The 7 Positions

Question 1

What are the 7 positions?

Answer 1

• Attention-Seeking
• Avoinding Failure
• Control-Seeking
• Bored
• Angry
• Uninformed
• Energetic

Question 2

What is the need of Attention-Seeking students? What are 3 examples of this behaviour?

Answer 2

Need: Attention he/she is not getting anywhere else.
Examples: joking around, talking back, wearing forbidden hairstyles or clothes.

Question 3

What is the need of Avoiding Failure students? What is an example of this behaviour?

Answer 3

Need: Do not want others to know they are failing because they do not want to admit it to themselves.
Example: Not doing the work so he/she won’t have to face failure.

Question 4

What is the need of Control-Seeking students? What are 2 examples of this behaviour?

Answer 4

Need: Feel in control of their life in order to lower their anxiety.
Examples: refusing to do a task because it might look too difficult, wanting to do another task instead of the one the teacher asks.

Question 5

What is the need of Angry students? What is an example of this behaviour?

Answer 5

Need: To “let it all out” and anger can be the result of frustration, fear, aggression, humiliation, defeat, moral outrage, jealousy, loss, pain, inhibition of impulses or threat.
Example: Because of repressed anger, a student might tell the teacher “why do you always pick me? Stop asking me!” after being asked to answer a question.

Question 6

What is the need of Bored students? What is an example of this behaviour?

Answer 6

Need: Bored because the task is either too easy or too difficult, so he/she loses any interest.
Example: not doing the work because it is not intresting.

Question 7

What is the need of Uninfromed students? What is an example of this behaviour?

Answer 7

Need: Does not know rules or requirements, so needs to be reminded, repeated and explained over and over.
Examples: speaking French because is not aware of the rule, wearing inappropriate clothes because he/she is unaware of the dress code.

Question 8

What is the need of Energetic students? What are 2 examples of this behaviour?

Answer 8

Need: To move, spend energy.
Examples: standing up now and then because cannot sit still, playing with materials to occupy his/her hands.

Question 9

What are the 5 clues during the moment-of-disruption?

Answer 9

• Teacher Gut Reaction
• Teacher Impulsive Reaction
• Disruptive Student Reaction to Intervention
• Classmate Reactions
• Facial Expressions and Body Language

Question 10

What is the Teacher Gut Reaction: ATTENTION-SEEKING?

Answer 10

Drained, irritated, annoyed.

Question 11

What is the Teacher Impulsive Reaction: ATTENTION-SEEKING?

Answer 11

Nag (complain), scold.

Question 12

What is the Disruptive Student Reaction to Intervention: ATTENTION-SEEKING?

Answer 12

Temporary compliance.

Question 13

What are the Classmate Reactions: ATTENTION-SEEKING?

Answer 13

Amused, irritated.

Question 14

What are Facial Expressions and Body Language: ATTENTION-SEEKING?

Answer 14

Catching an eye, looking up.

Question 15

What is the Teacher Gut Reaction: AVOIDING FAILURE?

Answer 15

Sympathetic, protective, challenged, helpless.

Question 16

What is the Teacher Impulsive Reaction: AVOIDING FAILURE?

Answer 16

Tutor, give up, write off.

Question 17

What is the Disruptive Student Reaction to Intervention: AVOIDING FAILURE?

Answer 17

Feigns lack of interest, “I can’t”, half-hearted effort.

Question 18

What are Classmate Reactions: AVOIDING FAILURE?

Answer 18

Resentment, pity.

Question 19

What are Facial Expressions and Body Language: AVOIDING FAILURE?

Answer 19

Avoiding eye contact, low muscle tone.

Question 20

What is the Teacher Gut Reaction: CONTROL-SEEKING?

Answer 20

Challenged, angry, threatened, frustrated.

Question 21

What is the Teacher Impulsive Reaction: CONTROL-SEEKING?

Answer 21

Force compliance, put down, overpower, fight.

Question 22

What is the Disruptive Student Reaction to Intervention: CONTROL-SEEKING?

Answer 22

Get in the “last word”, power-plays, argue/ justify.

Question 23

What are Classmate Reactions: CONTROL-SEEKING?

Answer 23

Defiance, deference.

Question 24

What are Facial Expressions and Body Language: CONTROL-SEEKING?

Answer 24

Crossed arms, tightly closed lips, pointing, staring, puffed up, loud.

Question 25

What is the Teacher Gut Reaction: ANGRY?

Answer 25

Threatened, fearful, protective, indignant, outraged.

Question 26

What is the Teacher Impulsive Reaction: ANGRY?

Answer 26

Remove, punish, retaliate.

Question 27

What is the Disruptive Student Reaction to Intervention: ANGRY?

Answer 27

Anger, revenge-seeking, sulking.

Question 28

What are Classmate Reactions: ANGRY?

Answer 28

Fearful, angry.

Question 29

What are Facial Expressions and Body Language: ANGRY?

Answer 29

Jaw protrudes, eyebrows lowered and draw, lips pressed, fist clenched.

Question 30

What is the Teacher Gut Reaction: BORED?

Answer 30

Invalidated.

Question 31

What is the Teacher Impulsive Reaction: BORED?

Answer 31

Discount, engage.

Question 32

What is the Disruptive Student Reaction to Intervention: BORED?

Answer 32

Off-task.

Question 33

What are Classmate Reactions: BORED?

Answer 33

Reject, ignore.

Question 34

What are Facial Expressions and Body Language: BORED?

Answer 34

Low muscle tone; droopy eyes.

Question 35

What is the Teacher Gut Reaction: UNINFORMED?

Answer 35

Pity, helpful, exasperated, impatient.

Question 36

What is the Teacher Impulsive Reaction: UNINFORMED?

Answer 36

Help, inform, ignore.

Question 37

What is the Disruptive Student Reaction to Intervention: UNINFORMED?

Answer 37

Grateful, lack of understanding, obedient.

Question 38

What are Classmate Reactions: UNINFORMED?

Answer 38

Annoyance, pity, impatience.

Question 39

What are Facial Expressions and Body Language: UNINFORMED?

Answer 39

Surprise, wide-eyes, lowered head.

Question 40

What is the Teacher Gut Reaction: ENERGETIC?

Answer 40

Overwhelmed, exhausted, drained.

Question 41

What is the Teacher Impulsive Reaction: ENERGETIC?

Answer 41

Suppress .

Question 42

What is the Disruptive Student Reaction to Intervention: ENERGETIC?

Answer 42

Continues, increases, modifies activity; playful smile.

Question 43

What are Classmate Reactions: ENERGETIC?

Answer 43

Distraction, annoyance, envy.

Question 44

What are Facial Expressions and Body Language: ENERGETIC?

Answer 44

High muscle tone, animated movement.

Question 45

What does “validating a student’s position” mean?

Answer 45

Showing acceptance of the need the student is trying to fulfill through his behaviour, without accepting the behaviour itself.

Question 46

What are the 6 reasons why the teacher should validate the students’ positions?

Answer 46

• A basic need is met and he/she relaxes, becoming less likely to be disruptive.
• He/she likes the teacher more and is more open to input, more compliant.
• The student wants to please the teacher.
• An otherwise disruptive student no longer needs to be disruptive because his/her disruptive behavior was merely a misguided attempt to win acceptance for who he/she is.
• If the student doesn’t feel accepted by the teacher, he/she is likely to become more disruptive out of anger. “If you reject me, I will reject you”.
• We create a bridge for him/her– a bridge toward self-knowledge and self-acceptance. Feeling his/her position is known and accepted by the teacher, the student can better know and accept it. The teacher actually models an orientation toward the student that the student can internalize. And until the student knows and accepts his/her own position, the student will continue to act out the needs of the position rather than consider responsible alternatives.

Question 47

What are the 3 ways to validate students’ positions?

Answer 47

• Validation gambits
• Validation notes
• Non-verbal validation

Question 48

What are the 3 differences between the Same-Side Approach and the Opposite-Side Approach?

Answer 48

SAME-SIDE APPROACH = Focus on: student position. / View of student: student is striving to meet basic needs. / Discipline approach: relate to student.
OPPOSITE-SIDE APPROACH = Focus on: disruptive behavior. / View of student: student is bad; student is nuisance. / Discipline approach: punish, reward, ignore.