After first reading Marv’s DWS book more than ten years ago, I started to become conscious of the importance of deliberately planning for “choice” in my teaching. Certainly, as I took on a job at a local Alternate High School six years ago––working one-on-one with sullen, illiterate and often, ashamed teenagers––providing choice was a major consideration in any lesson. There, the first choice always offered was simply “Would you be interested in a reading lesson today?” Darlene, my teaching partner, and I quickly (and painfully) learned that without at least some tiny initial buy-in from these students, we were going nowhere fast––and it wasn’t gonna to be pretty! Now this year, back in Kindergarten full time, choice is still an
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If there is one area in our lives that many people struggle with, it is that of taking a risk. The reason is that risk creates fear, and fear prompts inaction. Here is a simple and practical system to deal with risks. Look at any situation where a decision needs to be made. It makes no difference what the decision is—be it taking a vacation, purchasing something, or taking some action. Ask yourself three questions: 1. As a result of taking this action, what is the BEST thing that can happen? Then flip the coin:2. As a result of taking this action, what is the WORST thing that can happen? Then use some moderation by asking,3. What is the most
READ MORE >>> →In a recent conversation I had with a father, he told me that when his sons were young he had attended a parenting seminar. He then related to me how using “natural” and “logical” consequences really helped him. He explained to me that the older son bullied the younger son. The father finally put the older son on the floor and with his foot upon his chest asked him how he felt when someone picked on him. The father said he never again had a problem with the older son picking on the younger son. Regardless of what you label this approach, it is coercive and not the most effective one. The son stopped picking on his younger brother—not because
READ MORE >>> →By Mary Lou Cebula, Ed.D. PrincipalCentral School, Warren, New Jersey Last April, I started a new life journey that has dramatically changed who I am as a principal as well as who I am as a person. I was completing my fifth year as an elementary public school principal. One of my colleagues recommended I attend the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) Convention in Anaheim, California. He had attended the conferences in the past and found them highly worthwhile. Excitedly, I registered and began to think of my main goals during the conference. In reflecting on my abilities as an educational leader, I felt that I could improve my interaction skills with students encountering behavioral issues. In one third-grade class for
READ MORE >>> →By Joel Hollingsworth, PrincipalSelah Junior High School, Selah, Washington Junior High School is a time for adolescents to make choices but also to rely on the guidance and counsel of adults who are important in their lives. At Selah Junior High School we use four levels of social development to help us discipline, or teach, our students how to succeed at school and in life. The first two levels are not acceptable at school. Anarchy is the absence of order and is characterized by chaos. Next is bullying or bossing and is characterized by bothering or bossing others and breaks our standards at school. The top two levels are both acceptable at school. Cooperation is when a person is considerate and complies
READ MORE >>> →By William A. FunkhouserWinship Middle School – Eureka, California Dr. Marvin MarshallPO Box 2227Los Alamitos, CA 90720 Dr. Marshall: Last year I was in the last months of my 13th year of teaching middle school math when I saw you at the California League of Middle Schools Conference in San Jose, CA. I was my county’s Teacher of the Year and yet I was contemplating finding a different occupation. My frustration with teaching stemmed directly from the discipline system being used at my school. We were using a traditional carrot and stick approach in which punishment consisted largely of detentions, suspensions and harsh words. The rewards included prizes, raffle tickets, and reward days throughout the year in which the same group of
READ MORE >>> →The following is a letter sent from a teacher to another teacher who inquired about the approach that promotes self-discipline and learning without the use of rewards, threats, or punishments. The writer sent the letter to me and has given me permission to reproduce and share it. Marv Marshall Hello! Just last year, I too, found Marvin Marshall’s book. My teaching partner and I had been looking for YEARS for a concrete approach to teaching and discipline based on INTERNAL motivation but never ever thought we could really find such a thing. But this is it! We love it! It’s a very powerful way to teach and work with people, regardless of their age—even with pre-schoolers. Because my partner and
READ MORE >>> →A cover article of Time Magazine was entitled, “How to Make Better Teachers.” My thoughts after reading the article: Great teachers understand that they are in the “relationship business.” Many students—especially those in low socio-economic areas—put forth little effort if they have negative feelings about their teachers. Superior teachers establish good relationships and have high expectations. These teachers communicate in positive ways, such as letting their students know what the teacher wants them to do, rather than by telling students what not to do. Great teachers inspire rather than coerce. They aim at promoting responsibility rather than obedience because they know that obedience does not create desire. Great teachers identify the reason that a lesson is being taught and then
READ MORE >>> →The question was asked: “How can I talk to my students or help them to change without their leaving the classroom?” Kerry responded: In my primary classroom, the kids aren’t yet able to read or write well enough to do written activities and in my high school job at the alternate school, having students write about their behavior would be seen as too negative. The type of student we have there would simply get up and leave the school, or more likely, just swear at us. I think that a student can be given a fresh start each day provided that the same type of action doesn’t keep being repeated. In other words, when a particular type of behavior has
READ MORE >>> →For the past three years my elementary school has conducted a “School Procedures Tour.” In the first year we conducted it in the spring––as a response to what teachers felt was some poor behaviour around the school at that time. Following that, we became more proactive; we started our school year with our tour. By planning ahead like this we were able to anticipate possible problems before they happened and then simply created procedures that would avoid the problems altogether. On the Procedures Tour ,students are introduced to, or reminded of, school procedures and expectations that all teachers hold for all students in four shared areas in the school. We have about 250 students in our school of nine divisions. On the
READ MORE >>> →The New York Times reported in the Education section on July 19, 2011: “School Discipline Study Raises Fresh Questions.” The article raised questions about the effectiveness of school discipline. A study found that 31 percent of Texas students were suspended off campus or expelled at least once during their middle and high school years at an average of almost four times for each student. The article reported, “In the last 20 to 25 years, there have been dramatic increases in the number of suspensions and expulsions,” said Michael Thompson, who headed the study as director of the Justice Center at the Council of State Governments, a nonpartisan group. The findings are “very much representative of the nation as a whole,”
READ MORE >>> →I received the following that refers to the Raise Responsibility System. “When using GUIDED CHOICES, I am having difficulty understanding why a student acting up each day gets a fresh start daily. Do I really have to stick to this? I’ve had several students that I’ve given the essay to three days in a row. They say that they will commit to changing their behavior but apparently they do not. I’m getting frustrated with the same kids and the same behavior daily. Couldn’t I just hold onto the essays and after three give them a self-referral?” I responded to the teacher that I have moved away from using the forms to a more effective approach of ELICITING A PROCEDURE OR
READ MORE >>> →Every once in a while, the subject of school awards comes up on the DWS mailring. Usually the person is concerned that their school requires teachers to present student awards. The concern is that this thinking doesn’t mesh well with the philosophy of someone wanting to foster internal motivation. On another mailring recently, I read a post from a teacher whose school gives awards to every child in the school––but in quite a different way than most do. I asked her permission to reprint the idea here. I thought it might interest those looking for genuine ways to acknowledge children, without the typical problems associated with awards (as we usually think of them.) Here’s her post: ********************************************************************************** At our school
READ MORE >>> →QUESTION: If 95% of the kids are attentively listening, but two boys are making faces to each other and laughing, clearly not paying attention, how do you refocus them without calling them out in front of the class? I get that it’s more effective to ask them about their behavior, but I wonder if I can I do that in front of everyone? And can I do the follow-up questioning in front of the whole class as well? I can’t really pull them aside when I’m the one teaching! Help, please! RESPONSE: When you follow the DWS approach, you are asking the student to assess a level of behavior. This has a different feel to it than “calling a student out.” As Dr. Marshall
READ MORE >>> →Dr. Marshall suggests that it is important to replace rules with procedures and expectations. Recently I took time to ask about a list of Rights and Responsibilities I noticed hanging on the wall of one alternative high school site that I visit regularly in my position as literacy teacher. I learned that a number of years ago a former teacher had helped the students (aged 14-16) to write it. Ever since, the school has used it as a reference point for discussing success at school. As well, whenever a new student is transitioned into the school, teachers begin with this list of rights and responsibilities to introduce the expectations and procedures of the school to the young person and their
READ MORE >>> →Hopefully, society is well past the “politically correct” (an oxymoron in a democratic society) approach that the only difference between a male and a female is in socialization—that aside from reproductive organs, there is no difference between the sexes neurologically, emotionally, or psychologically. Whereas good relationships are important to girls, success is more important to boys. A boy measures everything he does by a single yardstick: “Does this make me look weak?” If it does, he is NOT going to do it. With this in mind, it is important to remember that competition improves performance—not learning. Some students will practice for hours spurred on by the competitive spirit in music competitions, athletics, or speech contests. These students are motivated to
READ MORE >>> →Promoting Responsibility & Learning – Volume 11 Number 7
#1 Men, women, and football
#2 How Tom Sawyer motivates
#6 A butterfly analogy helps parenting
The schools in Atlanta, Georgia have been under investigation after a state investigator revealed cheating in nearly half of the district’s 100 schools. The school is considering imposing punishments on the teachers and administrators of the schools involved. W. Edwards Deming—the guru of Japanese manufacturing and the expert in increasing quality while reducing costs—would state that 96% of the blame belongs on the school district, rather than on the teachers. The reason is that the school district is basing its assessment on standardized tests. Atlanta is doing what other schools across the nation are doing, namely, basing educational progress on standardized achievement tests. As Nido Quebin, president of High Point University in High Point, North Carolina has so eloquently stated:
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