('First set up good states in yourself and the kids. And be ver yspecific. Not just happy or quiet but. thoughtful, creative, enthusiastic etc and anchor them. then you can get back to these states whenever you need them.You can do this spacially or auditorily with music.')i

I was watching a video of myself today(easy) delivering some management training last week.

The first thing I noticed was how I changed positions in the room depending on the style of training. When I was being quite directive telling I would take a position near the flipchart. When I wanted to encourage discussion I consistantly took up a different position where i was almost joining the group.

When I was in the telling/directive position everybody just listened which is the outcome I wanted. As soon as i moved the collaborative/discussion position people instantly started to contribute.

I wasn't consciously doing this. Is this what you mean by anchoring them spacially?

Thanks

L

Hi everyone,
I've been reading your suggestions with ...greediness and it seems things are beginning to look up at school !! One thing I realized after reading your lines (and after spending a few nights pondering on the subject) is that (first)b I've got to build a relationship with the kids and then worry about whether they're learning anything or not. It's going to take a little while but I don't see any other alternative. Another thing that dawned on me is that with groups of kids who need to stand up, move about, flirt, talk etc etc I ought to lower my expectations of them otherwise I'm not being realistic. (I hope I don't sound like I'm trying to avoid work). So I've embarked on some "humanistic" activities (my teachers at the British Council used to to call them like this) and I find that they're responding (at least a great number of them) and I get more relaxed with them.
Now because English isn't my mother tongue and I'm not familiar with NLP jargon I have a couple of questions to ask:
1. What is "to anchor"? How can I anchor my students?
2. Kate, what do you mean by "hot spot" exactly? What happens in this specific place in the classroom?
3. Last but not least: Why don't you guys come to run your courses in Greece? I see there are courses practically everywhere in the world except Greece! [img]icons/icon5.gif[/img]
Just consider it and let me know...
Wow, it's been so challenging since I visited this forum!!
Chrissy

Hello Chrissy and Lenny
Lenny Yes if you use a space exclusively for one activity and stick with the same state, energy, voice tone for a particular activity you will automatically establish anchors with the group. we do this all the time both personally and in training but not often systematically. Its great you noticed yourself doing this. When you get really clever at this you can even collapse anchors this way. I had a guy in a group once who was giving me a really hard time. So I anchored his state to a particular place in the room and to me. I then used some artful language to push the experience into the past and took my jacket off and through it away - moved space and he fell into a rather deep trance! When he finally spoke again he was really nice and co-operative. I learnt to do this out of desperation! necessity is the mother of invention!
Chrissy
An anchor is established when someone associates and internatl response with an external trigger which can be either visual auditory, kinesthetic or spacial ( which is really visual) Its similar to classic conditioning only it can be established instantly. Teh power of this is that you can get back to the response very quickly.
A hopt spot is a type of anchor. This is where if you have to tell the kids off and make them feel contrite you do it from the same space. Thsi means that after a few goes they just start to respond without you saying anything and you save loads of voice and energy
Lastly set up a course with a group of people in Greece and I will be there!

I think you are absolutely right - the relationship with the children is the most important thing. Lots of teachers talk as if its a battle field out there - well it isn't - what the kids want is someone who makes them feel good and likes them and praises them for what they are doing right. Much the same as for the rest of us! Its not about lowering your standards - when you have good rapport and get along with the kids - teach them how to learn and then the whole thing speeds up. It may take a while but you are still doing something that is very worthwhile. Keep up the good work - invest in your future - teach the kids well!
Kate

Chrissy , you might find that some of the one's who move about, chat , flirt etc , might turn out to be your star pupils. They are living up to their self image......give them their self-image....but restrict it to when , you want it to happen.....end of lesson....beiginning of lesson etc !

Give them 2 minutes.....and tell them you are .....and they might give you 28 , 43, or 58 mins.....depending on your Lesson times !

revolutionary , I know.....but !!??

I run workshops for teachers on
(Creating Learning Environments)i and
(One-to-One Behaviour Change)i.

Some of the suggestions about are excellent and will certainly add to my own repertoire! Many thanks.

Two things that are often over-looked air and water!

Dehydration is deadly for concentration, learning, processing and retrieving information - so making sure that learners drink some water, regularly in small quantities would be good.

As would coaching people in how to take deep, slow and mindful breaths, along with a clear explanation of how proper / deep breathing feeds the brain and serves them well.

Starting lessons with students sitting back to back, maybe on the floor, or sideways on chairs so that their backs (students not chairs) are touching, then breathing until each pair is breathing in harmony, will generate a good energy and a resourceful state for most of the group. [Suitable music, too?].

If most of the group are relaxed and resourceful, they can be allocated tasks that enable the teacher to leave them while s/he spends time with those who, for whatever reasons, are not abe to relax (yet).

Of course, this exercise can be preceded by actitivites that help to 'discharge' blocked energy - shouting matches work quite well, though nearby colleagues or classrooms mght need to ne alerted - and might well complain anyway!

Syncronicity perhaps...

Have literally just finished writing an article for my website where the conclusion suggests we all have something to learn from our favourite teachers of yesteryear... and then I log-on to NLPConnections and find this thread!

It is intriguing to note how much, if not all, of what has been discussed in this thread can be applied to other settings including business, whether as a group or in a one-to-one situation.

In fact, it is interesting to suggest the learning/teaching process is continuous (if you let it be) and at some point today all of us will have the opportunity to be the 'teacher' even if we are not an education or training professional.

The question is whether we are going to be accommodating of the knowledge and state of the person we are with...

(Perhaps this is a little off-track when considering this thread, it just seemed curiously spooky to write an article and then immediately come across this thread!) [img]icons/icon1.gif[/img]

(If you are interested, the article in question can be accessed at)i http://www.enhance.biz/cgi-bin/news/...i?news=3&num=8 - (All comments are most welcome!)i

A tactic I always remember as being very effective from my time at school was when we were split into groups - by row, or table groups. And then given the opportunity to compete. Each group can gain or lose points based on their behaviour / work, and at set periods (such as the end of term) the points are totted up and the winners get a prize (we were usually given chocolate). The effect of this is that the disruptive children are put under pressure from their peers to conform (much more powerful than the pressure from you) and if they do not then a smaller number of children miss out as a result (only one group and not the whole class) also for those unfortunate to have a disruptive person in their group they have the choice of working harder to pull back the lost points which could lead to some children achieving more than they would have otherwise done, and in fact you could also offer an extra prize to the pupil who has individually achieved the most.

Best wishes and let us know what works

and I forgot to say in my last post - i would avoid singling out disruptive children in front of the class, unless absolutely necessary as this usually increases their notoriety and encourages them. Personally I was the class star at 15 and voted form captain for suceeding in being thrown out of a french class, I was considered well cool - personally I was embarressed, felt it was all very unjust and spent the rest of the year believing the teacher hated me (which she didn't - luckily I got over it and got on just fine with her the following year - she was our form tutor as well as french teacher :S

There is some great advice and all has great merits.

From my experience (3 years inner city Primary, 3 years FE and now a Blended Learning Developer), ensure the well behaved students in your lesson experience an amazing and inspirational place, all in the group are welcome to come along to this place if they choose to. Kids love being entertained and if it is worth putting the effort in then they will. A few whose brains have other agendas will always try and drag you down and in such a poor teacher/learner ratio you do well to survive the day. Don't compromise the whole groups education for a few or you will become a crowd control technical and not a teacher. Set and expect high standards and believe one day you will succeed.

Positive discipline all the way, teaching by fear or threats of "do this or I will make sure you have a bad time" just reinforces their initial bad behaviour and model of life. Teaching through bullying is cowardly and too popular is schools. A sign of a weak teacher who can't engage on a positive level.

You sound like a good teacher, a great tool I leant (and now enhance it with NLP techniques) is to create a character for your teaching persona. Make sure the person who is stood in front of the kids on Tuesday morning is not the one who spent the weekend drinking, smoking, swearing and partying. She is an angelic learning enthusiast who loves each student and takes on all their problems. When the bell rings at the end of the day you can drive off Tequila in one hand and a joint in the other and know the 2 will never share the same space or personality doubts!

I love the prospect of controlling a group through a reputation- I wonder what the ultimate reputation would be to motivate students across the curriculum?

Constant fear of unprovoked attack? Having a unstable mental balance? you once ate a child? I co-wrote a song with Eminem?

would love to hear others thoughts!

Tee Hee Matt
One problem with the carefully developed persona is older brothers and sisters! So there you are enjoying a quiet night of drunkeness in the pub and a spotty youth says hey you're my sisters teacher - Monday morning cover blown. Probably best just to be upfront in the first place Develop a reputation for being fun fantastic ( if a little excentric and drunk) best teacher ever. then they forgive your foibles.
Kate

So, rather than pretend to be nice, actually be nice? Thats some radical thinking there Kate!

thanks for the reply,

Matt

gosh now theres a thing - nice teachers heaven forbid!