Giving Kids What They Need

Dec 21, 2011 Posted by Bob Sullo In Featured, Gurus, Intro to Choice Theory Tagged choice theory, learning Comments 1

The holiday season is upon us and kids everywhere are telling parents what they want. For a moment, let’s focus on what your kids truly need to be happy. It won’t cost you a dime. It only requires time and effort to raise your kids to be happy, responsible, and productive.

Here are the things your kids really need:

• Love & Belonging. Every child needs to be loved and to develop a strong sense of connection within the family. Make sure your home is a place where every family member feels loved and connected, not only during the holiday season, but throughout the year. You undoubtedly love your kids. Do you regularly show them how much they mean to you?
• Power & Competence. Everyone wants to feel successful. Help your kids develop competence. Kids who don’t feel competent and successful are more likely to engage in power struggles with you or be mean, especially to younger siblings. Kids gain power and competence by …

Choice Theory

Jul 23, 2011 Posted by Bob Sullo In Educators, Intro to Choice Theory, Kids, Parents Tagged choice theory, control theory Comments 8

What is Choice Theory? Developed by psychiatrist William Glasser, Choice Theory states we are motivated by a never-ending quest to satisfy the following 5 basic needs woven into our genes: to love and belong, to be powerful, to be free, to have fun and to survive.

Behavior is Chosen

Choice theory contends that we are internally motivated, not externally motivated by rewards and punishment.

Originally called “control theory,” Glasser switched to “choice theory” in 1996 to emphasize that virtually all behavior is chosen .

…

Beyond Goals: Creating An Inspiring Classroom

Apr 15, 2011 Posted by Bob Sullo In Educators, Gurus, Intro to Choice Theory, Kids Tagged choice theory, internal motivation, teaching strategy Comments 2

inspiring classroom creation

As teachers head back to school for another year, most have developed goals for the coming school year. Virtually every expert champions the importance of establishing clear, specific goals if you want to be successful. In my experience, goals are necessary but not sufficient to create an inspiring classroom.

Sure, goals are essential. Teachers need to know where they want to go in order to select the best strategies to get there. And goals work just fine when you are operating in isolation. For example, if I decide I need to lose weight, setting a goal of dropping five pounds helps me stay focused, eat well, exercise, and get where I want to be. The same applies if my goal is to secure my credentials to be a building level administrator. I can now search for accredited graduate programs and take steps to achieve what I want.

…

A Sense of Purpose

Apr 15, 2011 Posted by Bob Sullo In Educators, Gurus, Intro to Choice Theory, Kids, Parents Tagged choice theory Comments 1

My wife and I recently spent some time in Sedona, Arizona, one of our favorite places. As part of our timeshare experience, we agreed to listen to the sales pitch. Near the end of the presentation, the salesperson said, “I want you to imagine that you didn’t have to worry about going to work. You were completely free. Isn’t that a wonderful feeling? Wouldn’t you want to have more vacation time? No worries. Just vacation. All the time.”

At that moment, I just wanted the presentation to be over and didn’t think our salesperson was especially interested in a serious answer. She posed it as an innocuous question with an obvious answer. I took at as invitation to really reflect about what I value. I just smiled and feigned agreement.

…

Control Theory

Apr 14, 2011 Posted by On Purpose Associates In Educators, Intro to Choice Theory, Kids Tagged choice theory, control theory Comments 4

Control Theory is the theory of motivation proposed by William Glasser and it contends that behavior is never caused by a response to an outside stimulus. Instead, the control theory states that behavior is inspired by what a person wants most at any given time: survival, love, power, freedom, or any other basic human need.

Discussion

Responding to complaints that today’s students are “unmotivated,” Glasser attests that all living creatures “control” their behavior to maximize their need satisfaction. According to Glasser, if students are not motivated to do their schoolwork, it’s because they view schoolwork as irrelevant to their basic human needs.

…

Review Category : Intro to Choice Theory

Behavior is Chosen

Discussion