Avoid the “If-Then” Trap
We want students to be more than compliant, don’t we? In addition to doing the right things, we want them to do so for the right reasons. We want students to pick up trash to keep the room clean, to be kind to others because it makes them feel good, and to complete work on time to be responsible.
Yet one of the most prevalent language habits in schools is the “if-then” language of the promise of rewards or the threat of consequences. We accidentally send low-level moral reasoning for doing good when we rely on “if-then” language. So what should we say instead?
In this article, published in June 2019 in Education Update, I offer some suggestions! Click on the link below to read the article.
