What Is the Jones Model of Positive Discipline?

Teacher Models Appropriate Behavior

• One of the primary tenets of the Fredric H. Jones positive discipline system is that the teacher will model excellent behavior. She will use a calm voice that assumes that the student will follow directions. She uses positive language that supports a learning environment and encourages students to speak with each other kindly. She focuses on the students and what they are doing in her classroom while class is in session, and organizes the classroom so that she is able to quickly assist any student. What this means for your child is that her instructor provides a role model of correct adult behavior in an environment that supports her ability to learn.

Simple Rules Posted

• Another important part of the Jones Positive Discipline Model is that the rules are simple, direct and posted in the classroom where they are visible at all times. Common rules include not talking when the teacher is talking or other students are responding; keep hands, feet and objects to oneself; come to class with all class materials. The number of rules should be small and should deal with specific, concrete actions that pertain to making the class a safe place to learn. When you go to an open house or attend a conference at your child's school, look for the classroom rules. They should be posted.

Response to Misbehavior

• Even in the best classrooms, children sometimes act out or misbehave. In the Jones Model of Positive Discipline, the first step in correction is a timeout in the classroom. If the child is being sufficiently disruptive, she can be sent to another teacher's room to give her and her instructor time to calm down. Moreover, if a child's behavior is even more sufficiently disruptive, she can be sent directly to the office. If the behavior is persistent, such as not bringing materials to class or whispering while the instructor is talking, the instructor might work with a counselor or administrator to develop an observation checklist.

Behavior Outside the Classroom

• The Jones Positive Discipline Model also addresses student behavior in the halls, cafeteria and playground. Educators know that misbehavior often occurs during times of transition from classroom to classroom or during rest breaks or meal service. Monitoring halls, playgrounds and the cafeteria is part of the model. Preventive arrangement of areas that require privacy, such as bathrooms, or limiting the number of students who can be in the bathroom at the same time, is part of the system. The book, "Positive Classroom Discipline," also covers those times when outside authorities must be called in to deal with situations that have legal ramifications. The system is designed to give your child a safe place to learn and to deal quickly, appropriately and efficiently with small and large disruptions.