One of the attributes I share is the promotion of the basic characteristic of any character education program: responsibility. George Washington and many of the other USA's founding fathers focused on how one could improve oneself as the first criterion to influence others. "The Rules of Civility," the etiquette planner that Washington copied as a teenager, … [Read more...]
Piaget and Young People
December 28, 2007 By Leave a Comment
We dislike when someone orders or mandates us to do something---or uses some other form of coercion on us. Such actions prompt negative feelings in us. Unfortunately, however, too often we tend to use such approaches with young people. The essence of the famed psychologist Jean Piaget's hierarchy of cognitive development is that children's brains develop … [Read more...]
Smiling Increases Effectiveness
December 27, 2007 By Leave a Comment
You will notice that when you smile at someone, the "imitation response" that neuroscientists have discovered prompts a natural tendency for the other person to smile back. This phenomenon indicates that the face is an enormously rich source of information about emotion. In fact, our face is not just a signal of what is going on in our mind; in a … [Read more...]
What Do You Want Tom to Remember?
December 26, 2007 By Leave a Comment
This article was sent to me by Paul Leitch of Queensland, Australia. I share it with you with his permission. If you work with young people, this story will be worth reading. Tom is a seven-year old who came from a family that has a lot of conflict and whose mother was often angry with him. The writer of this experience (hereafter referred to as "I") asked … [Read more...]
Promote Growth
December 24, 2007 By Leave a Comment
In times past, initiative and perseverance were characteristics parents actively promoted. parents thought twice before doing things for young people that the youngsters could do for themselves. We can promote initiative and perseverance, which are part and parcel of responsibility, by asking ourselves, "If I do this for the youngster when I know that … [Read more...]
Positive Behavior Support and Finding the "Why?"
December 21, 2007 By Leave a Comment
A reader wrote me indicating that knowing the reason for a person's action is important and can assist in such problems as homework. I shared my response below. Many psychologists and therapists believe that knowing the "why" for a behavior is important. However, Dr. William Glasser, an internationally renowned psychiatrist and the author of "Choice … [Read more...]
More on Positive Behavior Support
December 20, 2007 By Leave a Comment
Positive Behavior(al) Interventions and Support (PBIS) or just Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is finding increasing use in the U.S.A. The approach was established by the Office of Special Education Programs in the U.S. Department of Education. The program is behaviorally based in that it is a classic use of B.F. Skinner's positive reinforcement of operant … [Read more...]
Collaboration Increases Student Learning
December 19, 2007 By Leave a Comment
Although competition is a marvelous motivator to increase performance, collaboration increases student learning. This is especially the case with young people who feel that they never stand in the winner's circle. A prime reason is that the number of winners in competition is severely restricted---usually to one. This means that competition produces more … [Read more...]
Praise Can Block Communications
December 18, 2007 By Leave a Comment
When anyone is sharing a problem, praise acts as a roadblock. Try this experiment: Next time you are with someone who starts sharing a personal problem with you, send some strong, positive evaluations to the person. Then observe how your praise blocks communication. Listen particularly to the defensive responses you will undoubtedly get. You will see that … [Read more...]
Listening Well Increases Effectiveness
December 17, 2007 By Leave a Comment
In addition to asking reflective questions to improve one's effectiveness, listening also helps. Specifically, in order to understand the other person's problem, you not only need to ask the right questions, you need to listen to the response. Such was the case with a farmer and his horse, dog, and wagon full of grain traveling along the highway. They were … [Read more...]
