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LEE AND MARLENE
CANTER
ASSERTIVE DISCIPLINE
Barb Allessie, Lisa Bly, Don Fureman, and Glen Knudsen
Lee and Marlene Canter
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Met in 1968 while
attending college.
Lee aspired to be a
teacher, while
Marlene wished to be
a social worker
specializing in
working with children.
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
Lee and Marlene married in 1970 and focused
on the hopes for the future – to make a
difference in children’s lives.
Lee now was pursuing a Master’s degree in
social work, while Marlene was finishing work on
gaining a teacher certificate and advanced
special education training.
Lee worked several years in the social
work field, and then started to focus on
teacher training and school consultation as
a career. Marlene was teaching special
education as she pursued the study of
child development and special education
techniques.
 During Marlene’s teaching experience, she
encountered a child whose behavior was
so disruptive that she needed to search for
new techniques that would help the child
to reach his full potential.

Lee and Marlene began researching
disciplinary problems in the classroom, as
well as those methods used by successful
teachers to handle these problems.
 Thus Assertive Discipline came to the
forefront of their lives.
 The focus began with a behavior
management plan based on consistency,
clear expectations, follow-through, and the
development of positive relationships.

What is it?
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Assertive discipline is a
systematic and objective
way of ensuring a
teacher-controlled
classroom.
Teachers are demanding
yet treat everyone fairly.
Has a discipline plan that
clearly outlines
expectations as well as
positive and negative
consequences.
How has it evolved?
Developed in the mid-70’s as an
authoritative approach.
 Now is more democratic to fit into today’s
classroom environments.
 The theory is more of a mindset and is
often taught in classes or sold as
prepackaged programs.
 Both individual classrooms and schools as
a whole can benefit from the program.

What is the theory behind it?
No pupil should prevent a teacher from
being able to teach and a student from
being able to learn.
 Teachers should act assertively right away
in dealing with a behavior, as opposed to
passively dealing with the behavior later.
 The teacher entering the classroom needs
to be trained in behavior management in
order to have a successful school year.
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Teachers have the right to determine
what is best for their classroom and
tailor the program to fit their needs.
Students actually want teachers to
control their behaviors.
Society requires that its members act
appropriately in all situations.
Teachers have the right to request
and get assistance from parents,
administrators, and society.
RESPONSE STYLES

The Canters believe that a teacher’s
response style sets the tone of his or her
classroom. This response style impacts
students’ self-esteem and the students’
success in the classroom.
3 RESPONSE STYLES
The 3 response styles, according to the
Canters, are as follows:
★ Nonassertive
★ Hostile
★ Assertive
•Your task is to work with your group
members to define each of the 3 response
styles in your own words.

NONASSERTIVE
One in which the teacher is passive in
response to student behavior.
 Expectations are not clearly
communicated to the students.
 No solid leadership is provided.
 Inconsistent in response to student
behaviors.
 Students may be confused by this style.

HOSTILE
One who is able to meet his or her own
needs in the classroom, but may do so at
the expense of the self-esteem of his or
her students.
 Uses discipline to control students rather
than to empower them and teach them
how to behave in an appropriate manner.
 Views the classroom as him or her versus
the students.

ASSERTIVE
The teacher identifies the expectations
clearly and follows through with
consistency.
 The teacher explains to the students what
behavior is unacceptable and acceptable.
 The consequences of various behaviors
are made clear to the students.
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An assertive teacher
understands the
needs for students to
have limits.
A positive attitude is
prevalent in an
assertive teacher’s
classroom.
Appropriate behavior
does not go unnoticed
in the assertive
teacher’s classroom.
Classroom Discipline Plan
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RULES
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POSITIVE
RECOGNITION

CONSEQUENCES
POSITIVE RECOGNITION
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Will motivate students
to behave
appropriately.
Reduces problem
behaviors.
Helps to build
relationships with
students.
Increases students’
self-esteem.
CONSEQUENCES
Something that will not be liked by the
students, but is never potentially harmful
to them.
 Consequences must be delivered to the
students as a choice.
 Consequences do not have to be severe
or harsh to be effective.

CONCLUSION
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Canter has been criticized for some of his
suggestions to monitor classroom behavior,
such as writing the misbehaving student’s name
on the board.
In an article in response to this criticism, Canter
(“Assertive discipline: More than”) writes: “It
troubles me to find my work interpreted as
suggesting that teachers need only provide
negative consequences – check marks or
demerits – when students misbehave.”
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Canter emphasizes that the key to an effective
assertive discipline program is to “catch”
students behaving appropriately by
recognizing them and supporting them when
they are being good.
Canter’s wish is to assist new teachers in their
classroom management so they continue to
pursue education as a lifelong passion and
commitment.