Building Bridges - Don Parker

Скачать книгу

for a range of disruptive behaviors. Zero-tolerance policies were dramatically expanded by state legislatures and school districts to include not just weapons and drugs, but fighting and misbehavior (Peterson, 2005), which happened to be two of the most frequently referred behaviors at my school.

      In accordance with zero-tolerance policies, schools took punitive measures in an attempt to get student behavior under control. According to Sandra M. Way (2003) and Jack P. Gibbs (1975), punishment can deter misbehavior either through experiencing a consequence or through knowledge about the punishments others have received. And school officials have long known that if students understand what types of behavior are prohibited and what consequences they will face for engaging in these prohibited behaviors, they will be more likely to conduct themselves appropriately (Yell, Rozalski, & Drasgow, 2001). Knowledge of the consequences can cause students to think twice about committing an infraction.

      Adopting this school of thought, our institution implemented strict discipline policies. Suspensions increased. But behavior infractions increased as well. I found myself suspending students at an alarming rate. The school community’s belief that tougher disciplinary consequences would serve as a deterrent proved to be misguided. School research has thoroughly documented how ineffective out-of-school suspensions are. In fact, research suggests that such suspensions actually reinforce negative behavior. Suspensions increase the risk of disruption and lead to dropout and delinquency (Skiba & Peterson, 2003). Students at risk view suspension as an attack or rejection, become more aggressive, and disengage from school and teachers (Seita & Brendtro, 2003). Suspension fuels anger and seems to add to aberrant behavior (Parker, 2006).

      Lacking this knowledge at the time, many educators were surprised when the punitive discipline codes proved futile. Others were caught in the matrix of attempting to follow the new standards while witnessing firsthand the dismal outcomes. In an attempt to work with teachers and enforce the discipline policy with fidelity, I suspended students left and right. I spent several years watching many students at risk constantly fail class, get suspended or expelled, commit sundry rule infractions, and drop out. My heart grew heavy, and I went home from work feeling guilty on a daily basis.

      To be more effective at helping students at risk behave appropriately—and thus free them and their peers to learn—I wanted to learn the best methods for doing so and become skilled in their use. As part of earning my doctorate in educational leadership, I studied research, conducted a study of my own, and wrote a dissertation on the most effective methods to use with students at risk to decrease behavior referrals.

      My experience and education research have revealed that the most effective methods involve authoritative counseling and building relationships with students (Baker, Grant, & Morlock, 2008; Wang & Neihart, 2015). While the teachers I’ve worked with don’t universally agree that this is the case, ample research and numerous publications indicate that building relationships with challenging students is key to improving behavior and promoting academic success (Boynton & Boynton, 2005; Juvonen, 2006; Rimm-Kaufman & Sandilos, 2018).

      Building relationships with students increases engagement, motivation, test scores, and grade-point averages while decreasing absenteeism, dropout rates, and discipline issues (Brown, 2010; Martin & Dowson, 2009; Roorda, Koomen, Split, & Oort, 2011). Throughout this book, I share evidence-based strategies for building trusting relationships with students at risk and discuss how these relationships help students improve their behavior and academic achievement. The heart of the book is about disassembling the walls that challenging students put up and opening the lines of communication, with each chapter sharing an essential part of the process.

      Imagine classrooms full of resilient students focused on their learning, where respectful behaviors are commonplace and caring relationships between teachers and students are the norm. Educators can improve student behavior, and the best, most successful among us are already doing this.

      This book provides the tools and strategies educators can use to build the very sort of classroom atmospheres and cultures in which they dream of working.

      Chapter 1 focuses on the many academic and social benefits of teacher-student relationships and encourages educators to adopt a relationship-building mindset. Chapter 2 explores ways adults in school settings can show students that they care about them. And chapter 3 shares evidence-based research about ways educators can improve the culture of their school by creating an atmosphere in which all students feel welcomed.

      Chapter 4 discusses why teachers should not take negative student behavior personally and how they can consistently build teacher efficacy to avoid becoming a teacher-attrition statistic. Good teachers are far more than subject-matter instructors, and chapter 5 highlights the importance of classroom management and why it is necessary for teachers to foster and earn respect.

      Chapter 6 explains how teachers can connect through content and how students at risk are more likely to engage more in school when they see authenticity and relevance in the curriculum. To continue the conversation, chapter 7 looks at how to take something a student is interested in and relate it back to real life.

      Chapter 8 discusses the different approaches interventionists have taken to support students at risk, from the epidemiological model to the social constructivist model, all leading to the comprehensive ecological model. It also explores the benefits of taking an ecological approach, and educators will learn how to effectively use this approach to help students at risk succeed.

      Chapter 9 discusses how teachers can develop empathy for students at risk. We explore research into conducting home visits and the connection between these and a more empathetic approach. Following this realistic look at the home environment of students at risk, chapter 10 highlights the importance of teaching students at risk life skills as they contend with arduous living conditions and navigate through crises. Since many of these students have a catastrophic worldview and possess little or no hope for their futures, I introduce research demonstrating the importance of countering fatalism. Featured is a resilience program that worked to infuse hope in the students at my school.

      Chapter 11 discusses the psychological approach necessary to increase the self-esteem of students at risk, and chapter 12 discusses techniques educators can use to get to the root of a problem.

      Chapter 13 reveals how the most effective educators use empathetic listening, active listening, and reflective listening with students at risk. After listening, educators must be willing to open up, which is the subject of chapter 14. Educators who open up and share their own personal experiences with students at risk build trust and can use these opportunities as teachable moments. No one is perfect; students at risk need to know that we can all bounce back from mistakes.

      Chapter 15 shows how educators and teachers can promote social bonding among all students, especially students at risk, and emphasizes the importance of maintaining strong teacher-student relationships once they are established. The epilogue concludes the book and makes the case that building relationships with students at risk works. Its

Скачать книгу