In the first chapter, they talked about creating a higher standard of behavior. As they continued, I infer the same theme throughout this section. What parts of the method do you think promote holding students to a higher standard? Do you think that there are benefits to the whole child of using these methods? As teachers that are experimenting with these methods, what do you think the drawbacks or road blocks would be?
Assignment #2 Chapters 6-8
9 comments:
I believe there are a number of things that promote holding students to a higher standard. For one giving students time to think and not get involved in an emotional struggle is one. Another is using questioning to have students come up with possible solutions as long as the teacher is clear delineating the limits. The most important one is making sure the student self-esteem is built up. I think drawbacks include at the beginning, time and getting everyone on board. Students will look around and question why so and so condones a behaviour or expects less.
I agree that the students will, and already do, question why teachers are doing things different from class to class, but to me...that's a teachable moment. First, they trying to divert your attention from the problem they are having. So I would acknowledge their point and tell them you would be glad to talk about it later. And second, at that later conversation, they need to realize that teachers are individuals just like they are. They are going to have to learn that each classroom is operating with the same purpose (learning), but each one is unique and different just like each job and boss will be different in the future. The other thing they will see as teachers get used to Love and Logic is that they are solving their own problems and therefor will be more responsible for their learning environments.
I believe that by teaching students to be problem solvers we are giving them power and building self-esteem. If we can create students who are able to solve problems, they will also become confident in themselves as leaders and have the ability to handle anything that comes their way. I think the thing that will be the hardest is for teachers to change their current way of thinking. It will be a challenge to not react to student behaviors in our usual way. If teachers can stick with it and begin to use empathy and questioning we will see a change in our students and their behaviors.
I keep thinking of dealing with 2 yr olds...we should always give them 2 right choices to choose from. In that way, regardles of the choice, the child is always on a better road.
I really liked in Ch 2, dealing with a parent: I'd be glad to meet with both of you so that you can hear your youngster present his particular case to me.
I love the one sentence interventions--that really are just positive reinforcements. The "Turn your garbage into Gold" is positive reinforcement, too. Delaying with empathy is a good patience building. As the author said, we're such a fast paced society that patience is an unusual skill.
I agree with you Renee! I think teaching the kids to problem solve will be hard for teachers at first, but will lighten our load in the long run. And Melanie, I love the one sentence interventions too!
Question #1
I think when students are held responsible for their own behavior, a higher standard is met. Also, it allows the teacher to step away and not become a participant in a battle. Semantics is the most important part of this, and there are a lot of examples provided in these chapters that show how word choice is crucial. Allowing for time between the behavior and consequence also helps with this.
The year I left Alief for NY, 1999, L&L was the "new thing." I went to an introductory inservice at a faculty meeting, and I remember they stressed the importance of providing choices. This allows the student to feel (s)he has a part in the consequence, and encourages taking responsibility.
A drawback could be that the district needs to let this method "take" for a few years before impulsively switching to something else, (such as Gradespeed). Big changes don't always happen overnight.
I feel like I've always held my students to a high standard of behavior, however, this L & L seems to alleviate the stress that I've put on myself in the process. One of the roadblocks, I believe, is for teachers to learn the "new language"- to take the time to choose just the "right" words instead of giving our first response or reaction. Another drawback, in my opinion, is "jumping on a new bandwagon" and believing it will cure all problems. I agree with Not Gaffney; I feel like we should give this new form of discipline some time in order to reap the full benefits.
1. I think that by approaching the student with time to calm down and question him later on about the way to fix the problem; it makes students accountable of their behavior and reactions specifically promoting critical thinking to be a problem solver instead of a problem maker. These responses are specifically a higher standard that deals with the traditional way to handle students' behavior.
2. The benefits as I mentioned are innumerable. Students develop a sense of independence and bravery. For some students to acknowledge their actions it requires courage. By following this method they deal with this directly but at their own pace.
3. A road block would be time. In the example I read how many times the principal left and came back to his office in several 15 min episodes, furthermore, we would need practice and have the same agreement and be consistent across the classrooms. That way not only we would get use to this approach but they would know what to expect in terms of discipline.
I think that knowing your students and also what level they are on to ask a heirarchy of questions using Bloom's Taxonomy would be beneficial. Questioning can be difficult at first, but it becomes "natural" as you get to know your student.
Another aspect of keeping a higher standard for the child is to assume they deserve as much dignity as an adult would, and therefore, the child would assume a higher standard for him/herself.
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