Monday’s guest speaker was Ben Nakamura, Principal of the North Network of the Juvenile Court and Community Schools. I thoroughly enjoyed his presentation and wish we had the opportunity to hear from him last semester. I strongly believe that a teacher’s classroom management ties in with his or her personality. Thus, one set of methods won’t work for every teacher in every classroom. I saw many similarities in my and Ben’s personalities. So, I feel that the strategies he utilizes will be useful for me as well.
The main point I got from Ben’s presentation was to focus on the positive. Positive behaviors should be emphasized, not the negative ones. His recommended 4:1 ratio of positive to negative comments is beneficial to students’ self-esteem and sense of belonging. “Whatever is magnified will grow,” according to Ben. Thus, by focusing on the positive behaviors, students’ behaviors will become more positive. Some of the more subtle ways Ben suggested to promote positivity is to have expectations as opposed to rules, which has more of a negative connotation.
I am glad Ben addressed some of the struggles that come with reaching the type of students that seem to want nothing to with school or blatant disrespect. By practicing some preventative methods, the number of corrective measures will decrease. One preventative approach is the Two-by-ten rule. I have never heard of this before, and am fascinated by the idea. By having a 2 minute non-academic conversation every day for ten days in a row, the foundation is being built to have a relationship with the student. It is fascinating because this boils down to twenty minutes over two weeks. That is all it takes to start a relationship. It is so easy to do and well worth it to make a positive difference in a student’s life.
When the situation comes up where consequences come into play, it is important to hear the kid out and give him or her the opportunity to make the right choice. Model the behavior you want to see. I want my students to be respectful, thus I will always treat them with respect. My parents followed very similar procedures with my siblings and me when we were growing up, and they were quite effective.
I feel that Ben’s positive presentation provided me with useful, practical tools.
Some other aspects of Monday’s presentation that I liked are:
· 3 Adolescent Needs
· “If students feel liked, they feel they belong and they’ll be in a positive mood.”
· Tips to talk softer and slower to gain attention
· The chronic headache story—what are the needs?
· Providing students a one-pager “About me” on the first day of school.
· “Behavior and social skills are what make the difference (more than academic)”
· “Whoever solves the problem, gets the respect.”
· Interview tips
The main point I got from Ben’s presentation was to focus on the positive. Positive behaviors should be emphasized, not the negative ones. His recommended 4:1 ratio of positive to negative comments is beneficial to students’ self-esteem and sense of belonging. “Whatever is magnified will grow,” according to Ben. Thus, by focusing on the positive behaviors, students’ behaviors will become more positive. Some of the more subtle ways Ben suggested to promote positivity is to have expectations as opposed to rules, which has more of a negative connotation.
I am glad Ben addressed some of the struggles that come with reaching the type of students that seem to want nothing to with school or blatant disrespect. By practicing some preventative methods, the number of corrective measures will decrease. One preventative approach is the Two-by-ten rule. I have never heard of this before, and am fascinated by the idea. By having a 2 minute non-academic conversation every day for ten days in a row, the foundation is being built to have a relationship with the student. It is fascinating because this boils down to twenty minutes over two weeks. That is all it takes to start a relationship. It is so easy to do and well worth it to make a positive difference in a student’s life.
When the situation comes up where consequences come into play, it is important to hear the kid out and give him or her the opportunity to make the right choice. Model the behavior you want to see. I want my students to be respectful, thus I will always treat them with respect. My parents followed very similar procedures with my siblings and me when we were growing up, and they were quite effective.
I feel that Ben’s positive presentation provided me with useful, practical tools.
Some other aspects of Monday’s presentation that I liked are:
· 3 Adolescent Needs
· “If students feel liked, they feel they belong and they’ll be in a positive mood.”
· Tips to talk softer and slower to gain attention
· The chronic headache story—what are the needs?
· Providing students a one-pager “About me” on the first day of school.
· “Behavior and social skills are what make the difference (more than academic)”
· “Whoever solves the problem, gets the respect.”
· Interview tips