We have now covered what can be called “the basics” of behavioral theory as it applies to the Behavior is Language model. The information presented in this course is by no means an exhaustive study of behavioral theory. In fact it does not even begin to touch on many of the points or concepts that some theorists believe are cornerstones of behavioral theory. We could spend years reading the theories of Skinner, Glasser, Dinkmeyer, Adler, and Freud, and then years more putting these theories into practice in the classroom setting to see which was most effective for your classroom situation and population. If you have the time and would like to commit to such an exhaustive research project, the information you would learn could be extremely valuable and helpful with many students in various classroom settings.
The problem is that most of us do not have the time to spend on this kind of exhaustive research. If we did have the time, all the information in the world on behavioral theory will not guarantee that we will be more effective or “better” teachers armed with this abundance of information. Some of the most effective and highly regarded teachers throughout history had very little formal education. The most effective teachers have an ability to relate to their students. I want to say this again because it is what I believe is the most critical element of teaching. THE MOST EFFECTIVE TEACHERS HAVE THE ABILITY TO RELATE TO THEIR STUDENTS! This does not mean that we as teachers should try to become best friends with our students, or relax our education or discipline standards. Nor does it mean that we should work to get our students to like us. Believe it or not, we were all children, teenagers, high school, and college students. Our experiences, thought processes, beliefs, dreams, goals, likes, and dislikes were far different then than they are now. Good teachers remember these times and have an ability to draw from these experiences to help them understand their students and interact (talk, listen, understand, teach, intervene, discipline) students in a more respectful and effective manner.
Behavior is Language uses a golfing metaphor to illustrate what it takes to be an effective teacher. We must have a generous amount of knowledge, an expansive set of intervention strategies, and the ability to know which strategies should be used in which situations with which students.
Good parents will tell you that no matter how hard they try, it is impossible to treat each of their children the same, using the same logic, communication, and discipline. Children, even mentally healthy children, have different personalities that require different strategies to help them grow to be healthy, successful adults. A good parent’s relationship is different with each of his/her children. This is not to say that one relationship is better than another; it is just different because the child is a different individual.
Now, when we as teachers start trying to work with other parents’ children, some of those having experiences, thoughts, behaviors, and environments that are classified as dysfunctional, and theorists such as myself are trying to tell teachers the best and worst way to deal with students, while the administrators are expecting us to control our classrooms, parents are expecting us to “fix” and/or teach their child, and we place our own pressures and expectations on our own teaching performance--it’s no wonder so many of us burn out after a few short years. Anyone who says teaching is a piece of cake job has never taught!
This course is not designed to give us as teachers the belief we know all there is to know about behavioral theory or the absolute definitive answers as to the best practices for remediating behavior. What this series was designed to do is to give a firm understanding of some behavioral principles and some intervention strategies that have proven to be effective with dysfunctional students, if used correctly, with the right student, in the right intervention situation. Knowing the right club to use with the right student in the right situation, or knowing which debrief question to ask or which line (support or discipline) to follow when debriefing, is the real key. I’m not going to sit here and say that if you follow the teachings in this course you will be 100% successful with all students in all situations.
Heck, you may follow the teachings in the course and find yourself being less successful than you were before you took this course! Lord knows I was a better golfer with my old clubs than I was the first year with my new ones, because I knew my old clubs. They were familiar and I knew what to expect from each. But as I learned how to use my new clubs, I became a far better golfer. So it should go with the BIL program. You may find yourself cursing this program after your first or second attempt at using some of the strategies. Don’t make the mistake of throwing the program out because of a few failed experiments. Learning anything new and becoming successful at its use takes time. Give this program time and you will be happy with the results!