Management Tool Box
Tactics for BEGINNING a lesson
Structuring Classroom Experiences for Success
Proactive Management Strategies
Enhancing Positive Principles
Understanding the problem
Teachers are often concerned
that, as a result of the age
live in, students do not posses
the kinds of principles (mutual
respect, responsibility taking,
honesty, work ethic, caring for
others, etc.) they need to
become good citizens. When
students display the kinds of
behavior reflecting lack of positive
principles for daily living (e.g.,
verbally assaulting another
student), we tend to focus on
and punish the behavior, but not
without addressing what may lie
at the core of the problem -- the
students’ principles. Personal
systems reflecting positive moral
development doesn’t just
happen. Positive principles have
to be taught and reinforced.
A key to the solution
Value enhancement involves overtly
identifying the positive character traits
demonstrated collectively by your whole
class and then engaging in frequent and
varied tactics designed to remind students that
they have these traits and reinforce instances
where they demonstrate them. All
students will gradually increase their value
and use of these traits as a result.
Value enhancement is a form of reward
sharing that is based in character education.
Engaging in value enhancement at the
beginning of the instructional activity
establishes a positive tone that encourages
cooperative behaviors and covertly
discourages undesirable student actions.
This systematic approach to environmental
engineering promotes academic learning,
social skills development, and the refinement
of life skills.
Value enhancement strengthens the bond
When teachers do not address
between the teacher and the students and
students’ principles, they overlook facilitates the development of cooperative
the social aspects of creating
relationships in the classroom. It helps to
effective teaching and learning
create a collective energy that is motivating
interactions. As a result, the
and encouraging. The students’ and the
development of positive classteacher’s self-esteem are enhanced and the
room culture may also be
personal and social goals of education are
compromised. Students will be
more likely to be achieved.
less likely to learn productive
ways of interacting.These
undesirable outcomes lead to increased disruptive behaviors and lost academic time.
Management Tips
Step 1 Reflect on the character traits and principles that you want students to
demonstrate in the classroom.
Step 2 Generate a list of all the student
behaviors that encourage
positive character traits and
principles. These behaviors should
focus on life skills that encourage
the development of cooperative
relationships.
Step 3 Identify the methods for repeatedly
Patience
Positive attitude
communicating these important
Flexibility
Sense of humor
character traits and principles to
Curiosity
Perseverance
students. Clearly communicating
Friendship
Reflection
expectations for cooperative
Organization
Nonjudgement
Caring
Decision-making
behaviors helps promote students’
Common
sense
Confidence
understanding of the social world.
Respect
Reliability
To maximize their effectiveness,
the the habits and principles need to be reviewed and encouraged continually and
consistently. For example, the teacher would make the following statement at the
beginning of the instructional activity, During the cooperative learning
and think-pair-share activities today, you need to demonstrate your lifeskills of flexibility and organization.
Step 4 You will also need to consider how students will be visually and/or
auditorily reminded of these life skills on a regularly scheduled basis.
This is an important consideration for students who experience visual
and/or auditory processing difficulties. For example,
cartoons could be used to visually prompt students to use positive
character traits and principles to promote cooperative class behaviors.
Step 5 Look for students who are demonstrating positive
character traits and principles that promote
cooperation and acknowledge their success, verbally
or nonverbally. For older students nonverbal signals
(e.g., thumbs up) may be more effective. With
younger students, verbal praise is more appropriate.
Jazzing It Up
1. Create opportunities for students to be involved in identifying important life
skills that promote cooperation. Stimulate their thinking by asking them to
brainstorm the natural rewards and consequences they will experience by
demonstrating positive character traits and principles that promote cooperative
class behavior. Have students design creative and colorful displays using
graphics. This helps students experience a sense of ownership and
investment, which in turn maximizes their success.
2. Make sure principle enhancement is reciprocal.
Typically, teachers praise students. This leads to
unbalanced interactions that leave teachers feeling
depleted. To create more equitable interactions,
teach students how to “return” compliments. For
example, if the teacher offers the student a thumbs
up for demonstrating flexibility, teach the student to reciprocate with a
thumbs up to the teacher. Teaching students to share compliments with you
is an important part of encouraging positive character traits and values in
meaningful and naturally occurring ways.
3. Promote behavioral literacy. Teach students how to recognize and
acknowledge positive character traits and principles that promote cooperation in
themselves and each another. Consider using a daily compliment box to
encourage students to acknowledge cooperative peer behaviors. At the end of
the day or a specific class period, the teacher and students can read the
“kudos” together, or individual compliments can be distributed to students as
they leave class or school.
4. Teach students how to use self-talk as a form of principle enhancement by
modeling the process. For example, I am
frustrated and bored with this class. I need to
become enthusiastic and curious to develop a
I need to …
better attitude. This will help me to achieve my
goal of cooperation.
What’s Next?
Additional strategies to employ at the beginning of the instructional activity to
make the positive or desired student behavior(s) happen include
•
Clearly communicating anticipation for success.
•
Describing expectations, rewards, and consequences
•
Reviewing procedures for hurdling “hot spots” and transitions
Management Tool Box
Tactics for BEGINNING a lesson