One of the key lessons presented by remote learning was that many of the behavior management tools available with in-person learning were not accessible when our students were not physically present. Moving a non-compliant student to a remote part of the room was not an option. Imposing progressive disciplinary sanctions was often impractical. And we could not send a student out of the room to see the principal.
The shift to remote learning drove us to develop new strategies and approaches to gain student attention, cooperation, and engagement. It took time, repeated attempts, and more than a few missteps before many of us became adept at using commitment-based approaches and intrinsic motivational strategies.
Our return to in-person learning offers the opportunity to rethink compliance-driven behavior management and progressive discipline practices before we again become reliant on these approaches. We need to examine the extent to which compliance-driven approaches undermine and interfere with our goal of developing independent, mature, self-regulating young people. Here’s why:
We risk communicating to students that their behavior should be controlled by external sources and forces rather than through their own choices, self-discipline, and sense of direction.
The causes of individual choices and drivers of behavior are complex and varied. For example, the lack of completed homework or a negative attitude early in the day may be the result of factors and forces at home or outside of school that have little to do with a student’s valuing of class rules or academic expectations.
Incentives only work if students place a reasonably high value on them. Once we reduce student behavior and academic engagement to rewards and punishment, we risk losing student compliance if they do not see the reward as compelling, or do not consider the punishment to be severe enough to drive the choice to comply.
What are some ways to leverage commitment and intrinsic motivation?
We can start by engaging students in the process of developing class rules and expectations so they feel ownership and understand the reasons for rules and expectations. We can coach and model positive, productive behaviors. Further, we can brainstorm with students strategies to use when they face situations that might lead to behaviors that are not acceptable or do not contribute to their success.
We can also pay attention to circumstances that may lead to unacceptable and non-productive behaviors. Often charting of patterns of misbehavior can offer clues to where and how we can make changes in routines, practices, and expectations to prevent poor choices and inclinations toward unacceptable behaviors. For example, we may discover that at a certain time of the day students struggle to pay attention because they are hungry, so we might schedule a snack time.
We can focus on the purpose, or the “why” of what we ask of students. Exploring why certain behaviors and limits are important to the effective and efficient operation of the class can help students see how their behavior can have an impact on their and other’s success.
We can commit to developing strong, positive relationships with our students. When students know we care about them and their success, we can have a powerful influence on how they think and feel about behaving and learning in our class.
The experience of the pandemic and remote learning, undoubtedly, has led to even more lessons about commitment-based and intrinsic-driven behavior approaches. Now is a good time to share with colleagues what you have learned and listen to their insights and strategies.
I recently heard a superintendent recount that she had been asked what she is looking forward to as students and staff return this fall. Sadly, she admitted that she struggled to give an authentic, positive answer. The pressures, stresses, and struggles of the past year combined with uncertainties regarding the lingering presence of the pandemic have robbed her of the excitement and anticipation that usually accompany the start of a new school year.
The admission was particularly striking to me because the superintendent is a skilled, committed, impactful leader. We can ill afford to enter the year already feeling defeated. It is particularly difficult to engage, inspire, and lead those who depend on us if we are not confident about and motivated and inspired by what lies ahead.
Rather than give in and allow what lies ahead to defeat us, now is the time to take stock and focus on how we can make this coming year the most impactful and successful of our careers. History is filled with examples of great leaders and leadership that prevailed in the face of what seemed like insurmountable challenges. Consider Winston Churchill’s circumstances as a leader in the early days of World War ll. England was standing alone in the face of Germany’s aggression. Its major cities were under daily attack, and many of Churchill’s advisors lacked confidence in his leadership and doubted his decisions. Yet, he knew that the strength of the nation was in its people and their resilience. His challenge was to engage their resilience and inspire their hope. In the end, the bombings they endured were a source of strength and pride, and a major force in their eventual success.
As we consider the start of a new year, we do well to identify the opportunities to lead and make a positive difference through our leadership. Those around us are depending on us and need our best thinking, judgement, and ideas. Here are some places to start as we position ourselves to lead and become inspired in this difficult, but potential-filled time.
We can remind ourselves and those we lead of what we accomplished, how we persevered, and why it matters now. We have learned much in the past year about ourselves, our work, our learners, and what can help us to succeed. We can give people permission to let go of regrets and less than successful efforts in favor of gleaning what was learned, celebrating successes, and taking pride in our resilience and persistence. We do not know what lies ahead, but we can be confident that we are better positioned and prepared than we were when we first faced the pandemic. We are more skilled, better informed, and a more potent force as we face the future.
We can continue to prove that educators matter. We need to celebrate the crucial role we play. The past year brought more attention to and appreciation for what it means to teach, guide, support, and protect learners and learning than any time in recent memory. Ironically, the current controversies about teaching are evidence that what we do matters. These times also call on us to be courageous on behalf of our students and their learning experiences. Now is the time when we can make the greatest difference in our work and for our profession.
We can make this a year for healing. We can look forward to rebuilding a culture of caring, belonging, and mutual support. Many of our students have experienced trauma and chaos in their lives and need understanding, acceptance, and tolerance as they recover. The same is true for our colleagues. Our opportunity in the coming year is to be there for people who need us. To support each other as we provide support to our students. This work can be truly inspiring and difference-making.
We can be a source of hope and optimism. Importantly, being optimistic is a choice. We can choose to focus on what is difficult and discouraging, or we can focus on building a path to a better future. We can claim hope and not allow the frustrations of the moment to distract us from long-term goals and eventual success. Hope and optimism are not “soft ideas” to be dispelled when challenged. Rather, they can be life sustaining and success-building tools that inspire despite our current reality. The people in our organization will depend on us as a source of hope and optimism to draw energy and inspiration from.
Interestingly, each of these items will have the effect of making our lives and work better, even worth looking forward to, as we make life, work, and learning better for others. Of course, we need to take care of ourselves, too, but making a difference in the lives of others is a great way to make our own lives better.
Share your story and the tips you have for getting through this challenging time. It can remind a fellow school leader of something they forgot, or your example can make a difficult task much easier and allow them to get more done in less time. We may publish your comments.
