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Beware of conflicting messages

Thu, 09/29/2011 - 15:29 — Lara

An "Ah-hah" moment for one of us as we read Chapter 1 of Caring Teacher's Guide to Discipline, was Gootman's (author) warning against sending conflicting messages to the students (p. 8). Our book study group agreed that we have been guilty of raising our voices to admonish the students for being too loud or interrupting students when we also reprimand them for interrupting us. "Actions speak louder than words" and conflicting messages like this can impact the quality of the relationships we build with our students.

What other examples of hypocritical practices should we be cautious of in the classroom?

So if I need to stop yelling when I need to quiet the class, what should I do instead? Share some alternatives that will help us avoid sending these conflicting messages.

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Tue, 10/04/2011 - 14:12 — Lara

Secondary book study suggestion

During the Discipline Survival Guide for the Secondary Teacher (Thompson, 2011) book study discussion, we were also reminded of our pre-service instructors telling us that if you have to raise your voice then you have lost control. We tend to forget how powerful wait-time and silence can be for the purpose of calming instances of students talking out of turn.