What is Conscious Discipline?
Created by Dr. Becky Bailey, an internationally renowned expert in child developmental psychology, Conscious Discipline® is built on the premise of developing discipline within children rather than applying discipline to them.
The Conscious Discipline process applies equally to parents, child care givers, educators, and patient caregivers. It can be pictured as a pyramid with four stages:
- Understand the brain states (the base of the pyramid)
Discover how to use the latest brain research to break out of the instinctive habit of disciplining children the same way you were disciplined as a child.
You'll also be able to help children progress from physical or verbal aggression to calm self-regulation, freeing them to make better choices and empathize with others.
- Learn your seven powers as adults
Among these powers is your ability to see discipline as an opportunity to teach rather than a disruption... and to stay in control of your own actions, creating a safe environment for your children.
Consider: an adult who is out of control is perceived by a child as a threat to his or her safety. As part of this stage, you'll learn how to self-regulate your own emotions and actions.
- Discover new ways to connect members of your family, classroom, or team
Building stronger connections in your family, classroom, or team will increase their willingness to solve problems together rather than fight against each other.
Many parents and teachers are delighted to find that attention seeking behaviors in children are automatically reduced at this stage, which isn't surprising since most people crave connection more than attention.
- Use the seven skills of discipline to respond to events in new ways
If you've ever struggled to keep a child focused on an idea or task, you'll be delighted to find that changing your own responses can help children boost their learning skills.
Your new ways of responding will also help children develop kindness and self-respect, honor those different than themselves, solve problems with compassion, and grow into responsible adults.
Now parents enjoy children: empowering families
Conscious Discipline, a research-based discipline approach, can teach parents and children to:
- Set and achieve goals together... despite obstacles
- Manage emotions instead of acting out
- Set personal boundaries to encourage mutual respect
- Resolve conflict in a way that creates closer relationships
A survey of parents who underwent a five-week Conscious Discipline training program in Mesa, AZ found that Conscious Discipline is significantly effective in improving parent-child relationships in setting limits, communicating with children, satisfaction with parenting, and parental involvement.
Read reviews written by other parents—many have implemented Conscious Discipline in their own homes and families.
Improving classroom learning environments
Conscious Discipline, an evidence-based discipline approach, can help school staff, teachers, and students create an environment where everyone can develop in a way best for them—including adults!
Conscious Discipline is the only program that integrates classroom management with social-emotional learning, uses everyday events as part of a school's curriculum, and addresses the adult as well as the child.
The Conscious Discipline program has been named a national model for character education by the Florida State Legislature. It has also been proven to reduce aggression by 64% while increasing reading scores by 18%; in fact, Conscious Discipline classrooms score significantly higher in statewide reading comprehension, writing, and math tests.
The method's School Family™ concept, part of the third pyramid stage, defines three essential ingredients for a school's success:
- Increasing the willingness to learn by creating a sense of belonging
- Boosting impulse control internally: a much more effective approach than an external system of punishment and rewards
- Helping children develop and apply sustained attention by reducing stress and encouraging contributions in a caring atmosphere
Fern Creek Elementary, a "D" school serving a student population mired in poverty and homelessness, used Conscious Discipline to improve its students' academic success and transform its classrooms from places of fear, bullying, and struggle into places of safety, cooperation, and helpfulness. Watch the story of this Florida elementary school's transformation.
Read reviews written by teachers and elementary school principals—many have implemented Conscious Discipline in their own classrooms and schools.
Contact Kim Hughes to bring Conscious Discipline to your family or school