The Science of Encouragement: What Elementary School Counselors Need to Know About Positive and Negative Comments

teacher-and-students

Elementary school counselors play a critical role in shaping school climate, supporting student growth, and helping children develop the social-emotional skills they need to succeed. While many counseling strategies focus on specific interventions, one of the most powerful tools counselors have is something they use every day: their words. Research has consistently shown that the…

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Unlocking Motivation: Helping Students Choose Success

stressed kid

In today’s educational environment, we are more aware than ever that student motivation and engagement is essential for lasting learning. I can’t tell you how many times as a school counselor, I had discussions with teachers, parents and kids about being motivated. However, I’m afraid we rarely discussed how important intrinsic motivation is vs. extrinsic…

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Motivating Students

tired teacher

Motivating Students At an elementary school training, a teacher asked me about strategies for a student who has no motivation.  He refuses to do any work at all and she has tried numerous strategies already.  “I’ve tried everything and nothing works,” she said.  As a school counselor for 20 years, I often heard similar concerns.…

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