2 very good articles - commuter requirements

NYTimes Magazine, Sep18, 2011. “The Character Test”, by Paul Tough.
I chose this cover story as a “behavior management” example because of the subtitle: Why our kids’ success-and happiness-may depend less on perfect performance than on learning how to deal with failure.” Behavior management was specifically cited in an example of a young person lying about gum-chewing and the response that was related to character (not rule-breaking), and impacted her behavior.
This was a very interesting read. The article focusses on the experiences of two headmaster/principals, Dominic Randolf at NY’s Riverdale Country School and Levin at a NYC public school. Each was dissatified with the success criteria (SAT scores, etc) at their schools. Levin noticed that the kids who succeeded at completing 4yr degrees after highschool had exceptional character strengths, like, optimism, persistence and social intelligence. Randolf read Martin Seligman’s Learned Optimism in 2005 and thought there was something he could use there for his school. Each went to see Seligman and now use Seligman and Peterson’s more recent work: Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification.
“The Science of Good Character” described in the article includes 24 traits, like: bravery, citizenship, fairness, wisdom, integrity, love, humor, zest, appreciation of beauty, social intelligence, kindness, self-regulation and gratitude. The article describes how Randolf, at his top-tier prep school, has eliminated things like AP classes in favor of focus on character evaluation and building. There are a variety of character “tests” used, including a 12 question “GRIT test” and a “Character Report Card”. Angela Duckworth, in her PhD work on the subject, says: “The problem, I think, is not only the schools but the students themselves. Here’s why: learning is hard. True, learning is fun, exhilerating and gratifying – but it is also …” tough. Her research showed self-control is the critical characteristic, not intellect, for success.

“Behaviour Management: Getting to the Bottom of Social Skills Deficits,” by Judith Osgood Smith, 1995
http://www.ldonline.org/article/6165/

This article essentially sees most behaviour issues as learning disabilities. The article describes the “social skill deficits” as either skill-based or performance-based. I appreciated the way it broke down a behaviour as a result of a variety of causes. I also see that relating behavior to social/interpersonal skills has me look at the child in a different way.
From the article:
Hazel, Schumaker, Sherman, and SheldonWildgen (1981) listed eight fundamental social skills which can be taught through direct instruction:
1. Giving positive feedback (e.g., thanking and giving compliments),
2. Giving negative feedback (e.g., giving criticism or correction),
3. Accepting negative feedback without hostility or inappropriate reactions,
4. Resisting peer pressure to participate in delinquent behavior,
5. Solving personal problems,
6. Negotiating mutually acceptable solutions to problems,
7. Following instructions, and
8. Initiating and maintaining a conversation.

The article gives a 9-step method to teach these skills. I can see that the absence of any of these would interfere with a person’s ability to learn and be engaged. But I see that I , and probably many, are more likely to value the acadamic knowledge more highly, so we don’t actively teach these.
In addition to the skills above, the article also focuses on performance-based deficits. This would include the “behaviors” where someone knows the skill but is not doing it. Here, the discussion is broken down into defecits in motivation, discrimination or self-control. Discrimination was particularly interesting. This was concerned with a person’s inability to tell whether what they were doing was acceptable, based on social cues. Methods to recognize and work to minimize the defecits was included.
I found the article interesting and useful.We know that there is a huge difference in the “social intelligence” of both children and adults. Remembering this, and it’s effect on behavior, is really important. The articles concise guides for improvement seemed valuable. I was reminded of an interview I heard years ago on NPR, related to teaching autistic children, with very limited social intelligence. The teachers gave the autistic children one instruction when joining a conversation. The instruction was that, whatever was said by the other person, they were to ask a question about it. The effect was to create engagement. I use this myself when I recognize my “social intelligence” slipping.