I Messages
I Messages Excerpt from Positive Discipline Tools for Teachers by Dr. Jane Nelsen and Dr. Kelly Gfroerer Too often students (and adults) blame others for their feelings by saying, “You make me feel _____.” This is not true. No one can make anyone else feel something. They might invite you to feel something, but you always […]
Control Your Behavior for Teachers
Control Your Behavior for Teachers Excerpt from Positive Discipline Tools for Teachers by Dr. Jane Nelsen and Dr. Kelly Gfroerer Do you sometimes expect your students to control their behavior when you have not controlled your own? We don’t mean to instill guilt; rather, we want to create awareness. We often catch ourselves behaving in ways we […]
Kind and Firm for Teachers
Kind and Firm for Teachers Below is an excerpt from Positive Discipline Tools for Teachers by Jane Nelsen and Kelly Gfroerer. As a teacher, do you have a tendency toward being a little too kind, and have difficulty being firm? (You don’t want to be one of those mean, autocratic teachers.) Or are you a little too […]
Curiosity Questions Conversational
Curiosity Questions Conversational The root of education is educare—to draw forth. 1. Children will listen to you AFTER they feel listened to. 2. When children hear a command, a signal is sent to the brain that invites resistance. When children hear a respectful question, a signal is sent to the brain to search for an […]
Teaching Positive Time Out Helps Students Learn Tools for Self-Regulation
Teaching Positive Time Out Helps Students Learn Tools for Self-Regulation Where did we ever get the crazy idea that in order to make children do better, first we have to make them feel worse? —Jane Nelsen Research shows that punitive time-out is ineffective because forced separation from the class denies the student’s basic need for inclusion […]
Encouragement vs Praise for Teachers
Encouragement vs Praise for Teachers So, what is the difference between encouragement and praise? Praise teaches dependency on external feedback (I’m “okay” if you like what I do, and I feel badly if you don’t like what I do), while encouragement teaches internal validation, (I use self-evaluation to determine how I feel about what I […]
The Power of Nonverbal Communication
The Power of Nonverbal Communication Excerpt from Positive Discipline for Preschoolers by Dr. Jane Nelsen, Cheryl Erwin, and Roslyn Ann Duffy Adults and children express emotional energy on their faces, in their voices, and in the way they move or stand. Because children are still developing their language skills, they trust the message of this nonverbal […]
GOAL DISCLOSURE
GOAL DISCLOSURE by Dr. Kelly Gfroerer and Dr. Jane Nelsen Wait for a calm time (not during conflict) to talk with a student in private. A friendly atmosphere is essential. Ask the student for permission to make guesses about why he or she is behaving in a certain way. Let the student know that he […]
Self Care for Teachers
Self Care for Teachers by Dr. Jane Nelsen and Dr. Kelly Gfroerer Taking care of yourself is the best gift you can give your students.
Role Playing With Students
Role Playing With Students by Dr. Kelly Gfroerer and Dr. Jane Nelsen From the Positive Discipline Teacher Tool Cards Role-playing is a fun and engaging way for students to learn and practice important life skills. Evidence-based studies identify the importance of integrated daily practice of social and emotional learning and specifically cite role-plays as an important participatory […]
