William Glasser developed Choice Theory and Reality Therapy which focus on meeting basic human needs. The five basic needs are survival, love/belonging, freedom, fun, and power. According to Glasser, all behavior is purposeful and aimed at satisfying one or more of these needs. In the classroom, Choice Theory emphasizes giving students choice in what and how they learn to engage their basic needs. Effective discipline involves students taking responsibility for their actions through negotiated contracts rather than punishment.

1. Glasser’s Choice
Reality Theory

2. The Brain Seeks Two Things:
O Emotion
This is the
“hook” to get
students’
attention and
peak interest.
O Meaning
This how the brain can
make sense of the
information coming in…
and anchor it to
something it already
knows.
(These are the reasons for using Activating Strategies…
they hook the students in emotionally and then link the
new learning to what they already know or have
experienced so the brain can create meaning.)

3. William Glasser’s
Choice Theory
We all make choices according
to basic needs that come from
within ourselves. The needs
drive our choices and influence
how we behave in those
choices.

4. 5 Basic Needs
(according to Glasser)
o Fun
o Freedom
o Power
o Belonging
o Survival

5. Fun
O The need for pleasure
O To play
O To laugh
O Naturally motivating
O No one has to bribe you to do these things
Try to imagine life without fun…

6. Freedom
O The need for independence
O For autonomy
O For control over one’s own life
O For choice
Some students have had little experience with
choice…

7. Power
O Empowerment
O The need to achieve
O To be recognized for achievement/skills
O To have a sense of self-worth
O To contribute
What makes your students feel valued?

8. Belonging
O The need for love
O For relationships
O Social connection
O Part of a group
In schools, we must work to make students
(parents, teachers) feel they belong…

9. Survival
O Physiological
O The need for food, shelter, safety
O Safe from bullying
Schools should be a safe environment from
bodily harm, mental or physical intimidation,
abuse.

10. Characteristics of the 5 basic
needs:
O Universal
O Innate
O Overlapping
O Satisfied from moment to moment
O Conflict with other’s needs

11. A Compelling Why
…is a term used for an emotionally-linked
reason or motive that drives a person to
make a choice.
…”compels” us to want to learn something,
commit information to long-term memory,
and to recall it when desired.

12. ALL BEHAVIOR IS PURPOSEFUL!
O It is our best attempt,
O at the time,
O given our current knowledge and skills,
O to meet one or more of our basic human
needs.
Dr. William Glasser

13. Ten Axioms:
1. The only person whose behavior we can control is our own.
2. All we can give another person is information.
3. All long-lasting psychological problems are relationship
problems.
4. The problem relationship is always part of our present life.
5. What happened in the past has everything to do with what
we are today, but we can only satisfy our basic needs right
now and plan to continue satisfying them in the future.
6. We can only satisfy our needs by satisfying the pictures in
our Quality World

14. Ten Axioms
7. All we do is behave.
8. All behavior is Total Behavior and is made up of
four components: acting, thinking, feeling and
physiology
9. All Total Behavior is chosen, but we only have
direct control over the acting and thinking
components. We can only control our feeling and
physiology indirectly through how we choose to act
and think.
10. All Total Behavior is designated by verbs and
named by the part that is the most recognizable.
O Glasser's knowledge on human behavior has been
summarized in these axioms; he developed choice
theory.

15. So choice theory
means:
O Choice Theory tells us that we
choose everything we do, it states
that behavior is a constant attempt
to satisfy one or more of our five
basic needs(power, fun, love
belonging, freedom, survival). Those
needs are thought to be innate (we
are born with them), and we are
responsible for the choices we make.

16. So, what does that have to
do with the classroom?
O When choice theory is employed in classrooms,
students have a say in what they learn, and teachers
negotiate both content and method with them. Thus,
how and what students learn stems directly from their
basic needs.
O Curriculum--Teachers must negotiate both content and
method with students. Students' basic needs literally
help shape how and what they are taught.

17. O Instruction--Teachers rely on cooperative,
active learning techniques that enhance the
power of the learners. Lead teachers make
sure that all assignments meet some degree of
their students' need satisfaction. This secures
student loyalty, which carries the class
through whatever relatively meaningless tasks
might be necessary to satisfy official
requirements.

18. Students should participate
in rule-making.
Since classroom situations are always changing,
rules should be changeable also.
When students have a part in making and
changing rules, better discipline usually
results. Glasser's system is one of the few that
emphasizes student participation in rule-
making.

19. O Within reason, students should agree with the
rules.
Glasser insists that if the rules make sense and
promise to produce a better learning
situation for all, students will welcome them.
O Students should know the consequences of rule
breaking.
If a student contemplates breaking rules, she should
know the consequence. If the consequence is
logically related to
the misbehavior, better discipline
will result , e.g. if you vandalize – you
must make restitution.

20. Routines
They mostly set through:
O Classroom meetings:
This is a well-known strategy in Glasser’s theory. The
teacher organizes regular classroom meetings for dealing
with a student’s problems, or for revising the overall
organization and the curriculum of the class. In the
meeting, the students and the teacher sit in a circle facing
each other, on a rug or in chairs. The teacher explains the
students that each of them are free to express their
opinions, thoughts, and feelings during the meeting. It is
also said that they are not there to talk about the past, but
to talk about present and the future

21. Discipline in the
Glasser model
O Misbehavior according to Glasser stem from 5 basic needs:
survival, love/ belonging, freedom, fun and power.
O He maintains that 95% of all misbehaviour stems from the need
for power although love/ belonging he is the most important, as
it affects the other needs.
O To avoid misbehaviors There are 7 Caring Habits that should be
used in the classroom:
-supporting
-encouraging
-listening
-accepting
-respecting
-trusting
-negotiating differences

22. Discipline in the
Glasser model
However if a misbehavior did really take place in the classroom:
O Glasser believes in Non-Coercive Discipline and that students
should take responsibility for their actions .
O To do this, students and teachers should create student-teacher
contracts which allow the student to devise their own goal, plan
and solution with minimal direction from the teacher.
O And to deal with misbehaving students...
O Avoid past actions and respond to what they are doing, what need
they are trying to fulfill through their action, and how they are
going to fix it .
O Then the student and teacher create a contract and agree on
solutions to solve the problem.

23. Implication in the
classroom:
Step 1: What Are You Doing?
If a student disrupts the class ask, in a normal. quiet tone of
voice: "What are you doing?" - expect an answer other than
"Nothing" or "I don't known. Say it sharply, quickly - not
angrily or punitively.
Step 2: Is it Working? Is it against the Rules?
Ask the student "Is it against the rules?" The student must
accept that rules are necessary and are to be obeyed. If the
student does not admit the disruptive behavior you declare:
"This is what I saw. It is against the rules". Do not enter
into an argument with the student.

24. Implication in the
classroom:
O Step 3: We Must Work it Out
Say and mean "We have to work it out". The behaviour cannot
continue, the teacher and student must reach a solution through
negotiation.
Step 4: Withdrawal
A pleasant but isolated place is designated the withdrawal area in
the classroom. If the student continues to disrupt, ask the student
to move to the spot where work can be continued but where the
student is not a part of the class. Movement back to the body of
the class is dependent upon agreement to "work it out" with the
teacher

25. Implication in the
classroom:
O Step 5: Time -out
If disruption continues to occur the student is excluded from
class to a pre- arranged area. The student must stay there until
he or she decides to work out a plan to behave in an
acceptable manner and give a commitment to follow through
on the plan.
Step 6: Suspension
If the student continues to disrupt in the time-out room
suspension in accordance with Departmental policy must take
place. It is important to treat the student with courtesy and
emphasize quietly and politely "You have to obey the rules
we're happy to have you back when you are ready to follow
the rules."

26. Reward and
punishment
O Glasser does not believe in rewards/ punishments
because they are coercive and take away responsibility
from the students (teacher-implemented).
O Glasser would prefer students to create their own
personal rewards for a job well done.
O He believes that consequences should be natural and
not teacher-directed .
O Glasser believes that punishment is ineffective because
it does not allow the student to take responsibility for
their actions .