Michael C. Reichert has toured the world speaking at hundreds of conferences, schools and functions on a selected set of topics based on his work. To book a lecture with Michael, please contact him directly at mchlreichert@gmail.com or by calling 610-667-9503.
Look forward to hearing from you!
Here are several topics on which I have been frequently asked to speak. I have also tailored talks in response to more specific requests.
For Educators
A Relational Approach to Engaging Boys in Learning
The new field of interpersonal neuroscience confirms that all children, including boys, are “wired to connect.” Global studies of thousands of boys and their teachers found not only that boys were “relational learners,” but that even the most hardened resistance could be transformed by an effective relational approach. Indeed, to engage a boy in a learning partnership, the teacher or coach must first connect with him.
Based on three global studies conducted with over 2,500 adolescent boys and 2,000 of their teachers, from over 50 schools in six countries, Dr. Reichert offers a framework for engaging boys in learning that has been validated by educators and by boys themselves. The talk can also be adapted to a workshop format, allowing teachers and youth workers to share their own experiences.
Based also on ongoing work with schools interested in becoming “relational schools,” the workshop features these components:
An overall presentation of insights from his research identifying effective teaching practices with boys
A more focused presentation on the effective and ineffective relational strategies identified in this research
An introduction to a collaborative and reflective exercise that can help teachers/coaches “reset” when they have become stuck in a relationship with a student.
Suggested Readings:
Michael Reichert & Richard Hawley, Reaching Boys, Teaching Boys: Strategies That Work and Why (Jossey Bass, 2010).
Michael Reichert & Richard Hawley, I Can Learn from You: Boys as Relational Learners (Harvard Education Press, 2014).
For Parents
Boyhood for the 21st Century
Male models of abuse, casualty, and loss have dominated popular media. But the truth behind these headlines is surprising and deeply reassuring. It is not boys themselves but an outdated model of boyhood that is the problem. Those in charge of boyhood – parents, educators, coaches – need to challenge masculine stereotypes and myths and create a new paradigm for raising a boy who is resilient, emotionally astute, and morally grounded.
In a talk based upon his new book, How to Raise a Boy, Dr. Reichert reviews what we know and what we are missing when it comes to raising our sons. Building on his research and clinical experience, as well as from other research in boyhood studies and interpersonal neuroscience, his perspective affirms the goodness of boys and offers a roadmap for all those who care for them.
Participants will:
Understand the historic model of boyhood and its developmental costs.
Review key aspects of boys’ lives – their emotional development, the role of friendship and intimacy, their health and wellness, violence, digital citizenship – to grasp some of the threats to their development and the protective role parents and others can play.
Appreciate how a relational approach to parenting and mentoring boys can nurture their virtue and strengthen their resilience.
Consider three strategies for strengthening the parent/son bond, including a model for discipline.
Suggested Readings:
How to Raise a Boy: The Power of Connection to Build Good Men, Michael C. Reichert (Tarcher Perigee, 2019)
Other resources, including podcasts, articles and interviews, posted on michaelcreichert.com
For Boys and Young Men
Understanding Yourself as a Boy
In a conversation with boys, Dr. Reichert outlines his research identifying stereotypes and myths that govern boyhood. He characterizes boys as relational learners to help students consider what to do when a relationship with a teacher or coach becomes difficult or disappointing. And in a broader discussion of the role of emotions in human development, he offers ideas and examples for how boys can take better care of their mental health. In understanding their emotional and relational natures, boys are better able to resist cultural and peer group pressures that run counter to their values. Rooted in solid connections, boys are better able to be themselves.
Participants will:
Understand the historic model of boyhood and its developmental costs.
Review key aspects of boyhood – emotional development, relational connections with family, teachers and friends, health and wellness, violence, digital citizenship – to grasp some of the threats to male development and the protective role healthy connections can play.
Appreciate the need to take initiative when an important connection breaks down and consider how to overcome the many barriers to such initiatives.
Suggested Resources:
A Letter to My Grandson on Insecurity and its Antidote: Connection. https://www.fatherly.com/love-money/michael-reichert-on-insecurity-and-connection/
Interview on CBS This Morning: How to Raise Compassionate and Successful Boys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chfDt49MA3Y&feature=emb_logo&ab_channel=CBSThisMorning