Rudolf Dreikurs insisted that effective discipline occurs best when the teacher and students collaborate to decide how the class will function because this helps students feel they are valued and belong in the classroom. Together, the teacher and students should create rules for classroom behavior as well as logical consequences.

Alfie Kohn emphasized that classrooms are communities. The students, as members of the community, should be able to fully participate in matters of the class, “including solving problems that affect all class members” (Charles, 2008, p. 84).

Like Rudolf Dreikurs, Linda Albert insisted that effective discipline occurs the best when the teacher and students collaborate to create a safe environment where all feel as though they belong and can learn from their behavior mistakes. The teacher and students should make classroom decisions, including the class code of conduct and consequences for violating the code.

The Canters advocated for positive consequences and attention, like recognition and praise, to be used by the teacher when students follow the classroom rules while also remaining an assertive figure. They stressed that positive recognition should be frequent to “increase self-esteem, encourage good behavior, and build a positive classroom climate” and come in the form of “expressing appreciation, and positive notes and phone calls to parents” (Charles, 2008, p. 67).

Rudolf Dreikers stressed that teachers avoid praise, which focuses on a student’s character, and focus on providing encouragement, which focuses on what a student has done or can do. He also emphasized that teacher language should be positive, never negative, and be geared toward student improvement rather than perfection. Teachers should also show faith in their students and pride in the work they produce.

B.F. Skinner believed that when students behave positively, they should receive a reward which serves as reinforcement to keep behaving in that way.

Jacob Kounin believed that teachers need to develop many qualities and/or master certain skills to effectively manage their classrooms. He theorized that the best managed classrooms are the those in which the teachers are the most aware – which Kounin coined “withitness.” In addition to withitness, Kounin also believed teachers need to be able to overlap, in which they can “monitor and interact with groups of students doing independent work while the teacher was teaching lessons to smaller groups.” Kounin also stressed group alerting to gain full attention before providing instructions, momentum to keep students alert, and keeping lessons interesting so students do not tire out and turn to “misbehavior and disengagement” (Charles, 2008, p. 58-59).

The Canters stressed that teachers should manage student behavior assertively. Teachers should clearly outline how students are expected to behave by making the rules clear and modeling how to follow them. The Canters also explained that teachers should use corrective actions when students misbehave, as their misbehavior is infringing on other students’ right to learn.

B.F. Skinner emphasized that teachers be responsible for shaping students' behavior through behavioral modification in which desired behaviors are reinforced to influence subsequent behavior. Teachers should constantly reinforce desired behavior before established among students and intermittently reinforce desired behavior once established.