APPLYING KOHLBERG'S MODEL

Honor Level System of Discipline:

Budd Churchward, the author of TheHonor Level System: Discipline by Design, explains that students functionat different levels of discipline and states that schools should not expect allstudents to be disciplined the same. Mr. Churchward believes that rates ofprogression through the stages of Kohlberg'smodel differ from student to student, but that the progression from stage tostage is the same regardless of sex, race, or culture.

• A brief summary of Churchward's ideas is offered below: the reader isencouraged to visit hisweb page.

Churchward's main concern is that in a society that expects math, reading,and other subject's programs to be different for each student or each gradelevel, the discipline programs are the same at each level. He has developed adiscipline program based on Kohlberg's ideas which takes into account the moraldevelopment of each student. He, like Kohlberg, believed students followed aprogression of stages on the road to self-discipline, and each studentprogressed through those stages at his or her own personal rate.

He renames the stages and offers some examples in hisweb page.

Stage 1:

Recalcitrant Behavior The Power Stage: Might makes right!

Stage 2:

Self-Serving Behavior The Reward/Punishment Stage:"What's in it forme?"

Stage 3:

Interpersonal Discipline The Mutual Interpersonal Stage:"How can Iplease you?"

Stage 4:

Self-Discipline The Social Order Stage:"I behave because it is theright thing to do."

Working Through the Stages

Churchward encourages teachers to work through the stages; not skip fromstage to stage. He encourages teachers to talk to the student to see what istroubling him or her: "Whatever the cause, it is worth taking the time totalk with the student and see what's going on". He further encouragesteachers to help students through the stages and most importantly, don't giveup!