Team Teachers

Love and Logic - Questions:

Sine rehearsed phrases may serve us well in situations where there are emotional issues involved (e.g., classroom disruptions, irate parents, or an angry student. […]

• What would you like to happen?
• Would you like my thinking on that?
• Is it possible that…?
• How do you feel about…?
• Is there a chance that…?
• How do you suppose that might work out?
• What do you think I think?
• On a scale of 1-10, how good a decision do you think that is?
• Would you like to hear what others have tried? (pg 179)

Would you use these in your classroom?  Are there any others you’d add to the list?

Love and Logic: Sharing control

What are your thoughts about giving control through choices (ie: You can either do the odd or even questions.  Would you rather talk quietly or whisper?)

Summer Book Club

In chapter 9 David Funk admits to hitting a student and then a few years later doing it again.  I had not read the book prior to this summer, and I doubt we would have chosen it by votes if we had all know ahead of the time.  None of us endorse hitting a child.

A big chunk of the book was written by Fay, and Funk describes how the Love and Logic approach transformed his teaching (meaning he did not develop it).

With that said, how do you feel about continuing to read?  Do you think think that the book as a whole becomes a wash, or are the approaches still useful?

I’d also really like to hear from the teachers that already use Love and Logic (I think it is VWalker and maybe Itssnix) about their reactions to this. 

Chapter 8 begins with a story about Jim Fay going to court as a teenager.

Jim’s dad sends him to court on his own.  The authors’ compare this experience to what would have happened today.  They state that self-concept is at an all-time low.

A large part of the dilemma relates to the loss of the extended family.  It takes a community to raise a child, and we, in large part, have lost that.  Before, if young parents were having a problem, the normal procedure was to talk to Grandma, who had built up years of wisdom through experience. More often than not, a comment like, “Your father was like that…” gave not only comfort, but also a strategy.  This strategy was especially effective because it considered many individual aspects about a child in terms of family values, (sub)cultural mores, and societal expectations.  In essence, Grandma was able to help young parents devise effective individual behavior plans for their children. (Love and Logic, pg 116)

This is a two-fold discussion post.

First, what are your thoughts between the now and then comparison at the beginning of the chapter?

Secondly, how do we as teachers (whether you agree with the author’s idea of why we’ve lost self-concept or not) come up with behavior plans or classroom management strategies that consider the individual child, family values, the culture, and societal expectations?  Should behavior plans in school consider all of those?  What is reasonable to expect of the child, parent, and the teacher?  Whatever your view is, what will you do this year to play your part?

You’re welcome to answer this in a reblog, but it is easier to follow responses if you copy and paste the question into a new post.  :-)

Summer Book Club - Would you classify your school as one run according to a system or principles?

(see chapter 7)

Summer Book Club

Love and Logic says behavior modification doesn’t work because kids realize they are being manipulated (refers to token economies and rewards).

What have your experiences been with behavior modification?  Have they been successful over long periods of time?

Summer Book Club Discussion Topic #3

The book lists the Four Basic Principles of Love and Logic as:

1. Share the control
2. Share the thinking
3. Balance consequences with empathy
4. Maintain self-concept

Do you agree with these principles?

Have these played a role in your classroom prior to reading this book?  

Did the explanation of these change your perspective or make you say, “Why didn’t I think of that?”

(Feel free to expand on this topic beyond my questions, and even ask your won as we continue to read).

Summer Book Club - Letting a child wait for the consequences

Near the beginning of the book (pg 16 in my copy), the author describes a teacher telling a student not to worry about the consequence, they will let them know at a later time.  The teacher continues to push it back, and push it back.

At what age level do you think this technique is appropriate?

Do you think it would be effective in your classroom?   

Would this help you focus on instruction rather than classroom management?