A Study Guide for Inspiring the Best in Students

Most of the questions contained in this study guide are ones you can think about on your own, but you might consider pairing with a colleague or forming a study group with others who have read (or are reading) Inspiring the Best in Students.

Chapter 1: Inspiring the Best

1. List and discuss some of the successes you have experienced in your life: academic, personal, relational, and professional. What personal traits have enabled you to achieve these successes? Which of these traits might students need to be academically successful and successful later in life?
2. What does Chapter 1 cite that indicates a need for character education or social-emotional learning (SEL)? What personal experiences have you had that suggest to you that students need SEL?
3. What are the five dimensions of the whole child? What dimensions does public education address? What does ASCD's Learning Compact Redefined recommend in terms of addressing the other dimensions?
4. What, in your words, is SEL?
5. What does the research say about SEL?
6. What are the characteristics of an effective SEL program?
7. How does this book's approach align with the characteristics of effective SEL programs?

Chapter 2: A World of Choices

1. What fundamental truths do students need to understand before we can inspire the best in them?
2. What are some of the kinds of adversity students experience? What kinds of influences?
3. In what two general ways do people respond to adversity and influence?
4. How might teachers use the Inside-Outside Circle to meet the objectives of this chapter? The Class Meeting?
5. Do The Fist activity with a partner. What can students learn from The Fist?
6. Who are some famous people who have overcome adversity? What can students learn from them?
7. In what ways might you integrate the concepts in this chapter with your curriculum?
8. How might you help students see the "WIIFM" of SEL?
9. Explain the concept of the head, the heart, and the hand. What are the implications of this concept for inspiring the best in students?

Chapter 3: Intrinsic Motivation and the Five Basic Human Needs

1. Who are some of the well-known theorists in the field of internal control psychology? In what areas is there significant agreement among them?
2. What is the rationale for using Glasser's Choice Theory as the foundation of Inspiring the Best in Students?
3. What does the author mean when he states that "all behavior is purposeful?"
4. What are the five basic human needs according to Choice Theory?
5. What are the components of the survival need?
6. How does the psychological need for love and belonging relate to our physiological need for survival?
7. The word "power" often has negative connotations. How does Choice Theory define the power need in a more positive way? What are the three categories of power?
8. What are the two categories under the freedom need?
9. What research suggests that fun is in fact a basic need?
10. What are the characteristics of the basic human needs?
11. How does the author define effective behavior? How does he define Responsible behavior?
12. What are some irresponsible ways in which students attempt to meet their basic needs at school?
13. According to the author, how can we dramatically reduce irresponsible behavior in school?
14. Discuss the ways in which the author suggests teaching the basic human needs to students.
15. What are some ways you can integrate the concepts in this chapter into the curriculum?

Chapter 4: The Internal Profile

1. What is the internal profile?
2. What benefits might students gain from learning about the internal profile?
3. How does the author recommend teaching students about the internal profile?
4. How might teachers integrate the concept of the internal profile into the curriculum?
5. How can a deeper understanding of themselves and others based on the concepts in this chapter positively impact students lives in school and later in life?

Chapter 5: A World of Perceptions

1. Why does the author say that a student world of perceptions is critical to his or her success or failure?
2. What are other benefits of students learning about the concept of perceptions?
3. Discuss the Perceptions Traffic Light activity. What important learning can result from engaging students in this activity?
4. What other teaching strategies does the author recommend?
5. How might teachers integrate the concept of perceptions into the curriculum?

Chapter 6: The Concept of Total Behavior, or Driving Your Behavioral Car

1. What does the author mean by the term total behavior?
2. Why does the metaphor of the behavioral car work? What are the similarities between human beings and cars?
3. Discuss the Think Red activity. What do students learn from this activity?
4. How does the Traffic Circle activity work? What do students learn from the Traffic Circle?
5. How can students benefit from the Tune-Up? The Trade-In?
6. How might students learning the concept of total behavior benefit them personally? How might it impact the school or classroom?
7. How might teachers integrate the behavioral car into classroom management? Into the curriculum?
8. How might teachers benefit personally from learning and teaching about total behavior?

Chapter 7: The Process for Positive Change: Creating the Vision, Reflecting, Self-Evaluating, and Planning

1. Explain the concept of the Comparing Place.
2. Explain the optimum emotional environment for the implementation of the Process for Positive Change (PPC).
3. Explain the process in terms of Radio Station WDEP.
4. What are some developmental issues to keep in mind when using the PPC with younger students?
5. What are the characteristics of an effective plan?
6. Some are some of the varied contexts in which the PPC might be employed?
7. What aspects of the PPC stood out for you?
8. Role-play with a partner a fictitious situation at school that the PPC might help address, such as a student not being academically successful or disrupting class on a regular basis. Use the process, and then discuss how close the helper kept to the process and what he or she learned from the role play. Then, switch roles and repeat.
9. Describe the strategies the author recommends for teaching students the PPC: direct instruction, journal reflection, The Art of Listening, the class meeting, and role-playing.
10. How might teachers integrate the PPC into their classroom practices?
11. What might be the benefits for teachers learning and using the PPC? For students?

Chapter 8: Essential Social Skills

1. According to the book, why should teachers teach social skills? What is your opinion?
2. Discuss both why and how the author recommends teaching the following:
   • Everyday manners
   • Identifying emotions in self and others (including nonverbal cues: facial expression, proximity, body language, tone of voice)
   • Empathy
   • Listening
   • Assertiveness (in contrast to passivity and aggression)
   • Specific social skills:
     • Shaking hands & greeting others
     • Introducing oneself and others
     • Interrupting appropriately
     • Respectfully disagreeing
     • Following instructions
     • Taking "no" for an answer and accepting other non-negotiable decisions of authorities
3. What other social skills do your students need? How might you engage them in learning those skills?
4. How might the concepts and skills in this chapter be integrated into the curriculum?

Chapter 9: Creating and Sustaining the Inspiration

1. Discuss the five criteria that will increase student engagement and learning.
2. What resources do you need to begin SEL in your school or classroom?
3. What four criteria (not addressed in detail in this book) ensure the success of an SEL program?
4. How might your school address those four criteria?

Inspiring the Best in Students was written by Jonathan C. Erwin. This 207-page, 6" x 9" book (Stock #110006; ISBN-13: 978-1-4166-0979-7) is available from ASCD for $19.95 (ASCD member) or $25.95 (nonmember). Copyright © 2010 by ASCD. To order a copy, call ASCD at 1-800-933-2723 (in Virginia 1-703-578-9600) and press 2 for the Service Center. Or buy the book from ASCD's Online Store.