Punitive Consequence that Miraculously Mitigates Learners’ Misbehavior

Directions: It is important to answer the questions thoughtfully. I know that some of you are asking for guidance on how long the answers should be. My answer to you is that you must answer the prompt and elaborate on it. I won’t tell you how long it should be. Think of it as dating. Some first dates last two minutes and they are not very good and some are short and sweet wanting you to see more of the person. The best first dates are the ones that stand out in you mind – not because you learned everything about the person, but because something is enticing about the exchange.

1)      Per Sprick (page 294), what is the result when a teacher manages behavior using anger? (Please use the text for this answer).

2)      Make a comment on this statement (per Sprick) Gentle correction is not only necessary but provides feedback for the student.  You can answer this prompt by providing an example or explaining what Sprick means. Also, please elaborate in this feedback mechanism and why it is important for the students who need the most behavioral support (students with IEP’s or 504’s for mental health conditions).

3)      When making gentle corrections, how can you adjust your approach for cultural and linguistic relevance? Also, how can you adjust your approach for age and developmental appropriateness?  (When you answer this question be specific about voice tone, proximity, use of language and intention). Again, when you answer this question you may provide specific examples, citations or ideas from the text and your experience as well. The best way to answer this question is a combination.

Self Assessment

In this section, you will observe yourself and your past actions and think about what Sprick would recommend or what is needed restoratively to help you build capacity as a leader of the classroom.

4)      Self-assessment – Have you ever taken someone else’s behavior personally?  What did you learn about this situation? (Answer yes or no and elaborate on the answer.  You may or may not share the details dependent on your comfort level, but I am more interested in the psychological nature of how you perceived the situation and what you learned from it.  Please keep your answer related to work or a volunteer situation if you have not worked in formal place of business yet. Your narrative could be about a student or if you are not teaching, perhaps it could be about a customer or an incident in business.

5)      Self-assessment – Along the same lines, Sprick recommends implementation of gentle and timely correction methods. In a place of business or with a student, have you ever waited too long to gently correct what you perceive is a misbehavior or have you gone to great lengths to have someone else do it? What was behind your avoidance (assuming you avoided the inevitable) and what did you learn from the situation? Again, you do not have to tell a long narrative, just describe your behavior and what you learned from it?

6)      Self-assessment – Have you ever learned about gentle correction of behavior from watching someone else? For example, did you ever learn about gentle correction from a favorite aunt, a mentor at work or from a colleague? Have you ever done the opposite and wished you had not done so? For example, you know that your mentor at work would not have called a parent right away, but you went ahead and called the parent knowing that the parent jumps to conclusions about you as the new teacher. What did you learn about not modeling or doing what your mentor would have done?  If this does not apply to you, what did you learn from you mentor or favorite calm, cool and collected model and how can you consistently apply this?

7)      Self-assessment – Have you ever given a non-verbal correction? Which students would this work with best and which would not “get it?” What might you do for students who could not or would not read or enjoy your non-verbal signal? Are there non-verbal signals that do work well such as attention signals? If so, explain.

8)      Self-assessment – Have you ever noticed a difference in the way that students take correction in front of peers? What have you tried that works with gentle correction in private? What are some ways that private corrections became too draining or time consuming and what can you do to create a win-win with students that doesn’t take up too much time?

9)      Overall assessment – What should Sprick have updated in this chapter? What do you vehemently disagree with and what do you think is “right on”?