Who is he?

Thomas Gordon is considered the "pioneer in teaching communication skills and conflict resolution methods."

He was the founder of Gordon Training International.

Gordon was a licensed clinical psychologist, and author of nine books and 50+ articles.

Why is he important?

Gordon served as a consultant to the 1970 White House Conference on Children.

He also was a keynote speaker to the White House Fellows.

Gordon wrote the Teacher Effectiveness Training Program in 1962, and it is still used today.

What is the Teacher Effectiveness Training program?

The program emphasizes the quality of teacher-student relationships.

Gordon believed that the quality of the relationship is more important than what or who is being taught.

Less conflict results in more time for teaching-learning.

What is the Teacher Effectiveness Training program?

Gordon developed the program after parents requested it. He had previously written a Parent Effectiveness Program and parents said they wanted their children to be treated the same at school as at home.

The program has been taught as an accredited course to 100,000+ teachers over the years.

How does the program work?

It is a 30-hour program designed for active participation from teachers in a four-step instructional process.

1. Structure: Instructor presentations, in-class reading, audio-visual aids.
2. Involvement: Role-plays, workbook exercises, one-on-one skill practice.
3. Process: Group discussions, one-on-one sharing and reflection to explore new learnings and insights.
4. Application: Individual and group activities to consolidate learning and make specific action plans. It involves workbook and text reading and out-of-class skill practice assignments.

What are the benefits for teachers?

Teachers experience:

1. less stress
2. 
   
3. more respect from students
4. 
   
5. fewer classroom disruptions/conflicts
6. 
7. fewer disciplinary issues