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How to Teach Troubled Youth

On August 4, 2015 / Effectiveness, Learning

At some point, every teacher will have troubled youth in their class. These students may appear reluctant, apathetic, and/or disengaged. When working with these students, patience is critical, and building relationships is the ONLY way you will have success. These students trust no one, and it will take time for them to truly understand that you are concerned about them and their own best interests.

Here are some suggestions for interacting and reaching these students:

Since success is built on success and not failure, compliment them on their successes. This will give them hope—the most essential ingredient for success and something they have had very little of.
Be wary of using any of the seven “deadlies”: criticizing, blaming, complaining, nagging,

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Parenting Young Children – A very successful technique

On July 31, 2015 / Learning, Parenting

When I ask parents of young children if they ever say “No” to their children, I always receive an affirmative answer. “Of course.”

After all, isn’t it natural to teach young children that they can’t have evrything they want?

Yes, young people need to learn that they cannot get every thing they want. The question is, however, how do you communicate this while at the same time not not having the child develop negative feelings toward the parent or the situation.

The answer lies in adding a simple word to “NO!.”

Simply say, “Not yet.”

This simple phrase doesn’t prompt the negative feeling that “No” does while, at the same time, giving future hope.

This and many other simple tips … >>>

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Instructional Planning for Teachers

On July 29, 2015 / Learning

Many teachers have misinterpreted Madeline Hunter’s instructional planning suggestions.

Over the years Madeline Hunter’s lesson planning model has come under some criticism mainly because of faulty interpretation in how the approach was supposed to be used. Themodel has been incorrectly perceived as an inflexible recipe or cookbook approach to lesson planning. That is, if all the ingredients are not included and used in sequence, then the model is not being followed.

This is not how the model was supposed to work. As Madeline Hunter perceived it, the model was completely flexible and open-ended. The steps should be considered when planning a lesson. Having considered them, then select, abandon, or judiciously include any or all of the steps.

Here are her … >>>

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Learning Education by Inviteing Students to Learn

On July 28, 2015 / Learning

Do students care about learning? The answer: It depends.

The adage is true: Students don’t care what you know until they know that you care. Most teachers do not realize that their success depends on good relationships and motivation.

Teachers extend invitations to learning when they create curiosity, desire, and challenge. Students think of themselves as classroom contributors when they share their ideas. When students sense that their ideas are significant, meaningful, or relevant they feel valued. They also feel affirmed when they believe that they are accepted and psychologically safe in the classroom.

Do students care about learning? The answer is a resounding affirmative when the above factors are in play.… >>>

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The Best Question to Encourage Learning

On July 21, 2015 / Learning

Asking, “Why?” is an INeffective question when it relates to behavior. For example, the answer to asking a young person, “Why are you doing that?” will prompt answers such as, “I don’t know” or an excuse, such as, “I have ADD.”

In contrast, asking a student, “Why are you LEARNING that?” and receiving a similar response, “I don’t know,” is a reflection on the teacher, not on the student.

Sharing the “why” for something you would like young people to learn is an extremely effective teaching technique for promoting learning and effort. It becomes “purpose driven,” which, in turn,
• prompts self motivation,
• sustains that motivation,
• diminishes resistance, and
• enhances better decisions.

When you reflect on this … >>>

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Teaching Visualization for Classroom management

On July 17, 2015 / Discipline, Learning

Visualizing procedures enhances classroom management. The foundation of effective classroom management is modeling, practicing, and reinforcing procedures. Right-hemisphere oriented students tend to act spontaneously and process randomly. These folks need structure, and helping them visualize procedures may be the best approach to help these students help themselves and enhance their success.

Here is an example how I used visualization to help a student arrive in my classroom on tine.

Mary was consistently late to my second period class. Assigning her detention had little positive affect on having her change her behavior. So I had a conversation with Mary and asked what she customarily did before coming to my class. She told me that she would go to her locker to … >>>

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Visioning Exercise for Understanding the Brain

On July 15, 2015 / Learning

Until about 100 years ago no person could ever tell another person the same story. The very best any author could do was to convince readers to tell stories to themselves.

Complete this short exercise and you will see how it works:

A cowboy is on the open range riding a horse. Suddenly, the horse sees a snake. The horse jumps and the rider is thrown off the horse.

Here are a few questions for you:

In what direction was the horse riding?
What time of the day was it?
In what location did this occur?
What color and kind of a horse was the rider on?
Was the rider wearing a hat?

Your imagination conjured up the scene. You … >>>

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Charter Schools and Discipline

On July 13, 2015 / Discipline, Learning

Charter schools were conceived as an alternative to underperforming public schools. These schools allowed educators and entrepreneurs to ignore bureaucratic systems that are so prevalent in public schools. Charter schools were allowed to develop experimental teaching models so long as they were accountable for the results.

Today more than 2.3 million K-12 students are enrolled in over 6000 charters schools operated in the United States.

One major advantage of charter schools was its potential for creativity by, in large part, eliminating the amount of paper work that public schools required for innovation or doing anything not approved by the bureaucracy.

This allowability for creativity appears to be in n danger. For instance, of the eight schools that applied for charters … >>>

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Competition in Schools between Students

On July 9, 2015 / Learning, Relationships

Imagine the teacher standing in front of the class and asking a question. Six to ten children strain in their seats and with their hands in the teachers face, eager to be called on and show how smart they are. Several others sit quietly with eyes averted, trying to become invisible.

When the teacher calls on only one youngster, you can almost hear sounds of disappointment and can see looks of dismay on the faces of the eager students who missed a chance to get the teacher’s approval. You also see relief on the faces of the others who did not know the answer. The game is fiercely competitive and the stakes are high because the kids are competing for … >>>

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Classroom Management Procedures

On July 1, 2015 / Discipline, Learning

Classroom management procedures make instruction efficient. Here are some from the Discipline Without Stress Resource Guide:

How to enter the classroom and then what to do (Students should always have something that raises curiosity, interest, or reinforces/reviews as soon they enter the classroom. Dead time is deadly time.)
How to get attention and what students should do
How to quiet the class when it gets too noisy
How to take roll while students are occupied in learning
How to handle lunch tickets
What to do when the fire alarm sounds
When and how to sharpen pencils
What to do when it is necessary to use the restroom
What to do when an assignment is finished early
How to find directions

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Striving for Perfection

On June 30, 2015 / Effectiveness, Learning

We’ve all heard the expression, “Practice makes perfect.” It’s something many teachers and parents have touted to children for decades. However, the problem with that thinking is that perfection is often not possible. And striving for something unattainable sets people up for failure.

Of course, this does not mean we shouldn’t have high standards for ourselves and others. Therefore, think about it like this: Pursuing perfection focuses at looking for what’s WRONG. On the other hand, pursuing high standards and excellence focuses on what’s RIGHT.

Most humans in most endeavors will fulfill their responsibilities more effectively when asked, “Are you satisfied with your work?” rather than “Is what you have done perfect?”

So the next time you’re helping a child … >>>

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John Dewey on Education and Pragmatism

On June 29, 2015 / Learning

A little history about John Dewey, known for his approaches that promoted responsibility:

Dewey died in 1957 at age 92 in New York City. At his death, he was one of America’s most influential philosophers and educational theorists. He taught for three years but struggled with the expectation that he should be a knuckle-rapping disciplinarian.

After posts at the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago, he taught at Columbia University from 1904 to 1930. It was at Columbia where he became a major exponent of pragmatism and rejected authoritarian teaching methods. He espoused instructional approaches that built upon the interests of students and the challenge of solving real-life problems.

Teaching today has an emphasis on correct answers. However, … >>>

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Classroom Discipline Is Not Classroom Management

On June 26, 2015 / Discipline, Learning

Discipline is often confused with classroom management. Many textbooks used in teacher education courses discuss classroom management as if it were synonymous with classroom discipline.

This confusion muddles understanding so much that the vast majority of new teachers walk into their classroom unprepared to that which is required of excellent teaching, namely, commend respect of their students and establish relationships so students WANT to do what the teacher wants them to do.

Too many schools—especially urban ones—are having difficulty with discipline because teachers do not know how to use authority without coercion. The reason is that they are taught discipline approaches that do not work with today’s students. Coercion and aiming at obedience are counterproductive to motivating students and having … >>>

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Discipline Online

On June 17, 2015 / Classroom Management, Discipline, Effectiveness, Learning, Parenting, Responsibility

Discipline Online is now available for teachers, parents, and anyone working with young people.

If you are at a school, home, or youth setting where discipline and behavior are out of control and where young people are not acting responsibly, then Discipline Online will be of great assistance. If you are a leader, teacher, or parent that imposes punishments, lectures, nags, or uses time-outs or detention, then Discipline Online is for you. If you are still rewarding young people for things they should be doing anyway, learn a better way.

You owe it to yourself—and to the people with whom you work—to use a more effective approach than any of those mentioned above. Learn how to deal with behavior challenges … >>>

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A Simple Way to Increase Learning

On May 5, 2015 / Learning

To truly teach someone something, you need to do more than just recite information. Any parent or teacher instinctively knows this. Yet, many still struggle with getting their children and students to put forth the effort to actually learn something new.

Here’s the best way to increase learning. When you present something, follow this teaching formula:

WHAT it is you will explain.
WHY it is important to know about it.
HOW the listener can use it.
Give an EXAMPLE of how it works.

The more you use this simple approach, the more that your children and students will be motivated to put forth the effort to learn what you are teaching.… >>>

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How Teachers Can Ease Homework Struggles

On April 28, 2015 / Learning

Homework is a hot topic for teachers. In fact, I get asked about this topic several times each week. The most common question is, “How do you encourage kids to do homework?” Many teachers reveal that they feel as if they are constantly chasing after students to do it. Additionally, they think it’s a reflection of their teaching if student don’t put forth the effort into doing homework.

In order to differentiate between EFFORT in EMPLOYMENT and EFFORT in LEARNING, I avoid the use of the word, “work.” Rather than referring to homeWORK, I refer to home assignments.

And the only reflection on your teaching should be to ask yourself whether or not the assignments are relevant, meaningful, and/or useful.… >>>

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Prevent Student Dropout

On April 21, 2015 / Learning, Relationships

This country has a serious dropout problem. Every year, over 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the United States alone. That’s one student every 26 seconds, or 7,000 a day.

Not returning to school is not an event; it is a process. Show me a school dropout, and I’ll show you a young person who has not established positive relationships at school.

Many dropouts start negative self-talk early in their school careers. I submit that this negative approach has many causes—among which are (1) using competition (rather than collaboration) and (2) emphasizing what is wrong (rather than first pointing out positives and, thereby, fostering encouragement).

However, the desire to belong is so strong in young humans that … >>>

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Using Perks as Motivators

On March 31, 2015 / Learning

Is there an appropriate time to use a “perk” as a motivator?

Certainly! But realize that the underlying drive is often not the perk but the competition. Just look at the Olympic Games. Competition and recognition are basic to humankind.

In my own case, I play the classic music of the Great Highland Bagpipe called piobaireachd (pronounced pibroch). Approximately eight percent of pipers play this type of music, and this traditional music never would have been passed on to today without competitions. The token ribbons won were nice, but it was the competitive spirit that had me devote hundreds of hours to practicing.

The mistake erupts when, by implication, we use rewards to promote learning. If a youngster is never … >>>

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