The Three Laws

The first law: Motivation

“Reward good behavior, you’ll get more of it.”

“Behavior” here is deliberately broad: manners, posture, study habits, penmanship, sportsmanship, pronunciation, punctuality, diligence. Rewards are usually not tangible: “That's nice handwriting,” a thank-you, public recognition, a special privilege.

The rules that keep it honest: never give unearned praise; reward a specific behavior; and individualize, because what motivates one child does not motivate another.

Drawing on the work of B. F. Skinner, J. O. Cooper and R. W. Malott.

A sincere smile, specific praise, or a high-five can bring a moment of joy. Law 1 makes that encouragement part of everyday teaching, so children experience the satisfaction of doing well and want to keep learning.

Read Baker Mitchell’s opinion on joy in the classroom

The second law: Mastery

“Teach each step to mastery, and every child will learn.”

Divide a skill into its parts and teach them in sequence with three moves: model (“Watch me do it”), lead (“Let’s all do it together”) and test (“Now show me”). Recycle until firm, practice to mastery, and only then advance.

Drawing on the work of S. Engelmann, D. Carnine and O. Lindsley.

The third law: Management

“Watch the children. If they are not behaving or learning, you are not following the first two laws.”

This law makes the other two accountable. A struggling classroom is treated as evidence that motivation or mastery needs attention, not as evidence about the child. Principals walk classrooms daily, give immediate feedback and coach against the first two laws.