There were many things that I loved about my education, but also many things that I was not so crazy about. I hated writing endless spelling words and standing by the fence at recess. Even as a third grader I knew these activities were pointless. I was a pretty good kid. The kids who caused more trouble received some of the more ugly punishments that were embarrassing and humiliating. Not a great experience, but to look at the positive I can use that as an example of what not to do.
Chapter seven teaches that punishments tend to be ineffective at preventing the repeated behavior. I think we can all agree we don’t enjoy punishing our students and without any long-term positive results, we want to avoid it. As I know from my experience parenting my daughter it is easy to default to the ways we grew up within a moment of stress. I have learned that if I do my research and am constantly reading about positive examples I can stay focused on my mission of raising a healthy child. And the most wonderful part about it is that when she is a parent her default will be to defer to the way she was raised. In other words, if I put in the work to become a mindful parent I am starting a ripple effect to last for generations.
I have the same attitude towards teaching. I am sure I will have imperfect days as an educator but my overall goal is for my student to feel safe, supported and encouraged to learn. This chapter is full of ideas that I can’t wait to use in my classroom. On page 255, Woodley gives some examples of associating “positive pleasant events with leaning tasks”. One example suggests getting the kids more involved in reading by making a special comfortable spot for reading. Once I observed a second-grade teacher who allowed each child to bring a stuffed animal from home to be his or her “reading buddy”. The animals lived on the shelf but when the child was ready to read they could hold their stuffed animal and read to them. The students were more than happy to read their new library book.
Praise can be a powerful tool when used in moderation and in the right context (Woolfolk, p. 263). “To be effective praise must (1) be contingent on the behavior to be reinforced, (2) specify clearly the behavior being reinforced, and (3) be believable” (Woolfolk, p. 263). Praise is only effective when we are praising the child’s efforts. Praising a child’s talents or something that is beyond their control only creates more problems in the long run. Children know when you are insincere or give too much praise.
The Premack Principle is one that I myself use every day. I always push myself to get my dreaded tasks done first and save the most desired task as a motivation to finish the job. I believe it is a great lesson to teach children to finish up less exciting last before beginning a more desirable one. I believe my intention for using this method in my classroom is not as a tool to help my kids finish a torturous task but instead to teach them to order their tasks in a way that works best for them.
I know a teacher who was an expert at classroom management who said: “the first week if the year was spent on reviewing and establishing the routines of the classroom”. This first week set the tone for the entire year. According to Woodley on page 499, an effective teacher’s classroom starts out organized from the first day of school. I believe having a well-organized classroom gets rid of a lot of the discipline problems right there. When I was a substitute there was a second-grade class that I loved to substitute for. The class came in each morning, put away their things, and began their morning station right away. This kind of routine does not happen naturally. I sure many days of teaching and training was put into these second graders.
I must agree with Woolfolk, “Prevention is the Best Medicine” (p. 502). Having a well-organized classroom with fun and exciting curriculum is the beginning of good classroom management. My goal is not to motivate my students, but teach them to be self-motivators. I know at discipline problems will arise but I hope to handle them with positivity and wisdom. I believe in treating others the way you would like to be treated.
Hey Melinda! Being a music teacher I have to deal with student's who do and don't practice on a regular basis. But I agree that praise can be a positive thing for a student when done right. I think for music one might have to praise a student even more. Just because it's such a creative expression I think I'd don't want to stifle creativity the student might have. And I've subbed in those classes where the class just tells me what's going on, they are so regiment on there routine I barely have to look at the schedule I loved that!
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