I’ve quoted Marvin Marshall quite a few times in this blog.  I really like a lot of what he has to say about having a positive approach to classroom management.

He recently wrote a post describing the basis of his philosophy.

Here are a couple of the points he made that made particular sense to me:

* Obedience does not create desire.

* Cognition and emotions cannot be separated. One affects the other. Anything imposed—especially if it is related to punishment—puts the receiver in a victimhood mode and prompts ill feelings toward the enforcer. Good relationships are essential to prompt positive change. People do good when they feel good. One does not ordinarily do good when feeling bad. This is a prime reason that traditional, coercive approaches are not successful and the recidivism rate is so high.

Check-out his blog for more great info.