Why a Student-Centered Approach?
- Children are respected, rather than seen as problems to fix
- Too many students are still disproportionately marginalized, misunderstood, misrepresented, and micromanaged through punitive forms of discipline
- Shame based (public and private) approaches do not change behaviors and are harmful
- Flip from compliance to connection
What makes this difficult?
- Education is a hard job
- We do what we know or what was done to us
- We assume that motivation is what is lacking; this is not always the root cause
- What we look for, we will find. If we are looking for kids to be wrong, we will find it.
- You may undervalue your skills; “there’s nothing I can do.” Or inflate yourself; “I’ve done everything there is to do.”
- A dysregulated adult cannot help a dysregulated child
What should I do?
- Prioritize connection over compliance
- Widen your lens as you consider behavior
- Include student voice
- Invest in yourself through coaching, professional learning, self-development, and building new habits
- Create predictable circumstances for students that support high quality work
- Let students feel success
Connect with Jacki and Lisa:
Resources:
Find more educational resources by topic at https://www.mn.sourcewell.org/education/podcast
Learn more about upcoming trainings and events for educators at www.mn.sourcewell.org/education
