The "Stroke" Economy

We often talk about classroom management in terms of "rules" and "consequences," but what if we looked at it as an economy of Strokes? In my book’s sample chapter, "The Heart of the Matter," I dive into this concept from Transactional Analysis: a stroke is a fundamental unit of human recognition.  

The reality for many of our students is "stroke starvation":  

• Students who are ignored or overlooked at home arrive "stroke starved".  

• To survive, they will demand attention by acting out to elicit negative strokes.  

• As teachers, we must use Accounting behaviour to determine the specific "diet of strokes" our classes need to thrive.  

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By offering a simple "unconditional positive stroke"—like a greeting by name at the door—you can satisfy that survival need before the lesson even begins, preventing the negative "game playing" that derails learning.  

Download a free pdf of the whole second chapter of the book here and read more about how an understanding of the "stroke" economy can transform your understanding of classroom dynamics.