Acceptance - teacher leadership_Phelps

Acceptance in The Classroom:

Acceptance in The Classroom How teachers should use it unconditionally to become teacher-leaders By Timothy Phelps April 9, 2010

Different Types of Acceptance Shown To Students by Teachers:

Different Types of Acceptance Shown To Students by Teachers Conditional Acceptance and Its Effects Performance-Based Acceptance Obedience-Based Acceptance Unconditional Acceptance

Conditional Acceptance & Its Effects:

Conditional Acceptance & Its Effects This is present when one or some students matter more to a teacher than others This can be debilitating as it can drop a child’s self-esteem, especially if it is contingent on something Students experiencing conditional acceptance is less likely to rebound from some type of failure Students can see this from parents and/or teachers

Performance-Based Acceptance:

Performance-Based Acceptance This occurs in the classroom when a student is accepted based on his/her intelligence, grades, and/or courses taken Teachers should not just praise the best or brightest students who meet their high expectations For example, a teacher should not use “You’re the best!” or anything similar All students should be taught the same

Obedience-Based Acceptance:

Obedience-Based Acceptance This deals with students being accepted if they behave properly Too often, students are characterized by their behavior Teachers should work with a student’s behavior Misbehaving students act out to try to prove that they are not liked

Unconditional Acceptance :

Unconditional Acceptance This should be the goal of all teachers and a true sign of a teacher-leader No preferential treatment is ever shown to anyone Avoids the creation of a “false self” in students Accomplishment should not be celebrated All students should be communicated with equally; i.e. students who misbehave should not be shunned

Unconditional Teaching:

Unconditional Teaching This is an attribute of a teacher-leader This will prevent schools from becoming “test factories” Students should be accepted for who they are – not for what they should do Students should be unconditionally accepted and taught to – even when they fall short of expectations Shows signs of trust and support from the Autonomy part of REACH model Also displays ethical modeling as part of Honor

Sources:

Sources Kohn, Alfie . Unconditional Teaching. Published in Educational Leadership, September 2005. Retrieved April 5, 2010 at http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/uncondtchg.htm Meredith, Eunice M. Leadership Strategies for Teachers, 2 nd edition. Corwin Press, Thousand Oaks, CA, 2007.