Brian Mendler at Boces
Motivating students to succeed begins with two key steps
Brian Mendler makes teaching look easy.
In one short hour, he inspired staff in all departments of HFM BOCES -- from newly hired clerical staff to seasoned administrators -- to take on the challenge of "motivating even your most disruptive students to achieve and succeed."
His high-energy presentation during the HFM BOCES Superintendent's Conference Day on Oct. 6 was peppered with first-hand anecdotes of his most challenging students in urban Rochester. He credits his success on following two key principles.
• Keep your kids in class.
• Get back to teaching.
Through all the storytelling, role-playing and theatrics, Mr. Mendler returned to these two themes repeatedly throughout his sessions.
"You noticed that looking tough is NOT one of my goals," he told the audience of about 350 HFM BOCES staff members. That's OK, he said. When he is able to keep his students motivated and learning in the classroom, and when he can stay focused on teaching, he said, "then I don't have to look tough. I am tough."
Fair vs. equal
What does "fair" mean? Mr. Mendler asked HFM BOCES staff members to ponder that question for a moment.
"It means people are treated the same," offered one employee.
"It means being reasonable," suggested another.
As the minutes wore on, no easy consensus was reached. "Define equal," however, brought a unanimous conclusion in seconds. "It means 'the same,' " everyone agreed.
What does this mean for educators?
"Don't treat everyone equally," Mr. Mendler advised. "But do treat everyone fairly," which by his definition means giving students what they need to be successful. And that will look different, he said, based on each individual's needs.
Just like it would be inappropriate for doctors to prescribe the same medication to all patients with headaches, he said, so too must teachers differentiate their assignments, expectations and consequences for each student based on his or her individual circumstances.
What causes power struggles?
We have all seen them, Mr. Mendler said.
How well we deal with power struggles will determine whether we successfully motivate our students to learn -- or alienate them completely. He offers these five steps to avoid power struggles:
• Keep your kids in class.
• Get back to teaching.
• Stop the behavior.
• Stay calm.
• Allow the student to save face.
One key way to diffuse a situation, Mr. Mendler advised, is to become a "second-to-last-word" person. That means, make your point and walk away. Allow your student to mutter a retort under his or her breath, he said, because that is the student's way of saying, "I need to look OK with the other kids on the playground or in the lunchroom. You don't have to see them there, but I do."
For more information on Discipline with Dignity training in your school, please call us at 1-800-772-5227.
Call us right away to improve your schools classroom management!
Brian Mendler makes teaching look easy.
In one short hour, he inspired staff in all departments of HFM BOCES -- from newly hired clerical staff to seasoned administrators -- to take on the challenge of "motivating even your most disruptive students to achieve and succeed."
His high-energy presentation during the HFM BOCES Superintendent's Conference Day on Oct. 6 was peppered with first-hand anecdotes of his most challenging students in urban Rochester. He credits his success on following two key principles.
• Keep your kids in class.
• Get back to teaching.
Through all the storytelling, role-playing and theatrics, Mr. Mendler returned to these two themes repeatedly throughout his sessions.
"You noticed that looking tough is NOT one of my goals," he told the audience of about 350 HFM BOCES staff members. That's OK, he said. When he is able to keep his students motivated and learning in the classroom, and when he can stay focused on teaching, he said, "then I don't have to look tough. I am tough."
Fair vs. equal
What does "fair" mean? Mr. Mendler asked HFM BOCES staff members to ponder that question for a moment.
"It means people are treated the same," offered one employee.
"It means being reasonable," suggested another.
As the minutes wore on, no easy consensus was reached. "Define equal," however, brought a unanimous conclusion in seconds. "It means 'the same,' " everyone agreed.
What does this mean for educators?
"Don't treat everyone equally," Mr. Mendler advised. "But do treat everyone fairly," which by his definition means giving students what they need to be successful. And that will look different, he said, based on each individual's needs.
Just like it would be inappropriate for doctors to prescribe the same medication to all patients with headaches, he said, so too must teachers differentiate their assignments, expectations and consequences for each student based on his or her individual circumstances.
What causes power struggles?
We have all seen them, Mr. Mendler said.
How well we deal with power struggles will determine whether we successfully motivate our students to learn -- or alienate them completely. He offers these five steps to avoid power struggles:
• Keep your kids in class.
• Get back to teaching.
• Stop the behavior.
• Stay calm.
• Allow the student to save face.
One key way to diffuse a situation, Mr. Mendler advised, is to become a "second-to-last-word" person. That means, make your point and walk away. Allow your student to mutter a retort under his or her breath, he said, because that is the student's way of saying, "I need to look OK with the other kids on the playground or in the lunchroom. You don't have to see them there, but I do."
For more information on Discipline with Dignity training in your school, please call us at 1-800-772-5227.
Call us right away to improve your schools classroom management!
posted by irondequoit @ 8:23 AM
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