Abstraction – Topic 5

The home is our first classroom with our parents as our first teachers. As young children, we
observed our parents and they become our role models. We observed, absorbed, internalized and
imitated their manners, values, habits, and practices, among others. There were good ones and not so
good ones. As we grew older, our social horizons expanded to include the school where we met
teachers, peer, school heads, community members and other parents.

The various social institutions galvanized our internalization of the values of respect, courtesy
and politeness, tolerance, fairness and self-control. Our good manners are a reflection of the values that
we uphold and we owe it to ourselves as teachers and pre-service teachers to be exemplar role models
whom learners under our care will imitate.

Let us now take a look at the different values which we aspire our generation alpha to internalize

Respect

The word respect is from the Latin word respectus which means attention, regard or consideration.
It can be defined as esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or
ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability.

According to psychologists, respect is a basic moral value or need that makes us aware that we are
human beings and is related to productivity, happiness and success. It is like a glue that holds
relationships together. In the Philippine context, respect is paggalang as shown in our pakikipagkapwa-
tao, a shared sense of identity and consciousness of the ‘other’. It means treating people with respect
and dignity as an equal, not someone below the individual.

Respect is very important for both personal identity and interpersonal relationships. To feel
respected is a basic human right. If you respect others, you care about their rights. Receiving respect
from others makes us feel safe to express ourselves. Disrespect can lead to break-ups and even violence.

It is a concept that has to do with the ability to value and honor another person, both his or her
words and actions, even if we do not approve or share everything the person does, it is accepting the
other person and not trying to impose or change him or her. Respecting another person means that we
are non-judgmental of the people’s attitudes, behaviors or thoughts.

Our differences are valuable because we are able to create an identity. This implies that
individua differences exist and to accept the fact that as members of society we are equal. All people are
intitled to respect for the simple fact of being people. Equality is in balance. It is for this very reason that
we need to teach children from an early age the value of respect and the best way to teach them
respect is being a role model to them.

Respecting for others is very important but more for the self since you will value others to the
extent that you are able to value yourself.

Why is respect important? Visualize a home or a classroom without respect. What do you see?
Chaos? Conflict? Indeed, its absence leads to conflicts and dissatisfaction in our interpersonal
relationships. If we don’t respect others, we don’t get respected in return; if we don’t respect ourselves,
we will not be respected by others, too.
 It is essential to feel safe and to be able to express our ideas without fear of judgement,
humiliation or discrimination. Being respectful of others, being respected and respecting ourselves
contribute to our sense of well-being, mental health, self-esteem and self-efficacy.

Respect comes in different types. They are:

A. Respect for self

- This is the ability to respect the self, to value and appreciate oneself. This is accepting the self
regardless of what others think.

B. Respect for others

- This refers to the act of tolerating, accepting and considering another person in spite of
individual differences. Examples are respect for parents, men, and women equally, teachers, older
persons, religious beliefs, for people with varying sexual orientation (LGBTI), etc.

C. Respect for social norms

- This is the ability to respect all norms that govern society. Some examples include respect for
courtesy rules inside the classroom, traffic rules or health protocols during the COVID 19 pandemic.

D. Respect for nature

- This covers appreciation of the environment. Examples include knowing how to dispose of our
garbage properly, not wasting water or recycling, etc.

E. Respect for Family

- Being able to understand and respect each other within the family, and thus being able to live
in harmony with each other.

F. Respect for Values

- This refers to the ability to honor our principles. An example of this is respect of life.

G. Respect for Culture

- This refers to the ability to recognize that there are other beliefs and be able to respect them.
This can be seen in our being able to accept varying religious beliefs.

H. Respect for national symbols

- this refers to the ability to value and appreciate the symbols of a nation. Do we give respect to
the Philippine flag as we sing the National Anthem?

I. Respect for human beings

- this refers to the ability to comply with legal norms, respect, laws, church dogmas and beliefs.
How can we say that respect is present in our relationships? Think of many situations where we need to
get along with others.
Check it out if the following indicators of respect are present:

◦ You feel safe being around each other.

◦ You know it’s okay for you and others to express who you are.

◦ When you disagree, you listen to each other and demonstrate patience.

◦ You don’t yell or talk over the top of each other.

◦ You are not controlling other people’s choices.

◦ You can talk openly about your needs and wants.

◦ You allow your friends and others the space they need.

◦ You can admit to others if you have made a mistake.

Respect is something that we need to learn, it doesn’t come naturally. This means that children can
be thought and trained to become respectful. How can respect be thought to children given that this is
very much needed by the Gen Z & Alpha generations? Are we telling or are we teaching?

Children learn by observing. Parents, grandparents, teachers, etc. have great influence on the
children and may be their entire universe.

Parents, teachers and significant others play a crucial role in the developing respect. Parents and
teachers usually serve as the first role models to the children. As such, teaching kids’ good manners like
respect begins with the significant adult modeling it.

Courtesy and Politeness

Courtesy is polite behavior that reflects good manners, respect and kindness to others. It means
avoiding sarcasm and overbearing behavior.

The home is the first seat of courtesy and politeness as with the other virtues and manners.
When members of the family are courteous to each other, that’s how they will treat people outside of
their homes. A courteous child is easier to befriend than someone who has ill manners.

When children have good social skills, they are polite and courteous, they listen to others when
they speak, use polite phrases such as “thank you” and “excuse me.”

Today’s children are digital natives. Early in life they can already operate different gadgets and they
become smarter because of their exposures. However, it is not enough that they are bright, but they
should have the social skills needed to get along with others. Courteous behavior is as important as
gaining knowledge at school. Behaving courteously and politely can be a way of life and not just be
showcased during special occasions or events. It is not pakitang tao to impress or avoid embarrassment
to the family status. Polite behavior is automatic wherever the person is and not something to be
switched on or off.
 Courteous children have a social advantage over children who are not. They can easily develop
friendships and gain the respect of people around them. They are armed with the social skills that can
benefit them for life.

There are helpful tips to help teach our children and learners courtesy and politeness:

A. You first

This means that the parent is always the first and foremost teacher. When the child is in school,
the teacher becomes the second parent assuming the loco parentis role. Thus, parents and teachers are
expected to be positive examples to the child in terms of showing good manners. By modeling good
manners, you are not only strengthening your child’s social graces, but also teaching him/her that being
courteous and polite are a normal part of social interaction.

B. Turn up the tolerance

When your child or learner observes that you can tolerate and respect individual differences you
clearly convey the message that you accept diversity. Show them that differences with other people in
terms of color, appearance, size, status, or beliefs are fine with you.

C. Read the signs

Help children learn how to read people’s emotional signs. You can act out by showing different
facial expressions and body language with the corresponding emotions. Encourage them to pay
attention to how others might be feeling and show them, through your examples, how to react with
courtesy, politeness, empathy, and compassion.

D. Mind your manners

Please, thank you, good morning and good afternoon greetings never go out of style. If a parent
or teacher uses these words for example in their daily transactions, delighted responses can be solicited
from the children. This is not a difficult thing to do but can go a long way. The problem sometimes is
when children show courtesy and their actions are not responded to appropriately.

E. Lend a helping hand

It’s good to encourage children to assist people, especially those in need such as giving help to
an old person or opening the door for someone who carries heavy stuff. The little things our children can
do can become bigger in the future. A great future starts now, and it starts with our children.

F. Lesson integration

The learning of a manner/ value can be integrated in a lesson. A sample scenario can be
presented such as interrupting an adult when adults are having a conversation. The exercise will involve
children waiting patiently for their turn until adults are done with their conversation. This can be
demonstrated in a one-on-one situation or in a group setting. Parents and teachers should not get easily
discouraged because beginning a process will always be challenging. The keys to helping children
become courteous and polite are patience and consistency.

G. Tolerance
 Tolerance is generally understood as a necessary component of a functioning democracy and
stable world order. “Tolerance is respect, acceptance and appreciation of the rich diversity of our
world’s culture, our forms of expression and ways of being human… Tolerance is harmony in
differences.”

Tolerance is often invoked as something for which individuals and societies should aspire,
especially given diversity, in all its forms, which is increasingly a feature of contemporary democracies.
When tensions arise, some leaders call for a “greater tolerance” of particular groups or encourage
general efforts to become “a more tolerant society.” For example, 2004, the Secretary-General of the
UN, Kofi Annan said, “Tolerance, intercultural dialogue and respect for diversity are more essential that
ever in a world where peoples are becoming more and more closely interconnected” (United Nations,
2004)

Tolerance is a virtue. If we want to be treated decently, we need to treat them decently as well.

For children, the specific concepts of tolerance that can be introduced, concretized and
internalized according to the following age groups include:

Age group 3-7 years

◦ We are all unique and have something valuable to offer and share. Tolerance is
accepting others and appreciating differences.

◦ Tolerance is accepting myself, even when I make mistakes. Tolerance is

accepting others, even when they make mistakes.

Age group 8-14 years

◦ Peace is the goal; tolerance is the method.

◦ Tolerance is being open and receptive to the beauty of differences.

◦ Tolerance is respecting and appreciating the culture of others.

◦ Tolerance is mutual respect through mutual understanding.

◦ The seeds of intolerance are fear and ignorance.

◦ The seed of tolerance, love, is watered by compassion and care.

◦ Those who know how to appreciate the good in people and situations have
tolerance.

◦ Tolerance is an act of humanity, which we must nurture and enact each in our
lives every day.

◦ Tolerance is the ability to face difficult situations.

◦ To tolerate life’s inconveniences is to let go, be light, make others light, and
move on.
 ◦ Tolerance recognizes individuality and diversity while removing divisive masks
and defusing tension created by ignorance. (For 12- to 14- year-old students
only.)

Children are born to the world without biases or prejudices. Along the way they learn values and
beliefs from adult models and peers. Teaching tolerance can be done in various settings whether at
home or in school.

A parent can try these steps:

 Set a good example. Kids learn from observing your interactions with others. If your respectful
to all people, your children will follow suit. Positive role modeling is the starting point that every
parent ought to remember.

 Expose your child to different cultures. The friendships your child has, can have a lasting effect.
The exposure to friends who differ from them in terms of socio-economic status, municipality of
origin, spoken language van facilitate their understanding of tolerance.

 Bring the message home. When a child makes an insensitive remark, remind him/her of how she
or he feels when she or he isn’t treated well by friends and ask him/her “How do you think that
boy felt when none of the kids would play with him because he is so big?”

 Treat your youngster with respect. If the child feels good about herself and is confident about
her place in the world, she will be less likely to be fearful of people who are different from her. A
child who feels secure in your love has a positive self-image will have no need to put someone
else down to feel valuable or powerful.

A teacher can create a haven of tolerance by engaging in these strategies:

◦ Let Your Bulletin Boards “Speak”

The class bulletin board can display positive messages encouraging diversity, tolerance, acceptance,
and making your classroom a safe space. Making your classroom comfortable and accepting as a
physical space can help students who are struggling in their personal lives, especially students who have
become victims of bullying.

◦ Acknowledge Learner and Teacher Emotions

There events in the life of the learner of the teacher which are emotionally charged like for example
losing during school’s sports events. One of the best things to do is to create a space where everyone
can acknowledge those emotions and ask questions freely while moderating the discussion.

◦ Explain Terms and Concepts Related to Current Events

The Covid 19 pandemic resulted in many changes in people’s way of life. Parents and teachers
can explain what the pandemic is all about and how people can be kind to each other and not
discriminate especially the front-liners. Concepts of generosity and sharing can be discussed within the
family.
 ◦ Foster a Sense of Empathy in Your Classroom

Many teachers consider empathy as an antidote to bullying, and there’s data to back that up.
You can bring your empathy into your teaching by encouraging critical thinking and self-reflection. Most
students and in fact most people, see themselves as the underdog in their lives and helping the class
understand the nature of that vulnerability can make a safer space for your students.

◦ Lead by example

Time and time again to lead by example is emphasized. We need to remember that our learners
look up to us and watch what we do. We can create a higher standard of behavior by showing our
learners how to treat others with tolerance, respect and sympathy.

Fairness
Have you ever said to someone, “what you did to me was unfair”? How do you know when
something is unfair? Has anybody ever tricked you or cheated on you? How did you feel about it?

What does treating people fairly mean? Does fairness mean everyone gets the same amount,
like an equal piece of chocolate bar? Does fairness mean enforcing the rules for everyone, even if it
means losing a game? How is fairness exercised in the classroom? How should you treat people who are
not fair to you? How does fairness affect relationships with other people- your friends for example?

What is fairness? According to Seligman and Peterson (2004), it is treating all people the same
and giving everyone a fair chance? In addition, fairness is marked by impartially and honesty;
conforming with the established rules (Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary).

There are times that when people think of fairness they think of it as equality, too. There are
actually two different things because fairness has to do with giving everyone what he or she needs and
deserves. On the other hand, equality is giving everyone the same thing or amount, regardless of the
circumstances.

Children in the elementary grades are concrete thinkers as theorized by Piaget. Thus, can be an
abstract concept to them. Children especially the younger ones tend to be naturally egocentric, so they
tend to think of themselves first. They will probably identify a situation or action that works against
them as unfair, but will have difficulty identifying an as action they perform as unfair to others. Fairness
is especially challenging for young children to understand. With other traits, like kindness or
responsibility, there are concrete actions to observe which may provide a basic understanding of the
concept itself. However, fairness is found in the way we treat one another, the way in which we play a
game, the way in which live life, etc.

Examples of being fair include playing by the rules, taking turns, sharing and listening to others,
being open-minded, respecting people, being supportive of friends, among others. Wrongly blaming or
pushing somebody for something, excluding other children from play or not giving the person the
chance to explain one’s side are example of unfairness.
 Thus, to make fairness more understandable for young children, the following strategies can be
tried:

1. Have children brainstorm and role play solutions such as trading toys, sharing and playing
together. They can practice turn-taking such as when they play. This provides children with a
basic understanding of taking turns, an important element of fairness.

2. Be attuned to children’s interactions and be ready to respond immediately to incidents of

unfairness.

3. Identify and point out fair and unfair behaviors. Draw attention to behaviors in books, movies
and in life when others are acting in a fair or unfair manner. The child can be asked of what has
been observed in reality.

4. Encourage a safe and secure atmosphere in which children feel free to express their feelings and
ask questions.

5. Praise fairness. Take a moment to recognize and verbalize when your child is acting out of
fairness. Helping him or her to notice fairness in one’s own behaviors will help him/her to grow
in understanding of the concept.

6. Make the idea of fairness concrete. Use images to inspire conversations about fairness.

In as much as children are thought how to be fair in their dealings with others, it is also
important that teachers exhibit fairness inside the classroom. If students are asked what are the most
important qualities they look for in teachers, one of the most universally mentioned is fairness. It is like
that the learner assesses how fair the teacher is based on one’s perceptions.

Thus, Rodabaugh gave a typology of learners’ perceived fairness which includes 3

components:

A. Interactional fairness – the kind of interaction between teacher and learners.

B. Procedural fairness- the rules for grading and classroom administration.

C. Outcomes fairness – the distribution of scores and grades.

Teachers can benefit by remembering these tips on how to be fair and ethical inside the
classroom. Teachers’ ought to show.

1. Impartially – learners expect their teacher to treat everyone in the class equally; that is no
favorites. It is likely that some children are very likeable and many cause the teacher to show subtle
signs of differences in interaction such as frequently calling on the child to recite. This might lead some
children to think that the classmate is favored by the teacher. To avoid giving the impression of partially,
the teacher needs to carefully monitor behavior and interactions with the children.
 2. Respect – involves treating learners politely. Ridiculing a learner or calling a learner’s
comment as “stupid” is inappropriate in all circumstances. They expect a teacher who listens, carefully
considers, and give thoughtful replies to their ideas. A teacher who is perceived as impatient or
demeaning, either directly through comments or indirectly through tone of voice, facial expressions, or
posture, loses learners’ respect. Patience is especially difficult when learners actively misbehave in class.
However, learners also expect teachers to be polite in those situations. Should you face disrespect, try
to remain civil and calm, thereby modeling the appropriate behavior for students. It is always
appropriate to meet privately with an offending learner, during which can be more direct in
communicating expectations for classroom deportment.

3. Concern for students – students expect their teachers to care about them and their academic
performance. You can demonstrate such concern by learning and using students’ names, talking to them
before and after class, carefully answering questions, and inviting them who appear to be having
problems with the subject to discuss those problems and potential solutions. You can also express
concern by giving due consideration to student complaints, taking remedial action when the complaints
are valid, and carefully explaining your position when the complaints are not valid.

4. Integrity – means being consistent and thoughtful and explaining your policies, procedures
and decisions and why they are necessary, so that their fairness can be judged and understood. For
example, an attendance policy may be justifiable because attendance is correlated with increased
learning and better grades. Explaining the educational goals of various types of assignment also can be
effective. You can demonstrate integrity by delivering promised rewards and penalties and admitting
ignorance when appropriate.

5. Propriety – acting in a socially acceptable manner that does not offend students’ sensibilities.
Students expect you to follow the rules when interacting with them, even if you believe there might be
pedagogical value in breaking them. For example, research indicates that most students find it
inappropriate in most or all circumstances for a teacher to tell an offensive joke or use one of the
learners to be the subject of a joke.

To conclude the discussion on fairness, try these doable steps inside and outside of the classroom.

Doable steps on how to be a fair person:

◦ Treat people the way you want to be treated.

◦ Take turns.

◦ Tell the truth. Play by the rules.

◦ Think about how your actions will affect others.

◦ Listen to people with an open mind.

◦ Don’t blame others for your mistakes.

◦ Don’t take advantage of other people.

◦ Don’t play favorites.

 Fairness may not be thought as easily as other character traits, but with consistency, children will
recognize fairness and act fairly towards others. When children develop their sense of fairness, we lay
down the foundation of empathy and sensitivity, in turn prevent bullying and can help them through
life.

Self-Control
Temptations abound. Studies or social media? Water or soda? Cut classes or attend classes? Drugs
or cigarettes? Fast foods or vegetables? The choices are endless and sometimes our self-control and
willpower are being put to a test. Self-control is the ability to manage one’s impulses, emotions, and
behaviors to achieve long-term goals. This is unique in human beings and this separates us from the rest
of the animal kingdom. Self-control is primarily rooted in the prefrontal cortex- the planning, problem
solving and decision-making center of the brain- which is significantly larger in humans than in other
mammals. The richness of nerve connections in the prefrontal cortex enables people to plan, evaluate
alternative actions, and ideally avoid doing things they’ll later regret, rather than immediately respond
to every impulse as it arises.

Self-control has three main parts:

 Monitoring which involves keeping track of your thoughts, feelings, and actions. In one study,
first-year female college students who weighed themselves every day, compared with those
who did not, were buffered from the typical weight gain that accompanies the first year in
college (Levitsky et al., 2206). The same is true when it comes to our money. Keeping track of
how much we save and spend relates to having more money.

 Standards are guidelines that steer us toward desirable responses. Our standards originate from
society and culture. Think of the speed limit sign that tells you how fast to drive or the laws that
tell you to pay your taxes. Follow the rules, and you’ll be fine. Break the rules, and there will be
consequences. We also have personal standards that govern our behavior. If I have certain
religious beliefs, I might think that it is inappropriate to eat certain foods, think certain thoughts
or feel certain emotions.

 Strength refers to the energy we need to control our impulses. Numerous factors affect our self-
control strength, such as mental exhaustion and stress. Effective self-control hinges on all three
ingredients working together. Without monitoring, you know what you need to do and have the
energy to do it, but you struggle to accomplish much because you do not keep track of your
progress. A world without standards is a recipe for chaos. Chronically depleted self-control
strength can leave people with the knowledge of what they should do without giving them the
energy to do it. Like a three-legged stool, kick off one self-control ingredient and the odds are
that your self-control will topple over.

How important is self-control? Self-control improves life in three ways:

o Self-control contributes to the person’s well-being

 Self-control relates to better health. Physically, self-controlled people sleep better, experience
fewer physical sickness symptoms and live longer lives. They also enjoy better mental health. Self-
control relates to lower anxiety and depression. Behaviors that relate to mental health problems, such
as substance use and suicide, are less common among self-controlled people. People with self-control
are likely to reach their goals.

◦ Self-control builds and strengthens relationship

Beyond wealth and good looks, people want self-controlled relationship partners. We want to
spend our lives with people we can trust, who follow through on their promises and who will override
their impulse to leave a lash out when things get tough. Self-controlled people are forgiving and react to
conflict with benevolence rather than violence.

◦ Self- controlled makes societies productive

Self-control helps societies flourish. Self-controlled people, compared to their less-controlled

counterparts, earn more money. Not only do self-controlled people enjoy greater wealth, they behave
more generously. They override their selfish impulses and go out of their way to help others. On a
broader level, societies that have clear-cut standards for appropriate behavior tend to function better
that do societies in which people do as they please. Societies also benefit from monitoring how their
citizens behave. Is the Philippines reaping these benefits? Filipinos now pay the price of their lack of self-
control especially in terms of waste disposal. Flash floods destroy lives and property during typhoons or
heavy monsoon rains.

Duckworth and Seligman (2005) conducted a study to determine the role of self-control and
intelligence in predicting year-end GPA. It involved adolescent students who answered measures of 0
intelligence and self-control at the beginning of the school year. Self- control outdid IQ 2-to-1 in
predicting academic achievement.

This is good news especially to those whose IQ may not be superior. IQ doesn’t often budge, but
self-control does. Students can boost their GPA through the exercise of self-control, hard work, and
persistence in the face of failure and temptations.

Classroom management can be challenging especially when children don’t have self-control. But hope
springs eternal because young children can be taught self-control through specific ways such as
everyday games and relatable activities.

A. Secret Code Word

Children may not have realized that their actions and voices are out of control. They need to be
aware of their behavior so they can do something about it. For this strategy, the teacher and the learner
agree in a secret code word to remind him or her. It can be anything. It can be any word such as unicorn,
malling, etc. that can be said by the teacher to the child. The code word helps children became aware of
their behaviors and hopefully stops what’s being done.

B. Calming Space
 An important part of encouraging regulation is to provide a space for students to go when they
need to calm down and refocus. This is not a time-out or punishment. It is simply a place where a
student can choose to go of a break would help them to get back on track. A teacher may suggest that a
student goes to the designated area, but a student should not be forced to go there. The calming space
can be set up with resources that can de-stress the child and keep him or her focused. The child returns
to class after some time. Perhaps, this can be set up in collaboration with the guidance counselor.

C. Talk About It

This may be the most simple tip, but the most important. Self control is a skill. It is a skill that
needs to be thought, talked about and encouraged. If our students have not learned about self-control,
we can’t expect them to use it. Keep on inspiring the learners and guided conversations on the pros and
cons of self-control can be initiated.

D. Play Activities/Games

These are non-threatening ways to help teach self-control and effective in controlling impulses.
The teacher needs to process the experience after playing. Games make the teaching of self-control fun.
Some sample games which we are familiar with but are helpful include:

 Statue Dance - in an open space or inside the classroom, play music. Students will dance
while the music plays, and when the music stops, students will freeze! If you want to
add a layer of difficulty, when students freeze, have them strike a karate pose. Anyone
who is caught moving gets eliminated.
 Simon Says - the teacher gives an instruction like, “Touch your nose,” but students only
follow the directive if the directive begins with, “Simon says.” For example, students
would not touch their noses If the teacher says, “Touch your nose.” but they would
touch their noses if the teacher said, “Simon says touch your nose.” or you can use your
name to title this game.
 Statute with Action - for this game, the teacher stands on one side of the room and the
students stand on the other. The teacher turns the back to the students. The students
begin silently moving toward the teacher. The teacher can then turn around, but when
the teacher turns around, all students must freeze in a statue position and hold it until
the teacher turns around again! Anyone the teacher sees moving is out of the game.

There are other games which can be used such as musical chairs or trip to Jerusalem. What the teacher
needs to do is create and innovative.

E. Create an Environment that Rewards Self-Control

More often than not, teachers’ pay attention to misbehaviors more than they notice good
behaviors. It’s about time that children who monitor and control behavior are recognized and rewarded.
The rewards need not be of high value, but you can think of rewards or incentives that can truly
motivate them to exercise self-restraint.

Older students enjoy learning practical strategies that they can use now. Here are four tips they can use
to improve their self-control.

1. Become a mental energy accountant

 many students plan how they spend their time. Few students plan how they spend their limited
self-control energy. Encourage students to spend the next week considering what they will do and how
much self-control energy they will need to do it. How much time do you spend for social media, online
gaming or studying?

2. Build self-control strength

Self-control relies on an all-purpose energy resource. You can strengthen your self-control by
doing seemingly unrelated self-control tasks. For two weeks, encourage your students to use their non
dominant hand to complete everyday tasks (e.g., cleaning, brushing their teeth). Research indicates that
this simple exercise increases self-control in other domains, such as reducing aggression (Denson et al.,
2011)

3. Play offense against your environment

Roy Baumeister and John Tierney (2011) argue that self-controlled people take control over
their environment. If students want to lose weight, refrain from drinking soda. If they need to submit a
course portfolio as requirement, the cellphone is switched off. Encourage the learner to identify one
way they can change their environment to help them achieve a specific goal. Ask them to implement the
change for three days. Later, ask students to share their experiences about how the environmental
change influenced their ability and motivation to achieve their goal.

4. Take the mind out if the middle

Self-control hurts because we have to battle against ourselves. Should I exercise now or later?
Should I study now or check my FB account? A solution is to take the mind out of the middle by setting
up a mental contract, what psychologist Peter Gollwitzer and colleagues call implementation intentions
(Gollwitzer & Sheeran, 2006). To achieve an academic goal, students might say, “When I get home from
class, I will read. This sounds simple, but it works.