Volume 2 Number 4
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. Welcome
2. Promoting Responsibility
3. Increasing Effectiveness
4. Improving Relationships
5. Teachers.net: PROMOTING LEARNING:
REDUCING STRESS BY PROMOTING RESPONSIBILITY
–Rather than by Attempting to Manipulate Behavior
6. Your Questions Answered
7. What others are saying about the book:
“DISCIPLINE WITHOUT STRESS,
PUNISHMENTS or REWARDS
How
Teachers and Parents Promote Responsibility & Learning”
1. WELCOME
This month’s
e-zine starts by discussing a person who has
had a tremendous influence in the lives of
many people–especially those in the field
of education. I am referring to the famed
Harvard University psychologist who became
popular with his practice of behaviorism,
Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1904-1990). (Also,
read this month’s book testimonial, Number
7, by a former college professor who
interviewed Dr. Skinner.)
I thought about B.F. Skinner while reading
Monty Roberts’ (the famed “horse whisperer”)
most recent book, “Horse Sense for People.”
A sentence I read on page 58 prompted me to
realize a major fallacy in B. F. Skinner’s
approach. The sentence reads, “THERE IS NO
SUCH THING AS TEACHING, ONLY LEARNING.”
Monty Roberts clearly explains how this is
true with HORSES.
A quick review of some psychological
approaches for the point I intend to make:
Classical conditioning is identified with
Pavlov’s dog. It begins with the observation
that some things produce natural responses.
Lucky smells meat and salivates. By pairing
an artificial stimulus with a natural
one–such as ringing a bell when the steak
appears–the dog associates the two. Ring
the bell; the dog salivates.
(Pavlov was smart enough not to use a cat;
cats–like humans–are too independent.)
Operant conditioning, in contrast to
classical conditioning, is concerned with
how an action may be controlled by a
stimulus that comes AFTER it–rather than
before it. When a reward follows a behavior,
then that behavior is likely to be repeated.
Today, we refer to this psychology as
“behaviorism.”
Skinner preferred the term “reinforcement.”
Skinnerians
(behaviorists) are apt to argue that
virtually everything–even who we are–can
be explained in terms of the principal of
reinforcement.
Behaviorists speak about how “organisms”
learn based upon the assumption that humans
are animals–different from other animals
only in the types of behaviors displayed. It
is no wonder that, with this belief, Skinner
conducted most of his experiments on rodents
and pigeons and wrote most of his books
about people.
Since Monty Roberts believes he cannot teach
horses–that horses only learn–he conducts
activities which prompts the horses to make
decisions.
All decisions are based on the ability to
make choices–be it pigeons and pecking,
rats and mazes, or horses and corrals. The
trainer does not teach but rather sets up
the conditions for the “organism” to learn
by the decisions it makes.
Getting back to Skinner and the
behaviorists, IF YOU BELIEVE THAT HUMANS ARE
“ORGANISMS” LIKE ANY OTHER, then it makes
perfect sense to treat them using external
reinforcers and other external manipulators.
However, if you believe that humans have the
ability to be taught using literature,
stories, and other vicarious
experiences–that they need not personally
experience a particular behavior to
learn–then you have joined the ranks of
those who realize that HUMANS CAN BE TAUGHT.
(I can hear my mother’s influence who told
me that you train a dog but you teach
people.)
Of course, part of the equation is that
people learn. But the point remains:
parents, teachers, employers can and do
teach. (So do students; just ask a youngster
who is engaged in cross-age tutoring or peer
teaching.)
I feel confident Monty Roberts would agree
that PEOPLE can be taught. I don’t think B.
F. Skinner (in his early days of touting
behaviorism) would.
More about external motivators and their
ineffectiveness with people can be found at
http://www.aboutdiscipline.com.
(If you are interested in the decisions
Monty Roberts puts before his horses to
train a wild one in 30 minutes, see the
February, 2002, issue . Go to:
http://marvinmarshall.com/newsletter.
Click on 7. Feb. 2002. The newsletter will
appear on the right. Scroll down to “4.
Improving Relationships.”)
2. PROMOTING RESPONSIBILITY
While
finishing my dinner after a presentation for
the Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development (ASCD) in San Antonio
last month, I thought I recognized one of
the three people sitting at the next table.
Their order had just been taken, and so I
took advantage of the time before their food
was served. I approached the table. The
result was a most interesting conversation
with John Glenn, his wife, and a
representative of the W.K. Kellogg
Foundation.
The former astronaut (first American to
orbit the earth, 1962, and former four-term
Ohio Senator) recently initiated a “service
leadership” program–a joint effort of the
John Glenn Institute for Public Service and
Public Policy and the Kellogg Foundation.
I mentioned that I was the principal of
Norwalk High School when he visited John
Glenn High School, his namesake, and a
neighboring high school in the Norwalk-La
Mirada Unified School District in Los
Angeles County. My point to him was that the
“service learning” project is a very
significant contribution.
Past generations had a high priority for
teaching qualities of character–such as
respect for elders, appropriate dress
showing deference to the occasion, manners,
and those behaviors that make for social
civility.
However, young parents of recent generations
emphasize feelings over behavior. Parents
are very concerned with children’s
happiness. Children are often given, not
only what they desire, but also additional
services and items of material value in
attempts to make for happiness. Good
intentions, but this can lead to dependency
and lack of responsibility.
Since self-esteem and how people feel have
become of paramount importance, parents
believe that external approaches such as
rewarding youngsters for appropriate
behavior and praising them for good acts are
thought to be necessary.
Good intentions, again! But look at the
results. Youngsters ask, “If I do that, what
will I get?”
The simple wisdom has been lost. People gain
and grow by GIVING, rather than by
receiving. It is in the EFFORT that a person
grows. Self-worth emanates from feelings of
satisfaction–rather than by external
comments from other people.
I am not suggesting that people should not
be recognized, but I am suggesting that
feelings and beliefs of self-worth do not
emanate from external sources. They are the
result of our thinking and what we do–our
efforts and the satisfactions that come from
them.
John Glenn’s “service learning” encourages
one of the most valuable approaches towards
growth and responsibility. As the motto of
Rotary International states, “Service Above
Self.”
3. INCREASING
EFFECTIVENESS
Before
becoming the very successful football coach
at Notre Dame, Lou Holtz brought his
University of Arkansas team to the Orange
Bowl in 1978 to play against heavily favored
Oklahoma. Pundits gave Arkansas slight to no
chance of winning.
Dejected players filed into a team meeting a
few days before the game. Holtz picked up
some newspapers and pointed out that papers
have a front page for people who want the
news, an editorial page for those who want
opinions, and comics for people who want to
be amused. He continued, “I’m amazed that
you’re ready to roll over and die because
you read your obituary in the newspapers.”
He warned them, “Don’t let other people tear
you down and destroy your confidence.”
Holtz then asked each athlete to stand up
and explain why he thought Arkansas could
win the game.
Each player stood, one by one, and pointed
out one of the team’s strengths or what a
particular individual had to offer. As they
talked, Holtz reported that he could
actually see their attitudes changing. They
realized their strengths and made a
commitment to one another to do their best.
Following that meeting, the Arkansas team
had an unbelievable practice. The next day,
they beat Oklahoma 31-6.
Holtz’ motivational secret was to prompt the
players to tell him why they were good.
After he pointed his players in a positive
direction, he just listened.
4. IMPROVING RELATIONSHIPS
The opposite
of love is not anger; it’s apathy or lack of
attention. This is based on the simple fact
that love and attention are naturally
linked.
Here is a simple exercise to reduce apathy
and increase attention.
With the person in question, each of you
rates feelings of closeness using a scale
from 1 to 10. The number one represents how
close you would feel to an acquaintance or a
co-worker, while ten represents how close
you feel as a honeymooner or in a close
relationship.
Then relaxing with a few deep breaths,
imagine seeing the other person in your
mind’s eye with as much detail as possible.
After spending fifteen seconds breathing
slow, long breaths and visualizing, imagine
touching the other person–by shaking hands,
hugging, or with some physical contact in
which you would feel comfortable. After
another fifteen seconds of imaginative
physical connection, imagine verbalizing
your feelings.
Slowly breathe for another 15 seconds while
holding all three
thoughts: visualizing the other person in
detail, imagining some physical contact, and
verbalizing your thoughts.
Finally, rank your feelings of closeness
again.
Once people bring attention to one another,
feelings of closeness increase.
5. TEACHERS.NET: PROMOTING LEARNING:
Reducing Stress by
Promoting Learning–
Rather than by Attempting to Manipulate Behavior
My PROMOTING LEARNING
article on <teachers.net/gazette> for this month shows
how promoting responsibility to change behavior is more
effective and less stressful than attempting to
manipulate behavior with the use of external approaches
such as rewards. THE ARTICLE STARTS WITH AN OBSERVATION
OF STRESS A TEACHER OBSERVES OF OTHERS WHO USE A
SKINNER’S BEHAVIORISTIC APPROACH.
http://teachers.net/gazette/APR02/marshall.html
6. YOUR
QUESTIONS ANSWERED
QUESTION:
I am using the RAISE RESPONSIBILITY SYSTEM
and feel like I am not only training my students, but
training myself, also. It’s taking practice to learn to
say “Certainly, when you have….” instead of “No!” But
it’s working when I do. It feels odd to simply say
“Thank you” when a student tells me the level of
behavior he or she was acting on and move on. Most of
the time it works powerfully. They look at me with a
baffled expression and we go on with class. Sometimes,
there is an atmosphere that doesn’t seem to be working,
and I’m not sure what to do next. I went back to the old
method of names and checks on the board Friday (highly
approved of at my school) but that isn’t working for me.
I’m struggling with how to move into doing the
responsibility essay and which one to use and when.
I have shared the “chair” illustration with
so many people!–the one that shows how good it feels to
be responsible. It makes total sense to me. Thanks for
the new mantra to learn and use: “Responsibility finds a
way; irresponsibility finds an excuse.” I’m excited to
find a way to make the system work for me.
P S
Middle School
RESPONSE:
A few suggestions:
To use the Essay Form and the
Self-Diagnostic Referral (as well as the Parent Note,
review “Guided Practice” (using authority without being
punitive), the third part of Chapter Three.
Pick one or two students who are really
causing problems and tell them that YOU have a problem
and NEED THEIR HELP. Don’t be afraid to do this. It puts
them in a position of helping you and empowers them. Do
this in private and have a few ideas how they can help
you, e.g., secretary to record the lesson and report to
the class the next day, coordinate the passing out or
collecting of supplies–anything where they are given
some responsibility.
When students feel good about themselves,
almost invariably as a result of their own efforts,
their chances of behaving on levels C or D dramatically
increase.
When someone continues to disrupt the class,
have a private conversation and say, “What you are doing
is not appropriate for your potential.” What do you
suggest we do about it? (Be ready to ask, “What else?”
“What else?” until you are satisfied with an answer. (If
the student says, “I don’t know,” respond with an
empowering remark, such as, “As capable as you are, I
don’t believe that.”) After eliciting an acceptable
consequence, establish a procedure by asking, “What
specifically will you do to remind yourself when the
urge comes again?”
Check the section of the book on classroom
meetings. Put the problem on the table. Let them know
that it is not your problem, but theirs. You will teach
whether or not they learn. Teaching is what you do. They
have the choice to learn or not. You will not force them
to learn–that you cannot force learning even if you
wanted to. You are in the boat together. They have the
choice of rowing together with you and making progress
or pulling in a different direction and going
nowhere–but they will not be allowed to rock the boat.
Conclude with the charge: “The decision is yours.”
The key is to have high expectations (levels
C or D) and to empower them–rather than overpower them.
7. WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE BOOK:
“DISCIPLINE WITHOUT STRESS, PUNISHMENTS OR REWARDS
How Teachers and Parents Promote Responsibility & Learning”
“Several years
ago, I had the opportunity to do a lengthy
interview with B.F. Skinner. I concluded
that I do not subscribe to much of what he
taught–for example, his rejection of all
inferred states such as attitudes and
motivation . . . . Dr. Marvin Marshall’s
book addresses a fundamental problem that
every society must solve: how to produce
individuals who will take responsibility for
doing the important tasks that need to get
done. He focuses on what is the essence of
good citizenship in the home, school, and
nation. Using some of the latest findings of
social science, Dr. Marshall has developed
an approach that enables parents and
teachers to help young people grow into
responsible citizens and live satisfying and
rewarding inner-directed lives.”
Gene
Griessman, Ph.D.
Author of THE WORDS LINCOLN LIVED BY
DISCIPLINE
WITHOUT STRESS, PUNISHMENTS OR REWARDS is
carried by:
National Association of Elementary School
Principals
National Association of Secondary School
Principals
National School Boards Association
Phi Delta Kappa International
Performance Learning Systems
The Brain Store
