One of the best gifts a teacher can provide for his students is the gift of “choice.” I believe that choices provide such a wonderful anchor for helping students build self-regulation skills, inner confidence, and the long life skill of self-evaluation.

Why do I believe this? It is simply because of the amazing work Dr. William Glasser has contributed to the world of education. Dr. William Glasser was a wonderful MD and developer of Choice Theory^®. Choice Theory explains how and why people behave, that we are all internal control systems, meaning that all our decisions and behaviours are an attempt to match a picture to meet one or more of our basic needs for survival, power, love and belonging, freedom and fun. When teachers are able to create need-satisfying classrooms that match students’ pictures about their learning, then students are better able to meet their own needs. The supportive classroom environment allows for deeper learning, personal growth, emotional-social learning, and to the development of mind, body, and soul/spirit.

Dr. William Glasser discovered through his years of research and practice that external psychology destroyed relationships with self and others. He understood that so much valuable time was wasted in attempting to control others, often times through what he described as behaviours that were destructive. These behaviours he termed the seven disconnecting habits: criticising, blaming, complaining, nagging, threatening, punishing and rewarding to control. These behaviors rarely provide great effective tools in getting people engaged or interested in changing behaviour. Glasser understood that motivation comes from within or internal ‘locus’ of control. He taught us that all we can do is provide information and, technically speaking, no one can make anyone do anything unless that person sees what they are doing as matching a picture or pictures that they want and what Dr. Glasser called their Quality World (QW).

Dr. William Glasser describes the quality world as a “very small and special segment of the Perceived World.  The Quality World is made up of those perceptions of people, situations, things, and systems of belief that have been particularly need-satisfying as people have lived their lives.” (Chart Talk, page 13). In earlier day, Dr. Glasser likened the Quality World to an album holding all the people, things, ideas, and ideals that one has discovered increase their quality life. What is important to note here is that, while one behaves to meet one or more of one’s basic needs, it is due to the person matching a picture or pictures in their quality world that holds to be important and need-satisfying.

To avoid those external control habits, Dr. Glasser suggests one put into ‘habit’ what he coined the seven connecting habits: supporting, encouraging, listening, accepting, trusting, respecting and negotiating differences. These habits help one communicate in an authentic manner, bring people closer together, and create a much deeper connection with others. One of my Glasser mentors, Jim Montagnes, would always remind me to do a simple self-check before speaking to a situation; he would say to ask yourself, “What you are about to do, is it going to bring you closer to the person or move you further away?” I think those are wise words and great advice for all of us to reflect before saying or doing something we may want to take back.

The Gift of Choice and Self-Regulation Skills

I would like to now dig a little deeper on how the “gift of choice” can help students build self-regulation skills, inner confidence, and how to harness the skill of self-evaluation. I want to start with a simple suggestion for the classroom teacher and then provide another example in dealing with a student who may be experiencing difficulty arriving to class on time. In both cases the teacher can apply the same strategy by helping the student create a “GPAR” – goal, plan, action, and result.

Let me explain further. A class provides ample opportunities to allow students to make their own choices. For me, the most classic is letting students take responsibility for their learning. You may say, hold on Frenchie, we have a curriculum to cover, and pressure to teach all this material so, how can I let students take responsibility for their learning? I am not saying students do what they want all the time, but I think there are some ways to work this into the curriculum. I know many teachers may be doing this already, but may not have even considered the meta-cognition of the learning that is taking place.  A teacher may select a unit related to the grade level for that year, but then allow students to select what specific topic they want to cover. Students will go on a reconnaissance and research mission, to delve into a topic of interest with assistance from the teacher, where needed or with the help of a librarian technician. The students, then, decide what they find of interest and do the learning on their own.  They begin to put together their ‘GPAR;’ they write out their goals, they plan out the time line, they put that time line into action, and then they celebrate by evaluating the result.  

In following these simple steps students are working on many critical skills that will increase their self-regulation. When they research, they learn to scan information, prioritize what is important, evaluate its merit, look for evidence to support their findings, self-evaluate their own work and how is it meeting their goals, all the while, taking responsibility for the their own learning with the guidance and mentorship of the teacher.

Furthermore, this activity allows the teacher to create a very need-satisfying activity. The choice of students selecting their own topic matches their pictures of ‘interest’ and what THEY want, may meet the need of freedom, power, fun and survival – students get to select a topic they find interesting, they enjoy learning about a topic of choice that may very well help them gain an evaluation that will bring joy to both the teacher and the student. In another assignment, you may allow students to work in pairs or small groups. They work in collaboration with each other creating a team ‘GPAR’ which matches what they want and enjoy doing, and it helps to meet the need of love and belonging, for those students who want to work alongside others.

Let us now turn our attention to another situation. How about that student in high school who just cannot seem to get to class on time? Teacher is complaining the student is always “LATE!” What gives? The vice-principal has handed out detentions, called home, and even had to suspend the student. There are periods where the student gets to school on time but then it is only a matter of time before that student resorts to being late again. What can we do in this situation? Let us consider what Dr. Glasser said. Every time one behaves, it is an attempt to match a picture in his Quality World in order to meet one or more of his basic needs. Glasser adds that behaviour is internally motivated, purposeful, flexible, and creative. He does not say ‘responsible.’ This is our job as teachers to help students develop into responsible human beings who may contribute constructively to society. What information might help this student, who is always late, to get to school on time? The VP knows punishments have a short-term effect. How, then, do we help place school and learning into the student’s Quality World?

Perhaps it is time to try a different approach and have a real sit down chat with the student. This conversation is approached from a VP, who understands Choice Theory, and is willing to work with the student in a way that allows the student to self-evaluate her behaviour and check if what she is doing is effective in getting her what she wants.

V.P. – Hi Suzy, I think it is important we have a chat, you ok with that?

Suzy – Sure, what’s up?

V.P. – Well, as you know, I am concerned about you being late. This has been your 24^th late this term. I have to ask you, since you are at school now, “What do you want?”

Suzy – To be left alone. You know it’s hard to get from class to class, my friends always stop to chat, and then I get distracted and the teachers are so strict about being late.

V. P. – Ok I hear that you want to be left alone. Let me rephrase my question you are here at school right “so, what do want from school?’

Suzy – I want an education, graduate, and to go to University like most everyone else.

V.P.  – That is excellent. I want that for you too. I am just thinking out loud here. Do you think being late will help?

Suzy – Probably not, but then again I heard in University they do not even care if you go to class.

V.P. – That may very well be true but how do you think someone being late might hinder their education?

Suzy – Well I don’t know – maybe cause the teacher gets mad at them or sends me to your office.

V.P – Yes ok, so how does the teacher getting mad at you or your being sent to my office impact your learning

Suzy – I miss out on school stuff or disrupt the class when I get there late, and the teacher hates me!!

V.P – Do you enjoy being disruptive and missing out on all the learning?

Suzy – Not really!

V.P. – I think you are a wise young lady, Suzy. Do you think we can work on a plan to help you get to class on time?

Suzy – Wait! So I am not in trouble?

V.P. – No you are not in trouble. I wanted to talk to you to see what we could do help you graduate, go to university, and arrive to your classes on time.

Suzy – Ok what do I have to do?

V.P. – I would like you to create your own GPAR for arriving on class on time. A GPAR is your way of working through what you need to do to get to class on time – you write out your goals for the next month, you work on a plan, and then put that plan into action. Then we can both evaluate how you did; do you think you can do that?

Suzy – Ok, I can do that.

V.P. – Now, Suzy you may need to think about other ways you can socialize that will not get in the way of you getting to your class on time.

Suzy – I know. Thanks!

V.P. – Oh Suzy, one more thing. Once you write out your plan,  I would like to see it and then we can go over it. I would like you to commit to that plan. Will you agree to that?

Suzy – Yes, ok!

V. P. – Thank you, Suzy. I enjoyed this chat and look forward to hearing your “GPAR.”

In this case, the VP allowed Suzy to evaluate her own behaviour, gave her the choice to take ownership of her own behaviour. In turn, Suzy was willing to work a plan that would allow her to make more effective choices in order to arrive on time for her classes. The VP was intentional not to punish, or criticize or shame Suzy, but rather, was genuinely concerned and wanted to help the student match her pictures of graduating and attending University.

In addition, we see here that school – graduating and going to University, was still part of Suzy’s quality world (School is still important to Suzy) but we also see that she was able to evaluate her behaviour in between classes. She was able to see that her need for fun and freedom in talking to her friends was impacting her getting to class on time and thus, was impacting her education. The VP did not have to use any of the disconnecting habits to help Suzy come to that understanding that being late was not only impacting her learning but also disrupting the learning of her classmates. And in the end, both the VP and Suzy agreed to work on creating a plan to help her arrive to class on time. This was simply done by allowing Suzy the ability to make choices.

In closing, my suggestion is for teachers to be open to providing students with the gift of choice. Throughout the day, there so many countless ways that this can be done. I challenge you all to be more intentional in your classes and remember to ask yourself, “Is what I am doing or what I am saying bringing me closer to my students or moving them further away?”

Please stay tuned, as I will be writing more articles for e-Glasser Canada.