Make Me! Understanding and Engaging Student Resistance in School

by Eric Toshalis

In this groundbreaking book, Eric Toshalis explores student resistance through a variety of perspectives, arguing that oppositional behaviors can be not only instructive but productive. All too often treated as a matter of compliance, student resistance can also be understood as a form of engagement, as young people confront and negotiate new identities in the classroom environment. The focus of teachers’ efforts, Toshalis says, should not be about “managing” adolescents but about learning how to read their behavior and respond to it in developmentally productive, culturally responsive, and democratically enriching ways.

Noting that the research literature is scattered across fields, Toshalis draws on four domains of inquiry: theoretical, psychological, political, and pedagogical. The result is a resource that can help teachers address this pervasive classroom challenge in ways that enhance student agency, motivation, engagement, and academic achievement.

The coauthor of Understanding Youth: Adolescent Development for Educators (Harvard Education Press, 2006), Toshalis blends accessible explanations of theory and research with vignettes of interactions among educators and students. In Make Me!, Toshalis helps teachers perceive possibility, rather than pathology, in student resistance.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction

368 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2015

Reviews

[Chelsea Courtois · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a long time to get through this book because it’s very dense. It’s heavy with some solid information about where resistance stems from, how we can respond to it in the classroom, and best practices for improving our interactions with students to yield academic successes. I like how this book provides action steps for educators for implementing solutions and anecdotes that highlight challenges educators endure.

[Dr. Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many "classroom management" books tell you what to do, but very few explain why the students behave the way they do. This one was about why. Rather than trying to crush the kids into behaving, it talked about how to use their resistance and make it work for you. I can see this book making some old school disciplinarians angry- which is why it's good!

[Brynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for class (Developmental Psychology) - This is an important book to read for any person who cares about and works with youth, especially in school settings (though I can see its lessons being applicable to other arenas as well). The reframing of “bad behavior” and resistance as something generative, communicative, and engaging is an idea that I will take with me as I enter the classroom.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for teachers. The book contains a lot of information, but crucial for teachers who want to curb misbehavior. Eric Toshalis doesn’t just tell you how to manage your class better, he explains why the students may be resisting learning. Excellent book!

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book. But it is overly dense and repetitive. It’s worth the read if you work with young folk, but be prepared.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read selective chapters for SED 5150 How People Learn.

[Mellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

read for class. very insightful and full of great information.

[Evan Stein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful and well written. Some of the suggestions can feel a little silly but mostly really good stuff