Levels of Development

Students are taught four levels of social development that were adapted from a system developed by Dr. Marvin Marshall.

The four levels of development are the basis of discipline in this classroom. Even if I have a substitute teacher they do not have to be versed in the system to use it.

It is the responsibility of the class members to maintain their own discipline. Students know that they choose their own level of development.

If students behave and do the given assignments they are on Level 3 or Level 4 and should not present a problem. Level 2 students are the ones who defy authority. My students know they choose their levels of development and that they must accept the responsibility for their choice.

Students learn they are powerful when they are nice and work hard. The next day will always be a new start.

Thoughtfulness and The Refocus Opportunity, or asking the student to think about their behavior is the basis of the discipline model. I do not tell students what to do to improve their behavior. I ask them what level their behavior is at and ask them to think about what they need to do to move to a higher level of behavior. I try to speak to them about issues in the third person