|
 Motivating
students to succeed begins with two key steps
Brian Mendler makes teaching look easy.
In one short hour, he inspired staff in all departments of HFM
BOCES -- from newly hired clerical staff to seasoned
administrators -- to take on the challenge of "motivating even
your most disruptive students to achieve and succeed."
His high-energy presentation during the HFM BOCES
Superintendent's Conference Day on Oct. 6 was peppered with
first-hand anecdotes of his most challenging students in urban
Rochester. He credits his success on following two key
principles.
•
Keep your kids in class.
• Get
back to teaching.
Through all the storytelling, role-playing and theatrics, Mr.
Mendler returned to these two themes repeatedly throughout his
sessions.
"You noticed that looking tough is NOT one of my goals," he told
the audience of about 350 HFM BOCES staff members. That's OK, he
said. When he is able to keep his students motivated and
learning in the classroom, and when he can stay focused on
teaching, he said, "then I don't have to look tough. I am
tough."
 Fair
vs. equal
What does "fair" mean? Mr. Mendler asked HFM BOCES staff members
to ponder that question for a moment.
"It means people are treated the same," offered one employee.
"It means being reasonable," suggested another.
As the minutes wore on, no easy consensus was reached. "Define
equal," however, brought a unanimous conclusion in seconds. "It
means 'the same,' " everyone agreed.
What does this mean for educators?
"Don't treat everyone equally," Mr. Mendler advised. "But do
treat everyone fairly," which by his definition means giving
students what they need to be successful. And that will look
different, he said, based on each individual's needs.
Just like it would be inappropriate for doctors to prescribe the
same medication to all patients with headaches, he said, so too
must teachers differentiate their assignments, expectations and
consequences for each student based on his or her individual
circumstances.
 What
causes
power struggles?
We
have all seen them, Mr. Mendler said.
How
well we deal with power struggles will
determine whether we successfully motivate our students to learn -- or
alienate them completely.
He offers these five steps to avoid power
struggles:
•
Keep your kids in class.
• Get
back to teaching.
•
Stop the behavior.
•
Stay calm.
•
Allow the student to save face.
One
key way to diffuse a situation, Mr. Mendler advised, is to
become a "second-to-last-word" person. That means, make your
point and walk away. Allow your student to mutter a retort under
his or her breath, he said, because that is the student's way of
saying, "I need to look OK with the other kids on the playground
or in the lunchroom. You don't have to see them there, but I
do."
 Humor
goes a long way, he said, while at the same time it is important
to make eye contact with kids, get close to them when talking
with them, and then really listen to what the student is
actually saying without focusing on the way they say it.
Acknowledge them, so they know you hear them. Agree with them --
and let them know they are or might be right, and when
necessary, defer. It's OK to say, "We will discuss this at a
later time," Mr. Mendler said.
More
resources
Check
out
www.disciplineassociates.com to find out more about the work
being done by Mr. Mendler and his colleagues, and you will find
a variety of books, videos and other materials.
|
