As teachers we all have those certain students whom we find it hard to connect with. They are distracted, seem to be disengaged, would rater be somewhere else, show disrespect, etc. We all wish that things would be easier, that the student would pay attention, focus, or even show something as simple as a smile. Well, here is one practical strategy, based on principles of positive behavior support and effective classroom management. Give it a try and see how it works.
Start each class with a positive acknowledgment.
Start each class with a positive acknowledgment.
ex. "I see your on Time today Student, you're really getting the hang of your schedule." or "I see that your prepared for class today with all your materials, good job."
These are just 2 examples, but it will be important to connect with the student before class begins or right at the beginning of class to let them know you see them doing something well. It can be private, a comment heard by others, and you decide what's best given specific student needs. Think of it as a deposit in the behavior bank. We deposit positives so that the return on that investment gains interest. In this case, as the student is positively reinforced for doing something right at the beginning of the hour, he is less likely to associate teacher communication with getting in trouble.
M.J. Vannice 8/27/2010
(Dr. Laura Riffel- www.behaviordoctor.org frequently uses the bank deposit analogy)
I read somewhere that you can make a connection with a student by spending 2 minutes a day for 10 days talking to him or her personally some time during class thereby acknowledging him or her in a positive way. I have tried it and it does work.
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