{"id":985,"date":"2014-03-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-09T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thecornerstone.wpengine.com\/a-bright-idea-for-breaking-the-nagging-cycle\/"},"modified":"2021-11-11T20:36:08","modified_gmt":"2021-11-12T00:36:08","slug":"a-bright-idea-for-breaking-the-nagging-cycle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/truthforteachers.com\/a-bright-idea-for-breaking-the-nagging-cycle\/","title":{"rendered":"A bright idea for breaking the nagging cycle"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"breaking-the-cycle-of-nagging\"<\/p>\n

Every teacher has fallen into the trap of repeating directions we\u2019ve given a million times. Kids already know what they should be doing, so they tune us out. We say it again, they ignore it again. And we go home at the end of the day exhausted because we\u2019ve spent our time trying to control kids\u2019 behavior instead of equipping them to exercise self-control.<\/p>\n

One of the simplest tricks I\u2019ve learned for breaking this cycle is to give students<\/em> the responsibility for solving the problem. I try to ask questions that require the child to think about what she or he is doing and determine a more appropriate behavior:<\/p>\n

\"breaking-the-nagging-cycle\"<\/p>\n

What should you be doing right now?<\/em> is my absolute favorite and it works in just about any situation. Usually when I ask these types of questions, students will pause, think, and then self-correct without any problems. It works well because I haven\u2019t given a command for kids to rebel against: they haven\u2019t had to give in because they were never told what to do. Students determine the solution and choose a different behavior, and instead of wearing us both down with more nagging, I get to say something positive and encouraging:<\/p>\n

Exactly.<\/em> Thank you for fixing that.<\/em> Good choice.<\/em> I knew you would figure out the right thing to do.<\/em> You got it.<\/em> Yes.<\/em><\/p>\n

Of course, not all questions inspire self-reliance and problem solving. Many times we ask \u201cwhy\u201d questions that are really commands in disguise. I can\u2019t count the number of times I\u2019ve asked students, Why do I hear talking<\/em>? when I really mean Stop that right now!<\/em> In those moments, I\u2019ve already decided there\u2019s no good reason for anyone to be talking, so I don\u2019t really want to hear what\u2019s causing it or get into a debate with the kids about whether the talking is justified. So, I try to replace those unproductive \u201cwhy\u201d questions with questions that inspire constructive responses from students and help them think about their behavioral choices:<\/p>\n

\"replacing-ineffective-questions-with-ones-that-help-students-problem-solve-850x203\"<\/p>\n

I hope you find these tips helpful with your own students! I\u2019d love to hear how you break the nagging cycle in your classroom, or if you\u2019ve discovered other questioning techniques that help students reflect on their choices. Please share in the comments below.<\/p>\n

\"bright-ideas-blog-hop-download-free-practical-classroom-solutions\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019m excited to pass on a ton of other great tips for you today: this post is part of a new monthly blog hop called Bright Ideas. Nearly 200 educators have created blog posts that are completely free of products, freebies, or downloads of any kind. <\/strong>In this series, we\u2019re sharing only the \u201cbright ideas\u201d that have worked in our classrooms.<\/p>\n

\"button2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The blog hop is divided into grades K-2 and grades 3 and up,\u00a0though many of the ideas (like the one I\u2019ve shared) work for any grade level.\u00a0Next up on the grades 3 and up blog hop is Christina Marie from Apples, Books, and Crayons. She\u2019s sharing her ideas for student desk organization<\/a>. If you don\u2019t want to go in order and click through all the posts,\u00a0you can search by topic using the link-ups below and skip to any other blog in the hop. Enjoy!<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
An InLinkz Link-up<\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n

Click here to see the 130+ posts in the Grades K-2 Bright Ideas Blog Hop!<\/a><\/p>\n

\"K-2<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n