How can I motivate my students to take care in their schoolwork?
QUESTION:
I am a high school Social Studies teacher. As a teacher of a content area, I don’t penalize my students for spelling errors on their assignments as an English teacher would, but at the same time, I don’t want to give them the impression that spelling isn’t important. I’m not having much success. Once the [...]
I want to encourage some very low students.
QUESTION:
I work with very low math students.
Part of my plan for next year is to convince them that
things can be different. I want to convince them that they can find
success and not be so frustrated! The worst behavior cases seem
to be the kids that have given up.
But then [...]
The kids were mad when I kept them in!
QUESTION:
I’ve just taken over in a classroom where the kids are used to freely talking. Today I kept them in from break because they were talking so much that we couldn’t get the work done. This made them REALLY mad at me. In this discipline system, how do I communicate to the [...]
How can I make the levels meaningful?
QUESTION:
I am still waiting for my Discipline without Stress book to arrive, but this morning I introduced the system to my class anyway. Even though it’s almost the end of the year, I have such big behavior problems that I decided I had nothing to lose and everything to gain! However, I must have [...]
How can I motivate students to take more interest in their own learning?
RESPONSE:
Here’s just one example.
Let’s say that you arrange for a guest speaker whose topic relates to some aspect of the course you are teaching. Firstly, it would be proactive to discuss how audience members should behave when a guest is addressing the class; a wise teacher would go over Level C expectations. [...]
USING REFLECTION TO IMPROVE SPELLING
Through our use of the DISCIPLINE without STRESS approach, my teaching partner and I have come to understand that positive changes in behavior are more likely to occur when we prompt students to think about how they choose to operate in their lives. More and more often, we now practice the DISICPLINE without STRESS Principle [...]
IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF HOMETASKS
The following post was originally shared on the DISCIPLINE without STRESS mailring.
It highlights an important DISCIPLINE without STRESS teaching attitude–that of choosing to view a negative situation (students doing a poor job of completing and returning homework) as an OPPORTUNITY to help students to take responsibility.
In addition to demonstrating the Principle of Positivity, this [...]
How can I use this approach to motivate students academically?
QUESTION:
Can you give me an example of how I can use the DISCIPLINE without STRESS system to motivate young students academically?
RESPONSE:
Here is an example from my own grade one classroom:
Before beginning a journal writing session, I might put two examples of writing on the board. On one sample, I would write all [...]
Why does this discipline system refer to homework as “home tasks?”
QUESTION:
I understand that teachers using DISCIPLINE without STRESS refer to homework as “home tasks.” Why is this?
RESPONSE:
Effort for learning, and effort of any other kind–especially employment–need to be clearly differentiated. For example, in Dr. Marshall’s book, the word “homework” appears only in the index. Elsewhere in the book he uses the [...]
How do I deal with a lack of student interest?
QUESTION:
I am returning to teaching after a 30-year absence and find that discipline is once again my biggest challenge. Among other negative behaviors, lack of interest seems prevalent. Do you have any suggestions?
DR. MARSHALL’S RESPONSE:
Let students know that if they decide not to learn, that is their decision. You will not even attempt to [...]
