Barbara Coloroso:

Barbara Coloroso:
Inner Discipline

Barbara Coloroso is…
An internationally recognized speaker and
author in the areas of parenting, teaching,
school discipline, non-violent conflict
resolution, and reconcilatory justice
And educational consultant for school
districts

Also…
She has also been a
teacher, a
laboratory school
instructor, and a
university
instructor
She has written 2
international bestsellers:
Kids are
Worth It! Giving
Children the Gift of
Inner Discipline and
Parenting Through
Crisis: Helping Kids in
Times of Loss, Grief,
and Change

Coloroso believes that…
Educators should work with
students to help them
develop inner discipline,
which is the ability to
behave creatively,
constructively,
cooperatively, and
responsibly without being
directed by someone else

Coloroso Suggests 3 Philsophical Stances
That She Thinks are Essential to Teaching
Inner Discipline:
Discipline vs. Punishment
Assertive Confrontation
Consequences: Natural and
Reasonable

Discipline vs. Punishment
Punishment is adult
oriented, imposes power,
arouses anger and
resentment, and invites
more conflict.
Punishment discourages
students from
acknowledging their actions
because they might deny
doing the behavior or place
blame on anything or
anybody other than
themselves.
Punishment leaves control
in the teacher’s hands and
gives students the message
that the teacher is all
powerful, accepts
responsibility for student’s
behavior and negates the
need for students to
develop Inner Discipline.

Discipline Does 4 Things That
Punishment Cannot Do:
It shows students what they should have
done
It gives them as much ownership of the
problem as they are able to handle
It gives them options for solving the
problem
It leaves their dignity intact

Discipline…
Discipline deals with the reality of the
situation rather than the power and the
control of the adult. Students can change
their attitudes and habits they might have
led to the misbehavior. Therefore there
would be a more peaceful classroom and
school.

Assertive Confrontation
Teachers must use caution to avoid
endless arguments that waste a great
deal of energy, lead to additional and
more heated arguments, and solve
nothing.

7 Rules for a Fair Fight and Effective,
Assertive Confrontation
When you are angry and
upset, speak the message
in a straightforward,
assertive manner- not
aggressively or passively.
Tell the other person about
your feelings.
State your belief but avoid
destructive words that
attack another person.
Give direct feedback. Tell
the person the problem and
how you feel about the
problem.
State what you want from
the other person.
Be open to the other
person’s perspective on the
situation.
Negotiate an agreement
you can both accept.

Consequences: Natural and
Reasonable
Natural consequences involve realworld
consequences or interventions
and deal with the reality of the
situation rather than the power and
control of the adult.

A Natural Consequence:
For example…if a student refuses to
wear a coat outside, the natural
consequence is that he will be cold.
Consequences such as these are
learned without nagging, warning, and
reminding

If the natural consequence is
unreasonable or would be
inappropriate…
Use a reasonable consequence.
Natural consequences just happen, but
reasonable consequences require reasoning
and planning. A key point in determining
reasonable consequences is for the teacher
to ask whether the goal is to teach the
student or punish the student.

Behaviors and Misbehaviors
Acceptable behavior is anything that
is deemed socially responsible.
Teachers should try to instill
intrinsic motivation to do the right
thing, so students will behave in a
socially responsible way because they
want to, not out of fear.

Establishing rules is one area where
teachers can help students build a
commitment to being good classroom
citizens. When students help
determine classroom rules, they take
ownership of them, many experts
contend.

Acceptable Behavior
Coloroso believes teachers should
uphold four classroom rules in the
early grades: be on time; be prepared;
do your assignments; and respect
your own and others' life space.

Misbehavior
Perhaps the biggest classroommanagement
challenge teachers face
is deciding how to respond when a
student breaks the rules.

Misbehaviors
For minor off-task
behavior, teachers can use
prompting such as eye
contact, a friendly touch,
or walking closer to give
the student a chance to
says "oops" and change her
behavior. If the student
does "self-correct," the
teacher should thank her.
When interventions are
necessary, teachers should
discipline in private, in a nonthreatening
way. They should get
close to the student, make eye
contact, and whisper. Let the
student know the behavior is
unacceptable, he says, but also
suggest a way to improve. The
teacher might say, for example,
"I'd like to get you to stop
without embarrassing you in front
of the class. What are some
gestures I could use to help you
remind yourself"

Implications for Diversity
Inner discipline places a lot of the
responsibility on the student, rather
than the teacher.
Teachers should allow students to
have input on making classroom rules
and identifying acceptable behaviors
and misbehaviors

In a diverse classroom…
The teacher should take into account how
the student might view discipline at home
or in his or her culture.
The teacher should allow the student to
make his or her own mistakes, and see for
themselves how socially unacceptable
behavior might be viewed by the public

The teacher can…
Allow the student to share
acceptable behaviors in his or her
culture; what is viewed as a
misbehavior to the teacher may not
be a misbehavior to the student
Give students the chance to give
acceptable, reasonable consequences

Rewards
Manipulative tactics such as
rewards, bribes, and threats
should not be used. Coloroso
believes that students should
be empowered to trust in
themselves and to learn selfdiscipline.
The teacher’s duty
is to give critical life
messages such as “I believe in
you,” “I trust you,” “I know
you can handle this,” “You are
listened to,” You are cared
for,” You are very important
to me.”
Rewards also send the
wrong message that
kindness and positive
behavior can be bought
and bartered. Students
who are bribed and
rewarded constantly will
often start to ask
questions such as “What’s
in it for me” “What’s the
payoff” etc.

Rewards
Rather than use monetary or tangible
rewards, or even use praise, teachers
should show appreciation for their
students
Example: “[Student], thanks for your
fine work on the mathematics test.”

Consequences
Consequences should be RSVP…reasonable,
simple, valuable, and practical
Example: If a student breaks a glass, it
wouldn’t be reasonable to ask him to pick
up the small slivers of glass; it would be
reasonable for him to hold the bag while
the teacher picks up the small slivers of
glass

Natural Consequences
Certain consequences are just associated
with the real world, and can help a student
learn without nagging or reminding.
Such as the example stated earlier…if a
student refuses to wear a coat outside
when it’s cold, the natural consequence is
that the student will be cold

Pros of this Model
It is humanistic and focuses on preserving
dignity and a sense of self-worth
Students, not the teacher, accept
ownership of the problem
Cost-effective; teachers don’t have to
spend money on rewards; rather, teachers
merely need to show appreciation for their
students

More pros
This model follows the Golden Rule; adults
should treat students how they themselves
would want to be treated
If followed correctly, students will have
intrinsic motivation to want to do the right
thing and accept in socially acceptable
ways.
If followed correctly, it should lead to a
more peaceful classroom

Cons of This Model
Lack of rewards may make this model hard
to take effect; rewards can help wanted
behavior establish itself more quickly
Success with Inner Discipline requires a
certain kind of person; “brickwall” or
“jellyfish” teachers will experience
difficulty as they try to establish this
model

Classroom Applications
Allow students to come up with
logical consequences for
misbehaviors.
Example: If a student accidentally
breaks an object at a museum, the
student can apologize to the museum,
and write an apology letter to the
teacher explaining how he will handle his
hands and feet on future trips

Classroom Applications
If a natural consequence isn’t life
threatening, let the student
experience them
Example: If a student decides to swing
his arms around while walking in line, and
that student hits his arm on a wall, he
will hopefully be less likely to do that a
second time

Scenario
While outside for recess, the
teacher reminds her students of ways
to be safe while on the playground. A
student decides he wants to jump off
the swings, which goes against his
teacher’s suggestions. How should
the teacher handle this

Resources
For more information about Barbara Coloroso and
Inner Discipline, you can check out:
Discipline Models: Inner Discipline:
http://www.metu.edu.tr/~e133376/project/Inner%
20Discipline.htm
Education Update: September 1996, Volume 38,
Number 6, “Managing Today’s Classroom: Finding
Alternatives to Control and Compliance” by Scott
Willis
Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood: Article for Teachers:
http://pbskids.org/rogers//parentsteachers/theme
/1491_t_art.html