Compulsive Behavior

It is fascinating to me to observe compulsive, nearly obsessive behavior in secondary students. They have uncontrollable urges to finish that text message, complete that tag on a desk, get that note passed across the room. What if we could take that same behavior and apply it toward homework completion or in-class involvement, or how about graduating from high school?

There is an energy in adolescents, that if tapped could power a city the size of Los Angeles from now until eternity. So what's the behavior issue? What's the difficulty in re-directing that energy before it becomes a classroom management nightmare? Let's look at some of the things adolescents are willing to invest their energy in. Finishing that text message, completing that tag on a desk, getting that note passed across the room are the three examples that came to mind immediately when I started this posting. What do they all have in common?

That's right, texting, tagging, and note passing are all about "communicating". If humans are anything, we are compulsive communicators (it's a DNA thing, real important for survivial). We hit the peak of our compulsive communication during our adolescence. Hmm, what could we as teachers do to insure a heightened level of student communication in the classroom and even in homework assignments?

If we are willing to tap into the behaviors that come so naturally and get what we want out of them, classroom management challenges would all but disapate. Imagine not having to get students to stop talking, writing, or even texting (oh yeah, I think we should use cell phones to our advantage in the classroom). Think creatively, you're a modern teacher, you can do this.

Communication is big, real big—hey, we're blogging, right?

Until next time,

Stef