Benefits of Applied Control Theory

The following is from Sam Melchior, Evansville, IN.

During my 24 years of teaching I have attended dozens of workshops, professional development seminars, and read numerous books concerning many areas of education. In June of this year (2009) I attended ACT (Applied Control Theory) I. Without question it is the best training I have ever attended. The reasons are numerous, but most importantly to teachers is that it shows you specifically what you can do from day one to make your classroom the best it can be. You will be given specific methods to help with difficult situations that arise, and more importantly, how to prevent difficult situations from ever occurring. One of the great things about the training is how active it is for the participants. It is not a series of presentations by “experts” where you are just a passive listener. Many activities are incorporated to demonstrate how Applied Control Theory works in the real world. The participants get numerous opportunities to practice the specific methods and to discuss how the theory can be applied to their own situations. I am writing this approximately one month after attending ACT I. Fortunately, New View Publications is here in Evansville conducting training for teachers and other professionals from this area. I am participating as a casual observer during this training as a refresher before school starts. I hope to attend ACT II in January and Act III next summer.I must admit after a tough school year I was exhausted and not very enthusiastic about the upcoming school year. After the training in June I found myself looking forward to the new school year, confident in the fact I now have scientifically proven methods to help make our school a “connected school”, which means it is the best it can be.