Although my comment here may be a tad tangential to your thesis, I hope you and your readers find it relevant.
Two points:
(1) I sometimes hear educators (and lay people, too) assert that it is necessary to "get behavior under control" before it is possible to teach content and skills. I want to observe that effectively teaching content and skills is a powerful behavior management tool. When teacher engage students in learning activities, the level of misbehavior decreases. In addition, as students who are engaged in learning activities find themselves succeeding, they develop the idea that they *are* capable...they have increased self-evaluations, they're happier, and they're more eager to take on new and challenging tasks. Then, like the proverbial snowball on a slope, their behavior becomes even more student-like (i.e., appropriate).
(2) Educators should be *teaching* appropriate behavior.Just as we teach tool skills such as reading and content such as history, so too should we teach appropriate student behavior. This is a foundational concept in many school-wide behavior systems such as Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports or Safe and Civil Schools. Don't expect the students to lick appropriate behavior off the grass; show them what it looks like, have them to practice it, and ensure that behaving appropriately causes rewarding consequences to occur.
Okay, thanks for the opportunity to spout off...I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.
Although my comment here may be a tad tangential to your thesis, I hope you and your readers find it relevant.
Two points:
(1) I sometimes hear educators (and lay people, too) assert that it is necessary to "get behavior under control" before it is possible to teach content and skills. I want to observe that effectively teaching content and skills is a powerful behavior management tool. When teacher engage students in learning activities, the level of misbehavior decreases. In addition, as students who are engaged in learning activities find themselves succeeding, they develop the idea that they *are* capable...they have increased self-evaluations, they're happier, and they're more eager to take on new and challenging tasks. Then, like the proverbial snowball on a slope, their behavior becomes even more student-like (i.e., appropriate).
(2) Educators should be *teaching* appropriate behavior.Just as we teach tool skills such as reading and content such as history, so too should we teach appropriate student behavior. This is a foundational concept in many school-wide behavior systems such as Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports or Safe and Civil Schools. Don't expect the students to lick appropriate behavior off the grass; show them what it looks like, have them to practice it, and ensure that behaving appropriately causes rewarding consequences to occur.
Okay, thanks for the opportunity to spout off...I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.
Good points, well made.