Teacher Effectiveness Training

Model (T.E.T.)
Thomas Gordon
Is it or Is it not?
Introduction
● Thomas Gordon, a student of Carl Rogers in the
humanistic field of Psychology.
● Recognized as the pioneer in teaching communication
skills and conflict resolution.
● Other models by Thomas Gordan include the Parent
Effectiveness Training and Leader Effectiveness Training.
1. Misbehaviour- an attempt to satisfy needs
● ACCEPT a student’s behaviour as an attempt to satisfy their needs INSTEAD
of categorising it as MISBEHAVIOUR
● Question- Is the student acting out because I am not responding to one of their
needs? Perhaps I’m not giving him/her enough attention?
● To identify why the misbehaviour is occurring:
○ Carefully and accurately listen to student messages
● Sometimes, students don’t make it clear to teachers as to how their needs are
not being met…
Continued..

● In this case, teachers are required to:

● Student
● Teacher
● student AND teacher
Student owned problems:
● Are of a personal or academic nature that cause upset to the student
● Common examples include:
○ Loss of a friend
○ Parent marital problems
○ Inability to complete assignments
● Student’s problems can have an emotional effect on the students’
psychological stability or a direct physical effect on their ability to complete
their work
Teacher owned problems:
● Anything that interferes with the ability to teach or the student’s ability to
learn
● Teachers can use this definition to decide who owns the problem
○ First step- ask the question is the situation interfering with my teacher or
students’ learning?
○ If YES, then it is a teacher owned problem
○ If NO, then it is a student owned problem, or a no-problem (neither
student nor teacher owns the problem)
To summarise:
Student owned problem: Are of a personal or academic nature that cause upset to
the student

Teacher owned problem: Anything that interferes with the ability to teach or the
student’s ability to learn
 ACTIVITY TIME!
http://www.online-stopwatch.com/countdown-clock/full-screen/
 3. Adopt Active Listening for student-owned
problems
- This is an important approach allows the student to solving
their own problems within a classroom environment.
- Through the communication process, verbal and nonverbal
cues are important as acknowledging responses.
- As a teacher, active listening is important as it invites
students feel welcomed and accepted even though they are
experiencing troubles.
- Students feel assured that their teachers have listened to
their own problems.
- Active Listening with students is important as it develops a
trustful and respectful relationship with the teacher.
Active Listening with Raymond
4. Sending Confronting I-messages
for teacher owned problems

- According to Edwards & Watts; “Teacher owned problems cannot be handled

1. Students throw their personal stationery around the classroom.

3. Students are urged to bully each other in order to see attention from the teacher.
4. Continuous student interruptions.
Teacher- Owned Problems
- Compared to student owned problems,
teacher-owned problems send a negative
message to their students.
- To monitor student behaviour, teachers use three
variables; the student, environment and
themselves.
- When dealing with teacher owned problems, a
three method step is required to solve the teacher
problem.
5. Shift Gears to Defuse Tense Situations
● What happens when I-messages don’t work?
○ May happen when students feel confronted or provoked by the I-messages and the thought of
having to change their unacceptable behaviour.
○ Sometimes students might not even care about what the teacher wants or feel.
● Shifting gears from sending confronting I-messages to an active listening
approach can:
○ Show a willingness to be sensitive and patient.
○ Cause an immediate reduction in student’s resistance.
6. Initiate Problem Solving
Define the Problem
● Problems cannot be solved until they are properly defined as either a student
or teacher problem.
● Defining the problem can be done through the use of I-message.
● Active listening is effective in defining the problem when it is a student owned
problem.
● Conflict of needs need to be expressed
○ Avoid competing solutions from teacher and student.
Generate Possible Solutions
● Should be done by both students and the teacher.
● Useful to write down the solutions for later evaluation and decision making.
● Always start with asking the student what they believe is the best solution.
● Teachers should not be hesitant to state their solutions and feelings in the
form of an I-message.
● Solutions should be justifiable with merit.
Evaluate, Decide and Implement
● Students and teachers together should evaluate each solution and decide on
the best one to implement.
● Frustration with problem solving usually arises when the group has failed to
determine who is to do what and when they are to do it.
● To avoid frustration teachers should
○ Ask students what they need to do to implement the solution
○ Define the standards for setting their plan in motion
○ Any problems encountered in the process can be used as topics for future discussion
Reflect
● After a solution has been implemented, further monitoring should take place.
● Students should evaluate the effects of their decisions
● This will eliminate poor problem solving and additional difficulties if proper
evaluation of the situation is used.
1.Develop effective teacher-student relationships
- Education is communication!
- Teacher must connect with learner = success
- Good relationships are essential if the students are to respect the needs of
the teacher and vise versa
- Teachers must refrain from solving student problems - in doing so students
will not learn to solve their own problems
- Encourage democracy where students have a voice → enhanced ownership
- Teaching based on openness, caring, independence, separateness and the
meeting of each other's needs
2. Keep open communication
- Good communication enhances interpersonal relationships thus enhancing
classroom management positively
- Open communication differs between cultures!
- Basics of open communication include using opening statements, keeping
and attentive posture and showing genuine interest
- Communication blocks:
1. Unnaceptance and trying to solve student issues
2. Judgments, evaluations or put-downs
3. Ungenuine positivity and non-equality
4. Questioning producing student defensiveness
3. Creating an Attractive Classroom
- In order to prevent student behavioural problems, the classroom environment
should be modified.
- The main focus is to change the classroom environment to optimise student
learning.
- Effective teachers would benefit their students if they focused on improving
the classroom environment instead of resolving behavioural issues.
- Lighting and ventilation are important determinants in influencing students’
attentiveness in the classroom.
- Other than the physical environment, students may be overstimulated. Hence,
teachers are encouraged to organise active activities for the students such as
role plays, debates and labs.
4. Utilise preventive I-messages
- Teachers use preventive I-messages when they wish to gain support from
their students.
- Preventive I-messages can be defined by Gordon as “messages used to alter
students’ behaviour in the future circumstances.”
- By stating this “I-messages”, students are able to understand the teacher’s
expectations.
- When teachers are providing students with these messages, they should not
be aggressive, authoritative or demanding.
Examples of Preventive I-messages
1. “I’d appreciate you begin thinking about what rules may be needed during our
Unit 4 Geography field trip to Northam this Friday so that if we any problems
arise, they can be prevented.”

2. “In your groups, you will need to decide what needs to be done in case
someone in the group is absent. This will prevent work being left not
completed and potentially impacting the final group mark”
 5. Reduce Reliance on Power
● Students need to strive to be autonomous.
○ From influence from parents and teachers.
● This can be achieved through the use of non power
methods to achieve discipline and promote learning.
○ Problem solving and conflict resolution through collaboration and
cooperation.
○ Replaces punishments, rewards, setting limits and ordering.
● Results in a mutually benefiting relationship.
The UNDA Big Music Kahoot Show
2. Peer Mediation
3. Abandoning You-Messaging
● You-messages are the opposite of I-messages
○ Convey unintentional judgement and blame onto the student
○ Accompanied by threatening body language and higher pitched voice.
● Often provoke a defensive or angry response from students
● The reduction of you-messages in will improve:
○ Teacher-student relationships
○ Student communication skills
● No blame approach to schools.
4. Implement class discussions
- Prevent conflict and maintain positive group relationships
- Two main uses of class discussion:
1. Rule setting discussion at the start of the year
2. Regular class meetings throughout the academic year
- Rules are an expression of expectations for behaviour and a means of
responding to change in society
- Rules are NOT to be used as a means of control and power but should be
used as a discussion prior to implementation so that all involved are clear on
the rationale for their existence
Conclusion
- Humanism → human beings are self-regulated
- Communication and conflict resolution
- Successful teachers foster self-regulation and positive student-teacher
relationships
- Praising and reassuring often leads to student avoidance of solving problems
- Corrective strategies
- Preventative strategies
- School wide strategies
References
● Edwards, C., & Watts, V. (2008). Classroom discipline & management (2nd
Australasian ed.). QLD: Wiley.