Adam Robbins sees them as effective deterrents, preventing ducklings from following bad examples
In any large group there is a need for social norms – the unwritten rules that define what is acceptable behaviour, so all members of that group feel included. In a school, it is the job of teachers and school leaders to establish a set of rules that create a learning environment in which students feel safe. Positive tools include the school’s ethos and reward system but when ineffective, you may need sanctions.
Students value free time
Missing break or messing about?
Many schools give students merits, which can be deducted for unacceptable behaviour. This behaviour can attract a negative point, a chat from a teacher or removal of privileges. This final category is where detentions come in. They remove a student’s free time, so creating friction between the student’s desire to behave in a certain way and their decision to carry it out. The logic is that a student will want their break time more than they want to mess about.
Detentions deter many students
Deterring ducklings
A common criticism is that detentions don’t work because the students receiving them often don’t change their behaviour. And this is true. There will always be a group of students who seem immune to the negative effects of losing free time. However, I don’t think it’s a problem because it’s not the main purpose of detentions. Their main purpose is to discourage students who might be swayed towards misbehaving.
Here’s how I think it works. Let’s assume that in a fictional school 5% of students will always push the boundaries, whatever the sanction. Then, assume that 60% will always do the right thing. This leaves 35% in a grey area. I call these ducklings because, like those young birds, they have a habit of following others. This group is our target.
In effect, all detentions are communication
In my experience, if a school has ineffective behaviour rules, lacking a usable detention system, this 35% will drift towards the boundary-pushing 5% and the students’ behaviour deteriorates, creating a new, more disruptive normal. However, by seeing the 5% receive detentions, the 35% are regularly reminded of what the acceptable social norm is. Actions outside of that will result in sanctions. This works because humans can learn social norms vicariously. They don’t have to personally experience a detention to learn the consequences of misbehaviour – in effect, all detentions are communication.
Peer pressure is a real problem for students. They can feel coerced into behaving in an antisocial way. A clear detention system gives those students a valid excuse for avoiding such behaviours. I’ve often heard students say to their peers ‘I can’t get a detention; I’ve got football tonight’ or similar. The system allows them to navigate the complex world of peer relationships without compromising their own moral compass.
Four rules for effective detentions
- Low severity: the detention does not need to be long, just inconvenient.
- High certainty: the system of setting the detention must be simple for staff to avoid perverse incentives. All teachers must use the system consistently. Schools often enable this by centralising detentions.
- Visible: when you give students a detention, it must be obvious, such as handing them a coloured slip of paper as a reminder. Observers unable to hear the conversation will still realise the student has received a sanction, so maximising the communication of social norms.
- Public: lists of students who are in detention should be publicly available. This is not to embarrass them but to remind all students that systems are running as expected.
My approach to effective detentions
I think detentions are effective when they’re low in severity; they don’t need to be long, just inconvenient. But they should be high in certainty. The system of setting the detention must be simple for staff to avoid perverse incentives. All teachers must use the system consistently. Schools often enable this by centralising detentions.
Visible detentions are effective. When you give students a detention, it must be obvious, such as handing them a coloured slip of paper as a reminder. Observers unable to hear the conversation will still realise the student has received a sanction, so maximising the communication of social norms. Which students are in detention must be public, on a list, say. This is not to embarrass them but to remind all students that systems are running as expected.
Detentions are not a desirable part of the job. I don’t enjoy punishing students and can’t imagine many teachers do. However, they are an important part of maintaining a climate that allows large groups of students to attend a calm, purposeful school and make the most of their opportunities.
Adam Robbins
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