Adjusting Discipline for Compassion
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This technique involves setting a timer for a few minutes and asking the student to use relaxation techniques. The student can mold clay, doodle, listen to calming music, or count slowly as part of the relaxation techniques. The teacher can also direct the student to a cooldown area, where the student can do a low-grade activity to calm himor herself, such as flipping through a magazine, putting a puzzle together, drawing or coloring, or journaling. The cooldown area should always include relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing or muscle-tension reducing exercises, or an emotion-processing worksheet like the reproducible “Cooldown Considerations” (page 151) in which students respond to statements such as, “I’m feeling because ” “What I need is ” and “What I can do is .”
As a technique for teaching students self-management of emotions and de-escalation, active response beads can help interrupt heightened emotional states (Grskovic et al., 2004). When a student is agitated or when behavior is escalating, the teacher can give the student a string of beads and instruct him or her to use them to calm down by sliding the beads back and forth. Specifically, students count a bead, slide it from one end of the string to the other, and exhale after each bead. If making a string of beads is not possible, the student can also receive a chart that has numbered dots on it. The student can count each dot and exhale after each one, moving from one to ten. This method stops the unwanted behavior and focuses the student on a task to allow his or her emotions to calm down. From there, the teacher can debrief and get the student back on track for the day.
Use a Neutralizing Routine Another effective approach when working with students who are agitated is to stop the escalation of the situation by using a neutralizing routine (McIntosh, 2020).
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Teachers should instruct all students in use of the cooldown area before they require someone to use it. When a student uses the cooldown area, the teacher sets a timer to ensure the student doesn’t use the area to escape work. The student can use the area for ten minutes, after which the teacher checks to see if the student is ready to return to the work area or if he or she needs one more ten-minute break. After that ten-minute break, the student must return or the teacher determines if additional support, such as the supportive discipline framework, is needed. The cooldown technique is different from a time-out because time-out is about removing reinforcement from the student. Conversely, the cooldown area is about regulating emotions and using coping skills. Additionally, use of the cooldown area is a voluntary choice; never force a student to use it. By having students use and practice emotion regulation skills, teachers can assist them in bolstering their resilience.
