Thomas Gordon Classroom Model: A Rogerian View

 

Thomas Gordon Classroom Model

    Thomas Gordon is a clinical psychologist and founder of one of the largest human relations training organizations in the world (Gordon Training International). Over two million people have taken advantage of his training programs.

Thomas Gordon Ideologies:

1. Self-Control 

The best way to create a good sense of classroom discipline is by helping the students acquire an inner sense of self-control 

Traditional intervention techniques of power-based authority, reward and punishment, and win-lose conflict resolution   DO NOT WORK!

2. I-messages and You-messages 

 I messages- state how teachers personally think or feel about situations and behavior. 

 You-messages- are statements of blame leveled at students’ behavior. 

 3. Plan for Discipline 

 Influence rather than control 

 Preventive skills 

 Determining who owns the problem 

 Confronting skills

 Helping skills 

 No-lose conflict resolution

 4. Influence Rather than Control 

The more you try and control students, the more they use their coping mechanisms 

○ Fighting ○ Taking flight ○ Submitting 

 5. Preventive Skills 

 Preventive I-messages: influences students future actions by not putting blame on anybody

 Collaborative rule setting: setting rules as a whole class 

 Participatory classroom management: teachers share power with students in making decisions about class matters

6. Avoid Communication Roadblocks

There are twelve roadblocks to communication:

•          Ordering, directing (“You must . . . ” “You have to. . . ” “If you know what is good for you . . . ”)

•          Admonishing, threatening (“You had better . . . ” “If you don’t, then . . . ”)

•         Moralizing, preaching (“You should . . . ” “You ought . . . ” “A good student would . . . ”)

•         Advising, giving solutions (“What I would do is . . . ” “Let me suggest . . . ” “Why don’t you . . . ”)

•         Lecturing, giving logical arguments (“The facts are . . . ” “Yes, but . . . ” “Don’t you realize . . . ”)

•         Judging, criticizing (“Have you lost your marbles . . . ” “You are acting foolishly . . . ”)

•         Praising, agreeing, me-tooing (“You are right . . . ” “The same thing happened to me . . . ”)

•         Ridiculing, shaming (“That is a dumb attitude . . . ” “You are just talking silly . . . ”)

•         Analyzing, diagnosing (“I know why you are upset, you are just . . . ” “Your problem is . . . ”)

•         Sympathizing, consoling (“Don’t worry, I know how you feel . . . ” “You’ll feel better tomorrow . . . ”)

•         Probing, questioning, interrogating (“Who . . . ” “What . . . ” “When. . . ” “Why. . . ”)

•         Withdrawing, humoring (“Let’s talk about it later . . . ” “Say, have you heard the one about . . . ”)

Alternatives to Roadblocks

1. 👉Active Listening
2. 👉Noncommittal Responses
3. 👉Door Openers

Watch this video to investigate more about the no-lose method