PREPARED BY:MOHAMMAD AZHIRRUDDIN RUSNAIDINOOR SYAZLEEN ABDUL RAHMANFARA WAHEEDA MIDZAN

Born in Israel

Worked as a clinical psychologist and a professor of psychology and psychotheraphy

Books: Between Parent and Teenager (1969) and Teacher and Child (1972)

Both books offered practical guidance and included sample dialogues between adults and children

A theory that has strong ideas about communication, self-discipline, and appreciative praise.

The teacher’s personal approach creates the “climate” that contributes to students’ behavior, whether positive or negative.

“I have come to a frightening conclusion. I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal. In all situations it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated, and a child humanized or de-humanized.”

- Haim Ginott

The danger of equating work with worth

Ginott stated that teachers should not equating the students’ achievement levels and character judgments

It is imperative that teachers distinguish between a student’s accomplishments and the value of that student

Teachers accept and acknowledge students and their actions or comments without labelling, arguing, or disputing the individual

Eg: Teachers need to communnicate that they still accept their students even when they perform poorly

Students are people too

Ginott reminds teachers that students are people and should be treated with respect

Thus, teachers should create an atmosphere of concern for students’ feelings

Teachers should deal positively with students’ emotions and recognize that their communication pattern will strongly influence students’ feelings and self-esteem

Eg: Teacher demonstrates his best behaviors or those that contribute to a classroom environment where students cooperation are invited rather than demanded

Teacher Self-Discipline

Teachers are able to listen sensitively to students’ communications and respond to students in positive ways

Teachers should accept the validity of students’ feelings, assist students to take appropriate responsibility for their actions, and help students engage in styles of conflict resolution and problem solving that do not lead to power struggles

Eg: Students observe how teachers handle conflict situations and tend to imitate them

Communicating in Sane Messages

Sane messages: address the situation that is creating the difficulty, express anger appropriately, acknowledge students’ feelings and invite cooperation

Insane messages: go beyond the problem at hand to attack students personally

Sarcasm is avoided as students do not understand the intended wit and will end up with hurt feelings because they feel they are being put down.

Use congruent communication that is open, harmonious with students’ feelings about themselves and their situations, and avoid sarcasm.

A sane and congruent communication never denies feelings, whether students’ or teachers’.

Eg: “You’re always irresponsible!” (insane message)

The Perils of Praise

Evaluative praise: evaluates students; the teacher becomes a source of approval deciding a student’s worth.

. Appreciative praise: shows recognition for

what a student has done, acknowledges the student’s effort and shares the teacher’s personal reaction.

Avoid evaluative praise which focuses on a student’s character, and use appreciative praise which focusess on an action or product.

Eg: Jasmine got all correct for the spelling test and the teacher gives her a “GOOD” sticker (evaluative praise).

Praise can have detrimental effects on forming a positive self-image.

Avoid the Why-Question

Avoid asking why-questions or sending you-messages.

Use I-messages to describe how a behaviour makes the sender of the message feel.

You-message gives the message that you are judging, not accepting the student.

Eg:

“Kelvin, for the 11th time, you are walking around again”. (You-message)

“Kelvin, the other students and I are disturbed when someone is walking around during class”. (I-message)

Strengths

- Leads to the formative of a positive, friendly rapport between teacher and students.

- Enhances the classroom learning environment.

- Helping students develop positive self-esteem.

Weaknesses

Disruptive behaviour occur in a classroom.Students do not know how to communicate their own thoughts.Has potential for dealing with minor problem but does little to address the goals of the safe schools movement.

Eliminate labelling

Labelling limits students’ vision of themselves.

Ginott suggests teachers make statements that encourage students to set goals for themselves by expressing their belief in students.

Eg: I think you can solve this on your own, but if you need help let me know.

Invite cooperation

Teacher describes the situation and indicates what needs to be done.

Avoid direct commands and allow the students to decide what they should do.

Eg: This is time to work silently now.

Express anger in sane ways

Teachers should be in control of their emotions when addressing a discipline problem.

Teachers should not let the problem become a teacher vs student situation.

Eg: Iqbal, other pupils are learning. It would be nice if you can be quiet and continue the lesson.

Stay in the present

Teachers do not pre-judge or hold grudges.

Eg: Latisha is a problematic pupil. Let’s start with a clean slate today,

Latisha.

Use self-discipline

Teachers should refrain from using behaviors they are trying to eliminate in their students.

Eg: Raising their voice to stop loud talking Using force to break up a fight Being rude to students who are

showing disrespect

Accept and acknowledge students’ feelings

Ginott cautions teachers to treat children’s fears carefully.

A better response is to acknowledge what they feel and offer assistance.

Eg: I see you’re upset. How can I help?

Use laconic language

Short and to the point.

Ginott thinks unnecessarily detailed talk about what to do is disrespectful to students.

Eg:what do you mean by writing that sentence. It is not nice.

Instead of doing that, you can make it this way.

Direction rather that correction

The teacher simply states the facts and lets students decide whether their behavior is in keeping with what they expect of themselves.

Directives are more effective when you tell students what you want them to do rather than what you don’t want them to do.

Eg: Direction: Close the door quietly. Correction: Don’t slam the door.

Educators demonstrates their best behaviors (harmonious with students’ feelings about themselves and their situations) and promote self-discipline as an alternative to punishment.

Ginott’s congruent communication can be used by teachers to address the majority of misbehaviors in schools today.

The key concepts are designed to help teachers develop trust, acknowledge and accept students’ feelings, and improve self-esteem.