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Positive Discipline Tools for Teachers: Effective Classroom Management for Social, Emotional, and Academic Success
MORE THAN 2 MILLION POSITIVE DISCIPLINE BOOKS SOLD
The Positive Discipline method has proved to be an invaluable resource for teachers who want to foster creative problem-solving within their students, giving them the behavioral skills they need to understand and process what they learn. In Positive Discipline Tools for Teachers , you will learn how to successfully incorporate respectful, solution-oriented approaches to ensure a cooperative and productive classroom. Using tools like "Connection Before Correction," "Four Problem-Solving Steps," and "Focusing on Solutions," teachers will be able to focus on student-centered learning, rather than wasting time trying to control their students' behavior. Each tool is specifically tailored for the modern classroom, with examples and positive solutions to each and every roadblock that stands in the way of cooperative learning.
Complete with the most up-to-date research on classroom management and the effectiveness of the Positive Discipline method, this comprehensive guide also includes helpful teacher stories and testimonials from around the world. You will learn how
- Model kind and firm leadership in the classroom
- Keep your students involved and intrinsically motivated
- Improve students’ self-regulation
-And more!
The Positive Discipline method has proved to be an invaluable resource for teachers who want to foster creative problem-solving within their students, giving them the behavioral skills they need to understand and process what they learn. In Positive Discipline Tools for Teachers , you will learn how to successfully incorporate respectful, solution-oriented approaches to ensure a cooperative and productive classroom. Using tools like "Connection Before Correction," "Four Problem-Solving Steps," and "Focusing on Solutions," teachers will be able to focus on student-centered learning, rather than wasting time trying to control their students' behavior. Each tool is specifically tailored for the modern classroom, with examples and positive solutions to each and every roadblock that stands in the way of cooperative learning.
Complete with the most up-to-date research on classroom management and the effectiveness of the Positive Discipline method, this comprehensive guide also includes helpful teacher stories and testimonials from around the world. You will learn how
- Model kind and firm leadership in the classroom
- Keep your students involved and intrinsically motivated
- Improve students’ self-regulation
-And more!
320 pages, Paperback
Published June 6, 2017
59 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
Jane Nelsen
134 books172 followersDr. Jane Nelsen is a licensed Marriage, Family and Child Counselor in South Jordan, UT and Carlsbad, CA.
She is the author and/or coauthor of the Positive Discipline Series.
She is the author and/or coauthor of the Positive Discipline Series.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 29, 2023
Great book with many resources and ideas that I'm excited to implement this year. I will continue to go back to it throughout this year and future years I am sure. I appreciated the teacher stories giving examples of how the resources worked for them.
July 19, 2021
Name a classroom management system or strategy, I've probably tried it. Clip charts. Stoplight. Prize bin. Economy money. Tickets. I've implemented Responsive Classroom, Zones of Regulations, cool down corners, 1-2-3 Magic, and community circle. If I've learned anything from these attempts, it's that no one system is a silver-bullet for eliciting model behavior from students. There are tons of variables, the biggest one being the students themselves; each year you get a new group and needs shift.
I also have a tendency to drop off mid-year with whatever system is at play, usually because it grows tedious for me (tired of passing out money/tickets, tired of buying prizes, etc.). And we all know consistency is the name of the game.
So I'm always on the lookout for a routine that fits my comfort level. I've come to accept that I don't like clipping kids down, or "paying" one kid but not another for pleasing me. None of that truly corrects the undesired behaviors, and only serves to discourage the students who struggle. I build relationships and then hold my students to high expectations; that's my strength.
The Positive Discipline method appeals to me because it's based on creating an environment of cooperation and respect in the classroom. This is done not through external rewards, but activities that teach and support student-centered solutions, such as Morning Meetings, classroom jobs, problem-solving, and much more.
I liked that Positive Discipline wants teachers to be "kind and firm," to care about students and validate their feelings while also assisting the student to find the cause of their misbehavior. I like that students are required to contribute and help others; there are logical consequences, but not punishments.
A lot of this system is intuitive to my management sensibilities, so now it's just more of a commitment to implement it fully. I see the downfalls. It will take time to get going. Things aren't as cut-and-dry, which for a Type A teacher like me, is unnerving. But I see/have seen where the hard work will pay off: students who are more in control of their emotions and choices, that believe they are integral to their classroom and have a voice, are more productive and invested in learning.
So we'll see. School begins again in a few weeks. Positive Discipline will start Day 1.
P.S. I didn't realize this book was more of a strategies-driven manual, so the format initially turned me off to it. I didn't know what was being referenced! Now I realize there is a separate text (Positive Discipline in the Classroom: Developing Mutual Respect, Cooperation, and Responsibility in Your Classroom) that better introduces the system. I'm going to read that, too.
I also have a tendency to drop off mid-year with whatever system is at play, usually because it grows tedious for me (tired of passing out money/tickets, tired of buying prizes, etc.). And we all know consistency is the name of the game.
So I'm always on the lookout for a routine that fits my comfort level. I've come to accept that I don't like clipping kids down, or "paying" one kid but not another for pleasing me. None of that truly corrects the undesired behaviors, and only serves to discourage the students who struggle. I build relationships and then hold my students to high expectations; that's my strength.
The Positive Discipline method appeals to me because it's based on creating an environment of cooperation and respect in the classroom. This is done not through external rewards, but activities that teach and support student-centered solutions, such as Morning Meetings, classroom jobs, problem-solving, and much more.
I liked that Positive Discipline wants teachers to be "kind and firm," to care about students and validate their feelings while also assisting the student to find the cause of their misbehavior. I like that students are required to contribute and help others; there are logical consequences, but not punishments.
A lot of this system is intuitive to my management sensibilities, so now it's just more of a commitment to implement it fully. I see the downfalls. It will take time to get going. Things aren't as cut-and-dry, which for a Type A teacher like me, is unnerving. But I see/have seen where the hard work will pay off: students who are more in control of their emotions and choices, that believe they are integral to their classroom and have a voice, are more productive and invested in learning.
So we'll see. School begins again in a few weeks. Positive Discipline will start Day 1.
P.S. I didn't realize this book was more of a strategies-driven manual, so the format initially turned me off to it. I didn't know what was being referenced! Now I realize there is a separate text (Positive Discipline in the Classroom: Developing Mutual Respect, Cooperation, and Responsibility in Your Classroom) that better introduces the system. I'm going to read that, too.
July 6, 2020
I am so glad to come across this book for Classroom Management and wished I applied these principles during my first years of teaching. A lot of the strategies seem easier said than done, but they do not seem impossible. As someone who is a hands on learner (I won’t be able to absorb information from study books until I experience things), I look forward using the problem solving strategies with my students.
I am also starting my training in Positive Discipline in order to improve my skills in the classroom. For teachers who are looking into Professional Development programs, I would sign up for Positive Discipline too!
I am also starting my training in Positive Discipline in order to improve my skills in the classroom. For teachers who are looking into Professional Development programs, I would sign up for Positive Discipline too!
October 2, 2021
So you tell me if this sounds realistic:
“Virginie, a four-year-old in my class of thirty kids, started singing during quiet time. With a smile, I showed her the guidelines we had decided upon in the class.
She looked back at me with a provocative smile and sang louder.
I put my finger against my lips to show her to be quiet. It didn’t work.
I felt defied, which gave me the clue that her mistaken goal is Misguided Power. I decided to give her some power, as it seemed that was what she was asking for with her behavior. I went to her and asked, “Virginie, what would help you be quiet now?”
She showed interest in my question, took a superior attitude, and said, “I would need you to draw a mouth and cross it.”
I felt relieved that she was actually taking the power I was offering her. I decided to give her more power by asking her what color she wanted me to draw the mouth.
She said, “Red.”
I asked if she wanted to get the pen or if I should get it. She decided to get the pen. I kept giving her more power by asking what to do with the sheet of paper. She wanted to fold it, so I passed it to her.
When I felt that I had given her enough choices, I asked, “Are you going to be able to be quiet now?”
She nodded and never disturbed the quiet time again.”
More realistic: the kid just ignores you and/or runs out of the room
By the way, these techniques can really only be done if you have infinite time and don’t also have to simultaneously deal with 20 other kids in the room…
“Virginie, a four-year-old in my class of thirty kids, started singing during quiet time. With a smile, I showed her the guidelines we had decided upon in the class.
She looked back at me with a provocative smile and sang louder.
I put my finger against my lips to show her to be quiet. It didn’t work.
I felt defied, which gave me the clue that her mistaken goal is Misguided Power. I decided to give her some power, as it seemed that was what she was asking for with her behavior. I went to her and asked, “Virginie, what would help you be quiet now?”
She showed interest in my question, took a superior attitude, and said, “I would need you to draw a mouth and cross it.”
I felt relieved that she was actually taking the power I was offering her. I decided to give her more power by asking her what color she wanted me to draw the mouth.
She said, “Red.”
I asked if she wanted to get the pen or if I should get it. She decided to get the pen. I kept giving her more power by asking what to do with the sheet of paper. She wanted to fold it, so I passed it to her.
When I felt that I had given her enough choices, I asked, “Are you going to be able to be quiet now?”
She nodded and never disturbed the quiet time again.”
More realistic: the kid just ignores you and/or runs out of the room
By the way, these techniques can really only be done if you have infinite time and don’t also have to simultaneously deal with 20 other kids in the room…
April 19, 2025
117:2025
I started this one and had great reservations at first. I gave it a chance and while I don't believe all its principles will be consistently effective in reality, there are some potentially useful tools. lots of referencing Dweck (why she doesn't use Dweck's labels/verbiage when she quotes her directly and cites her repeatedly, I do not know), and some definite similarities to methodologies in 'How To Talk So Kids Can Learn.'
I'm very curious to see commentary or updates in the new normal of our post pandemic classrooms, because we are definitely feeling those effects and we're going to continue to feel it for some time.
I started this one and had great reservations at first. I gave it a chance and while I don't believe all its principles will be consistently effective in reality, there are some potentially useful tools. lots of referencing Dweck (why she doesn't use Dweck's labels/verbiage when she quotes her directly and cites her repeatedly, I do not know), and some definite similarities to methodologies in 'How To Talk So Kids Can Learn.'
I'm very curious to see commentary or updates in the new normal of our post pandemic classrooms, because we are definitely feeling those effects and we're going to continue to feel it for some time.
July 6, 2020
Every summer, I choose 1-2 PD books to read so that I can continually grow as a teacher. I’ve been told several times that the behavior of the upcoming class I am getting can be a bit of a handful, so I chose management as one of my focuses this summer. I found this book repeated a lot of what I already do with my students, but with a nice dive into how the brain impacts behavior and how it is approached, as well as some simple and tangible tools to try. I’ll recommend it to coworkers I know struggle with positive classroom climate and discipline.
May 27, 2022
A great read for every pre service teacher, new teacher and veteran teacher! Love this book and already implementing changes and starting conversations with colleagues to move us in the right direction.
July 7, 2017
great common sense strategies that focus on positive results rather than punishment as a way to manage the classroom environment
April 21, 2022
My favourite part about this book is there are so many stories on how teachers all over the world implement the positive discipline tool at their own schools and stories on how effective they are.
December 21, 2025
Love these people
March 2, 2020
There were so many tips and tricks in this book that I want to read it again. Or maybe I'll just read one of the other positive discipline books for parents. We have a driving school with classes that run for 5 weeks. This book concentrates on elementary schools where students see each other all day, every day. So it's a little bit difficult to figure out how to adapt it to a fast paced class with a required curriculum and not much time to be off task. That said, if students are off task then it's not like they're absorbing any of our content anyway. ugh
February 7, 2017
I got a digital ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I think this book is a helpful resource. I with the ARC had come with all of the appendixes which were constantly being referenced but the chapters and ideas themselves are well organized. I also liked the use of personal examples. Much of the material seems to be ideas that have been discussed in previous positive discipline books but this book is a good review for those familiar with the ideas or a decent introduction for newcomers.
I think this book is a helpful resource. I with the ARC had come with all of the appendixes which were constantly being referenced but the chapters and ideas themselves are well organized. I also liked the use of personal examples. Much of the material seems to be ideas that have been discussed in previous positive discipline books but this book is a good review for those familiar with the ideas or a decent introduction for newcomers.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews