In my books and my speaking, I often refer to assumptions and inferences. On the surface, these two things seem to be identical, but there are some subtle differences. Today I’d like to clarify what they are. An assumption is something we take for granted or presuppose. In the teaching profession, for example, too many teachers assume that students know what the teacher wants the students to do—without the teacher actually teaching how to do it. Likewise, parents may assume that it is important for their children to get good grades in school. But their children may not have the same assumption. Good grades are important to some students but not for all. Or, a wife may assume that her
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Never, never, never tell another person YOUR ASSESSMENT OF THAT PERSON. (This does not refer to a person’s behavior.) The fact of life is that one never truly knows enough about a person to do that. Recently, overhearing a couple who have been married for many years, I heard the wife say to her husband, “I didn’t expect you to think that way.” She was pleasantly surprised by her husband’s take on a situation. In this same vein of never completely knowing another person, a very successful teacher told me that her high school counselor told her that she was not smart enough to go to college. (Although college does require a minimum of academic skills, perseverance is a far
READ MORE >>> →Promoting Responsibility & Learning – Volume 16 Number 1
#2 An eye-opener about some behavior plans
#4 A physical power position
#7 How Discipline Without Stress differs from other approaches
The mindset of current educational approaches regarding student behavior focuses unfortunately on obedience, the source too often of reluctance, resistance, resentment, and even rebellion. Simply stated, OBEDIENCE DOES NOT CREATE DESIRE. However, when the focus is on promoting responsibility, obedience follows as a natural by-product. The reason is that motivation to be responsible requires a DESIRE to do so. The motivation must be INTERNAL. Many schools use EXTERNAL motivation in the form of rewards, threats, and punishments. However, these approaches (a) foster compliance rather than commitment, (b) require an adult presence for monitoring, (c) set up students to be dependent upon external agents, and (d) do not foster long-term motivation for responsibility. In addition, when students start collecting rewards—as in
READ MORE >>> →Efforts to promote learning (educational reform) have been headline news for many years. If you reflect on the number of reforms attempted in the United States in the last thirty years, you would need many fingers to count them. Then if you reflected on how many of these attempts to improve education are extant, you would be hard pressed to need any fingers. W. Edwards Deming, the man who brought the meaning of quality as “continuous improvement” to the world, often stated, “ninety-six percent of the problem lies in the SYSTEM, not in the employees.” Deming empowered workers by using internal—rather than external—motivation, as described in the Levels oaf Development. Here are two examples (of which I can list many
READ MORE >>> →All students have two questions when they first enter any classroom:(1) Will I fit in?(2) Will I succeed? Following are two simple ways to empower students so that their self-talk will be in the affirmative. For the first question (Will I fit in?), reduce anonymity. Start the class by having students share the name they would like to be called and have them share one personal fact about themselves. It can be a hobby, a special interest, how they enjoy spending their time, a favorite movie, a special song—anything that others in the class can relate to about each student. For the second question (Will I succeed?), use an empowering approach. Start an assignment or give a test with material
READ MORE >>> →One of my favorite books of all time is Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Originally published in 1936, the book went on to become one of the best-selling books of all time and made Carnegie an international celebrity. His book was used as the text in my first college speech course. Every few years, I decide to reread it. I especially like how Carnegie expresses profound truths in simple but profound ways. A perfect example is his “Six Ways to Make People Like You”: Principle 1. Become genuinely interested in other people. Principle 2. Smile. Principle 3. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language. (NOTE:
READ MORE >>> →Many teachers who use the Discipline Without Stress methodology comment on how getting children to act on Level D of the Levels of Development is their goal. In reality, having all students operate on Level D should not be the goal of this discipline system. Rather, the teacher’s goal is to have the motivation at least on Level C so that a civil and productive learning environment is created in the classroom. So Level C is the goal for the teacher, not Level D. Some students will certainly CHOOSE to set their sights higher (Level D), and of course this is what you hope, but it is not something over which you have direct control. You cannot force any student
READ MORE >>> →Today I’d like to share with you a post from Discipline Answers. I think you’ll agree that while humorous, this post reveals a lot about what’s wrong with so many behavior modification approaches in use today. “One of the oddest conversations I ever had with a child was with a very bright, very disruptive 7-year-old. He had a history of misbehavior at school with lots of office time and suspensions. At the beginning of the year I sat with him after a minor infraction and during our conversation I casually said something about, ‘Well, you know I can’t MAKE you behave; that’s something you have to want to do for yourself. And you get to think about your behavior and
READ MORE >>> →An incentive, such as money, can be a motivator. Receiving money, which occurs after the action, is the external reward. It is important to remember, however, that the reward teachers (and other working adults) receive can be such things as satisfaction from doing creative work, watching the young grow and mature (or customers have success with a service or product), and developing strong relationships (with students, co-workers, clients, etc.). In any case, the adult’s reward is not money. Yes, money is an incentive for wanting to be hired, but money is not the reward for working. Once someone is employed, a social contract has been created: salary/compensation IN EXCHANGE FOR a service. A salary is not a bribe in the
READ MORE >>> →Promoting Responsibility & Learning – Volume 15 Number 12
#2 Improve by Taking Small Steps the Japanese Way
#3 Reasons that I do not ask “Why?’ Regarding Behavior
#6 Working with a 21-Year-Old Dysfunctional Male
Finally, after almost 14 years of disaster to the education profession, No Child Left Behind has finally been buried and replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act that was signed by the President today, December 10, 2015. The act is a continuing version of the original Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965. I was fortunate enough to be appointed to implement the first version of this act when I was a counselor at Dorsey High School with the Los Angeles Unified School District. The rubric for education at the time was that education was of national interest, a state responsibility, but implemented locally. The No Child Left Behind Act changed the relationship to one of federal/national implementation. There were a few major concerns with No Child Left Behind—including too
READ MORE >>> →The brain and body are an integrated system. Feelings and cognition are interrelated and have a significant effect upon learning. If you are a parent, you know this. When your child returns home after the FIRST day of school, you may ask “How was school?” You also may ask, “What did you learn?” And you most certainly ask, “Do you like your teacher?” We know from our personal experiences and through research on the workings of the brain that how we feel has a significant effect upon what and how we think and behave. Therefore, IMPROVING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TEACHERS AND STUDENTS IS ONE OF THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL REFORMS THAT SCHOOLS CAN INITIATE. In fact, if you want to decrease discipline
READ MORE >>> →People sometimes ask me if I’m a behaviorist. I’m not. Behaviorism usually refers to approaches of Pavlov (classical conditioning of stimulus/response) and Skinner (behavior modification by reinforcing behavior AFTER an act occurs). Behavior modification is popular in schools, especially with special education specialists. Unfortunately, MANY RESEARCH STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THE APPROACH TO BE INEFFECTIVE. However, its staying power is attested to by an increasing number of states mandating that schools use “positive behavior support” that is based on a behavior modification model. The essence of behavior modification is to REWARD DESIRED BEHAVIOR AND IGNORE UNDESIRED BEHAVIOR. The fact that inappropriate behavior is ignored can send the message that nothing is wrong with the behavior, and so there may be little
READ MORE >>> →Regardless of the character trait—whether it be self-control, respect, kindness, tolerance, fairness, honesty, empathy, integrity or any other—every trait relies on responsibility. No positive character trait can exist without it. In addition, none can be mandated or given. These traits are not inborn. They need to be learned. This requires teaching. Part I of the Discipline Without Stress Teaching Model is the foundation for promoting responsibility. WHEN WE OMIT TEACHING AND PRACTICING PROCEDURES, WE ARE ACTUALLY DEPRIVING YOUNG PEOPLE OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME MORE RESPONSIBLE. Following is a good classroom management checklist for schools. DO YOUR STUDENTS KNOW:• How to enter your classroom quietly?• What they should do right after the bell rings?• How to pass up assignments?• Where
READ MORE >>> →Restorative Justice in the Los Angeles Unified School District is a discipline program that has many problems.
READ MORE >>> →Here are a few of the most common questions I receive from teachers regarding students’ work ethic. Some of them may resonate with you. Question 1: Is your system of promoting responsibility connected to work ethic or just behaviors of following the rules? My reply:First, I always say, “Rules are meant to control, not inspire.” I became a teacher for the latter, not the former. Second, I refer to character education on seven pages in my book. The foundational principle of any character education or work ethic is responsibility. Without it, nothing else stands. Question 2: Does your system work well with secondary students? My reply:The teaching model works with anyone, of any age, in any learning situation. Question 3:
READ MORE >>> →Here are a few of the most common questions I receive from teachers regarding behavior and discipline. Some of them may resonate with you. Question 1: I generally have few major behavior problems because I set high expectations and I keep students busy, but I do have problems with talking. Is talking a Level B behavior problem? My reply:Talking is a Level B issue only if your students are talking when they shouldn’t be. In such cases, I would teach a psychological lesson and develop a procedure such as illustrated at http://marvinmarshall.com/the-raise-responsibility-system/impulse-management/ UNLESS THE STUDENT HAS A PROCEDURE TO REDIRECT THE IMPULSE, the student will remain a victim of the talking impulse. Question 2: How about doing their homework? Doing
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