The Newsletter of the William Glasser Association of British
Columbia
AUGUST 2004
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DR. GLASSER'S CORNER By Willliam Glasser, M.D.
Reprinted from the Spring 2004 Issue of the WGI Newsletter. |
To my great satisfaction, Glasser Quality Schools seem to be alive and well. Several new ones are online or close. But, some are having difficulty meeting the six criteria for becoming a quality school. The problem seems to center on making a B, or competence, the minimum for achieving credit. The schools do not want to go back to the old system but are asking if a temporary level of C for some students who used to get D's and F's would be allowable while these same students continue to work hard to achieve a B. My answer to that proposal is that it's a judgment call that the school has to make. If this is a temporary, and you believe it is a motivating change, I think you could still call your school a Quality School and defend your right to do this if only a relatively few students are involved. How many would be up to you. Another mitigating circumstance would be that you believe you have students in the school who no matter how hard they try and how much you tutor them, are still unable to do competent work. Again that would be a judgment call. There may be such a thing as mental retardation with no brain pathology to support it. I tend not to believe this, but I haven't had that much experience and you may be right. My suggestion is, if you believe the criteria of a B is too rigid and you think temporary C's for a few students would be motivating to the staff of a hard-working school, write or call me and I will be more than happy to do what I can to help you. My judgment will be based on what you believe is good for your teachers and your students.
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| SUMMER
GREETINGS By Lucy Scott, WGABC President |
INTERNATIONAL WILLIAM GLASSER CONFERENCE Rolf
and I had the fortunate experience of attending the recent William
Glasser Institute International Conference in Schaumburg, near Chicago,
July 14-17, 2004. There were approximately 220 participants from
all over the world. One of the highlights for me was the workshop
by Jill and Steve Morris entitled “Leadership Simple: Leading
People to Lead Themselves.” Jill demonstrated through discussion
and role-play how staff and CEO’s can create a high return
on their investment from the application of Lead Management. Jill
and Steve have recently published a new book entitled: Leadership
Simple: Leading People to Lead Themselves.” WEBSITE Our new website has resulted in an additional 15 new members from various parts of the province. Welcome to you all. We hope you have now become familiar with the website and are using it and the links to find out what is going on with Choice Theory both in our province and with the William Glasser Institute in Canada and Los Angeles. ANNUAL MINI CONFERENCE We are well underway planning our next annual Mini Conference, Friday, October 22nd, 2004. The conference will be held at University Hill Elementary on the U.B.C. Endowment Lands. Lynn Sumida (Senior Faculty with the William Glasser Institute) will be our guest speaker. Her topic is: "Motivation: where does it come from, where does it go?" I am sure this topic will be extremely useful and interesting to anyone who has the job of motivating those with whom they work. Lynn has recently moved to the West Coast from Manitoba where she had a private practise in counselling for many years. She has recently co-authored a very interesting book entitled "The Extraordinary Within." In her new business in West Vancouver Lynn is exploring how to help clients avoid sabotaging their new and useful life choices. A registration form for this conference is included in this Newsletter. I hope you will take advantage of this conference and write the date in your diary now. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING We shall be holding our WGABC AGM on Saturday, November 27, 2004. As per the last three AGM’s we shall have a guest speaker prior to the AGM. Further information will be mailed out early in November regarding this event. CHOICE
THEORY TRAINING WGABC hopes to sponsor an Advanced Week in the spring if we have enough participants ready.
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BOOK REVIEW By Rolf Ahrens The
Classroom of Choice Published
by Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD),
Alexandria, Virginia, 2004,
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This is a useful book. It is written for teachers but it is equally useful for anyone who does workshops and needs to create an optimum learning environment. It is also a well-written book: very readable and engaging. "The
Classroom of Choice" is, as the title suggests, a classroom
managed on the basis of Choice Theory. As Jon says, “This book
… focus(es) on a new classroom management model that aligns
itself with what truly motivates human behavior.” The great
strength of the book is that he provides many concrete and specific
ways of how to motivate students of any age. In
the chapter "Laying the Foundations for a Classroom of Choice"
Jon deals with the need for teachers to be managers and see themselves
as managers. His years of experience as a teacher are obvious here
as is his training in Choice Theory. He deals with external and
internal motivation and goes on to "The Importance of Trustful
Relationships …", including minimizing fear and coercion. The
book contains one of the best, most succinct explanations of Choice
Theory and the characteristics of our five basic needs that I have
read. In fact Jon uses the five needs to structure subsequent sections
in the book where he provides specific activities to help teachers
in managing the needs (survival, love and belonging, power freedom
and fun) in the classroom. Although
the activities for all the needs are extensive (including classroom
meetings under love and belonging) it is the need for power that
is treated with particular care and with great insight. Jon writes:
“An important concept for teachers to understand is that by
helping to empower students, teachers enjoy more, not less, power.”
This I can also attest to from my own experience over the last 33
years. Giving
students a say in the classroom raises all kinds of red flags for
teachers. Questions such as: when during the year, at what age,
to what extent, isn’t it my job to decide on what to teach
and learn? are of immediate concern to the teachers’ own needs.
"The Classroom of Choice" deals with these questions in
the most helpful way I have yet encountered in writings on classroom
management. Not only do Jon’s suggestions work, they are also
fun. For
example: in the section on "Giving Students a Say in the Classroom"
there are specific suggestions and reasons for dealing with a class
constitution, a classroom needs circle, student-chosen themes and
student recognition. Jon writes, “One of the synonyms for power
as Glasser defines it is 'recognition.' It feels good when we achieve
something; it also feels good when others recognize our achievements.”
Jon is sensitive to the difference between recognition and rewards
and praise. He provides a treasury of suggestions to help teachers
in what is usually a very difficult and demanding task. Besides
references and a good index Classroom of Choice also provides an
effective "Unit Planning Guide." The plan is easy to use
and easy to adapt. It is structured “… to appeal to the
five basic needs that provide the foundation for intrinsic motivation.”
Jon Erwin calls it the I – Five Approach. It is based on a
learning cycle that includes: an introduction phase, an instruction
phase, an integration phase, an implementation phase and, uniquely,
an involvement phase. The implementation phase deals with assessment,
coaching, application to the real world and evaluation. As
Jon writes, “The human learning cycle does not exist within
a vacuum. The fifth I , involvement, refers to the relationships
that surround the student as he is introduced to, gains, integrates,
and implements his new knowledge or skills. … trusting relationships
are essential to quality learning. Planning for involvement is a
way of enhancing trusting relationships.” The
"Unit Planning Guide" also provides a convenient grouping
of strategies with a quick reference guide for when they might be
most productively used. As well there is a guide for "Developing
And Maintaining Personal And Role Involvement" and "A
Five Unit Guide." I was
impressed with the scope and the thoroughness of "The Classroom
of Choice." It focuses on what is most important to teachers:
classroom management and student learning. If you know of anyone
who teaches or regularly presents workshops do him or her a favour—give
them this book. Jon Erwin now works as an independent educational consultant based in Corning, New York. He has a web site at www.jonerwin.com.
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OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS From: Linda Harshman, Executive Director of WGI |
Ed. Note: At a recent board meeting the issue of "standards" was raised by Maureen McIntosh, the Canadian Representative. A number of standards were discussed and Linda wanted in particular remind us of the following: - Role-play
is the core of our training and should be first modeled and then
facilitated in all of our training – intensive weeks, practica
and faculty programs.
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BASIC WEEK TRAINING In Reality Therapy, Choice Theory, and Lead Managment
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Rolf
Ahrens, Lucy Scott, Elaine Stoll will be teaching a "Basic
Week" on October 30, 31 and November 6,7, 2004
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| BASIC AND/OR ADVANCED SUPERVISION DATES |
Sept.
25/04, Oct. 23/04, Nov. 20/04, Jan. 22/05, Feb. 26/05, Mar. 26/05,
Apr. 23/05, May 28/05, Jun. 25/05
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| MINI CONFERENCE REGISTRATION |
Mini
Conference October 22, 2004 at University Hill Elementary School
Fees:
Please
send your name, address, and phone number, with a cheque payable
to W.G.A.B.C. to: |
