Motivating Cooperative Behavior

Strategies:

Humiliation, loss of dignity, violation of self-esteem; criticism, shaming, verbal/emotional violence
Threat to physical safety, physical violence
Conditional approval or love; threat of emotional abandonment
Deprivation of meaningful privilege or activity (ex: recess, eligibility, graduation)

Dynamic/Outcomes:

Depends on your reaction, power, anger and student’s fear of your reaction
May generate superficial compliance. Reinforces people-pleasing, dependence on approval or at least minimal cooperation to avoid being hurt in some way. Passive learning.
Can inspire rebelliousness, particularly in students who aren’t motivated by the need for your approval or those who need to “save face.”

Boundary Issues: Does not respect students’ boundaries or need for power; violates students’ boundaries.

Effectiveness: Can be effective in getting short-term cooperation from compliant students. Cost to emotional environment and quality of relationship between teacher and student is HIGH.

Strategies:

Allowing students to behave in ways that can create problems for you or others
Letting kids have their way to avoid other conflicts
Letting kids do something they want in order to obligate them to cooperate; attempt to motivate cooperation through guilt, by being “nice”
Giving up; perception of having less influence or control than is true

Dynamic/Outcomes:

Chaos, manipulation, lack of student self-management
Tremendous insecurity when students’ needs for limits are not met
Teacher frustration, often ending up in reactive “blow-up” when you reach the end of your rope; encourages kids to really push the limits.

Boundary Issues: General lack of boundaries, unclear boundaries based on differences between teacher’s understanding and students’ understanding (“Be good.” “Clean this area.”), ambiguous boundaries, or boundaries with built in loop-holes (using warnings, asking for excuses, etc.)

Effectiveness: Minimal; usually kids know that they don’t have to listen until you start screaming, for example. Lack of limits and predictability makes cost to emotional environment and quality of teacher-student relationship HIGH.

Strategies:

May include meaningful activities such as going to a center, self-selection, use of certain equipment, games, extra free time, time with adult, working with a friend, drawing, running an errand, a chance to help in another classroom; good grades (motivating for students who find grades meaningful) or a “good” note home; a “night off” from homework; etc. What’s worked for you??
May offer students a chance to choose between two or more activities, the sequence in which they do assignments, or choices about where, when, how, or with whom to do particular activities

Dynamic/Outcome:

NOT based on teacher’s reaction, fear of teacher’s power, or need for approval
Proactive approach that considers and attempts to accommodate the students’ needs for both limits and power within those limits
Clearly-communicated contingencies, boundaries, guidelines, limits before the students have a chance to mess up.
Student needs for limits and control are accommodated as much as possible in an environment in which the teacher is still the authority
Reward-oriented; focuses on positive outcomes to student (not externally based)
Predictable (so long as boundaries are maintained); mutually respectful

Boundary Issues: None. Boundaries are clearly communicated and upheld.

Effectiveness: Best possibility for success of all configurations of authority relationships. Actually builds and supports positive classroom relationships.

Guidelines for Offering Choices
Guidelines for Reinforcing Positive Behavior
Self-Assessment
Dealing Successfully with your Students’ Parents
Getting Away with Success
Rules and Boundaries
Improve the School’s Social Culture
Behavior Management: Intervention Strategies
Industrial Age vs. Information Age Classrooms

Also, for Administrators:
Creating a 21st Century Discipline School