanking. Next lead a short discussion on the discipline options provided to Arnold by the Nanny, by his sister, and by Mr. Drummond and where various students believe they belong on the Likert scale.

  Hopefully, the students tend to agree the more physical spanking of the young lady ends up towards the 1 on the scale, and the "no desserts or no dinner" options end up closer to the 3-4 range on the scale.

  Not one of these options should be considered a 5, however it is important to note that throughout public opinion, there is lots of disagreement over appropriate methods to discipline a child and that will most likely be reflected in the diversity of ratings your students produce.
• Consistent Message? - Guided Practice

  Because many people have differing opinions on appropriate and inappropriate discipline methods, it is important as potential care givers to really understand what experts and specialists agree are qualities of effective, healthy discipline for young children based on research and data, not on personal opinion or conjecture.

  Explain to students that they are going to work in pairs in order to explore two sources of expert information outlining elements of effective discipline and create a Venn Diagram (handout example provided below) identifying where these sources are consistent with one another and where they possibly vary in their information.

  First, they will read an article together (one partner reads aloud, while the other partner lists the elements of effective discipline identified within the article).  The article is linked below and provided in printable format. And then will watch a video together. They must listen for and list each of the traits or methods of effective discipline on the handout from each of the two sources (place is provided on the handout to list these items). Then...

  Move each of the items from their two respective lists into the areas of the Venn Diagram based on whether the item was identified in both the sources as effective or just one or the other. The handout explains this process as well, but you might have to go over a few examples with them.

  • Child Discipline Venn Diagram [ Download ] Venn Diagram to Help Students Compare Two Sources of Information on Child Discipline Methods
  • Building Inner Controls Article - PBS [ Go to Site ] Building Inner Controls: Helping Children Develop Self Discipline and Self Control from PBS's The ABCs of Child Development Series.
  • Printable Handout of the Web Article [ Download ] This is just a printable handout of the article from the website if teachers want to use this instead.
  • Spanking and Other Discipline Methods.mov [ Watch Video ] [ Download Original Video ] A short video on methods of discipline from the Health Science Channel Series on Kids Health
• Chapter Reading and Quiz - Independent Practice

  (The following is based on my text book, but you can have students do the activity just by reading the appropriate chapter or sections from your own Child Development text since they all have some information related to discipline strategies and development. The online portions of my text are linked here and listed below and are freely available and great to use with students.)

  Once students finish and submit their Venn Diagrams, they are to return to their desks and individually proceed with reading the sub-units for Moral Reasoning, Types of Agression, and methods to Reduce Agression in the Social and Personality Development in the Preschool Years Chapter of our text. (Prentice Hall's Child Development, 3rd Edition by Robert Feldman, Ph.D.)

  Each student must finish the quiz at the end of this section, and then submit to me. For those that finish earlier than others, they can proceed to starting on the homework assignment. Once all quizzes are submitted, I re-distribute with the tops folded down to obscure names of one another and go over the answers and the students correct their peers' quizes and hand-back in for recording. By the way, the process for doing this in my class is that all students are instructed to put away their pencils and pull out our red pens for grading that they have in their notebooks at all times. (picture of student notebook below)

  • Child Development Online Text [ Go to Site ] This is the online companion for Robert Feldman's text Child Development through Prentice Hall. The Study Guides and online quizzes are all publicly accessible.
  • Megahn's Program Notebook [ View Image ] [ Download Original ] Picture of a student's program notebook with red grading pen
• How Did Your Family Deal with You? - Assessment

  For the homework assignment, I like to have students go home and ask their parents, grandparents, caregivers, whomever...what was a method of discipline that they found worked well with them when they were pre-school age.

  Students must interview at least one adult who could respond to this and write down the methods used upon them that rendered results. They also need to see if they can ask for a specific situation in which this preferred method of discipline was used that sticks out in the mind of the adult being interviewed and record this scenario.

  The students must then, analyze the method their caregiver applied to them as a child, and either validate that method, or suggest another method or strategy that they have learned about that they believe would have rendered better results in terms of effective elements and the information learned in today's lesson.

  All students are told they will be asked to share their stories as part of tomorrow's opening activity in pairs.

  • Discipline Interview Assignment Sheet [ Download ] This is the handout that students take home to interview their parents or another care giver with regarding their own childhood.