Positive Discipline 

Positive Discipline is a discipline model used by schools that focuses on the positive points of behaviour, based on the idea that there are no bad children, just good and bad behaviors. You can teach and reinforce the good behaviors while weaning the bad behaviors without hurting the child verbally or physically. People engaging in positive discipline are not ignoring problems. Rather, they are actively involved in helping their child learn how to handle situations more appropriately while remaining calm, friendly and respectful to the children themselves. Positive discipline includes a number of different techniques that, used in combination, can lead to a more effective way to manage groups of students. Some of these are listed below.

Positive discipline contrasts with negative discipline. Negative discipline may involve angry, destructive, or violent responses to inappropriate behaviour. In the terms used by psychology research, positive discipline uses the full range of reinforcement and punishment options:

·         Positive reinforcement, such as complimenting a good effort;

·         Negative reinforcement, such as ignoring requests made in a whining tone of voice;

·         Positive punishment, such as requiring a child to clean up a mess he made; and

·         Negative punishment, such as removing a privilege in response to poor behaviour.

However, unlike negative discipline, it does all of these things in a kind, encouraging, and firm manner.

Five criteria

There are 5 criteria for effective positive discipline:

1.     Helps children feel a sense of connection. (Belonging and significance)

2.     Is mutually respectful and encouraging. (Kind and firm at the same time.)

3.     Is effective long-term. (Considers what the child is thinking, feeling, learning, and deciding about himself and his world – and what to do in the future to survive or to thrive.)

4.     Teaches important social and life skills. (Respect, concern for others, problem solving, and cooperation as well as the skills to contribute to the home, school or larger community.)

5.     Invites children to discover how capable they are. (Encourages the constructive use of personal power and autonomy.)^[1]

Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is a form of child discipline that is a proactive and positive approach used by staff, parents and community agencies to promote successful behavior and learning at home and at school for all students. PBS supports the acquisition of replacement behaviors, a reduction of crisis intervention, the appreciation of individual differences, strategies for self-control, and durable improvement in the quality of life for all.

Preventive measures

Part of using positive discipline is preventing situations in which negative behaviors can arise. There are different techniques that teachers can use to prevent bad behaviors:

Students who "misbehave" are actually demonstrating "mistaken" behavior. There are many reasons why a student may exhibit mistaken behavior, i.e. lack of knowing appropriate behaviour to feeling unwanted or unaccepted. For students who simply do not know what appropriate behaviour they should be exhibiting, the teacher can teach the appropriate behavior. For example, the young child who grabs toys from others can be stopped from grabbing a toy and then shown how to ask for a turn. For students who are feeling unwanted or unaccepted, a positive relationship needs to develop between the teacher and student before ANY form of discipline will work.

The sanctions that are listed at the end of the article would be less needed if students have a strong connection with the adult in charge and knew that the teacher respected him/her. Teachers need to know how to build these relationships. Simply telling them to demonstrate respect and connection with students is not enough for some of them, because they may also lack knowledge on how to do this.

Teachers need to view each child as an account; they must deposit positive experiences in the student before they make a withdraw from the child when discipline takes place. Teachers can make deposits through praise, special activities, fun classroom jobs, smiles and appropriate pats on the backs. Some children have never experienced positive attention. Children long for attention; if they are not receiving positive attention they will exhibit behavior that will elicit negative attention.

Teachers can recognize groups of students who would not work well together (because they are friends or do not get along well) and have them separated from the start. Some teachers employ the "boy-girl-boy-girl" method of lining or circling up (which may be sexist or effective, depending on your perspective).

Another technique would be to be explicit with the rules, and consequences for breaking those rules, from the start. If students have a clear understanding of the rules, they will be more compliant when there are consequences for their behaviors later on. A series of 3 warnings is sometimes used before a harsher consequence is used (detention, time-out, etc.), especially for smaller annoyances (for example, a student can get warnings for calling out, rather than getting an immediate detention, because a warning is usually effective enough). Harsher consequences should come without warnings for more egregious behaviors (hitting another student, cursing, deliberately dissobeying a warning, etc.). Teachers can feel justified that they have not "pulled a fast one" on students.

Using gerunds

Gerunds are words ending in "ing". It is believed that using gerunds can help reinforce the positive behaviour another would like to see rather than attacking a bad behaviour. For example, a teacher might see students running down the hall and calmly say "walking" rather than yell "stop running" in an agitated voice. He might say "gently" (an adverb) instead of insisting "calm down!"

Positive Recognition

(This addition is an example of "Behaviourism" and is not part of the original Positive Discipline that does not advocate punishment or rewards.) Positive discipline includes rewarding good behaviour as much as curtailing negative behaviours. Some "rewards" can be verbal. Some are actual gifts.

Instead of yelling at a student displaying negative behaviours, a teacher/leader might recognize a student behaving well with a "thank you Billy for joining the line", or "I like the way you helped Billy find his notebook." Recognizing a positive behaviour can bring a group's focus away from the students displaying negative behaviour, who might just be "acting out" for attention. Seeing this, students seeking attention might try displaying good behaviours to get the recognition of the leader.

One person’s submits this as a reward method: Students are given stamps in their planner if they do well in a lesson. When they receive enough stamps from the same subject (usually 3 or 5) the student has a credit. When 50, 100, 150, 200 and 250 credits have been awarded to a particular student, that student receives a certificate. If a student meets certain behavioural criteria, they are rewarded with a trip at the end of term.

Other rewards:

·         A special chain or necklace students pass from one to another for doing good deeds.

·         High fives and positive words.

·         Awards/achievements on the wall of the classroom or cafeteria.

Benefits

Better student-teacher relations. Less teacher wasted energy/frustration. Students recognize desirable positive behaviors, rather than feel attacked.

Statistics show that each year, close to one third of eighteen-year-olds do not finish high school (Bridgeland, 2006; Dilulio, 2006; Morison, 2006). Minority and low-income areas show even higher numbers. 75 percent of crimes committed in the United States are done by high school drop-outs. In order to know how to intervene Civic Enterprises interviewed dropouts and asked them what they suggest be done to increase high school completion numbers. Here is what they came up with: 81% said there should be more opportunities for "real-world" learning, 81% said "better" teachers, 75% said smaller class numbers, 70% said "increasing supervision in schools", 70% said greater opportunities for summer school and after-school programs, 62% said "more classroom discipline, and 41% said to have someone available to talk about personal problems with (Bridgeland, 2006; Dilulio, 2006; Morison, 2006). Through use of Positive Discipline, efforts are being made to prevent occurrences such as dropping out of school.

Positive Discipline

What is Positive Discipline?

Positive Discipline is a program based on the work of Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreikurs and designed to teach young people to become responsible, respectful and resourceful members of their communities. Based on the best selling Positive Discipline books by Dr. Jane Nelsen and co-authors Lynn Lott, Cheryl Erwin and others, it teaches important social and life skills in a manner that is deeply respectful and encouraging for both children and adults (including parents, teachers, childcare providers, youth workers, and others).

Recent research tells us that children are “hardwired” from birth to connect with others, and that children who feel a sense of connection to their community, family, and school are less likely to misbehave. To be successful, contributing members of their community, children must learn necessary social and life skills. Positive Discipline is based on the understanding that discipline must be taught and that discipline teaches.

Jane Nelsen gives the following criteria for “effective discipline that teaches”:

FIVE CRITERIA FOR POSITIVE DISCIPLINE

1. Is it kind and firm at the same time? (Respectful and encouraging) 
2. Does it help children feel a sense of belonging and significance? (Connection) 
3. Is it effective long-term? (Punishment works short term, but has negative long- term results.) 
4. Does it teach valuable social and life skills for good character? (Respect, concern for others, problem-solving, accountability, contribution, cooperation) 
5. Does it invite children to discover how capable they are and to use their personal power in constructive ways?

The Positive Discipline Parenting and Classroom Management models are aimed at developing mutually respectful relationships. Positive Discipline teaches adults to employ kindness and firmness at the same time, and is neither punitive nor permissive.

The tools and concepts of Positive Discipline include:

• Mutual respect. Adults model firmness by respecting themselves and the needs of the situation, and kindness by respecting the needs of the child.
• Identifying the belief behind the behavior. Effective discipline recognizes the reasons kids do what they do and works to change those beliefs, rather than merely attempting to change behavior.
• Effective communication and problem solving skills.
• Discipline that teaches (and is neither permissive nor punitive).
• Focusing on solutions instead of punishment.
• Encouragement (instead of praise). Encouragement notices effort and improvement, not just success, and builds long-term self-esteem and empowerment. 

Unique characteristics of the Positive Discipline Model also include:

• Teaching adults and students through experiential activities. Creating opportunity to practice new skills and to have fun learning by doing.
• Classroom discipline programs and parent education programs that are consistent. Parents, teachers, and childcare providers can work together to provide a secure, consistent environment for children.
• Inexpensive training and ongoing support so members of communities can teach each other Positive Discipline skills.
• Certified trainers across the country who can work with schools and communities.

A HISTORY OF POSITIVE DISCIPLINE

The Positive Discipline Parenting and Classroom Management Model is based on the work of Alfred Adler and Rudolf Dreikurs.* Dr. Adler first introduced the idea of parenting education to United States audiences in the 1920s. He advocated treating children respectfully, but also argued that spoiling and pampering children was not encouraging to them and resulted in social and behavioral problems. The classroom techniques, which were initially introduced in Vienna in the early 1920s, were brought to the United States by Dr. Dreikurs in the late 1930s. Dreikurs and Adler refer to the kind and firm approach to teaching and parenting as “democratic.”

In the 1980’s, Lynn Lott and Jane Nelsen attended a workshop facilitated by John Taylor.* Lynn began training interns to teach experientially and wrote (with the help of her interns) the first Teaching Parenting Manual. Jane was the director of Project ACCEPT (Adlerian Counseling Concepts for Encouraging Parents and Teachers), a federally funded project that had received exemplary status while in its developmental phase. Jane wrote and self-published Positive Discipline in 1981. It was published by Ballantine in 1987. In 1988, Jane and Lynn decided to collaborate on the book which is now titled, Positive Discipline for Teenagers, and began to teach parenting and classroom management skills experientially. Lynn and Jane also wrote Positive Discipline in the Classroom and developed a manual filled with experiential activities for teachers and their students.

In the years since, Positive Discipline series has grown to include titles that address different age groups, family settings, and special situations. Positive Discipline is taught to schools, parents, and parent educators by trained Certified Positive Discipline Associates. Community members, parents, and teachers are encouraged to become trained facilitators and to share the concepts of Positive Discipline with their own groups.

Positive Discipline parent education classes are taught across the country, and Positive Discipline is successfully used as the classroom management model in private, religious, and public elementary schools. A demonstration school program is currently being developed.

THE EVIDENCE FOR POSITIVE DISCIPLINE

Formal evaluation comparing Positive Discipline Schools with schools using other discipline programs is just beginning. However, studies of implementation of Positive Discipline techniques have shown that Positive Discipline tools do produce significant results. A study of school-wide implementation of classroom meetings in a lower-income Sacramento elementary school over a four-year period showed that suspensions decreased (from 64 annually to 4 annually), vandalism decreased (from 24 episodes to 2) and teachers reported improvement in classroom atmosphere, behavior, attitudes and academic performance. (Platt, 1979) A study of parent and teacher education programs directed at parents and teachers of students with “maladaptive” behavior that implemented Positive Discipline tools showed a statistically significant improvement in the behavior of students in the program schools when compared to control schools. (Nelsen, 1979) Smaller studies examining the impacts of specific Positive Discipline tools have also shown positive results. (Browning, 2000; Potter, 1999; Esquivel) Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that a student’s perception of being part of the school community (being “connected” to school) decreases the incidence of socially risky behavior (such as emotional distress and suicidal thoughts / attempts, cigarette, alcohol and marijuana use; violent behavior) and increases academic performance. (Resnick et al, 1997; Battistich, 1999; Goodenow, 1993) There is also significant evidence that teaching younger students social skills has a protective effect that lasts into adolescence. Students that have been taught social skills are more likely to succeed in school and less likely to engage in problem behaviors. (Kellam et al, 1998; Battistich, 1999)

Although specific studies of the Positive Discipline parenting program are in the early stages, programs similar to Positive Discipline have been studied and shown to be effective in changing parent behavior. In a study of Adlerian parent education classes for parents of teens, Stanley (1978) found that parents did more problem solving with their teens and were less autocratic in decision making. Positive Discipline teaches parents the skills to be both kind and firm at the same time. Numerous studies show that teens who perceive their parents as both kind (responsive) and firm (demanding) are at lower risk for smoking, use of marijuana, use of alcohol, or being violent, and have a later onset of sexual activity. (Aquilino, 2001; Baumrind, 1991; Jackson et al, 1998; Simons, Morton et al, 2001) Other studies have correlated the teen’s perception of parenting style (kind and firm versus autocratic or permissive) with improved academic performance. (Cohen, 1997; Deslandes, 1997; Dornbusch et al, 1987; Lam, 1997).

*Alfred Adler (1870 - 1937) was a Viennese psychiatrist who immigrated to the United States. Though a contemporary of Freud, he promoted a substantially different view of human behavior. Adler believed that behavior is not driven by events in the past, but moves toward a goal of belonging and significance that is influenced by each individual’s decisions about themselves, others, and the world. Rudolf Dreikurs (1897 - 1972), also a Viennese psychiatrist, was the director of one of the child guidance centers in Vienna that used Adler’s methods with families and classrooms. He immigrated to the United States to avoid Nazi persecution in 1937, earlier in his career than Adler. Dreikurs was one of the first people to recognize the benefits of groups in therapy. He was a tireless advocate for relationships based on mutual respect, both at home and at school. His well known books include Children the Challenge, Maintaining Sanity in the Classroom, The Psychology of the Classroom.

*John Taylor lives and works in Oregon. He is author of Person to Person: Awareness Techniques for Counselors, Group Leaders, and Parent Educators. (1984) R & E Publishers, Saratoga, CA.

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Classroom management

Classroom management, Real life experiences recording

Student Engagement And Motivation Tips

Student Engagement And Motivation Tips by Rob Plevin

Effective use of consequences as a behaviour management strategy by Rob Plevin

How to Quiet a Classroom

Do you dream about having a peaceful, quiet classroom? About students working quietly? About not having to constantly remind them to quiet down? If so, this is the how-to for you.

1

Make it a game. Especially for primary students, if you play "The Quiet Game" with them, they will quiet down quickly. Give them a few seconds to finish up their conversations, make lots of noise, etc., and then start playing "The Quiet Game": the students must be quiet for as long as possible. If you want, set a timer or tell them that you would like them to be quiet for 5 minutes. If they make noise or talk, start the 5 minutes over. If students don't cooperate, you may want to add a small prize/reward/sticker, etc. for the person or group that stays quiet the longest.

2

Play some music, but only if they're quiet. Depending on what music you play, this trick can work with intermediate grades as well. Tell the students that you'll turn on the radio/CD player/iPod, etc. and they can listen to music, but only if they're quiet. Once the noise level gets too high, you will turn off the music system. If you're doing this, make sure that the music you're playing is music that the students like. For example, if you're teaching 1st grade, play their favourite children's CD. If you're teaching intermediate, turn on a popular radio station. If you don't play music they like, they won't quiet down.

3

Turn off the lights. If the classroom is too loud for the students to even hear you ask them to quiet down, flick the lights on and off a couple times to get their attention and then ask them to quiet down.

4

Waste their time. Tell them that if they waste your time (class time), you'll waste their time. Every time the students get too noisy, watch the clock or look at your watch, counting the seconds/minutes that it takes for them to quiet down. Tell them that they have to make up those minutes at recess time. You could also simply put strikes on the board once they're too loud. Each strike represents 1 minute that they must wait before going out to recess.

5

Put your hand up. In most schools, when a teacher raises their hand, it's a signal for students to quiet down. If this alone doesn't work, you might want to add an incentive - for example, if students can quiet down in under five seconds, they'll all receive a sticker.

6

Make some noise. This is another tip that will get the student's attention. By making a noise such as ringing a bell, blowing a kazoo, using a noisemaker, etc. will get the student's attention. You could also use this as a symbol to be quiet. Once you make the noise, the students must quiet down. This saves you from losing your voice.

7

Make them put their hands up. Try and quiet the class down, and then tell the class "If you're listening to me, put your hands up." This will show you who is and isn't listening to you, and will also ensure that students are giving you their full attention and not fiddling around with pens, pencils, etc. Once you know who isn't listening, you can call their name and make sure that they're listening to you.

8

Use a rewards system. Lots of teachers use rewards systems such as marble jars - when kids quiet down quickly, you put a handful of marbles in the marble jar. When the kids are noisy and don't listen when you ask them to quiet down, take a handful of marbles out of the marble jar. You could also take 1 marble out of the jar for every minute that you waited for quiet. Once the marble jar is full, give the class a prize, such as a pajama day, watching a movie in the afternoon, going outside, etc.

9

Clap your hands. Clap out a pattern and have the students repeat that pattern after you. Continue to do this until the class is quiet and you have everyone's attention. This is a great idea for primary classes, but works on intermediate classes as well, if used sparingly (otherwise they'll feel like you're treating them like babies).

10

Award groups. Put the students in groups and have a tally chart with the name of each group on it. Tell the students to be quiet, and whichever group is quiet the longest/the fastest will get a point for their group. You could also award one point for every minute that each group is quiet for, so that the groups stay quiet for a long time. Students get really competitive for points and will make sure that their other group members are quiet. At the end of the week or month, award a prize to the group with the most points.

11

Be calm and don't yell. Ask for peace and quiet in a calm, cool, and collected voice. When you're calm, the students are sure to follow the example that you're setting and will be calm and quiet. If there's a quiet mood in the classroom, the students will be quiet.

To Take Control Of Noisy Students,

The opinions of an experienced teacher about classroom management

Classroom management - 5 classroom management strategies to get student attention

My students are so noisy, so i begin to seek some strategies to get their attention

The Similarities Between Humans & Animals in Communication

All systems of communication contain signs that have specific meaning.

Human and animal communication differ in significant ways. Humans possess the ability to be creative with symbols, and current research suggests animals do not, according to Western Washington University professor of linguistics Edward Vajda. Attempts by scientists to teach animals to communicate using human symbols have shown little progress. Although a parrot can say human words, the animal doesn't know the meaning of the words it mimics. Despite this major difference, humans and animals share some basic forms of communication.

1. Signs

   • According to Vajda, all systems of communication contain units of form that have specifics meaning, linguistically referred to as signs. Word are the most commonly used sign in human communication. Animals also use signs when communicating, but their signs can take a variety of forms, depending on the species. Foxes have 20 distinct forms of vocalization. Electric eels use a system of electrical impulses to communicate with each other. Each cry or impulse has a distinct meaning to other foxes or eels, much as each human word has a specific meaning. Humans and animals share three basic forms of signs used in communication: sound, odor and body movement.

   Sound

   • The greatest similarity between human and animal communication is through the use of sound. Humans convey emotion through the use of words and tone in much the same way as animals communicate emotion through sound. According to an article from Mesa College, scientists have observed wild vervet monkeys use three distinct alarm calls depending on the type of predator they are warning against. When another vervet monkey hears the call, they know exactly what kind of danger is present. Some baby vervets were observed using the alarm cry for an eagle whenever any bird few overhead, but quickly learned to only use that particular cry when an actual eagle was spotted. This is similar to a child learning to call only one person mama, instead of every female, according to the article.

   Odor

   • Although most human communication through odor is almost imperceptible, compared with animal communication, researchers believe odor contributes to human bonding. In an article for the "Journal of Marriage and Family," researchers Erik Filsinger and Richard Fabes suggests that odor communication in humans contributes to family recognition, maternal bonding and mate selection. Similar behavior has been observed in animals, as odor is used to mark territorial boundaries, warn off intruders and to proclaim a readiness to mate.

   Body Language

   • The most perceptible form of communication, body language in humans and animals resemble each other in certain situations. Animals cowering in fear share similar characteristics with humans frightened by their surroundings. In a study of ape gestures, researchers Simone Pika and Katja Liebal noted similarities between gestures made by apes to communicate and those made by human infants. Their study determined that apes use specific gestures intentionally to communicate in some ways that are similar to those of children.

Comparison of Human Language and Animal Communication

Similarity:  Both are composed of SIGNS (forms with meaning)

Six Key Differences:

1. Animal: The signs of animal systems are inborn.

    Human:  The capacity to be creative with signs is inborn,

            but the signs (words) themselves are acquired culturally.

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2. Animal: Communication is set responses to stimuli (indexes).

    Human: Not limited to use as an index.     

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3. Animal: Each sign has one and only one function; each meaning can be expressed only in one way

    Human: Signs often have multiple functions; one meaning can be expresses in many ways

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4. Animal: Not naturally used in novel way

    Human: Creative, can be adapted to new situations

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5. Animal: Closed inventory of signs; only a set number of different messages can be sent

    Human: Open ended.  Grammar (rules of syntax) allows a virtually unlimited number of messages to be constructed

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6. Animal: Change extremely slowly, with the speed of genetic   evolution.

    Human: Change rapidly as a cultural phenomenon.

Albert Camus

Albet Camus, 7 Kasım 1913'de Cezayir'de doğdu. Annesi hizmetçilik yapan bir Fransız, babası ise İspanyol'du. Babası Lucien, I. Dünya Savaşı'nda piyade alayında görev yaparken hayatını kaybetti. Fakir bir ailenin çocuğu olarak zor bir çocukluk dönemi geçirdi. Çocukluğunun büyük bölümü Cezayir'in Balcourt bölgesinde geçti. 1923 yılında liseyi bitirdikten sonra Cezayir Üniversitesi'nde eğitimine devam etti. Üniverite yıllarında üniversitenin futbol takımında kalecilik yaptı. Daha sonra vereme yakanmasından dolayı kalecilik kariyeri ve okul hayatı yarım kaldı.

Okulu bıraktıktan sonra maddi sıkıntılar çekmeye başladı. Özel ders vererek ve meteoroloji enstitüsünde çalışarak geçimini sağladı. 1935yılında üniversiteye geri döndü ve 1936 yılında "Plotinus" konulu teziyle felsefe bölümünden mezun oldu. 1934 yılında Simone Hie ile evlendi. Karısı morfin bağımlısıydı ve karısının sadakatsizliği yüzünden evlilikleri son buldu.

1934 yılında Fransız Komünist Partisi'ne katıldı. Partiye katılmasıMarksist ve Leninist düşüncelerinden daha çok, İspanya'daki politik durumdan etkilendiği içindi. 1936'da partinin bağımsız bir kolu olanCezayir Komünist Partisi'ne geçti. 1937 yılında Stalinist komünizme kendini uzak bulması ve Troçkist suçlamalarıyla partiden uzaklaştırıldı.

1935'de "Théatre du Travail"i kurdu ancak 1939 yılında tiyatro kapandı. Fransa ordusuna katılmak istedi fakar verem olmasından dolayı kabul edilmedi. 1937 ile 1939 yılları arası sosyalist yazılar yazdı. 1940 yılında bir piyanist ve matematikçi olan Francine Faure ile evlendi. Bu evliliğinden ikizleri oldu. Aynı yıl Camus, "Paris-Soir" dergisinde yazmaya başladı. II. Dünya Savaşı'nın ilk zamanlarında pasifist olarak kaldı. Paris'in Alman ordusu tarafından işgaline ve Gabriel Péri'nin idamına tanık oldu. Daha sonra Paris-Soir dergisinin ekibiyle Bordeaux'a gitti. 1941'de "Yabancı" ve "Sisifos Söyleni"ni yazdı. 1942 yılında Cezayir'in Oran şehrine gitti.

II. Dünya Savaşı yıllarında Fransız Direniş ekibine katıldı ve burada yeraltında "Combat" adlı bir gazete çıkardı. 1943 yılında gazeteye editör oldu. Burada yayımlanan en ünlü makalesi Hiroşima'dan iki gün önce yayımlanan "Use of The Atomic Bomb in Hiroshima" oldu. 1947 yılında gazete ticari bir yapı kazanınca buradan ayrıldı. Gazetede çalıştığı yıllarda Jean-Paul Sartre ile tanıştı.

Savaşın ardından Paris'deki "Café de Flore"de Sartre ve arkadaşları ile buluşmaya başladı. Komünizmi eleştirmesi yüzünden etrafı ondan uzaklaştı. Yanı dönem Amerika Birleşik Devletleri'nde birçok yerde Fransız varoluşçuluğu hakkında dersler verdi. 1949 yılında hastalığının nüksetmesi yüzünden 1952'e kadar çalışmalarına ara verdi. 1951'de düşünce yapısının Sartre'dan tamamen ayrıldığı ve sol görüşteki insanların tepkilerini çeken "L'Homme Révolté"yi yayımladı.

1952'de Birleşmiş Milletler, General Franco diktatörlüğündeki İspanya'yı üye olarak kabul edince UNESCO'dan ayrıldı. İdam cezasına karşı çalışmalar düzenledi. "İdam Cezasına Karşı Birlik"in kurucusu Arthur Koestler ile birlikte makale yayımladı. Pasifizmin en önemli savunucularından biriydi.

1954 yılında başlayan Cezayir Kurtuluş Savaşı'nda Fransız hükümetini savundu. Kuzey Afrika'da başlayan isyanın aslında Mısır liderliğindeki arap emperyalimi olduğunu ve SSCB'nin planları içinde olduğunu düşünüyordu. Cezayir'in özerkliğinden yanaydı. Ölüm cezasına çarptırılan Cezayirlilerin kurtulması için gizlice çalışmalar düzenledi. 1955 ve 1956 yıllarında "L'Express" dergisinde yazdı. 1957 yılında Nobel Edebiyat Ödülü'nü kazandı. Ancak genel kanı bu ödülün "Düşüş" adlı kitabına değil yazdığı "Réflexions Sur la Guillotine" adlı makalesi için olduğu yönündedir. Rudyard Kipling'den sonra bu ödülü almış en genç yazardır.

4 Ocak 1960'da Sens yakınlarındaki "Le Grand Fossard" adlı bir yerde Facel Vega marka otomobili ile geçirdiği trafik kazası sonucu hayatını kaybetti. Araba kazası sonucu ölmenin en absürd ölüm olduğunu yazan Camus'un bu şekilde ölmesi oldukça ironiktir. Cebinden çıkan tren bileti ilk planının araba ile yolculuk olmadığını gösteriyordu. Aynı kazada arkadaşı ve yayımcısı olan Michel Gallimard da hayatını kaybetti.

Ölümünden sonra "Mutlu Ölüm"(1970) ve bitmeyen otobiyografik romanı "İlk İnsan"(1955) yayımlandı. Varoluşçuluk ile birlikte ele alınan "Absürdizm" ile ilgilenmiş ve bu alanın en tanınan yazarlarından olmuştur. Bu düşünce akımının gelişmesinde önemli bir yer tutar. Makalelerinde "Dualimz" göze çarpar. Camus varoluşçuluğu hakkında şunları söylemiştir.

"Hayır, ben bir varoluşçu değilim. Sartre ile isimlerimizin yan yana anılmasına hep şaştık. Sartre ve ben kitaplarımızı birbirimizle gerçekten tanışmadan önce yayımladık. Birbirimizi tanıdığımızda ise ne kadar farklı olduğumuzu anladık. Sartre bir varoluşçudur, benim yayımladığım tek fikir kitabı "Sisifos Söyleni"dir ve sözde varoluşçu filozoflara karşı doğrultulmuştur."

Romanları: Yabancı(L'Étranger-1942), Veba (La Peste-1947), Düşüş(La Chute-1956), Mutlu Ölüm(La Mort heureuse-ölümünden sonra, 1970), İlk Adam (Le premier homme-ölümünden sonra, 1995)

Hikayeleri: Sürgün ve Kralık (L'exil et le royaume-1957)

Oyunlar: Caligula (1938`de yazıldı, 1945'de oynandı), Ecinniler (Les Possédés-1959)

Denemeler: Sisifos Söyleni (Le Mythe de Sisyphe-1942), Denemeler, Tersi ve Yüzü(L'envers et l'endroit-1937), Başkaldıran İnsan(L'Homme révolté-1951), Düğün ve Bir Alman Dosta Mektuplar (Lettre a un ami allemand-1945)