Can you please explain to me in detail about reality therapy in education(emhasising on individuals) and how it works? Can you also explain about Glasser's seven steps to effective problem solving.

-- Erin Dufty (erin.dufty@studentmail.newcastle.edu.au), May 14, 2002

Answers

It might be of interest to see the replies to Amanda Smith and Regina Lottie on this board. It would not be possible to cover the concept of the quality school in this forum and you really would have to read "The Quality School" by Bill Glasser. It would also have been helpful to have looked at "Choice Theory" by Glasser to understand the theory underlying his ideas. At its simplest, Glasser says that kids act up when the system they are in is not need fulfilling, and rather than punish them to get them to conform to the system why not change the system to suit them. The seven steps you refer to were a method he had long ago of laying out his Reality Therapy process when he taught it to teachers/counsellors etc. He gave up this 'step' idea many years ago because he found people were using it in 'cook book' fashion and that personal creativity was stifled. He has not mentioned the steps in very many years and when somebody referred to them at a conference some time ago he found he had actually forgotten them. I presume this is what you are referring to and not the "Seven Deadlies" which are the seven habits of 'criticising' 'blaming' 'bribing' etc. etc. that he holds will eventually destroy any relationship.

-- Ken Lyons (kenlyon@gofreeindigo.ie), May 14, 2002.