Logical consequences
From WikEd
[edit] Descriptions, definitions, synonyms, organizer terms, types of
A sanction required of the student who has broken a social contract. Requires the student to make things right again and is cognitively connected to misbehavior.
Logical consequences can be used in place of positive/negative reinforcement, punishment, or praise. It is the teacher's responsibilty to see if there is a connection between the consequences and the student's behavior. If there is no relationship between the two, using logical consequences will not be effective.
"If it isn't obvious, it isn't logical." (Nelsen, et.al. p.125) This is the best way to summarize a logical consequence. We have so many consequences for everything we do in life. Usually bad decisions have bad consequences. Sometimes the consequences are much more severe than we think, but that's life. In the classroom setting; however, we have the ablity to create consequences that are helpful, not harmful, and allow the child to learn to modify his/her behavior. (Nelson 2000) Putting a child in detention does not connect the behavior to something that would be a consequence in the real world, so it simply does not work.
It is also important to recognize that not negative behaviors have simple logical consequences. Students should be involved in thinking of some of their own for common classroom problems or personal issues. (Nelson 2000) Typically logical consequences work best for younger grades when behavior problems are more concrete. Certain situations may be more serious and intervention may be more appropriate, so logical consequences cannot fix all classroom problems.
[edit] Application in classrooms and similar settings
Some examples of logical consequences that Wolfgang uses are the following: Students having to clean up their own messes, students who miss pep rallies because of tardiness, and students who are not allowed to participate in certain activities or use certain materials until they can behave properly with others or until they can use the materials properly.
[edit] Evidence of effectiveness
[edit] Critics and their rationale
One firm believer in using logical consequences is Dreikurs, Rudolf. He believes that students must be responsible for their own behaviors. There are also critics of using logical consequences. For example, Thomas Gordon theory would find the use of logical consequences to be manipultive towards students.
[edit] Alternative explanations due to Diversity considerations
[edit] Signed "life experiences", testimonies and stories
I have found in my own teaching that there are times when using logical consequences is effective, but there are many times when this is not the case. An example of a time I used logical consequences was with my percussion section. After returning from missing a day of school, I found a note from the substitute detailing the misbehavior of my percussion section. By reading the note and speaking with the section and with the art teacher next door, I ascertained that the section had repeatedly banged on the wall with their drum sticks, deliberately disturbing the art class next door. As a logical consequence of not knowing how to properly use their drum sticks, the students lost the use of their drum sticks for a week. They were, at the time, working on a percussion feature, so they had to "air drum", hitting the stand or their knee at the proper time. Not only did this make them feel silly, they all really missed being able to play properly. This technique was effective in this setting as evidenced by the fact that I never had the same problem again! Elizabeth Giger
I try very hard in my teaching to not overwhelm the students with countless demands and things to remember. I expect them to be respectful and responsible. At least one time a day a student will come to class with no materials. Some come up to me with a sad look and say they forgot their materials. Others will just sit there and not do the task because they have no materials. I will say to the first student, "What can you do about this?" For the other student after the class gets started with the task, I will approach the student and ask what he/she plans on doing to earn a grade for the day. In both cases, the logical consequence is a zero for the day. The only chance to make it up is after school.
I try to give consequences that deal directly with the situation, although sometimes there doesn't seem to be a logical consequence or the logical consequence just isn't effective. I had a student cheat on a spelling test. The logical consequence was to give her a zero, but I didn't think she would care. I gave her the zero, but I also made her stay in for all of the recesses the next day, and she practiced writing the spelling words over and over again. My hope was, that if nothing else, she would at least be able to spell those five words correctly on future tests. -N. Frick
My name is Teresa Hibler and, as a parent, I have used logical consequences. The problem, which your personal experience shows, is that there is a positive and negative effect for all decisions. Sometimes, you may be trying to stop a behavior by using natural consequences but it doesn't work as intended. My son, for some reason, doesn't like taking the morning bus but if I am working, he needs to take it. He is aware of the fact that some people, who watch my daughter and get him off to school, don't have transportation. A logical consequence I have used is if he misses the bus then he has to ride his bike to school. The problem is, depending on when he misses the bus, he may be late to school and they hold me responsible for him. Another problem is when it is too cold or there is too much snow we can not use this as a consequence. The biggest problem is, a lot of the time, he sees this as a better alternative and does not try to catch the bus and we can lose bus service. So, what to do, I try to use this consequence when I feel it is effective but at other times, such as spring and summer, when he might be tempted to miss on purpose or when weather does not allow, I use other consequences, like missing time playing or an earlier bed (not sleep) time. I do allow him to choose to ride his bike but it has to be for an allotted amount of time, so I can make arrangements with the bus company and don't risk losing service.
Ralph Alexander- When I teach I like to make the consequences fit the crime, but one time it backfired on me. A student came into class and kicked a pen that was lying on the floor, breaking the ink cartridge and spreading ink all over the floor. I told him to go see the janitor and get something to clean the floor with. We ended up making a bigger mess than we started with, and I mean a big mess, and also the cleaning solution smelled bad, it burned the student's nose and the rest of the class had to evacuate. Hope you do better than I did.
I think logical consequences work very well in college education. The logical consequence of obtaining bad grades because assignments have been not completed is a prime example. This system works very well and gives the student as well as the teacher a lot of freedom. It is not about doing every day your homework it is about understanding the material. The logical consequence to understand the material is to do every day your homework. This system teaches you to take responsibility for your own actions. -Felix Autenrieth
[edit] References and other links of interest
Reference:Wolfgang, Charles H.,(2001). Solving Discipline and Classroom Management Problems. 5th Edition. Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York
Parents and Teachers alike may want to read Jim Fay's books: "Teaching with Love and Logic" and "Parenting with Love and Logic." His books incorporate real-life examples and are quick reads. The other plus about Fay is that his books are user friendly. Readers do not need to read the entire book all the way through; readers are able to flip to what is needed at the time.
Nelson, Jane Ed D. Lott, Lynn M.A. and Glenn, Stephen PhD. Postitive Discipline in the Classroom (2000). Prima: California.
