Motivating and Managing Difficult Students: A Discipline with Dignity Approach

Students who are hard to reach, uninterested, or disruptive can be tough to motivate and rarely respond well to traditional methods of discipline. In fact, methods like detention, suspension, removing privileges, and even rewards often make things worse. In this engaging webinar presented by Allen Mendler, coauthor of Discipline with Dignity, 4th Edition, we will look at how making simple changes in our own attitude and perception (such as viewing a "stubborn" student as "determined") can lead to major changes in the behavior and attitude of our difficult students. The goal is getting them to want to change their self-defeating attitudes and behavior, which can be accomplished by understanding and addressing their unfulfilled needs for attention, connection, competence, or control. The webinar will give an overview and examples of the keys to effective discipline and motivation and will focus on how to make your classroom a welcoming place that emphasizes the importance of

• Strong relationships that will last even when students try to "push your buttons."
• Defusing inappropriate behavior quickly and with dignity.
• Making yourself or the curriculum relevant.
• Students believing they are capable of being successful.
• Involving students in decisions that affect them, including consequences.
• Learning and using effective discipline's "DNA" to solve most problems.
• Having fun.