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Empowered Teaching changes student behavior through group dynamics. It is important to measure changes in both the individual and the entire class. The results of this study, conducted in November of 1994 through January of 1995, were collected from volunteer participants in North Carolina, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington and California. Teachers from elementary through high school were asked to identify a target student. Before the training began, they rated a target student and the class of that student on a scale of 1 to 10, (with 10 being desirable). The four characteristics measured were peer relationships, effort, on-task behavior, and talk-out behavior. The scores were collected six to ten weeks after their Empowered Teaching training, the same teachers supplied the post student and class ratings.
All grade levels- elementary, middle and high school- showed significant gains. The greatest gains were made in on-task behavior for both the target student and the entire class. This is promising because on-task behavior is predictive of other behaviors.
Students come to school to see their friends. Having friends is extremely important. They will do what ever behaviors are necessary to get and keep friends. This set of behaviors they perceive as necessary to have friends are the norms. Empowered Teaching is unique because it changes the target student’s behavior and the classroom norms simultaneously.
That is why it improves behavior by up to 80%. Norms determine the vast majority of all the behavior in a classroom, but they are often in conflict with the teacher’s classroom rules. Empowered Teaching enables teachers to change negative norms to positive norms. Thus, students no longer have to choose between having friends and following rules.
Our program is unique because it is the only system that I know of that changes the group norms. I'm sure your program would want to have as much as 80% improvement in behavior such as talk out and on-task behavior after just a few weeks of classroom use. Hard to believe I know: but it is true because true change occurs when we empower not overpower.
This means that we are literally able to change what students/residents decide is "cool" so they don't have to choose between having friends and being socially and or academically functional. (This comes from Family Systems Theory applied to the classroom.) Many teens are in the position of having to choose friends over success. It is a rare day when a student will give up friends to be successful.
Does this sound like your Troubled Student?
Impulsive Alex - "What did you say to do?" - Out of seat, talk-out, off-task.
Powerful Patty - "You can’t make me!" - Oppositional, rebellious.
Danny Denial - "I don’t care anyway." - Denies he/she is misbehaving.
Discouraged David - "No one likes me, I’m getting even." - Has few friends, poor social skills.
