Influence Teaching: The Secret of Classroom Management

The Classroom Management Crisis

This is my 20^th year as a public school leader. In that time I have learned that far too many students are struggling academically because their teachers have difficulty with student engagement and classroom management. Unfortunately, this problem is one of the most difficult daily challenges that public school districts are facing around the country. Many teachers have a passion for teaching and an intimate understanding of the mechanics of teaching. They know how to deliver a lesson and manage a class filled with students who are well behaved and focused on learning. However, they struggle when they are faced with the challenge of managing a class filled with students who are having difficulty in school or dealing with personal issues that influence their behavior in class. Teachers and students are frustrated in this situation because there is a classroom communication disconnect.

The good news is that this problem can be solved when teachers focus more on “influencing” students instead of simply “instructing” them. Strategic Influence LLC has developed a unique professional development (PD) program called Influence Teaching. In this two hour PD program, we utilize the proprietary Intelligent Influence^® process to help any teacher excel in classroom management. Influence is embedded in our notion of instruction, intrinsically understood by exceptional teachers to be the basis for classroom excellence, fundamental to the ability to manage classrooms effectively and inspire student engagement. Yet the importance of influence to classroom management and student learning remains hidden even as it represents the key to success across all functions of a district. In my book, Intelligent Influence: The 4 Steps of Highly Successful Leaders and Organizations, I provide insight into the reasons why the strategic use of influence is the secret of success for leaders, teachers, police officers and relationships. The Influence Teaching PD program helps teachers learn how to take full advantage of the power of influence.  

Influence Teaching vs Control Teaching

Teachers with classroom management problems are utilizing an approach that I call “Control Teaching” where they try to command the class to learn instead of “Influence Teaching” where they influence students to develop a passion for learning. I have discovered that it is relatively easy to identify teachers with exceptional classroom management skills from those who are struggling in the classroom by asking one simple question. When I ask a teacher to tell me about the influences in the lives of each of the students in their class, I listen very closely to their answer.

Teachers who have exceptional classroom management skills know what influences have impacted each of their students’ desire to learn during the week. These “Influence Teachers” know which students did not get enough sleep or argued with their parents. They know which students are hungry, sick or hurt because of a classmate or sibling’s actions. They know the first names of most of the parents of their students and speak to them regularly about both the good and bad things their child has done. The amazing thing is that taking the time to know their students actually saves teachers time in the long run because they do not waste valuable time dealing with classroom disruptions. Influence Teaching results in improved student engagement and academic achievement.

On the other hand, teachers with classroom management challenges only know how well their students are doing in class. We call them “Control Teachers” because they try to control the class with little concern about the perspectives of their students. Control Teachers claim that they don’t have time to think about the influences in their student’s lives and find it a waste of time to communicate with parent’s about good things. They feel that it is not their job or it is too difficult to try to understand the influences in the lives of the children in their class. They state that they have to focus on completing the lesson plan on time. If student’s keep up fine if they don’t they simply need tutoring. The result is that students are not engaged in learning, have little respect for the teacher, fall behind in class and do poorly in school. 

One of the things that I hear often from Control Teachers is that they treat their students just like they treat their own children. This is symptomatic of their insensitivity to the unique needs and perspectives of their students. The student’s in their class may be as smart as their children but they have very different influences and must be treated differently. Control Teachers therefore utilize control, commands and punishment to manage a class instead of Intelligent Influence. They often make the major mistake of confronting students in class. This is one of the worst things a teacher can do because it reduces their influence on the class and increases the influence of the student they are confronting in the eyes of their fellow students. This encourages other students to try to question or confront the teacher which leads to major classroom management challenges. Teachers who confront students regularly in class will have tremendous difficulty keeping order and improving student academic achievement.

Influence Teaching PD

The Influence Teaching professional development utilizes the four-step Intelligent Influence process to help any teacher make the transition from Control Teaching to Influence Teaching. Most classroom management professional development programs are ineffective because they do not offer the influence related training necessary to provide sustainable improvement in the participating teachers. It is essential for teachers to recognize and acknowledge their personal influences before they can make sustainable changes in their teaching skills. The Influence Teaching PD program is custom designed to enhance the effectiveness of teachers in any grade level in any school district. Our unique approach helps teachers improve their classroom management skills without being offended or getting defensive. The four steps of the professional development program are as follows:

Step 1 of the process is called Influence Awareness. This step entails understanding how each participating teacher has been influenced to do what they do in the way that they do it. If they are not aware of their own influences they will not be able to influence their students effectively.

Step 2 is called Influence Impact. This step entails assessing each teacher’s influence strengths and weaknesses. We openly and honestly explore each teacher’s classroom management strengths and weaknesses. This helps us focus in on what specific improvements are needed.

Step 3 is called Influence Management. This step entails identifying the specific influences each workshop participant needs to overcome their classroom management weaknesses. We develop a detailed personalized classroom management improvement plan for each teacher.

Step 4 is called Influence Maximization. This final step entails using information gathered from the other three steps to implement the detailed classroom management improvement plan. This step ensures that the Influence Teaching PD is both effective and sustainable.

If you would like more information about the Influence Teaching professional development program for your school please contact us by email at dcaldwell@StrategicInfluence.consulting or call us at (732) 208-9808. Our objective is to use this training to help teachers improve their classroom management skills in a fun and enjoyable way.