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Teaching Toward Solutions: A Solution Focused Guide to Improving Student Behaviour, Grades, Parental Support and Staff Morale »

Book cover image of Teaching Toward Solutions: A Solution Focused Guide to Improving Student Behaviour, Grades, Parental Support and Staff Morale by Linda Metcalf

Authors: Linda Metcalf, Ryan Metcalf
ISBN-13: 9781904424079, ISBN-10: 1904424074
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Crown House Publishing
Date Published: April 2003
Edition: (Non-applicable)

Author Biography: Linda Metcalf

Book Synopsis

Emphasizing the positive, this guide offers teachers advice on handling students with behavior and performance problems. Family therapist and former junior high teacher Linda Metcalf describes techniques and strategies for creating a motivational atmosphere, preventing behavior problems, meeting with resistant parents, dealing with mental health issues, discipline, and crafting opportunities for improvement. There is no index. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

	About This Resource	vii
Section 1	The Solution-Focused Classroom	1
	The Different Approach of the Solution-Focused Teacher	5
	How Solution-Focused Statements Motivate	6
	Developing Solution-Focused Strategies	9
	Making the Student the Expert Does Work!	12
	Guidelines for Using a Solution-Focused Approach in the School Setting	13
	Concluding Comments	33
Section 2	Creating Possibilities for Student Success Through Language	37
	Changing the Outcome by Changing the Conversation	38
	The Student-Teacher-Parent Relationship: The Most Powerful Tool of All	40
	Buying into the Freedom of Solution Talk	41
	Suggestions for Helping Students and Parents to Change Negative Assumptions	44
	What Is the Difference That Makes the Difference?	52
	Those Exceptional Times	55
	Externalizing Problems to Find the Way Out	57
	Additional Ways to Encourage Students to Defeat Their Problems	60
	Scaling Problems Down to Size	61
	Putting Exceptions to Work in the Solution-Focused Classroom	63
	Concluding Comments	63
Section 3	Working with the Challenging Student	67
	Retraining the Challenging Student	68
	A Personal Survey for Problem Solving	70
	Personal Skills That Work in the Classroom	72
	Developing Solutions to Classroom Dilemmas	75
	The End of Resistance	77
	The R.E.S.T. Will Follow	78
	Formula First Sessions Task	79
	Don't Be a Miss Caroline	81
	Just for Today, Reach One Student	84
	Brainstorming New Motivational Strategies	86
	On the Road to Understanding the Challenging Student	96
	Suggestions for Conducting Competency-Based Conversations	96
	Working with the Negative-Thinking Student	102
	Concluding Comments	103
Section 4	The Exceptional School Program: Changing Teacher-Student Relationships	109
	The Exceptional Educators	110
	A New Approach to Team Meetings	110
	Three Principles That Will Work for Your Students	111
	We Can't Wait Any Longer	112
	Learning to Cooperate with Students	113
	It's Just the Language That's Different	114
	Structure Can Be Freedom	114
	Student Referrals Are Opportunities for Collaboration	116
	Ideas to Remember While Developing Student Solutions	119
	Follow-Up to Reinforce!	120
	More Simple Interventions for Teachers	124
	Reversing the Pressure: Encouraging a Student to Influence Other Students	125
	Dealing with the Resistance Student	126
	Alternative School or Bust	129
	The Parent Conference: An Opportunity for Requesting Parental Cooperation	132
	Concluding Comments	134
Section 5	Working with the Academically Challenged Student	137
	Desperately Seeking the Yellow Brick Road	137
	The Multi-Learning Styles Classroom Has Arrived	139
	Finding the Expert Teacher Within	141
	Will It Be Metallica or Mozart with Your English Lesson?	142
	Changing Descriptions Can Change the Outcome	144
	Creating New Descriptions	144
	This Desk Is Not Off Limits!	146
	Succeeding at Reading Without the Wizard's Help	149
	What Can I Do When the Parents Are Not Interested in Helping?	161
	Vocational or Academic Programs? Designating the Path	161
	Concluding Comments	164
Section 6	Learning to Think Differently about the Student with a Diagnosis	167
	Understanding the Facts Behind the Diagnoses	168
	Thinking About the Diagnosis as Just Another Language	169
	Major Depressive Disorder--Understanding the Sadness	169
	Oppositional Defiant Disorder--When Kids Are Too Bold	171
	Attention Deficit Disorder--Redirecting the Energy	173
	Conduct Disorder and Antisocial Personality Disorder--When Kids Challenge Society	175
	Separation Anxiety and School Phobia--Sometimes It's Just So Hard to Leave	179
	Helping the Abused Student to Gently Step Out of the Story	181
	The Student Who Experiences the Loss of a Loved One	183
	The Student with a Learning Disability	185
	Brainstorming New Ideas	190
	Concluding Comments	192
Section 7	Disciplining to Promote Motivation	195
	The Solution-Focused Approach to Discipline	195
	The Meeting of the Minds	196
	It's Not Over Until It's Really Over	198
	The Reentry Without Reconciliation Rarely Works!	199
	Relationship-Building Questions for Teachers	199
	Suspending Suspension!	202
	Is This for Real?	202
	The Problem-Focused School in Comparison	203
	The Solution-Focused Discipline Guide Sheet	204
	Teaming Up to Change the System and a Student's Reputation	207
	Change the Student by Changing the System!	208
	Concluding Comments	209
Section 8	Teaching Social Competence in the Classroom	213
	Recognizing Social Competency in the Elementary School	214
	Who's the Most Responsible of Them All?	218
	Making Mentoring Moments Happen in Middle School	219
	Influencing the High School Student	221
	Helping the High School Student to Be Socially Competent	222
	Creating the Socially Competent Classroom	223
	Conflict Resolution, Solution-Focused Style	226
	Concluding Comments	226
Section 9	Creating the Solution-Focused School: Ideas for Administrators	229
	Creating the Vision	230
	The Solution-Focused Role Play	231
	Developing Trust in Your School	239
	Gaining Participation	240
	Teacher Evaluations	240
	Learn, Always Learn	241
	Cultivating Creativity	242
	Promoting Integrity	243
	Concluding Comments	244
	Appendix	245
	Reproducibles	247
	References	253