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The "Why" of Restorative Practices in Spokane Public Schools

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Restorative Justice in Oakland Schools_ Tier One. Community -1

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The new question-of-the-week is:
What are practical ways to implement restorative practices?
There is more and more interest in moving away from "traditional" school discipline and toward restorative practices. This series will explore what that kind of shift can look like-in practical terms-inside our schools and classrooms.

Today, Dr. Sheila Wilson, Maurice McDavid, Timothy Hilton, Ashley McCall, Bryan Harris, and Kara Pranikoff contribute their commentaries. You can listen to a ten-minute conversation I had with Sheila, Maurice, and Timothy on my BAM! Radio Show. You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here.
"When You Know Better, You Do Better!" Dr. Sheila Wilson is a native New Orleanian. She currently works as a 5th grade teacher in Virginia. In addition to instructional leadership, she serves to improve the capacity of students, teachers, and families through her roles as grade chair, lead mentor teacher, family-engagement liaison, and SCA adviser. Dr. Wilson is also an adjunct professor, conference presenter, and self-proclaimed lifelong learner. She is passionate about amplifying instruction, school leadership, and equity:
We are all familiar with the discipline practices of yesteryear, which would likely cause any conscientious educator today to cringe. Corporal punishment/traditional discipline practices were widely accepted and viewed as a means of correcting unwanted negative behaviors. I can vividly remember being a high school sophomore assigned to write 500 lines for being caught passing a note in the classroom. And who can forget the ultimate ... getting paddled in the principal's office! Even though it didn't personally happen to me (really), just the idea evoked fear in students of all ages and deterred most from mischievous acts. So, why was corporal punishment acceptable then? Why is corporal punishment no longer an accepted discipline practice in most places? Is punishment designed for those who obey the rules or for others? These questions make me call to mind the adage, "When you know better, you do better!"

Countless studies have shown that traditional discipline practices are no longer effective in today's schools. In fact, traditional practices were so commonplace in part because the ability to apply an immediate consequence was less time consuming for the one doling out the punishment. However, we now embrace restorative practices because they draw their strength in their ability to empower students to learn from unacceptable choices, to understand their impact, and to grow personally in their ability to make more sound decisions and resolve problems. Restorative practices represent a positive step forward in helping all students learn to resolve disagreements, take ownership of their behavior, and engage in acts of empathy and forgiveness.

There are many ways to implement restorative practices in the classroom. First, teachers can incorporate daily morning meetings to build relationships with students, get a sense of their social/emotional mindset, and set the tone and focus for the instructional day. Teachers can also utilize goal setting with their students as a restorative practice. With goal setting, students take ownership of areas they'd like to improve (academically or socially), and they set realistic and actionable steps to work toward their goal. By providing individual goal conferences, teachers can check in to see if students are on track to meet their goals, and students learn to self-check and refocus as needed. Another useful strategy is when an unacceptable behavior has happened that the teacher allows the offended student to share how the offense made him/her feel. In this way, the offender is able to understand how his/her behavior impacts others and therefore understand the perspective of the other person. Finally, there is great restorative power in having the student who has made an unacceptable choice reflect on his/her behavior in writing by addressing very specific questions like: What choice did I make? How did my choice impact others? Is there a better way that I could have addressed this situation? If I had the opportunity for a redo, would I make the same choice? Why or why not?

There are a number of benefits or restorative practices:

Builds relationships

Strives to be respectful to all

Provides the opportunity for equitable dialogue and decisionmaking

Involves relevant stakeholders

Addresses harms, needs, obligations

Encourages all to take responsibility

Educators have come to realize that you can't punish a child into doing anything. Instead of simply instituting harsh punishment, we need to teach kids the kind of skills, supported by research, to help them improve their behavior. This is why districts are embracing the implementation of restorative structures in schools across the nation. In building socially responsible students, we must arm them with the ability to think critically, problem-solve, and be able to work collaboratively with others. It will be through their mastery of academic knowledge AND their capacity to engage successfully with others that will ultimately guarantee their future success. Therefore, as educators, we must invest our efforts wisely.

Four Restorative Practices
Maurice McDavid earned his bachelor's degree in elementary education with a minor in history and Spanish. He has taught middle school history, English, and Spanish, as well as high school geography. He was dean of students for three years and is now in his first year as assistant principal at a bilingual elementary school.:

There are four restorative practices that I have worked to implement in our school building that all work on the same model of restorative justice: community-building circles, norm setting, community circles for content, and restorative chats.

Community-building circles: This practice is great for the beginning of the year, as well as use throughout the year to build a community of learners. This allows the students to get to know one another, as well as the teacher. This practice builds empathy amongst the students and will reduce the negative attacking behaviors that can exist in classrooms.

Norm setting: This practice is done using the model of a community-building circle but emphasizes the building of classroom norms together. Oftentimes, rules are handed down by authority and are necessary. Through the norm-setting process, students discuss the values (love, kindness, honesty, etc.) that are important to them in a relationship. From there, students take the values and turn them into action statements describing how they could live out those values in the classroom. A list of action statements or norms are created and can then be edited together as a class. What is awesome about this process is that the norms created are not adult-driven but instead are created as a community and thus has more community buy-in.

Community circles for content: This again uses the community-circle model for the base of practice. The difference is that rather than simply looking to build community, you can use the circle to present content in a class. It is a great discussion model. I have used it to introduce units and gather feedback about students' background information. The students are able to share openly and yet in an organized fashion, using the talking piece to moderate.

Restorative chats: Restorative chats are used when students do not meet the norms that were established in the classroom. It can be one on one or can be done with the whole class. It is centered around the following four questions:

What happened? - This differs from what did you do and allows students to tell the whole story and feel heard.

What were you thinking at the time? - This asks students to go back through the mental process they used when making the decision to act outside of the norms. This is a meta-cognitive practice. It allows for reflection on what thoughts and/or emotions may have led to the behavior.

Who or what was harmed? - This question asks the student to be accountable for the idea that their behavior caused harm to someone or something. Students are quick to discover that they have harmed themselves and, oftentimes, see how their behavior has harmed a teacher or classmate. This builds empathy.

How do you repair the harm? - This question asks the student to think about how they can make the situation right rather than simply serving a consequence that is not directly connected to the action. Students may offer to apologize or clean up a mess created. Students get to be a part of deciding what happens rather than having a decision made for them.

Starting "Small" Timothy Hilton is a climate and culture specialist with the Fresno Unified school district, in California, where he coaches teachers on classroom management and class climate. Timothy has over 10 years classroom-teaching experience at every level of social studies, ranging from Advanced Placement to English-language development. Timothy is currently a doctoral candidate at Claremont Graduate University in the field of educational policy, evaluation, and reform:
The Restorative practices world is a world that many educators fear simply because they do not know a lot about it. Educators are rarely trained to an adequate level in how to make Restorative Practices (RP) work in their daily lives. Teachers are usually shown the heavy-duty re-entry circles or conflict mediation to demonstrate the power of RP, but this often leaves teachers intimidated, overwhelmed, and asking how this is going to work for them.

The best, and most practical way, to implement restorative practices in the classroom is to start small with some basic restorative skills that can be practiced in your classroom, and even in your life outside of school. These skills are listening, affective communication, and curiosity questions. Once these skills have been practiced, lived, and embraced, then teacher can begin working into the heavier-duty RP practices.

Listening: While the concept of listening seems self-explanatory, we as teachers do not always do it. We are often trying to do a million things at once and, in turn, never really listen to our students. We hear them, but do we listen? In a restorative classroom, there are a couple ways we can demonstrate that we are listening. First is by mirroring their emotions and feelings about a topic. If they are serious when they are telling you something, then be serious as you listen. Second is by demonstrating active listening and paraphrasing. Saying things like, "What I am hearing you say is ..." Third is by being present and validating their feelings. If they are telling you something, make sure you are in the conversation and not planning your grocery list. A big part of being present is validating their feelings. You can do this by making statements such as, " I understand why you are upset." Or, "I cannot even imagine what you must be feeling, but that you so much for sharing with me."

Affective Communication: Also known as I-messages, these are powerful restorative tools that can be easily used in every classroom. These statements are done to connect the actions of your students to the impact they have on you. Affective statements require teachers to be willing to be honest and share their feelings. Affective statements follow simple formulas that can be used in every affective statement you make, "I feel/felt _____ when you _____." Another example is, "I would like/what I need is _____." The statement frames can be combined or used independently and might look like this, "I felt disappointed when I caught you cheating on the test. " Or,

"I felt sad yesterday when I found out you lied to me because I have always trusted you. I need you to trust me enough to be honest with me. " These questions tie the actions of an individual to the effect they had, something students often forget about.

Curiosity Questions: These are genuine questions you would ask someone to learn more about their situation. Imagine a student just does not seem to be having a good day. You can pull them aside and ask some curiosity questions to find out more. Simple questions like, "How are you doing today?" Or, "You seem kind of off today, is everything OK?" These questions help dive into an issue, but curiosity questions can also help resolve a conflict, "How did it make you feel when Tommy hit you?" or "What do you need Tommy to say to you to feel better?" These are just some very surface-level examples, but many more can be found online and in print resources.

Online Resources for Support Ashley McCall is a 3rd grade English/language arts educator at Chavez Multicultural Academic Center in Back of the Yards (Chicago) where she serves as a teacher representative on the local school council. She is a Teach Plus Teaching Policy Fellowship alumna and a member of the Teach Plus Board:
Many districts that are new to restorative practices are under the impression that it is a program to implement. It is not. Restorative practices are about shifting the mindsets and developing the capacity of stakeholders (students, families, teachers, administrators, receptionists, cafeteria staff, security staff, etc.) so they are invested in the culture and climate of the building and accept responsibility for maintaining a safe, enjoyable, and productive environment for all involved. When stakeholders are invested and properly trained, we are able to effectively sustain healthy school climates and respond effectively to breaches in our social contract.

If you are looking to shift toward more restorative practices in your school, you need buy-in across stakeholder groups. Consider how you (and a diverse group of stakeholders) will make a case for and create a sense of urgency around restorative practices at your school. Consider how you can use data as a reflective tool (rather than a tool for shaming and punishment) to drive conversations around the culture, climate, and current disciplinary practices.

Conflict-Resolution Sentence Starters As a career-long educator, Bryan Harris has served in a variety of roles from classroom teacher to district-level leader. Now working full time as a trainer, his work focuses on topics ranging from student engagement to teacher resiliency. Find out more at his website:
At the heart of restorative practices-in fact, it's right there in the name-is helping students learn how to repair and restore relationships after a conflict, hurt, offense, or fight.

The sad fact is that far too many of our students enter school without effective conflict-resolution skills. This includes the skill of recognizing when you've done harm to someone else and how to fix it. Notice that I didn't say that kids don't have any conflict-resolution skills. The fact is that they do-it's just that many of the skills and communication methods they've acquired are not healthy or productive.

So, as teachers and leaders, what do we do?

The first step is knowing that conflict is normal and cannot be fully avoided as long as you interact with other people. Once we help our students understand this very important idea, helping them develop and refine skills that communicate remorse is a great next step. In other words, teach them the power of an apology.

When students know how to sincerely offer and genuinely accept an apology, it serves as the foundation to restore broken relationships.

Have you ever seen something like this before?

Student A (we'll call them the offender) sheepishly walks over to Student B and says, "Sorry." They mumble the word under their breath while looking directly at the ground, arms folded the entire time.

Student B (we'll call them the victim) reluctantly says, "That's OK," while also looking at the ground and counting the seconds until they can run away.

In this all-too-common scenario, both students are likely embarrassed, and the conflict is not resolved. While some of the right words were used, Student A didn't truly apologize, and Student B didn't authentically accept it.

Imagine how different that interaction would be if students used specific words and phrases that communicate remorse for the offense and acceptance of an apology. It might sound like this:

Student A: "I am sorry for drawing that picture of you and showing it to your friends. I realize that made you feel sad. I promise I'll never do that again. Will you please forgive me?"

Student B: "Since you promised to never do that again, I accept your apology."

Notice the difference in the words. A great first place to start is by teaching students, by the use of sentence starters, which words are most effective at offering and accepting an apology. The following examples are great places to start:
How to Offer an Apology
* I apologize for ...

* It was my fault that _______ happened. I apologize for letting it happen.

* I realize that....

* I realize that _____ was my fault and I am sorry for making you feel ________.

* I am truly sorry that I did this. I want to make things better. Tell me how I can do that.
How to Accept an Apology
* I accept your apology. Make sure this does not happen again.

* Because I know you will not do this again, I accept your apology.

* I'll accept your apology because....

* Because you know that ______ was wrong, I accept your apology.

* Because you know that ______ hurt me, I can accept your apology.

Four Strategies for Promoting Restorative Practices
Kara Pranikoff is an elementary school teacher at a public school in New York City. Her book, Teaching Talk: A Practical Guide to Fostering Student Thinking and Conversation (Heinemann, 2017), shares many ways to keep the balance of classroom discussion in the hands of the students:

It was a beautiful springtime morning in New York. I walked into the yard to pick up my 2nd graders, and they swarmed to me, ready to begin our day.

Hudson stood atypically off to the side. Bending down to meet his eyes, I asked what was going on. "I don't want to talk about it now," he said quietly. "But may I give a public-service announcement when we get up to our room?"

"Public-service announcements" were statements that students needed to share with the rest of the community. Often these were messages that would increase our efficiency. (Can everyone place their jackets on hooks so that the space stays neat?) Or messages that would help us work better together. (Remember, we need to have a calmer science class so we can do our experiment.)

"I'd like to speak with everyone, even before we unpack," he requested. I was unsure about the content of his message, but it was clear that Hudson needed to begin our day.

Students entered the class, placed backpacks at their tables, and moved directly onto the rug. Hudson took a seat in the front corner of our meeting area, and I settled onto the bench in-between his peers.

"I'm feeling a little sad today," he began. "I just want everyone to know that last night my great-grandmother died. I want everyone to know that I might not want to play very much today."

The class responded with care. Some had questions that were typical of 2nd graders trying to get the literal facts: How old was she? How did she die? Then Hunter, Hudson's closest friend, raised her hand. "How can we help you feel better?" she wanted to know.

Restorative practices are essential for a community to care for each other and grow together. Our best learning happens when we feel safe and secure. This priority requires attention each day in order to bring together an entire classroom of diverse students.

The tools which enabled the students to listen and support Hudson in his time of need were put in place in the fall-nurtured and practiced each day-so that by springtime they could be used, with independence. Here are some essential ways to develop these habits of mind:

Have discussion in circle every day

It's said that one way to achieve closeness with others is to eat with them. It's not just the literal nourishment but the connection which is fostered by close physical proximity. The classroom equivalent is to set aside a space where the whole community can gather and face each other in a circle. This creates an area of inclusion where students can share their thoughts and ideas.
Make space for students to speak and respond to each other independently
Students' ownership of their shared space requires the ability for them to express their thoughts freely. Speaking in partnership or small groups can be woven into every day so that sharing and building ideas, independent of the teacher, is a regular practice.
Invite the lives of your students into the classroom
Restorative practice honors the full being of each student. For this to happen, students must have the freedom to share what is on their mind. We must embrace the child as a whole, enabling them to express the joys that happen both inside and outside of school, as well as the struggles.

Begin your day together

Each day we transition from our home space with family to our classroom community. By gathering as a whole class first thing every morning, we make a commitment to welcome our day together. We can set our intentions and get our minds ready for what is coming ahead in our shared learning.

Thanks to Sheila, Maurice, Timothy, Ashley, Bryan, and Kara for their contributions.

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.
Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email or RSS Reader. And if you missed any of the highlights from the first eight years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. The list doesn't include ones from this current year, but you can find those by clicking on the "answers" category found in the sidebar. Look for Part Two in a few days.

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Ways to Implement Restorative Practices in the Classroom (Opinion)

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Educators share their practical experience implementing restorative practices in their schools, such as holding goal-setting conferences with students and teaching them "the power of an apology."

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Six lessons learned from replacing punitive discipline with a community-oriented, restorative approach.

© iStock.com/Steve Debenport

Schools across the country are being urged to adopt restorative approaches as an alternative to suspensions, which may disproportionately affect students of color.

But restorative practices do more than supplant punitive approaches to discipline. They can dramatically improve the school climate and strengthen the social and emotional skills of young people and adults. Instead of using punishments and rewards to influence the way students behave, restorative approaches address the underlying reasons for students' hurtful behavior and nurture their intrinsic desire to treat others with care and respect.

Making the transition to restorative approaches isn't easy. Here are six lessons we've learned as we've introduced these practices in New York City public schools.

1. Restorative approaches are all about building community and strengthening relationships. Restorative approaches are based on the idea that when we feel part of a supportive community, we respect others in that community and become accountable to it. Schools can foster this sense of community through daily or weekly circles, in advisory, or in any class -- provided teachers get the support needed to facilitate the practices. Circles help participants better understand each other, engendering a sense of empathy and connection. Adults can build the effort by modeling collaborative, respectful behavior themselves. Adults can also have their own circles, creating a safe place where they too can connect and explore challenges.

2. Circles are powerful, if you respect the process. Circles borrow traditions from indigenous peoples: You sit in a circle around an object that has meaning for the group. You pass a talking piece, and everyone must wait till the talking piece comes to them before speaking -- including the facilitator. In circle, everyone is both a participant and a keeper; no one is in charge and no one is an observer. As students get comfortable with the circle process, they can become co-keepers. Respecting all these practices takes discipline, but it is key to the circle's power. Circle gives everyone a rare chance to share what they are feeling and experiencing. Over time, circle becomes a safe space where everyone feels that they are heard and that they belong. That's a precious thing in a school -- or anywhere.

3. Circles can be strengthened by a curriculum that sequentially builds skills. The circle naturally asks participants to use social and emotional skills that they may not have fully developed, including active listening, handling strong emotions, and respecting differences. A sequenced curriculum can guide circle keepers in gradually building these skills.

4. When problems do occur, you have an array of restorative responses to choose from. Circle provides a foundation that can both prevent problems and help handle them when they arise. You can also use a mediation process or group problem-solving session to address problems. If a serious harm happens, a restorative intervention may be in order: The person causing the harm meets with others, often including the person harmed. They reflect on the harm and agree on how it can be remedied. The person who caused harm has a chance to truly understand the impact of their actions, to be heard and understood themselves, to repair the harm, and to be welcomed back (restored) to the community. That can have a far more positive and lasting effect on a person than punishment or exile. The process can provide insights for everyone else as well.

5. Everyone needs to be part of the gradual shift. Using restorative processes takes skill. It's best if a regular member of the school staff can serve as the restorative practices specialist/coordinator. But everyone in the school needs to embrace the approach. This is challenging, since treating harm as a teachable moment (not an occasion for punishment) runs counter to many ingrained habits and societal messages. For these reasons, moving to restorative practices requires a thoughtful, staged transition.

6. It takes a dedicated principal and school-wide planning. The shift to restorative approaches takes time and commitment. Ideally, the principal convenes a collaborative team (including students) to rethink and reconstruct the school's discipline policy and create a phased implementation plan that includes support for staff.

Many people are struck by the power of restorative practices. As the principal of a Bronx school that instituted them says, "We noticed that we hadn't had a single fight -- physical or verbal -- in 12 weeks. It's because we've been building trust. We've created a climate of civility and respect." That kind of atmosphere is good for everyone, students and teachers alike.

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Bringing Restorative Practices to Your School

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Six lessons learned from replacing punitive discipline with a community-oriented, restorative approach. © iStock.com/Steve Debenport Schools across the country are being urged to adopt restorative approaches as an alternative to suspensions, which may disproportionately affect students of color. But restorative practices do more than supplant punitive approaches to discipline.

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by Ted Wachtel, IIRP Founder

Restorative practices is a social science that studies how to build social capital and achieve social discipline through participatory learning and decision making.

The use of restorative practices helps to:

reduce crime, violence and bullying

improve human behavior

strengthen civil society

provide effective leadership

restore relationships

repair harm

The IIRP distinguishes between the terms restorative practices and restorative justice. We view restorative justice as a subset of restorative practices. Restorative justice is reactive, consisting of formal or informal responses to crime and other wrongdoing after it occurs. The IIRP's definition of restorative practices also includes the use of informal and formal processes that precede wrongdoing, those that proactively build relationships and a sense of community to prevent conflict and wrongdoing.

Where social capital-a network of relationships-is already well established, it is easier to respond effectively to wrongdoing and restore social order-as well as to create a healthy and positive organizational environment. Social capital is defined as the connections among individuals (Putnam, 2001), and the trust, mutual understanding, shared values and behaviors that bind us together and make cooperative action possible (Cohen & Prusak, 2001).

In public health terms, restorative justice practices provide tertiary prevention, introduced after the problem has occurred, with the intention of avoiding reoccurrence. Restorative practices expands that effort with primary prevention, introduced before the problem has occurred.

The social science of restorative practices offers a common thread to tie together theory, research and practice in diverse fields such as education, counseling, criminal justice, social work and organizational management. Individuals and organizations in many fields are developing models and methodology and performing empirical research that share the same implicit premise, but are often unaware of the commonality of each other's efforts.

For example, in criminal justice, restorative circles and restorative conferences allow victims, offenders and their respective family members and friends to come together to explore how everyone has been affected by an offense and, when possible, to decide how to repair the harm and meet their own needs (McCold, 2003). In social work, family group decision-making (FGDM) or family group conferencing (FGC) processes empower extended families to meet privately, without professionals in the room, to make a plan to protect children in their own families from further violence and neglect or to avoid residential placement outside their own homes (American Humane Association, 2003). In education, circles and groups provide opportunities for students to share their feelings, build relationships and solve problems, and when there is wrongdoing, to play an active role in addressing the wrong and making things right (Riestenberg, 2002).

These various fields employ different terms, all of which fall under the rubric of restorative practices: In the criminal justice field, the phrase used is "restorative justice" (Zehr, 1990); in social work, the term employed is "empowerment" (Simon, 1994); in education, talk is of "positive discipline" (Nelsen, 1996) or "the responsive classroom" (Charney, 1992); and in organizational leadership, "horizontal management" (Denton, 1998) is referenced. The social science of restorative practices recognizes all of these perspectives and incorporates them into its scope.

Restorative practices has its roots in restorative justice, a way of looking at criminal justice that emphasizes repairing the harm done to people and relationships rather than only punishing offenders (Zehr, 1990).

In the modern context, restorative justice originated in the 1970s as mediation or reconciliation between victims and offenders. In 1974 Mark Yantzi, a probation officer, arranged for two teenagers to meet directly with their victims following a vandalism spree and agree to restitution. The positive response by the victims led to the first victim-offender reconciliation program, in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, with the support of the Mennonite Central Committee and collaboration with the local probation department (McCold, 1999; Peachey, 1989). The concept subsequently acquired various names, such as victim-offender mediation and victim-offender dialogue, as it spread through North America and to Europe through the 1980s and 1990s (Umbreit & Greenwood, 2000).

Restorative justice echoes ancient and indigenous practices employed in cultures all over the world, from Native American and First Nation Canadian to African, Asian, Celtic, Hebrew, Arab and many others (Eagle, 2001; Goldstein, 2006; Haarala, 2004; Mbambo & Skelton, 2003; Mirsky, 2004; Roujanavong, 2005; Wong, 2005).

Eventually modern restorative justice broadened to include communities of care as well, with victims' and offenders' families and friends participating in collaborative processes called conferences and circles. Conferencing addresses power imbalances between the victim and offender by including additional supporters (McCold, 1999).

The family group conference (FGC) started in New Zealand in 1989 as a response to native Maori people's concerns with the number of their children being removed from their homes by the courts. It was originally envisioned as a family empowerment process, not as restorative justice (Doolan, 2003). In North America it was renamed family group decision making (FGDM) (Burford & Pennell, 2000). In 1991 the FGC was adapted by an Australian police officer, Terry O'Connell, as a community policing strategy to divert young people from court. The IIRP now calls that adaptation, which has spread around the world, a restorative conference. It has been called other names, such as a community accountability conference (Braithwaite, 1994) and victim-offender conference (Amstutz & Zehr, 1998). In 1994, Marg Thorsborne, an Australian educator, was the first to use a restorative conference in a school (O'Connell, 1998).

The International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP) grew out of the Community Service Foundation and Buxmont Academy, which since 1977 have provided programs for delinquent and at-risk youth in southeastern Pennsylvania, USA. Initially founded in 1994 under the auspices of Buxmont Academy, the Real Justice program, now an IIRP program, has trained professionals around the world in restorative conferencing. In 1999 the newly created IIRP broadened its training to informal and proactive restorative practices, in addition to formal restorative conferencing (Wachtel, 1999). Since then the IIRP, an accredited graduate school, has developed a comprehensive framework for practice and theory that expands the restorative paradigm far beyond its origins in criminal justice (McCold & Wachtel, 2001, 2003). Use of restorative practices is now spreading worldwide, in education, criminal justice, social work, counseling, youth services, workplace and faith community applications (Wachtel, 2013).

Restorative practices are not limited to formal processes, such as restorative conferences or family group conferences, but range from informal to formal. On a restorative practices continuum (Figure 3), the informal practices include affective statements that communicate people's feelings, as well as affective questions that cause people to reflect on how their behavior has affected others. Impromptu restorative conferences, groups and circles are somewhat more structured but do not require the elaborate preparation needed for formal conferences. Moving from left to right on the continuum, as restorative practices become more formal, they involve more people, require more planning and time, and are more structured and complete. Although a formal restorative process might have dramatic impact, informal practices have a cumulative impact because they are part of everyday life (McCold & Wachtel, 2001).

The aim of restorative practices is to develop community and to manage conflict and tensions by repairing harm and building relationships. This statement identifies both proactive (building relationships and developing community) and reactive (repairing harm and restoring relationships) approaches. Organizations and services that only use the reactive without building the social capital beforehand are less successful than those that also employ the proactive (Davey, 2007).

The most critical function of restorative practices is restoring and building relationships. Because informal and formal restorative processes foster the expression of affect or emotion, they also foster emotional bonds. The late Silvan S. Tomkins's writings about psychology of affect (Tomkins, 1962, 1963, 1991) assert that human relationships are best and healthiest when there is free expression of affect or emotion - minimizing the negative, maximizing the positive, but allowing for free expression. Donald Nathanson, former director of the Silvan S. Tomkins Institute, added that it is through the mutual exchange of expressed affect that we build community, creating the emotional bonds that tie us all together (Nathanson, 1998). Restorative practices such as conferences and circles provide a safe environment for people to express and exchange emotion (Nathanson, 1998).

Tomkins identified nine distinct affects (Figure 4) to explain the expression of emotion in all humans. Most of the affects are defined by pairs of words that represent the least and the most intense expression of a particular affect. The six negative affects include anger-rage, fear-terror, distressanguish, disgust, dissmell (a word Tomkins coined to describe "turning up one's nose" in a rejecting way) and shame-humiliation. Surprise-startle is the neutral affect, which functions like a reset button. The two positive affects are interest-excitement and enjoyment-joy (Tomkins, 1962, 1963, 1991).

Silvan S. Tomkins (1962) wrote that because we have evolved to experience nine affects - two positive affects that feel pleasant, one (surprise-startle) so brief that it has no feeling of its own, and six that feel dreadful - we are hardwired to conform to an internal blueprint. The human emotional blueprint ensures that we feel best when we 1) maximize positive affect and 2) minimize negative affect; we function best when 3) we express all affect (minimize the inhibition of affect) so we can accomplish these two goals; and, finally, 4) anything that fosters these three goals makes us feel our best, whereas any force that interferes with any one or more of those goals makes us feel worse (Nathanson, 1997).

By encouraging people to express their feelings, restorative practices build better relationships. Restorative practices demonstrate the fundamental hypothesis of Tomkins's psychology of affect - that the healthiest environment for human beings is one in which there is free expression of affect, minimizing the negative and maximizing the positive (Nathanson, 1992). From the simple affective statement to the formal conference, that is what restorative practices are designed to do (Wachtel, 1999).

Shame is worthy of special attention. Nathanson explains that shame is a critical regulator of human social behavior. Tomkins defines shame as occurring any time that our experience of the positive affects is interrupted (Tomkins, 1987). So an individual does not have to do something wrong to feel shame. The individual just has to experience something that interrupts interest-excitement or enjoyment-joy (Nathanson, 1997a). This understanding of shame provides a critical explanation for why victims of crime often feel a strong sense of shame, even though it was the offender who committed the "shameful" act (Angel, 2005).

Nathanson (1992) has developed the Compass of Shame (Figure 5) to illustrate the various ways that human beings react when they feel shame. The four poles of the compass of shame and behaviors associated with them are:

* Withdrawal-isolating oneself, running and hiding

* Attack self-self put-down, masochism

* Avoidance-denial, abusing drugs, distraction through thrill seeking

* Attack others-turning the tables, lashing out verbally or physically, blaming others

Nathanson says that the attack other response to shame is responsible for the proliferation of violence in modern life. Usually people who have adequate self-esteem readily move beyond their feelings of shame. Nonetheless we all react to shame, in varying degrees, in the ways described by the Compass. Restorative practices, by their very nature, provide an opportunity for us to express our shame, along with other emotions, and in doing so reduce their intensity. In restorative conferences, for example, people routinely move from negative affects through the neutral affect to positive affects (Nathanson, 1998).

When authorities do things with people, whether reactively-to deal with crisis-or proactively, the results are better. This fundamental thesis was evident in a Harvard Business Review article about the concept of fair process producing effective outcomes in business organizations (Kim & Mauborgne, 2003). The central idea of fair process is that "...individuals are most likely to trust and cooperate freely with systems-whether they themselves win or lose by those systems-when fair process is observed" (Kim & Mauborgne, 2003).

The three principles of fair process are:

Engagement - involving individuals in decisions that affect them by listening to their views and genuinely taking their opinions into account

Explanation - explaining the reasoning behind a decision to everyone who has been involved or who is affected by it

Expectation clarity - making sure that everyone clearly understands a decision and what is expected of them in the future (Kim & Mauborgne, 1997)

Fair process demonstrates the restorative with domain of the social discipline window. It relates to how leaders handle their authority in all kinds of professions and roles: from parents and teachers to managers and administrators. The fundamental hypothesis of restorative practices embodies fair process by asserting that "people are happier, more cooperative and productive, and more likely to make positive changes in behavior when those in authority do things with them, rather than to them or for them."

A restorative conference is a structured meeting between offenders, victims and both parties' family and friends, in which they deal with the consequences of the crime or wrongdoing and decide how best to repair the harm. Neither a counseling nor a mediation process, conferencing is a victim-sensitive, straightforward problem-solving method that demonstrates how citizens can resolve their own problems when provided with a constructive forum to do so (O'Connell, Wachtel, & Wachtel, 1999).

Conferences provide victims and others with an opportunity to confront the offender, express their feelings, ask questions and have a say in the outcome. Offenders hear firsthand how their behavior has affected people. Offenders may choose to participate in a conference and begin to repair the harm they have caused by apologizing, making amends and agreeing to financial restitution or personal or community service work. Conferences hold offenders accountable while providing them with an opportunity to discard the "offender" label and be reintegrated into their community, school or workplace (Morris & Maxwell, 2001).

Participation in conferences is voluntary. After it is determined that a conference is appropriate and offenders and victims have agreed to attend, the conference facilitator invites others affected by the incident - the family and friends of victims and offenders (O'Connell, Wachtel, & Wachtel, 1999).

A restorative conference can be used in lieu of traditional disciplinary or justice processes, or where that is not appropriate, as a supplement to those processes (O'Connell, Wachtel, & Wachtel, 1999). In the Real Justice approach to restorative conferences, developed by Australian police officer Terry O'Connell, the conference facilitator sticks to a simple written script. The facilitator keeps the conference focused but is not an active participant. In the conference the facilitator provides an opportunity to each participant to speak, beginning with asking open-ended and affective restorative questions of the offender. The facilitator then asks victims and their family members and friends questions that provide an opportunity to tell about the incident from their perspective and how it affected them. The offenders' family and friends are asked to do the same (O'Connell, Wachtel, & Wachtel, 1999).

Using the conference script, offenders are asked these restorative questions:

"What happened?"

"What were you thinking about at the time?"

"What have you thought about since?"

"Who has been affected by what you have done?"

"What do you think you need to do to make things right?"

Victims are asked these restorative questions:

"What did you think when you realized what happened?"

"What impact has the incident had on you and others?"

"What has been the hardest thing for you?"

"What do you think needs to happen to make things right?"

Finally, the victim is asked what he or she would like to be the outcome of the conference. The response is discussed with the offender and everyone else at the conference. When agreement is reached, a simple contract is written and signed (O'Connell, Wachtel, & Wachtel, 1999).

Restorative conferencing is an approach to addressing wrongdoing in various settings in a variety of ways (O'Connell, Wachtel, & Wachtel, 1999):

Conferencing can be employed by schools in response to truancy, disciplinary incidents, including violence, or as a prevention strategy in the form of role plays of conferences with primary and secondary school students.

Police can use conferences as a warning or diversion from court, especially with first-time offenders.

Courts may use conferencing as a diversion, an alternative sentencing process, or a healing event for victims and offenders after the court process is concluded.

Juvenile and adult probation officers may respond to various probation violations with conferences.

Correctional and treatment facilities will find that conferences resolve the underlying issues and tensions in conflicts and disciplinary actions.

Colleges and universities can use conferences with residence hall and campus incidents and disciplinary violations.

In workplaces, conferences address both wrongdoing and conflict.

Some approaches to restorative conferences, such as in Ulster in Northern Ireland, do not use the Real Justice script approach (Chapman, 2006). Victim-offender conferences do not rely on a script, either. Based on the earlier restorative justice model of victim-offender mediation, but widening the circle of participants, the victim-offender approach to conferences still relies on mediators who more actively manage the process (Amstutz & Zehr, 1998).

The IIRP prefers the Real Justice scripted model of conferencing because we believe it has the greatest potential to meet the needs of the stakeholders described in the Restorative Justice Typology. In addition, research shows that it consistently provides very high levels of satisfaction and sense of fairness for all participants (McCold & Wachtel, 2002). However, we do not mean to quibble with other approaches. As long as people experience a safe opportunity to have a meaningful discussion that helps them address the emotional and other consequences of a conflict or a wrong, the process is beneficial.

A circle is a versatile restorative practice that can be used proactively, to develop relationships and build community or reactively, to respond to wrongdoing, conflicts and problems. Circles give people an opportunity to speak and listen to one another in an atmosphere of safety, decorum and equality.

The circle process allows people to tell their stories and offer their own perspectives (Pranis, 2005). The circle has a wide variety of purposes: conflict resolution, healing, support, decision making, information exchange and relationship development. Circles offer an alternative to contemporary meeting processes that often rely on hierarchy, win-lose positioning and argument (Roca, Inc., n.d.).

Circles can be used in any organizational, institutional or community setting. Circle time (Mosley, 1993) and morning meetings (Charney, 1992) have been widely used in primary and elementary schools for many years and more recently in secondary schools and higher education (Mirsky, 2007, 2011; Wachtel & Wachtel, 2012). In industry, the quality circle has been employed for decades to engage workers in achieving high manufacturing standards (Nonaka, 1993). In 1992, Yukon Circuit Court Judge Barry Stewart pioneered the sentencing circle, which involved community members in helping to decide how to deal with an offender (Lilles, 2002). In 1994, Mennonite Pastor Harry Nigh befriended a mentally challenged repeat sex offender by forming a support group with some of his parishioners, called a circle of support and accountability, which was effective in preventing re-offending (Rankin, 2007).

Circles may use a sequential format. One person speaks at a time, and the opportunity to speak moves in one direction around the circle. Each person must wait to speak until his or her turn, and no one may interrupt. Optionally, a talking piece-a small object that is easily held and passed from person to person-may be used to facilitate this process. Only the person who is holding the talking piece has the right to speak (Costello, Wachtel, & Wachtel, 2010). Both the circle and the talking piece have roots in ancient and indigenous practices (Mirsky, 2004a, 2004b; Roca, Inc., n.d.)

The sequential circle is typically structured around topics or questions raised by the circle facilitator. Because it strictly forbids back-and-forth argument, it provides a great deal of decorum. The format maximizes the opportunity for the quiet voices, those that are usually inhibited by louder and more assertive people, to speak without interruption. Individuals who want to respond to something that has been said must be patient and wait until it is their turn to speak. The sequential circle encourages people to listen more and talk less (Costello, Wachtel, & Wachtel, 2010).

Although most circle traditions rely on a facilitator or circle keeper who guides but does not control (Pranis, Stuart & Wedge, 2003), a circle does not always need a leader. One approach is simply for participants to speak sequentially, moving around the circle as many times as necessary, until all have said what they want to say. In this case, all of the participants take responsibility for maintaining the integrity and the focus of the circle.

Non-sequential circles are often more freely structured than a sequential circle. Conversation may proceed from one person to another without a fixed order. Problem-solving circles, for example, may simply be focused around an issue that is to be solved but allow anyone to speak. One person in the group may record the group's ideas or decisions.

A Real Justice restorative conference, however, employs a different kind of fixed order. Participants sit in a circle, and the conference facilitator uses the order of speakers defined by the conference script (offender, victim, victim supporter, offender supporter) to ask each person a set of restorative questions (O'Connell, Wachtel, & Wachtel, 1999). In effect, the facilitator serves as the talking piece, determining whose turn it is to speak without interruption. After everyone has responded to restorative questions, the facilitator moves to a more open, back-and-forth, non-ordered discussion of what the victim needs and how those needs might be met.

A sequential restorative circle may be used instead of a formal conference to respond to wrongdoing or a conflict or problem. The restorative circle is less formal because it does not typically specify victims and offenders and does not follow a script. However, it may employ some of the restorative questions from within the conferencing script (Costello, Wachtel, & Wachtel, 2010).

Another circle format is the fishbowl. This consists of an inner circle of active participants who may discuss an issue with a sequential approach or engage in a non-sequential activity such as problem-solving. Outside the inner circle are observers arranged in as many concentric circles as are needed to accommodate the group. The fishbowl format allows others to watch a circle activity that might be impractical with a large number of active participants. A variation of the fishbowl format has an empty chair in the inner circle that allows individual observers to come forward one at a time, sit in the empty chair, say something and then return to the outer circle-permitting a limited amount of participation by the observers (Costello, Wachtel, & Wachtel, 2010).

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by Ted Wachtel, IIRP Founder Restorative practices is a social science that studies how to build social capital and achieve social discipline through participatory learning and decision making. The use of restorative practices helps to: reduce crime, violence and bullying improve human behavior strengthen civil society provide effective leadership restore relationships repair harm The IIRP distinguishes between the terms restorative practices and restorative justice.

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A Strategy to Solve Unfinished Learning

Anxiety, stress, and in some cases, trauma are prevalent as we live through the COVID-19 pandemic. Students are facing food and housing insecurities, isolation caused by school and business closures, uncertainty due to parents losing jobs, and the fear of catching the coronavirus or grief of losing family members to it. Educators are facing their own personal stresses, in addition to being concerned about teaching academic content and about the well-being of their students, which can ultimately wear on their well-being.

But even with all of these stressors, teachers and students are trying to remain connected to schools and each other. Strong relationships with teachers and school staff can dramatically enhance students' level of motivation and therefore promote learning. Students who have access to more strong relationships are more academically engaged, have stronger social skills, and experience more positive behavior. Unfortunately, too many students do not have this experience. A survey of 25,400 sixth to 12th graders in a large diverse district, found that less than a third of middle schoolers had a strong relationship with their teachers, and that number dropped to 16% by the time students reached 12th grade. Students from low-income backgrounds report even fewer strong relationships with their teachers.

When schools closed their doors in March 2020, these connections went away for many. But building trusting relationships will be critical to addressing the months of stress and missed classroom instruction, or unfinished learning, that has followed. Estimates show that as many as 3 million students are offline, hard to find, or have left school altogether as a result of school closures. In some places, data shows as many as 1 in 5 students did not participate in virtual learning in the spring. Building and maintaining strong "developmental relationships" that reconnect students with adults in school buildings will matter more now and in coming months than in previous school years. Without these trusting relationships and connections, educators cannot catch students up.

Strong relationships between adults and students must include: expressing care, challenging growth, providing support, sharing power, and expanding possibilities (see related chart for explanations). Importantly, these relationship-building actions must be done with an equity lens, one that supports positive racial, cultural, and ethnic identity development. The country's attempt to reckon with 400 years of anti-blackness in response to recent acts of racial violence and injustice is highlighting the long-standing systemic inequities affecting students of color. And the pandemic is exacerbating them.

Creating strong relationships between students and those charged with educating them therefore will require adults to acknowledge the long-standing harms caused by racism in schools. Bias and discrimination, both implicit and explicit, can easily lead to harmful in-school practices that erase students' cultural identities. Relationship building, however, must be done intentionally with the needs of students of color in mind and with a strength-based lens that recognizes and values the rich cultural and linguistic assets they bring to the classroom.

In this brief, we highlight the important practices of fostering strong relationships between students and adults, as well as how to build these relationships in ways that encourage and support students to engage in tasks that move them beyond their current understanding and skills.

What Do We Know About What Works?

District and school leaders considering emphasizing relationships as a strategy to help students catch up and stay connected with school will have to make intentional and important decisions about structuring time for teachers and staff, investing in activities, training on building developmental relationships, and about how to most effectively group students.

As school leaders consider what type of strategy could work best with their staff and students to build strong developmental relationship, they will have to make challenging decisions based on their specific circumstances or contexts. These decisions will come with tradeoffs. In this brief, we draw on research on strengthening student-teacher relationships, school-based mentoring, school-based after-school programming, and school-based case management to provide insight on those tradeoffs. The following chart shows how implementing different elements of building strong developmental relationships impacts the effectiveness of those relationships.

How Effective are Strong Relationships?

We looked at the research to help leaders navigate complicated decisions. The chart below shows how implementing various features of strong relationships impact effectiveness.

Critical Questions for Leaders

Who benefits most from strong relationships?

Students from all backgrounds and ages benefit from strong relationships.

Below are critical questions to ask, based on available research, as schools and districts are building plans to completed unfinished learning.

Why are strong relationships important?

Strong relationships provide a foundation for student engagement, belonging, and, ultimately, learning. The more high-quality relationships students have with their teachers, the better their engagement in school.

How can schools strengthen relationships among students and staff?

The most important thing schools can do to foster these relationships is to have a culture that explicitly values adults nurturing relationships with students and providing teachers and school staff with the time, space, and occasions to interact repeatedly with individual students, especially those that seem less engaged.

Which adult relationships are most impactful?

All in-school adults should strive for strong relationships with students. When students have strong relationships with their teachers, in-class motivation increases the most. In these instances, students are motivated by teachers' high expectations as well as their own.

How should schools group students to foster relationships between adults and students?

Smaller groups are most effective for fostering relationships. One-on-one interactions allow for the greatest opportunity for individualized attention and support, but some adults and students benefit from a larger group setting.

What tasks will foster strong relationships in individual or group settings?

Activities are most effective when they are based on students' interests or goals.

What training do adults need to build strong relationships?

Schools should provide all the adults in the school building with training on the elements of developmental relationships, time, and strategies to build developmental relationships. Schools should also provide individual feedback based on observations of adult interactions with students. This training will ensure that relationships are stronger and more effective in accelerating academic learning.
students of color.

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The Importance of Strong Relationships - A Strategy to Solve Unfinished Learning

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Strong relationships with teachers and school staff can dramatically enhance students' level of motivation and therefore promote learning. Students who have access to more strong relationships are more academically engaged, have stronger social skills, and experience more positive behavior.

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Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, “They don’t pay me to like the kids.” Her response: “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.’” A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.

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by Mark Boynton and Christine Boynton

We all want to feel cared for and valued by the significant people in our world. Students are no different. This knowledge is a powerful tool in the arsenal available to you as you form your classroom discipline plan. As a classroom teacher, you wield a great deal of power over your students simply due to the fact that you control their destiny for up to six and a half hours each day, five days a week. When students feel that you value and care for them as individuals, they are more willing to comply with your wishes.

Think about it for just a minute. Aren't you more apt to go out of your way to please a boss who you feel values you as an individual and treats you with dignity and respect, rather than a boss who communicates a lack of respect for you? When your boss asks about your family, gives you "slack" when there is a personal emergency, or praises you for work well done, don't you develop feelings of regard for this boss and want to do your best to please him or her? Students have the same feelings. So it makes sense that developing positive teacher-student relations is one of the most effective steps you can take to establish a positive discipline climate in the classroom. It's critical to remember that when you treat students with respect, they tend to appreciate and like you. When they appreciate and like you, they are more willing to want to please you-which causes them to be more likely to behave appropriately. This is why it is so important to remember that, when it comes to student behavior, it's far more often the relationship students have with you than it is the rules themselves that encourages students to follow those rules.

A review of the research shows that authors have a lot to say about positive relationships with students. Thompson (1998) says, "The most powerful weapon available to secondary teachers who want to foster a favorable learning climate is a positive relationship with our students" (p. 6). Canter and Canter (1997) make the statement that we all can recall classes in which we did not try very hard because we didn't like our teachers. This should remind us how important it is to have strong, positive relationships with our students. Kohn (1996) goes a step further, saying, "Children are more likely to be respectful when important adults in their lives respect them. They are more likely to care about others if they know they are cared about" (p. 111). Marzano (2003) states that students will resist rules and procedures along with the consequent disciplinary actions if the foundation of a good relationship is lacking. He goes on to assert that relationships are perhaps more important at the elementary and junior high levels than at the high school level. And according to Zehm and Kottler (1993), students will never trust us or open themselves up to hear what we have to say unless they sense that we value and respect them.

As we showed in Figure S1, strategies to develop positive teacher-student relations should be the largest portion of your discipline plan. What are some strategies that you can implement to develop strong and powerful relationships with your students? Let's look at some techniques that are easy to integrate into your everyday interactions with students: communicating positive expectations, correcting students in a constructive way, developing positive classroom pride, demonstrating caring, and preventing and reducing your own frustration and stress.

Communicating Positive Expectations

Research on teacher expectations and student achievement has shown that expectations have a dramatic impact on student academic performance (Kerman, Kimball, & Martin, 1980). Student behavioral performance is also dependent to a large degree on the expectations of significant adults in students' lives. Numerous studies indicate that the expectations teachers have for students tend to become self-fulfilling prophesies. It is therefore critically important for educators to monitor their interactions with the goal of communicating appropriately high behavioral and academic expectations to all students, not just to high achievers.

There are several techniques that can be used to achieve this goal. Monitor the way you call on students. Make sure that you give all students chances to participate in class. Try to increase the amount of time you wait between asking a student a question and moving on by either answering the question yourself or calling on another student. Give students hints and clues to help them succeed in class. Tell students directly that you believe that they have the ability to do well. Your belief in them will inspire their success.

Let's look at some of these techniques for communicating high expectations in more detail and discuss ways to implement these techniques in your classroom.

Call on All Students Equitably

When you call on students, there are several things to keep in mind. First of all, you must monitor the equitability of response opportunities. Often, teachers who keep track discover that they call on a small number of students frequently and allow few, if any, chances for students for whom they have low expectations to answer. When you fail to recognize particular students, you can communicate a low level of confidence in their abilities. Individual students may "tune out" and believe that you don't expect they will be able to answer your questions. This message is compounded when these students see others being called on regularly.

Think about what it would communicate to you if your boss always asked other teachers to participate in committee work or special projects instead of you. And how would you feel if the boss continually came to you for help on curriculum projects or input on difficult students? Just as we do, students develop feelings of self-confidence in their abilities when their teacher goes to them for the right answer. In addition, calling on all the students in your class-rather than a select few-will help keep students on task and decrease the number of behavior problems.

It is important that you monitor yourself to be certain that you are providing all of your students with response opportunities. Putting a check by the name of each student you call on during class discussions is an excellent way to quickly determine whether you are being equitable. Also, you should monitor yourself to make certain you are not calling exclusively on your high-achieving students but also on students who have a pattern of not performing well.

Keeping a simple checklist on a clipboard during classroom discussions is a great strategy you can easily implement. Figure 1.1 is an example of such a checklist. In this example, you can see that Donna and Sam are getting the majority of the response opportunities. This could be because the teacher has confidence in these students, knows that calling on them will keep the discussion moving, and wants the other students to hear the correct answers. However, it also could lead the other students to think that the teacher doesn't have confidence in them and doesn't expect them to participate, and it increases the likelihood that they will get off task. If you were the teacher, you would want to be sure that before the end of the discussion you called on all your students so as to make the discussion more equitable.

Try to make an effort to call on students who have typically been off task or who have been achieving at a low level, allowing them to respond and participate in class, and watch what happens. Over time, you will notice that these students will remain on task more often and improve academically! This change does not occur immediately, but it definitely does occur and is extremely gratifying to see.

Increase Latency Periods When Questioning Students

Increasing latency (Kerman et al., 1980) is another technique you can use to communicate that you have positive expectations for a student. Latency is the amount of time that elapses between the moment you give a student a response opportunity and the moment you terminate the response opportunity. Kerman and colleagues (1980) explain that the amount of time we give to students to answer questions is directly related to the level of expectation we have for them. We give more time to students when we have confidence in their ability to answer a question. Conversely, we give less time to students in whom we have little confidence. When you quickly give up on a student who is struggling with a response, it is clear to everyone in the classroom that you don't expect him or her to come up with the right answer. In addition, when you give up on a student who initially struggles with a response, the student realizes that all he or she needs to do to "get off the hook" is respond to your question with a confused expression or blank stare. What you will find when you make a conscious effort to extend the length of latency you allow for low-achieving students is that these students will begin to pay more attention, become more actively involved in discussions, and minimize their behavior issues. One thing you can do is ask a teaching peer to observe your instruction and chart the length of the latency periods you are giving each student from the time you ask the question until you move on to another student. It is especially interesting to find out which students get longer latency periods from you. Figure 1.2 shows an example of a latency chart.

In analyzing the chart, it is easy to see that Donna and Mary are consistently given more latency and, therefore, more chances to give a correct response than are the other students. If this were your classroom, you could try to make sure that in future discussions and question-and-answer periods you give longer latency periods to other students as well before moving on.

Give Hints and Clues to Help Students Answer Questions

You also communicate positive expectations by giving hints and clues to your students. In their work on teacher expectations, Kerman and colleagues (1980) point out that teachers usually do more "delving and rephrasing" for students for whom they have high expectations and less for students for whom they have low expectations. It is important that we communicate to all our students that we have high expectations for their success, and one way to do this is by giving more hints and clues to all students, especially the low-performing students.

Think about a reading lesson in which a student struggles to sound out a word. After waiting for an appropriate latency period, the teacher might prompt, "It sounds like 'cat.'" In a secondary classroom, a teacher could ask, "What were the three causes of the War of 1812?" After the latency period, the teacher might say, "Think about what we learned regarding the British treatment of U.S. sailors."

There are things to be cautious about when using this technique. If you provide too many hints and clues, you may actually give the student the answer. Also, after a number of hints, it may be that the only student who doesn't know the answer is the one being called on, which ends up being an embarrassing experience. The important point, however, is to use hints and clues with all students to communicate that you have high expectations for the entire class. This helps build positive teacher-student relations.

Tell Students They Have the Ability to Do Well

Another way to communicate positive expectations to students is by directly telling them they have the ability to do well. When you tell your students you have confidence that they can handle a difficult assignment or improve their behavior, you impart a very powerful message. Students often will work hard and behave appropriately to prove that your confidence in them is justified. Every child needs to have at least one significant adult in his or her life who believes that he or she can do well. Ideally, children would hear this from their parents, but the sad truth is that is not always the case. Teachers have the unique opportunity and privilege to communicate daily to a number of students that they believe in them. What a gift to be able to be that significant adult in even one student's life.

Using this strategy might lead a teacher to say this to a student: "Emma, I know you'll do your best on this math test. You've been working very hard on remembering to write down your thinking as you solve math problems, and I know you can transfer that skill to this test. I'll check back with you later." This approach can be modified for any grade level or subject area. Once again, this is a positive relations strategy as well as an instructional strategy.

You can also let students know that you have positive expectations for them by referring to past successes (Kerman et al., 1980). When you tell a student that you know he will behave appropriately at recess because he was successful yesterday, you help build confidence in the student and increase his chance for success. And after a student demonstrates good behavior or academic achievement in a specific situation, telling her you knew she would be successful (Kerman et al., 1980) also instills confidence and a culture of positive expectations. Students need to know that their teachers respect them and have confidence in them. Using these different strategies to consistently communicate your positive expectations will work wonders. We challenge you to begin using one or two of these strategies today to build high expectations and positive teacher-student relations.

Correcting Students in a Constructive Way

Correcting and disciplining students for inappropriate behaviors is a necessary and important part of every teacher's job. However, it doesn't have to be a negative part of your job. In fact, you can actually build positive relationships when you correct students. If you don't believe this, think for just a minute about students you have had in the past who came back to school to visit you. Often it is the students who were the most challenging and with whom you had to spend the most time who continue to visit you over the years. This is due to the positive relationships you developed with them.

The goal in correcting students should be to have them reflect on what they did, be sorry that they disappointed you, and make a better choice in the future. It should not be that they go away thinking, "I hate my teacher. I'm going to be sure I don't get caught next time." The difference in students' reactions to being disciplined is often related to the manner in which you correct them. If you allow students to keep their dignity, you increase the chance that they will reflect on their behavior and choose their behaviors more wisely in the future. The correction process will be counterproductive if students are corrected in a manner that communicates bitterness, sarcasm, low expectations, or disgust. The goal is to provide a quick, fair, and meaningful consequence while at the same time communicating that you care for and respect the student.

Figure 1.3 outlines steps to be taken when correcting or disciplining a student.

Figure 1.3. Steps to Use When Correcting Students

Review what happened

Identify and accept the student's feelings

Review alternative actions

Explain the building policy as it applies to the situation

Let the student know that all students are treated the same

Invoke an immediate and meaningful consequence

Let the student know you are disappointed that you have to invoke a consequence to his or her action

Communicate an expectation that the student will do better in the future

Imagine that Johnny hit Sam because Sam called his mother a name. This is how you could put these disciplinary steps in place:

Review what happened. Discuss the incident with Johnny. Begin with fact finding to be sure that you are appropriately correcting the student. The worst way to affect teacher-student relationships is to unfairly discipline a student.

Identify and accept the student's feelings. Tell Johnny that you understand why it upset him to hear somebody call his mother a name and that you, too, would be upset if someone maligned your mother. It's important to understand that this step communicates that you respect and understand his feelings but that you are not accepting his actions.

Review alternative actions. Go over with Johnny the different actions he could have taken, such as ignoring the remark or reporting it to a teacher.

Explain the building policy as it applies to the situation. Remind Johnny of the building policy of not fighting and that the rule is if anyone hits another student, he or she will be sent to the office and possibly be suspended from school.

Let the student know that all students are treated the same. Make sure that Johnny understands that all students must adhere to the policy and that any student who disregards the rule will suffer the consequences.

Invoke an immediate and meaningful consequence. Communicate with the office about what happened and send Johnny to the office.

Let the student know you are disappointed that you have to invoke a consequence to his or her action. Tell Johnny that you are disappointed that his actions have led to this situation.

Communicate an expectation that the student will do better in the future. Remind Johnny that, although you do not approve of his actions and do not like to send him or any student to the office, you like him and know that he will make a better choice next time. Also tell him that you are there to support him and work through these issues with him in the future.

In addition to your following these steps when correcting a student, it is important to keep some key philosophical precepts in mind. First of all, remember to correct the student in a private location. Although it is not always possible to remove a student from the classroom, do your best to prevent visual access by other students as you discipline. Public correction can foster feelings of anger, embarrassment, and bitterness; it can also become a sideshow for the other students. Also, when invoking a consequence, you should ask yourself, "How would I want my own children disciplined in a similar situation?" Answering this question will help you treat the student with care and respect. Finally, remember to stay calm and avoid frustration. The worst thing you can do is to invoke a consequence when you are angry or upset, as this can lead to regrettable actions on your part. If necessary, give yourself a "cooling-off period" before intervening with the student. Figure 1.4 reviews the key philosophical considerations for correcting students.

Figure 1.4. Key Philosophical Precepts When Correcting Students

Correct in a private location

Treat students as you want your own children treated

Stay calm

Avoid frustration

It is also important to follow certain steps after disciplining a student. These steps are shown in Figure 1.5.

Figure 1.5. Steps to Follow After Disciplining a Student

Touch base with the student

Acknowledge postdisciplinary successes

Don't give up too quickly

Let's go back to the example of Johnny, in which he earned an office referral because he hit Sam. Here are some actions you could take:

Touch base with the student. Follow up with Johnny after the consequence, checking to see how he's doing and simply making contact with him.

Acknowledge postdisciplinary successes. The next time Johnny has difficulty with a student and handles the situation more appropriately, such as by verbalizing his displeasure rather than using his fists, be sure to acknowledge his behavior and praise him for making the right choice.

Don't give up too quickly. Finally, don't forget that some students respond negatively to positive attention. In such cases, it may appear that the student doesn't want the positive attention. What may actually be happening is a gradual change in the student's self-concept. When students are used to getting into trouble and having negative attention, it takes a while to break this cycle. Often it is just a matter of time before the student starts to show the positive effects of this attention, so don't give up!

Developing Positive Classroom Pride

If applied effectively, pride can be an extremely powerful force in developing positive teacher-student relationships (Kerman et al., 1980). In many classrooms, students are proud of the fact that they are behaving and achieving at a high level. In other classrooms, a different type of pride develops when students see themselves as being the worst they can be. The pride students develop helps shape identities that in turn drive their behaviors. When you recognize student successes, there is a decreased likelihood of fostering negative pride and an increased likelihood of developing positive pride. As a classroom teacher, your goal should be to help students take pride in their accomplishments and positive behaviors rather than in their negative behaviors. Figure 1.6 lists some strategies that will help you attain this important goal.

Figure 1.6. Strategies to Develop Positive Classroom Pride

Display student work

Positively reinforce students verbally

Show off the class's achievements

Speak to the accomplishments of all your students

Be sincere in your pride in your students

Look for opportunities for students to be proud in all areas

Develop parental pride in student accomplishments

Develop pride in improvement in addition to pride in excellence

Displaying student work is a good way to let students know that you value the work they do and that you take pride in their work products. The displayed work does not have to be perfect and should show a significant cross section of the students you have in your class. Putting the work of students who have a history of low achievement up on a bulletin board often helps to build their self-esteem and pride and encourages them to do better work in the future. Exhibiting the work throughout the building in hallways, in the office, and in other public areas can do a great deal to develop positive levels of student pride. The impact becomes even more powerful when you let the class know that you want others to see the great work they are doing. An example of this would be to display all your students' science projects in the library and telling your class, "You all did a great job on your science projects, including stating your problem and hypothesis, clearly writing out the steps you took, and then drawing conclusions. I am so proud of all of you that I wanted the whole school to see your exemplary work. That's why I put all the projects on display in the library."

Positively reinforce students verbally on a regular basis. Tell your students when you are pleased by their behavior. Let them know that you're not surprised when they grasp a difficult concept. This is a powerful way of developing positive pride.

Publicly asking other staff members to enter the classroom so that they can see a specific accomplishment of your class, such as the way they respond to your instructions, is an example of showing off the class's achievements. However, be careful to speak to the accomplishments of all the students when you use this strategy rather than to the accomplishments of just the top students, or the strategy could backfire on you.

There are numerous opportunities to develop pride in all areas, such as by publicly recognizing high test scores, acts of kindness, positive citizenship, and athletic accomplishments. You can also extend the pride taken in the class by developing parental pride in student accomplishments. Provide opportunities for parents to review student work in newsletters, during back-to-school events, and at parent conferences. Let parents know about high attendance rates, high test scores, and the percentage of homework or assignments completed. In this way, you are enlisting parents to be your partners in fostering this powerful positive relationship tool.

Remember that pride does not always have to involve only excellence. Pride in improvement is an important type of pride to nurture. Test scores and daily assignments that go from a D to a C and homework that starts coming in on time are examples of great opportunities for you to recognize student success and build pride.

When Kelley, a new teacher, took over a 6th grade class at a large elementary school in January, he used a combination of these approaches to build pride in the students. The class had already "gotten rid of" two other teachers, and they were proud of being the "baddest" class in the school. Besides teaching clearly defined parameters for appropriate behaviors and strong consequences for negative behaviors, Kelley gradually worked at building positive pride with the class. While practicing walking in the hallways and transitioning between activities appropriately with the class, he would invite the principal or other teachers in and say, "I just wanted you to see what a great job my class is doing and how proud I am of the respectful and quiet way they are walking in the halls." After working with the students on how he wanted them to respond when he gave his signal, he would again invite other staff into the room and say, "Look at how quickly and quietly my class responds to my signal. They have really improved. Aren't they great?" In addition, he would tell the students on a regular basis that he couldn't wait to get to school each day because it was so much fun working with them and because he was so proud of their improved behaviors and academics. This continued focus on building positive classroom pride gradually changed the pride the class had in their negative behaviors to pride in their new culture of positive behaviors.

These are just some of the ways you can work to develop student pride individually and collectively. This in turn will help you build positive relationships with your students. A key element of Kelley's success was that he was sincere in his proclamations of pride in his students. Children are intuitive regarding sincerity, and insincere comments will quickly backfire.

One caution for secondary teachers concerning pride involves a distinction between the manner in which you foster pride for different grade levels of students. What works for elementary and middle school students is not necessarily appropriate at the high school level. Sprick (1985) points out that it's more effective to use calm, quiet statements with secondary students than emotional praise, as they get embarrassed and don't like to be singled out from their peers. We believe you can and should instill positive pride with secondary students, but a more private method may be more effective.

Demonstrating Caring

Demonstrating caring is one of the most powerful ways to build positive relationships with your students (Kerman et al., 1980). When your actions and words communicate that you sincerely care for your students, they are more likely to want to perform well for you and enjoy coming to school. Caring also fosters a preventive approach to discipline, as students who feel cared for are more likely to want to please you by complying with your wishes and policies. It is a tragedy when a student mistakenly believes that his teacher does not care for or like him. In most cases, teachers do care but fail to do the things that directly communicate this valuable message. Figure 1.7 lists some strategies to communicate to your students that you care about them.

Figure 1.7. Strategies to Show You Care

Show an interest in your students' personal lives

Greet the students by the front door as they enter the classroom

Watch for and touch base with students who display strong emotion

Sincerely listen to students

Empathize with students

Inquiring about aspects of students' personal lives is a powerful way to communicate that the students are important and cared for. You can do this by asking about a recent trip, a hobby, or a sports activity. Some teachers make it a point to watch sporting events that their students are involved in, which is a wonderful way to show students you care about them beyond the classroom walls. The caution with this approach is to be as equitable as possible so that there is not a perception that you have "favorites." A proactive way to do this is to have students write a journal at the beginning of the year in which they list what they did during their vacation, what pets they have, what sports they enjoy, and what hobbies they have. With this information, you can look for opportunities to ask questions or make comments to individual students using these facts. You might say to one student, "Susie, I read that you have a cocker spaniel. I have one, too. Does your dog know any tricks?"

Standing by the door and welcoming students as they enter the classroom is a quick and easy way to show students they are important and that you are glad to see them. This procedure also helps you start the day with personal contact with each and every student. This is a procedure Wong and Wong (1998) advocate as a way to begin the day and the school year on a positive note.

When you see students display strong emotions (e.g., when they are happy, excited, or angry), you have an opportunity to build positive relationships by asking how they are doing and what is going on with them. Statements such as, "Are you all right?" and "Can I help with anything?" let students know they are cared for, valued, and noticed.

Listening intently and sincerely to students is a powerful way to communicate how much you care. Maintaining eye contact and paraphrasing helps students realize that you have heard them.

In addition, when you empathize with students, they understand that they are recognized and valued. This does not mean that you have to agree with all their actions, but that you let them know that you recognize the emotions behind their actions. You can communicate empathy by telling students that even though it's wrong to hit someone, for instance, you understand the emotions behind an incident.

These are just a few ways that you can demonstrate to your students that you care about them. As indicated earlier, you must never forget the power of caring. The bottom line is that caring helps build strong positive relationships that in turn help prevent discipline problems in the future.

Preventing and Reducing Frustration and Stress

Frustration and stress, which are inevitable in the teaching profession, are the great enemies of our best intentions. Zehm and Kottler (1993) list some external causes of stress for teachers as difficult students, irate parents, and collegial backbiting. Frustration can have a devastating effect on teacher-student relationships, as it tends to cause educators to make irrational decisions. Usually you know when you are becoming frustrated and can quickly identify the signs and symptoms. As an educator, the question is not if you will become frustrated or stressed but when you will and how you will deal with it.

Signs of frustration or stress can include nervousness, anxiety, shortness of breath, and a tendency to make irrational decisions. First, you should be able to recognize your own personal signs that frustration or stress is building so that you can de-escalate them. You should then have a plan that will help you prevent or reduce frustration when it occurs. Your frustration prevention or reduction techniques will be unique and personal to you; what works for one teacher might not necessarily be effective for you. Figure 1.8 shows some typical frustration and stress prevention or reduction techniques that you can implement.

Figure 1.8. Frustration and Stress Prevention/Reduction Techniques

Play soft, relaxing music

Display posters of peaceful destinations

Modify your lesson plans

Take your students for a walk

Ask a neighboring teacher to take a difficult student for a period of time

Assign your students independent reading time

Clear off your desk

Find a validating colleague

Share staff duties

Share frustration strategies

Playing soft, relaxing music when feelings of frustration are approaching can have a beneficial effect for both you and your students. Some teachers proactively play soft music during independent study time.

Displaying posters throughout the classroom of attractive destinations can help keep you calm. You might put up pictures of beautiful beaches, snowy mountains, green valleys, ski resorts, or tropical islands to give yourself-and your students-opportunities for mini mental vacations.

Most teachers have certain lessons they truly enjoy teaching. When feelings of frustration or stress are approaching, try modifying your lesson plans and teaching a lesson that not only meets the student learning goals but also brings you pleasure.

Sometimes just taking a short walk around the school can be relaxing and can head off feelings of stress or frustration. This can also help students relieve pent-up energy. For instance, there may even be a way to integrate the walk into your current curriculum by turning it into a nature walk or a service project (e.g., picking up litter).

Difficult students can be a major cause of frustration. Allow yourself to ask for help by asking a neighboring teacher to take a difficult student for a short time. This strategy is one that you should set up ahead of time, making certain that your colleague is agreeable to this arrangement. Offering to do the same for the other teacher is a good way to begin using this strategy.

Strategically assigning independent reading time to students is another way to calm the classroom down and provide you with a break when frustration raises its ugly head.

For some teachers, one source of stress or frustration is a messy desk, submerged in various unfinished tasks. If you are one of these teachers, an easy way to decrease frustration is to clear off your desk and take time to organize your work area.

Frustration and stress often disappear when a supervisor or peer lets you know they value and appreciate your work. Knowing which colleagues you should visit to help validate your work is another technique to use in lowering levels of frustration and stress. Sharing staff duties can help too, as frustration and stress often occur when a teacher feels overwhelmed and behind. You should let your colleagues know you are willing to cover some of their duties and also let them do the same for you. Also, sharing other ideas with teachers on frustration- and stress-reducing techniques is a way to increase your repertoire of strategies.

Zehm and Kottler (1993) mention additional stress- and frustration-reduction strategies, such as maintaining a healthy lifestyle with good sleeping patterns, free of alcohol and drugs. They also advocate continued training and professional growth tasks, such as varying teaching assignments, taking a sabbatical, having a faculty exchange, engaging in team teaching, supervising a student teacher, going back to school, conducting field trips, leading research projects, writing grants, and instigating technology projects. In addition, they suggest keeping a journal as a reflective strategy to help deal with stress and frustration.

In summary, there are many ways you can develop positive relationships with students in your daily interactions with them. Not only does this contribute to a positive classroom environment, but it also improves the quality of school life for both you and your students.

While building positive relationships is the foundation to a strong discipline system, relationships alone are not enough. It is also critical to clearly define parameters of expected behaviors, to monitor those behaviors, and to implement consequences when necessary.

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by Mark Boynton and Christine Boynton We all want to feel cared for and valued by the significant people in our world. Students are no different. This knowledge is a powerful tool in the arsenal available to you as you form your classroom discipline plan.

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12 Strategies To Build Relationships With Students

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Student engagement is one of the most fundamental requirements of learning. Without an engaged mind, everything else is futile.

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12 Strategies To Build Relationships With Students

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A teacher shares her best practices for establishing strong relationships with her class at the start of the school year.

One day, Alyssa, an eighth-grade student, came to our middle school wearing a purple bandanna as a headband, even though she knew that our school's dress code does not allow bandannas. While it seemed like a simple issue to reconcile, I soon found another teacher knocking on my door that morning, asking me to tell Alyssa to take the bandanna off. He said he didn't feel comfortable handling the situation but knew I could persuade Alyssa to follow the rules because she trusted me.

That day, I took Alyssa aside, and we had a private conversation about why bandannas were not allowed at school. I assured her that I understood why she wanted to wear a headband, and I even offered her the option of wearing a different one. After our conversation, Alyssa calmly went to the bathroom and returned to class without the bandanna on her head.

This seemingly small encounter reminded me of the power of positive relationships in schools and why teachers must be intentional about building them. In the classroom, positive relationships are the foundation for learning success. Yet as teachers, we sometimes neglect to take the time to learn about our students as people, which can create barriers to learning and make even small interactions (or conflicts) challenging to handle.

Alyssa wasn't a perfect student, and math didn't come easy for her, but she worked hard in my class. She asked questions. She even came in before and after class for additional help or just to talk about her social life. She trusted me because I worked hard to build a relationship with her by showing that I respected her and cared for her well-being.

Many teachers feel pressure to cover content and to tackle many other job-related duties. However, I have found that investing time early and often to learn about students-by making small changes in our classroom-creates an environment where they are motivated to be successful. Here are six strategies I use to build better relationships with my students.

1. Learn names quickly and correctly. Too often, students, especially those who are marginalized, feel invisible in our schools. Value student diversity and identity by learning names quickly and pronouncing them correctly. Only use nicknames if students prefer them; never create a nickname for a student, because this strips him or her of the identity that is embedded in a name. Every year on the first day of school, I have my students create name tents and pronounce their names correctly for me. I practice pronouncing their names often. I take up the name tents and pass them out each class period until I have learned all of the students' names. I greet each of my students at the door by name before class.

2. Students are never too old for show-and-tell. Help students feel they're more than just another student by allowing them to bring in something that represents them, their culture, or some activity that they enjoy doing at the beginning of the year. Plan five to 10 minutes each day for a few students to share what they brought until you have given everyone in the class the opportunity. In my classes, students have brought in baby pictures of themselves, goggles that they use for their competitive swim team, and souvenirs from a family vacation. Once, my student Hannah brought her ukulele and sang the class a song. She turned show-and-tell into a party, and my students loved every minute of it.

3. Post student pictures and student work. Elementary teachers are very good at sharing student work, but middle and high school teachers often neglect this important practice, feeling that it's unnecessary for older students. I've found older students still need to be reminded that you value their work. When my students participate in the show-and-tell, for example, I snap a picture of them. Those pictures are then printed and posted on a bulletin board in class that stays up all year long. The students love seeing how they have changed over the course of the year because they realize that their growth and development is not only physical, but intellectual and emotional as well. In addition, students are so proud when their exemplary work, such as individual math projects and group work on math tasks, is displayed and celebrated.
©Theresa Montgomery
4. Assign seats, and change them often. We all know that middle school students don't always get along, but when students have opportunities to work together, they learn about each other and discover ways to work together even though they're different. I have my students sit at tables in my middle school math classroom. I assign them to tables of three or four students each; then they change seats once per week using an online random seat changer that is embedded in our attendance management system. After each change, the students answer a quick question, such as, "Who would you love to have dinner with and why?" to get to know the people at their table before spending a week collaborating with them on mathematical tasks.

5. Find small ways to connect. In my first-period class, we often have circle time on Monday mornings or after a break. We stand in a circle and pass a ball around. The person with the ball shares a compliment about another person in the circle, what they did over the weekend or the break, or how they are feeling in the moment and why. Once a student participated in goat yoga for a friend's birthday over the weekend. We were all intrigued by her pictures of goats walking on their backs during yoga class! If I forget circle time on Mondays, my students always remind me. They also always insist that I share too. Though it can seem like every minute is needed to get through the academic content, I've learned that a five-minute investment once a week to learn about each other is invaluable to my students and builds a better culture in my classroom.

6. Simply listen. As teachers, we often feel like we need to keep a professional distance from our students, but I've found that taking time to make small talk can help break down barriers to learning. Because I've made myself approachable, some of my students will tell me stories about their lives during the five minutes between classes. I stop what I am doing, look them in the eyes, and listen. I love seeing their eyes light up as they tell me these stories, and these encounters always leave me a little more knowledgeable about who they are as people.

All students deserve to have adults in their schools who care about them enough to be intentional about building positive relationships that give them the space to make mistakes and learn. If we truly expect our students to learn with us, they need to know that we care about them. They also need opportunities to learn about each other, so that they can build a community in which they grow together as learners.

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6 Strategies for Building Better Student Relationships

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A teacher shares her best practices for establishing strong relationships with her class at the start of the school year.

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50+ Simple Social-Emotional Learning Activities for All Ages

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Teach self-control, emotional awareness, and more by incorporating these easy social-emotional learning activities into your daily routine.

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Kids and young adults need social-emotional skills to be successful at school, home, and for the rest of their lives. These are the skills that help kids build confidence, understand their own strengths and weaknesses, collaborate with others, navigate social situations, develop strong relationships, and make better decisions. Without a doubt, these are critical skills for all learners.

In my years as a teacher, I know there is just not enough time for everything. So often, social and emotional learning gets put on the back burner to other important skills like reading, writing, math, history, and science. While these skills are certainly important, I would argue that it's even more important that kids develop their emotional intelligence through social emotional learning activities. Simply put, if kids are mentally and emotionally healthy, they are better equipped to face the challenges life brings. We just have to make the time to teach, discuss, and practice these skills! Best of all, there are many ways to integrate social-emotional learning into what you are already teaching.

Below I share 25 strategies for integrating SEL instruction and activities into the day. Of course, if you're looking for a solution that targets these skills more explicitly, I created a yearlong curriculum for elementary social emotional learning and middle school social emotional learning to help all kids learn these skills.

Just a note that these strategies were originally written for use in the classroom. While many of the techniques can be used during distance learning, I also recently wrote an article all about integrating social emotional learning during distance learning.
Here are 25 ways to integrate social emotional learning into your classroom:
1. Use Journal Writing. You can use daily journal prompts to help kids think about social-emotional skills in all areas. For example, you might ask kids, "When was a time you used self-control? What was outcome?" to focus on self-management skills. After writing, it's helpful to have students share their responses with a partner and with the class as a whole. Kids will be practicing writing, partner work, group discussion, and SEL skills all at the same time. I love this yearlong Social Emotional Learning Journal for just a few minutes of writing and discussion every day.

2. Use Read Alouds. This is one of my favorite strategies for integrating SEL into everyday learning because it is something educators do so often already. While reading, spend time talking about how some of the characters might think and feel. Use this time to highlight that this is perspective-taking, a skill we use to understand others' emotions and thoughts. Best of all, it can be done with any text you are already reading. Grab this free read aloud list for social emotional learning to get you started with some ideas.

3. Do Daily Greetings. Kids and young adults need connection! One positive and simple strategy is to start your morning with daily greetings. You can do this as kids walk through the door or during the first few minutes of class. If you are teaching online, greetings can even be virtual. Use this printable greetings poster to get started.

3. Hold Class Meetings. You can choose to hold a class meeting once a day as a "morning meeting" or just once a week. The purpose of a class meeting can be to boost each other up, to help solve problems, and plan class events together. Having this space for community can help promote a positive climate for all kids. Use this morning meeting set to get started.

4. Incorporate Art Activities. Art can be a powerful way to target social and emotional skills. Creating a self-collage can help kids develop better self-awareness about who they are. Painting and drawing can serve as positive coping strategies to manage stress. Having partners work together on a shared drawing can increase collaboration and relationship skills. There are lots of opportunities for learning with art!

6. Talk About Managing Emotions. No matter what age, all kids and young adults need practice managing their emotions. This is another skill that can be weaved into literature as you talk about character's feelings and needs. You might say, "How did Theresa feel when her mom left? How did she manage her emotions? Do you think it was a healthy way to manage them?" Additionally, be open with kids about how to manage their own emotions and give strategies for what kids can do in your classroom. For example, "If you are feeling nervous about the test today, remember to use positive self-talk. Tell yourself that you've got this!"

7. Give Responsibilities. Giving kids responsibilities and jobs helps build their sense of self-worth and gives the message that we are all part of a larger community. It's important that every student has some type of responsibility, whether it is a class librarian, lunch counter, or part of a "clean up crew".

8. Practice Problem-Solving Skills. If students have an issue or challenge to overcome, avoid solving it for them right away. Encourage kids to think about how they could solve their problem and have a 10 minute policy - students can get your help but they need to think about the problem for at least 10 minutes first. Often, kids will figure out a solution on their own or with a friend during that time. You can use these free social problem solving task cards or grab the full set to get started! Again, this is another skill that can be strengthened through literature by discussing characters, problems, and making predictions about solutions.

9. Build Community with Teamwork. For class projects and assignments, have students work in larger teams to complete a task. Teach students to assign different jobs when working in a team, so that all students have important responsibilities.

10. Encourage Positive Self-Talk. Self-talk is voice in our minds that reassures and encourages us. It also helps us control our emotions so we can deal with problems appropriately. Today, kids hear a lot of negative, so teaching positive self-talk explicitly is really important. Model this and encourage this every day. Use this free positive thoughts and affirmations list to get started.

11. Celebrate Diversity. Spend time discussing and learning about people from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and ability levels. Kids need to hear, see, discuss, and understand that we are part of a larger community within our countries and world. Early discussions about diversity can help promote tolerance, acceptance, and inclusion for everyone.

12. Incorporate Hands-on Crafts. If your students need a craft break or activity before a holiday, use that time to promote social and emotional skills. The craft below is a Positive Self-Talk Flower Craft. Kids can add their own positive self-talk statements, color the craft, cut it out, and then keep it to help remind them how to use this helpful strategy. This is just one small example that can help to maximize your learning time by incorporating SEL into activities like crafts.

13. Encourage Reflection. After students complete a task, assessment, project, or assignment, encourage them to reflect about their own progress. This is a critical SEL skill that can be used across all curriculum, such as math, reading, writing, science, history, and more.

14. Practice Mindfulness. Using mindfulness in the classroom can help teach kids how to calm down before a big test, manage their emotions when they are upset, and just feel happier in the moment. Sometimes, kids don't really know how to calm down on their own. Teaching mindfulness can help kids learn breathing strategies, how to focus on just one thing at a time, and relaxing our bodies. You can use these Mindfulness Activities to teach kids these strategies right away.

15. Create a Calm Down Area. Not all kids will use this area, but there are some students who truly need it. Set up a small area in your classroom with a bean bag, a few books, a calm down jar, a few fidgets, and anything else you have that is calming. Students who need this space can sit, use coping strategies, and return back to class when they are calm again.

16. Promote a Growth Mindset. Embracing a growth mindset helps kids and young adults learn that we can accomplish our goals with hard work, good strategies, and persistence over time. Sometimes kids feel they are just as smart as they'll ever be (i.e. "I'm just never good at math, so there's no use in trying). This mindset can be detrimental to student growth, so it is worth investing time into teaching kids to embrace a growth mindset and instead say, "Math is tough but I'm going to study, work hard, and ask for help so I can accomplish what I want to." Use these free Growth Mindset Task Cards to get yourself started!

17. Encourage Kindness. One of my favorite ways to promote kindness is encouraging random acts of kindness. Set up a bin where students can write and add a note when they notice someone else doing something kind or helpful. Once a month, draw from the bin to award a small reward. You can also post the random acts up on a bulletin board so that everyone can see.

18. Play Games. It's helpful to have an assortment of games that focus on social-emotional skills, such as communication, empathy, and problem-solving. Read up more on how you can integrate social emotional learning through games. You can also read my blog post about games you can use to strengthen executive functioning skills, such as self-control, planning, attention, and more.

19. Provide a Daily Check-in. You can do this either through a morning meeting, or just a quick check-in for specific students in need. Have students identify how they are feeling and consider what they might need to improve their emotions in the moment.

20. Discuss Empathy. To me, empathy is one of the most critical skills for kids to develop. It is the foundation for considering about how others think and feel so that we can respond in socially appropriate and compassionate ways. You can practice empathy on its own or through literature by discussing characters and how they might feel in a variety of situations. I also love these social skills task cards to practice the skills when time allows.

21. Create SMART Goals. SMART goals are another way to help kids have control over what they want to accomplish in life. You can have students write SMART goals for an academic area that they need to improve or a social area that needs work. Make sure to check-in on these goals periodically so that students can identify if their strategies are working or not, and make decisions about how to change their approaches to make their goals a success.

22. Teach Coping Skills to Manage Stress. All kids and young adults experience stress even when we don't see it. It is so important to teach them actual strategies they can use when they are feeling overwhelmed. It's critical that kids practice these strategies when they are actually calm and don't need them. That's so they can effectively use those skills in the moment when they are struggling with emotions. I love this Coping Strategies Wheel to teach and practice some of these skills in a hands-on way.

23. Highlight Skills Throughout the Day. Just teaching or addressing some of these social-emotional skills isn't enough. When you see them in action in the classroom, highlight and encourage the skill! For example, you might say privately to a student, "I noticed you were frustrated when you couldn't work with the group you wanted and you did a great job using your self-control and flexibility to go with the flow and choose another group. Thank you." You can highlight the skills to the whole class, too. You might say, "Before this test, I want everyone to just stop and use some positive self-talk. Give yourself a compliment."

24. Teach Active Listening Skills. All kids need to learn strong active listening skills for success at school, with friends, and at their future jobs. Kids will use them in your classroom when you are teaching, when they are working with a partner on an assignment, and when they are just chatting with a friend.

25. Teach Group Ground Rules. Group work is an important part of learning in the classroom, but it is not a strength for all learners. Have your kids develop "Group Ground Rules" for what is important when working in a group. Some examples might be: Do your fair share of the work, stay with the group, and give everyone a chance to speak up. Continually remind students of these rules when working in groups or partners.

26. Practice Respectfully Disagreeing. People are going to disagree sometimes, so learning how to disagree respectfully is a critical skill (especially in our digital world). Have students discuss and debate topics, making sure that they actively listen to the other person and respect that opinion even when they don't agree. You can use these Free Communication Skills Lessons to practice!

Remember that a social-emotional learning isn't just one thing. It's an approach that brings all of these aspects into your classroom and supporting your learners every day. I also have developed a yearlong curriculum for elementary social emotional learning and middle school social emotional learning to help all kids learn these skills. Kids deserve to have them!

These are just some ways you can incorporate social-emotional learning into your already-busy classroom. If you have more ideas about SEL, please share!

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25 Ways to Integrate Social Emotional Learning

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Kids and young adults need social-emotional skills to be successful at school, home, and for the rest of their lives. These are the skills that help kids build confidence, understand their own strengths and weaknesses, collaborate with others, navigate social situations, develop strong relationships

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Emotional Intelligence From a Teenage Perspective | Maximilian Park | TEDxYouth@PVPHS

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Chances are you went into education because you love teaching and you enjoy interacting with young people. But the increased focus on academic benchmarks and testing scores has left teachers with less time to teach "soft skills" - those personal qualities that help students connect with others.

Social and emotional learning (SEL) can be a significant part of a student's overall education. Targeting the development of these skills can translate into higher academic achievement, among other gains.

In short, integrating SEL into the classroom can help prepare students for the future.

What is SEL?

It's important to remember that students develop socially and emotionally at the same time they are developing academically. Ignoring social and emotional skills development will have an adverse effect on academics. That's why it's important for educators to be intentional when implementing social and emotional learning.

SEL consists of five key skills:

Self-awareness - recognition of one's own emotions, personal goals, and values

Self-management - regulation of one's own emotions and behaviors

Social awareness - understanding of and compassion for others' backgrounds or cultures

Relationship skills - ability to establish and maintain healthy relationships

Responsible decision-making - making positive choices involving one's own behavior

These five key skills are essential for success in virtually every area of life, from education to employment to family and community relationships. Integrating SEL into the classroom not only creates better academic outcomes, it also gives students a firm foundation to operate successfully once their academic career is complete.

The Effects of SEL Beyond the Classroom

Investing in students by teaching social and emotional learning in the classroom does more than improve academic success. In the long-term, employers seek individuals with the very traits that SEL develops: problem-solving, teamwork, character, and grit.

Schools that include SEL as part of their curriculum are not only helping to educate academically, they are helping future employees develop critical soft skills. As students complete their education and enter the workforce, they can expect more opportunity, higher pay, and greater success.

And while SEL initiatives help to build a better future workforce, they first provide a significant return on investment for schools. Research indicates that for every $1 spent on quality SEL initiatives, there is an $11 return on investment.

Strong SEL initiatives in the classroom result in:

Schools across the country turn to SEL for these benefits and much more.

Bringing SEL Into The Classroom

Even with the far-reaching and positive outcomes of SEL, schools are sometimes reluctant to add another task to their staff's efforts. However, bringing social and emotional learning into the classroom doesn't have to be difficult. In fact, many educators find that incorporating SEL principles into classroom lessons provides the greatest impact.

Implementing SEL doesn't have to be difficult. Schools can develop SEL initiatives by following some simple steps:

Define goals for your school as a whole, including behavior expectations

Spell out what those goals and expectations look like in all areas

Develop a schoolwide infrastructure that can support SEL including planning cycles and assessment

Coordinate your SEL programs to align with your school's overall goals

Prepare staff to teach SEL through modeling and integrated instruction

Create and provide opportunities for students to practice SEL skills

Connect with and learn from other educators who have greater practice in SEL implementation

Coincidentally, these steps are quite similar to those used to establish a PBIS initiative. Just as PBIS initiatives can help make your school more effective and efficient, incorporating SEL principles can have a positive effect on behavior schoolwide. Helping students to develop the five key skills associated with social-emotional learning will sync with your PBIS initiative in many ways.

Social and emotional learning takes academic learning a step further, helping students to develop resilience in the face of adversity. When combined with a PBIS initiative, SEL can help improve behavior, develop communication skills, and improve leadership among students. It can even help teachers gain more time to teach!

Integrating SEL principles with your PBIS initiative can reap huge rewards. Not only do students learn behaviors and routines that can help class time run smoothly, they also develop lifelong personal skills. Consider including SEL in your lesson plans!

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Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in the Classroom

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Chances are you went into education because you love teaching and you enjoy interacting with young people. But the increased focus on academic benchmarks and testing scores has left teachers with less time to teach "soft skills" - those personal qualities that help students connect with others.

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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As an educator, some of the worst things you can hear a student say is, "This is stupid," or "Why are we learning this?" Think back to when you were in school and the subjects that caused you the most frustration. You'd likely find some common ground with your students in wishing you were given clear reasons why something was important and how learning a subject or skill would benefit you now, as well as years later.

That frustration and finding constructive ways to deal with emotions and interact with one another in respectful ways are just a few of the guiding principles behind social emotional learning, or SEL.

Today, in an ever-diversifying world, the classroom is the place where students are often first exposed to people who hail from a range of different backgrounds, hold differing beliefs, and have unique capabilities. To account for these differences and help put all students on an equal footing to succeed, social and emotional learning (SEL) aims to help students - both children and adults - better understand their thoughts and emotions, to become more self-aware, and to develop more empathy for others within their community and the world around them.

By developing these qualities in the classroom, it can help students become better, more productive, self-aware, and socially-aware citizens outside of the classroom in the years ahead. Learn more about the importance of social emotional learning, as well as its benefits both in and out of the classroom.

What is SEL in Education?

Social emotional learning (SEL) is a methodology that helps students of all ages to better comprehend their emotions, to feel those emotions fully, and demonstrate empathy for others. These learned behaviors are then used to help students make positive, responsible decisions; create frameworks to achieve their goals, and build positive relationships with others.
The Five Social Emotional Learning Competencies
According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), an organization devoted to students and educators to help achieve positive outcomes for PreK-12 students, SEL involves five core competencies that can be applied in both the classroom, at home, and in students' communities. These five core competencies are:

Self-awareness - To recognize your emotions and how they impact your behavior; acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses to better gain confidence in your abilities.

Self-management - To take control and ownership of your thoughts, emotions, and actions in various situations, as well as setting and working toward goals.

Social awareness - The ability to put yourself in the shoes of another person who may be from a different background or culture from the one you grew up with. To act with empathy and in an ethical manner within your home, school, and community.

Relationship skills - The ability to build and maintain healthy relationships with people from a diverse range of backgrounds. This competency focuses on listening to and being able to communicate with others, peacefully resolving conflict, and knowing when to ask for or offer help.

Making responsible decisions - Choosing how to act or respond to a situation based on learned behaviors such as ethics, safety, weighing consequences and the well-being of others, as well as yourself.

How Educators Approach SEL

While SEL isn't a designated subject like history or math, it can be woven into the fabric of a school's curriculum. When educators make academic lessons more personal and relatable to students, students may be more inclined to participate and may be less likely to mentally check-out during their subjects. By fostering a sense of empathy, self-awareness, and feelings of safety and inclusiveness in the classroom, SEL can have a positive impact that lasts a lifetime.

There are several different approaches to SEL. Some teachers have a more formally designated portion of the school day devoted to SEL - sometimes taught in homeroom. These lessons become a recurring theme throughout the rest of the school day to help make the core competencies of SEL more real to students. Teachers may want to have students journal or write about their thoughts and feelings on a particular SEL lesson, or even have younger students partner with an older " buddy classroom " (or vice versa) to help students across different age levels bond or find common ground.

Other teachers work SEL-related lessons into more formal subjects, like math, history, or reading. For instance, examples of SEL-in-action can include assigning a group project where students self-delegate roles to work together for the good of the group, role playing as historical figures to understand the rationale behind a person's actions, or for students to conduct formal interviews with one another to take a pulse-check on current events. Teachers can also work with students to set goals in areas where they may need improvement and help chart their progress, giving them a measurable way to show their achievement and feel a sense of accomplishment.

The Benefits of SEL

SEL is helpful to both children and adults, increasing self-awareness, academic achievement, and positive behaviors both in and out of the classroom.

From an academic standpoint, students who participated in SEL programs saw an 11 percentile increase in their overall grades and better attendance. On a more individual level, the skills learned within an SEL program have been shown to help students better cope with emotional stress, solve problems, and avoid peer pressure to engage in harmful activities.

Students who are equipped to deal with problems that affect them on a personal level are then better able to navigate the pressures of adult life. A 2016 report by the AEI/Brookings Working Group on Poverty and Opportunity noted that, "despite their importance to education, employment, and family life, the major educational and social reforms of the K-12 system over the last few decades have not focused sufficiently on the socio-emotional factors that are crucial to learning."

A 2015 study published by the American Journal of Public Health tracked students from low-income or rural areas over a period of 13 to 19 years to look at how they were impacted after having taken part in an SEL program during kindergarten. The study showed that exposing students to an SEL program at a young age helped educators evaluate which children may have been at-risk for mental health issues, substance abuse, or criminal behavior.

When educators are able to see which students do not grasp the core pillars of SEL, they can better work with them at an early age and help these students develop better self-control, empathy, and other positive qualities. Learning positive behaviors that extend beyond a purely academic level of achievement can help these students develop the "soft skills" required of many jobs, such as teamwork, an ability to understand others, and problem-solving. This can help set these students up for success throughout their school years and beyond.

Why is SEL Important?

While SEL has been more formally stood up as a program in preschools throughout all 50 states, very few states have made SEL a designated part of school curriculum at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. To date, only three states have a fully-designed set of standards for SEL programs with benchmarks for students at every grade level from K-12, according to the AEI/Brookings report. These states are Illinois, Kansas, and Pennsylvania.

Because so few states have made SEL a part of their curriculum for K-12 students, statistical evidence showing the benefits of SEL has been anecdotal. However, preschool-age children who were able to participate in an SEL program and learned these principles early on in their school career were able to reap the intended benefits. As more states and schools consider weaving SEL into their curriculum, it can provide educators with more statistically significant evidence of the program's positive impact.

Becoming a teacher can be a rewarding experience that helps a new generation reach new heights and their full potential. If you've considered becoming a teacher, visit our program page to learn how National University's Sanford College of Education can help you achieve your goal. Learn more about our on-campus and online degrees and programs. You can also hear more from our students and faculty on our education resources pages.

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Social Emotional Learning (SEL) & Why It Matters for Educators | National University

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Most U.S. preschools and a few K-12 programs have included social and emotional learning (SEL) in their curriculum. Learn how SEL helps educators equip students with skills to succeed in and out of the classroom. Get more resources from National University.

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CharacterStrong provides research-based Pre-K through 12th grade social & emotional learning curricula and professional learning services that positively impact lives.

Research-Based Social Emotional Learning and Character Education

Our curricula and professional learning are grounded in research and focused on fostering the Whole Child with vertically-aligned lessons that teach SEL and character, side-by-side.

Character Development

SEL Competencies

Self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making.

Character education involves developing thoughtful, healthy, and kind human beings. Our character is informed by our personal values and choices.

The tools to give students
what they need.

"CharacterStrong is an impactful program that has made a huge impact in our school, and in my classroom. I have always felt like I had a focus on relationships with my students, but this program takes it to another level."

"I believe it is no longer enough just to teach educational content. We need to start educating the whole child and shape more compassionate human beings. To date, CharacterStrong trainings and curricula are the best way of going about this."

"I am a Mental Health Therapist and have worked in schools for over 40 years. I have seen the desperation, decline, and hopelessness upfront and personal. This has given me the hope that we can help change things."

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Director of School Supports

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Math Teacher

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Educator & Coach

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It's more than a curriculum, it's a culture.

It's more than a curriculum,
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Mindfulness Exercises for Kids in the Classroom - Waterford.org

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Use these 51 mindfulness activities to help children recognize and manage their thoughts, emotions, and actions—all important SEL skills.

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51 Mindfulness Exercises for Kids in the Classroom

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Thomas Armstrong Table of Contents

About the Author

About This Book

In today's schools, students and teachers feel unprecedented-even alarming-levels of stress. How can we create calmer classrooms in which students concentrate better and feel more positive about themselves and others? Author Thomas Armstrong offers a compelling answer in the form of mindfulness, a secular practice he defines as the intentional focus of one's attention on the present moment in a nonjudgmental way.

In Mindfulness in the Classroom, Armstrong

Explains how mindfulness affects the structure and function of the brain.

Provides an overview of mindfulness as both a personal practice and a classroom methodology that aligns with such educational models as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS), and Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

Shares and explains the extensive research that shows the positive effects of mindfulness practices in the classroom.

Describes how to adapt mindfulness for different grade levels, integrate it into regular school subjects, and implement it schoolwide.

Offers guidelines for teaching mindfulness responsibly, without religious overtones.

Dozens of observations from teachers, students, researchers, and practitioners provide striking evidence of the power of mindfulness and offer hope to anyone who wants to make classrooms more productive places of learning.
See the book's table of contents and read excerpts
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Aboutthe Author

Thomas Armstrong is an educator, psychologist, and writer. He has delivered more than a thousand workshops, seminars, and keynote addresses in 29 countries on 6 continents. He has written for numerous magazines and journals and has authored several books.
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teaching

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Mindfulness in the Classroom: Strategies for Promoting Concentration, Compassion, and Calm

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Thomas Armstrong Table of Contents About the Author In today's schools, students and teachers feel unprecedented-even alarming-levels of stress. How can we create calmer classrooms in which students concentrate better and feel more positive about themselves and others?

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Mindfulness in the Classroom - Child Mind Institute

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Learn how mindfulness in the classroom can help kids regulate their behavior. Child Mind Institute shares mindfulness techniques to improve focus.

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Integrating Mindfulness in Your Classroom Curriculum

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Make mindfulness a part of classroom learning by integrating it into curriculum-themed activities through exercises in breathing, sensory experience, guided imagery, and movement.

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Box breathing relaxation technique: how to calm feelings of stress or anxiety

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Chair Yoga For Beginners | 3 Minute Teens Yoga Class with Yoga Ed. | Ages 11-13

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Yoga for the Classroom - Yoga with Rachel

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2 minute mindfulness - visual mindfulness exercise

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Teaching Mindfulness in the Classroom | 4 Strategies to Practice Mindfulness with Your Students

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Calm Down Centers: Creating a Safe Classroom Environment for Your Students

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The Classroom Calming Corner - Watson Institute

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Does a student become overwhelmed in a busy classroom? Help them relax & increase class participation by having a classroom calming corner.

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How to Create a Calm Down Corner in 5 Easy Steps - The Art of Education University

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Do you have students who have a hard time controlling their emotions? Are you unsure of the best approach to help meet your students’ social and emotional needs? One strategy to try is called a calm down corner. A calm down corner, sometimes referred to as a mindfulness corner, is a designated space…

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This year, more than ever, our students will need social/emotional support from trusted teachers and adults in their lives. Providing the necessary tools to help students validate their feelings, self-regulate their emotions, and understand how to release anxiety is a must! One way to do this is by creating a Calm Down Corner in your classroom or suggesting that parents create one at home. Calm Down Corners are designated locations that students feel secure in. Students can use a variety of tools, like sensory bottles and stress balls, to regain control of their emotions.

Here are 20 tips and tools to include in your Calm Down Corner!
Just so you know, we may get a small share of the sales made through the Amazon affiliate links on this page.
1. Provide plenty of options so that students can choose what will help them feel calm.

Yoga pose suggestions, sensory items, books, and prompts for various coping strategies are all great options for a Calm Down Corner.

2. Create a Worry Wiper.

Purchase a mini paper shredder and provide students the chance to shred their worries while spending time in the Calm Down Corner!

3. Provide visuals to help students self-regulate their feelings.

Hang up posters that show anger, sadness, happiness, and calmness. Such visuals will assist students in figuring out their current mood. Then, provide visuals with strategies for calming down, like drawing or taking a drink of water. Check out the blog He's Extraordinary for more information on visuals.

4. Include sensory bottles in your corner.

Via: @ cardigans_in_kindergarten

Check out some DIY sensory bottle ideas. Tell students that as the glitter settles, their anger (or other emotion) does as well.

5. Place a fun, oversized sand timer in your Calm Down Corner for the kids to track the amount of time spent cooling down.

Via: @ happycamperclassroom

6. Organize any calm down tools neatly in a caddy.

Via: @ missbruce_elementary

Dollar Tree is fully stocked with affordable caddies! It's important that students enter an organized Calm Down Corner. Entering a chaotic one could encourage their own chaotic behaviors instead of helping calm.

7. Share breathing techniques within the calm down corner.

Via: @ ms.brevards.bruins

Here are some breathing exercises to try out with your students.

8. Include emotion dice in your corner to foster conversation and develop emotional understandings.

Via: @ thesocialemotionalteacher

You can make these dice from paper or purchase them from !

9. Provide cozy seating so that students feel as comfortable as possible in the Calm Down Corner.

Via: @ littleprimarylearners

For flexible seating ideas, click !

10. Structure the Calm Down Corner time with a clear schedule.

Showing students a sample schedule that they can make their own keeps them accountable for using the Calm Down Corner appropriately. Most students won't need more than 10-15 minutes in the corner, but of course, this could differ based on needs.

11. Download Stop, Breathe, & Think on a classroom iPad

It may not always be the right time for electronics when students are out of sorts, but some students really find success using breathing apps like to find calmness. For more calming apps for the classroom, click .

12. Create workbook or separate calming worksheets that students can work on when in need of finding peace.

Via: @ thecounselingteacherbrandy

You can certainly create your own workbooks filled with puzzles, coloring, and brain teasers, but you might also consider purchasing some from The Counseling Teacher Brandy in her TpT store.

13. Small bubbles tubes might just do the trick for some students.

Via: @ teachingwithmissle

Blowing bubbles is a great calming activity for many students - and adults!

14. Provide mindfulness books for your students to browse through.

Some great options include:

15. Often times, students just need a private place to unwind and feel safe.

Via: longafterthebellrings

16. Teach students how to use a breathing ball.

Cheap breathing balls are available on Amazon . As students breathe in, the ball expands. As they breathe out the ball closes. Repeat as necessary!

17. Create a unique Calm Down Cave!

Via: teachingwithhappiness

This cave was developed inside of a classroom closet to feel extra cave-y, but it's the resources in this set-up that are really mind blowing! There are emotional visuals and an affirmation station included in this Calm Down Corner!

18. Develop a virtual calm down corner for students working from home.

Via: @wanderlustteacher.nc

Some parents/guardians may choose to create their own Calm Down Corners at home, but teachers can also provide virtual options. The virtual option may be in the form of a Bitmoji Classroom , or it could simply be a running list of calm down options/links in a word document.

19. Create a digital Calm Down Corner in Google Slides!

Via: @ thebalancedteacher

For more information on how to use this resource, visit @ thebalancedteacher on IG for a video walkthrough. You can download this resource from TpT.

20. Stress balls are a useful addition to any calm down corner.

Stress balls are used to channel energy into squeezing something squishy. This safe manner of releasing anxiety is an effective tool for many students and adults too. Grab a large pack of stress balls for $10 .

ALSO CHECK OUT:

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20 Inspiring Calm Down Corner Options for Your Classroom

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This year, more than ever, our students will need social/emotional support from trusted teachers and adults in their lives. Providing the necessary tools to help students validate their feelings, self-regulate their emotions, and understand how to release anxiety is a must!

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Second-grader James is having a rough day. He overslept and was late to school, missing out on breakfast. His best friend is out sick today. At recess, he fell and skinned his knee, and other kids made fun of him for crying a little. Now, it's time for reading, his most challenging subject. After the third time he makes a mistake and is gently corrected by his teacher, Ms. Hernandez, he's simply had enough. He throws the book on the floor and shouts that everyone hates him, and he hates them too. Ms. Hernandez asks the rest of the reading group to read silently, then quietly leads James to the classroom calm-down corner.

Calm-down corners are a popular tool in classrooms these days and with good reason. Teachers recognize that kids, like adults, have a lot of feelings and emotions to process throughout the day. Sometimes, it's all too much, and the result can be bad behavior. A calm-down corner, sometimes known as a peace corner or even Antarctica (a place far away from everyone else), gives kids a place to recenter and refocus so they can join the learning again. Here's how to build and effectively use one in your classroom.
Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. Thank you for your support!
1. Create a safe and cozy space

The best calm-down corners feel a little separated from the rest of the classroom. If you have space, set yours up with a physical barrier of some kind. Low bookshelves work well since teachers can easily see over them, but kids still feel like they've got distance from everyone else.

Make your calm-down corner a space that feels safe and cozy, the kind of place where a kid can just relax for a few minutes. Throw pillows, floor cushions, and a stuffed animal or two can create just the peaceful atmosphere you're looking for.

If you don't have a lot of space in your classroom, think creatively. Give kids the illusion of separation by letting them turn their back to the rest of the classroom. Have them sit on the floor under a desk or table, and provide noise-canceling headphones so they can block out what's around them. The point is to find a space where kids can tune out the rest of the world for a few minutes and focus on processing their feelings.

2. Provide guides to calm down

Sending kids to a safe space is a good start, but they'll need help to calm down and refocus once they're there. If you have the wall space, hang posters and signs to guide them. This kit from Natalie Lynn Kindergarten has terrific resources for helping students identify how they're feeling and find ways to regain their calm.

No room for signs, or want the ability to take your calm tools with you? Try a binder instead. This one from Pre-K Printable Fun has a nice selection of exercises kids can use anywhere when they need to find a sense of peace.

Here's another option we really like: the Calm Down Cloud pack from Oriental Trading. The cheerful colors and truly helpful ideas are bound to be popular with students.

3. Offer calming books

There are so many amazing books focused on helping kids with social emotional learning . Add a few to your classroom library to use for read-alouds, and keep them in your calm-down corner for kids to look at when they need them most. Here are a few of our favorites.

Find Your Calm (Garcia/Pineda): The narrator in this book does a great job describing what anxiety can feel like ("My body feels like it's moving in every different direction. I'm overwhelmed.") It acknowledges those big feelings, and provides thoughtful suggestions for overcoming them.

When I Am Angry (Gordon): Anger is a powerful emotion. This rhyming book for young readers helps them understand that anger is natural, but we need to find safe ways to handle it.

Mindful Kids: 50 Mindfulness Activities: Not a book, but a set of 50 cards containing mindfulness and meditation activities. Kids can sort through to find one that works for them.

The Secret to Clara's Calm (Levitt/Bondy): Clara is cheerful and fun, popular with the other kids. But she also has a nasty temper when things go wrong. Fortunately, a bird named Brodhi is on hand to teach her the secret to finding her calm.

Little Monkey Calms Down (Dahl): This cute book is ideal for the pre-K set. Little Monkey is having a rough day, but he uses simple coping strategies to feel better again.

The Magic of Me: My Magical Choices (Cummings/Svoboda): This book reminds kids that they can make choices about their behavior, and gives helpful suggestions for making good ones.

4. Add fidget toys and other tools

Stock your calm-down corner with a few meaningful toys and tools. A pair of noise-canceling headphones will help overstimulated kids find a little quiet, while fidget toys are an ideal way to work off some nervous energy. Small puzzles or simple building toys give kids something concrete to focus on as they process emotions, and creative outlets like coloring books or handicrafts can be soothing too. Find all of our favorite options for your calm-down kit here.

Calm-down jars are a popular tool, too. Kids will be mesmerized as they shake these jars and watch the colors mix, then magically separate again. Add a little glitter for an even better show! Learn how to make the jars here.

5. Take it digital

Virtual classrooms have become the new norm in a lot of places right now, so calm-down corners are going digital too! You can use these in an online school environment, or in a traditional classroom. The well-reviewed Digital Calm Down Corner from The Counseling Teacher Brandy has a mood check-in and a nice selection of calming videos and activities. It also pairs well with Google Classroom.

Mindfulness and meditation apps are really useful too. One of our favorites is Do Nothing For Two Minutes. Start the app, then spend two minutes doing nothing but listening to waves as you stare at the ocean. If you move the cursor, the time starts over again. Find more apps to combat anxiety and stress here.

The web is full of wonderful mindfulness and meditation videos for kids too. Keep a playlist handy on a tablet or in your Google Classroom tools for kids to view when they need a few minutes of calm.

6. Teach kids how to use the space

It's really important that a calm-down corner be a useful tool for kids, rather than something they view as a punishment or playtime. That means you'll need to spend some time introducing the space and helping students understand how to make it work for them. Work some social emotional learning lessons into your curriculum over the first few days of school, and then open the corner when you feel kids are ready to make good use of it.

Set rules for the corner. Will students need to ask you before going there, or can they simply take a few minutes there as needed? Unless you have a lot of space, limit the corner to one student at a time so it doesn't become a place to chat or play. A time limit is a good idea too; have a student set the timer for 5 minutes when they first enter the corner. At the end of 5 minutes, they should feel calm enough to return to class. If not, they can ask you for an extension.
Do you use a calm-down corner in your classroom? Share your tips and ask questions on the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook. Plus, 10 Ways to Help Students With Anxiety.

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How to Create and Use a Calm Down Corner in Any Learning Environment

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Provide a safe space for students to deal with emotions and refocus their attention. Here's how to create a meaningful calm down corner in your classroom.

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Calm Down Corner - Action for Healthy Kids

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Create a calm down corner at school or at home to help children process emotions and develop self-awareness and self-management.

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Thank you to NEARI’s Smoothies for the Brain author Penny Cuninggim for providing this article to share. Shannon Chabot, NEARI’s coordinator and school consultant in the areas of sensory integration and reflex and motor development, hosts this blog and explains the … Continue reading →

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Therapy Shoppe® is excited and pleased to welcome Carol Claflin, Ph.D. as a regular expert guest author! Dr. Claflin is a developmental psychologist, registered pediatric nurse, and former Associate Professional of Psychology before her retirement from teaching in 2007. She has conducted research in the field of ASD and chronic childhood illnesses, and has worked as a special needs educational consultant helping families and school districts develop individualized intervention programs and specialized in-service programming.

We all fidget! What kind of figeting do you like to do? Wiggle your leg, crack your knuckles, squirm in your seat, chew on your pencil, twirl your hair, fiddle with rubber bands, or do you prefer something else? Fidgeting helps us sharpen our focus - and can be especially helpful for children who have special needs, sensory processing differences, ADD, or ADHD.

Most fidget research has focused on children who have ADHD and has confirmed what many anecdotal reports have stated. Compared to typically-developing children, those who have ADHD fidget more. Research also shows that the more children with ADHD move, the more they increase their attention, number of accurate responses, and did better on memory tasks.[1,2,3] A recent study also documented more adaptive information processing.[4] It is hypothesized that hyperactivity in children with ADHD is a way to "unconsciously compensate for underarousal or underactivity in some brain regions."[1, p. 2; 4]

In ADHD, there are low levels of some neurotransmitters in the brain, especially dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE). Traditional ADHD medications work to increase the levels of these chemicals.[5,6] The good news is that physical activity, including fidgeting, can help to increase levels of dopamine and norepinephrine [4,7,8] and allow children who have ADHD to focus better, concentrate more, and improve cognitive performance. [7,9,10,11]

This is all great news! Using intentional fidgeting can enhance attention and academic performance in children with ADHD and in those with sensory processing difficulties.[9,10,11,12,13,14,15] According to Sydney Zentall, Ph.D., "An activity that uses a sense other than that required for the primary task - such as listening to music while reading a social studies textbook - can enhance (primary task) performance in children with ADHD."[7, p.1] For example, when a child needs to look at and/or listen to the teacher, quiet tactile manipulatives or silent classroom fidgets can be effective classroom tool choices to help promote that increased focus.

For children with sensory processing differences who need higher levels of sensory input; the more input they get, the better their concentration and attention becomes. Again, hands-on or feet-on fidgets are " very good regulators for attention and modulation in the environment and also help the brain to filter out distracting sensory input not related to the primary task."[16, p. 2] Similarly, reviews and studies of children with autism and adults with sensory processing issues consistently document that offering a sensory diet (that includes appropriate fidgets) helps improve sensory processing, and related emotions and behaviors.[17,18] Finally, tactile fidget tools in a "sensory box/suitcase" were found to be an effective component for helping teens who had behavioral and emotional problems understand how their senses influence how they calm themselves and work to control their impulses.[19]

Effective types of fidget tools to address the types of issues listed above include: thinking putty, stress balls, squeezy or tactile fidget balls, kneadable erasers, fidgeting finger springs™ , finger squeezers, textured pencil grips, pencil topper fidgets, chewies, fidgeting foot bands™, foot fidget rollers, textured sensory rulers, keychain fidget bracelets, chewy dog tags, chewable tubes necklaces, FiddleLinks, Showa Noas, velcro fidget strips, marble boinks, bendeez, tangles... the list goes on and on. Can't decide which fidget tools would be best? Consider trying a Therapy Shoppe Fidget Kit™. There are even scented tools for those who gravitate towards using scented fidgets for calming, focusing, attaining, and maintaining that "just right" level of arousal. These could include fidgets like: scented kneadable erasers, sensory squares, and even scented putty.

Fidgets can be successfully introduced into classrooms with some basic rules.[15] Before introducing fidget tools in your classroom, create some rules that are custom-tailored for your specific class and grade. Be sure to explain that fidgets are a learning tool and are not a toy. Perhaps use the analogy that some students need glasses to be able to function and focus better in the classroom; while other students need a fidget tool to help them pay attention better. It can also be helpful to model how to use specific fidgets. Include that if the rules are broken, you have the right to temporarily take away a fidget until the user can demonstrate that they can use it according to the rules. Potential rules might include:

* Fidget tools are to be used during listening activities and may only be used to help you focus and attend better, or to help your body feel calmer.

* Fidget tools are to be held in your hands and not tossed in the air, dropped, juggled, thrown, or bounced.

* Your fidget tools are for you only, and should not distract or interfere with your or other students' learning.

* When fidgets are not in use, they need to be kept out of sight (inside your desk) or in a designated space where they belong - such as a fidget box by the teacher's desk.

_______________________

The research confirms that fidgeting is helpful and can be an essential tool for many children who have sensory processing and/or autism spectrum disorders, ADD, or ADHD. What an "easy" tool to enhance the focus, concentration, and cognitive performance of individuals who are challenged in these areas! It is hoped that this research summary will be used to help educate those who might perceive fidgets as just being "toys" - or for those who don't realize that fidgeting can actually facilitate changes in brain chemicals. We all fidget - research supports that it can be a very beneficial activity for children who have unique needs that sometimes go hand-in-hand with disabilities.

- Dr. Carol Claflin, March 12, 2017

Schweitzer, J., Lewis, S., & Hartanto, T. (2016, February). Don't stop the movement. Retrieved from http://chadd.org/Membership/Attention-Magazine-Article.aspx?id=672

Cloud, J. (2009, March). Kids with ADHD may learn better by fidgeting. Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1889178,00.html

Sarver, D., Rapport, M., Kofler, M., Raiker, M., & Friedman, L. (2015). Hyperactivity in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): Impairing deficit or compensatory behavior? Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 43(7), 1219-1232. doi:1007/s10802-015-0011-1

Hartanto, T., Krafft, C., Iosif, A., & Schweitzer, J. (2016). A trial-by-trial analysis reveals more intense physical activity is associated with better cognitive control performance in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Child Neuropsychology, 22(5), 618-26. doi:10.1080/09297049.2015.1044511

Hunt, R. (2006, March). Functional roles of norepinephrine and dopamine in ADHD. Retrieved from https://www.medscape.org/viewarticle/523887

Badgaiyan, R. (2014) Imaging dopamine neurotransmission in live human brain. Progress in Brain Research, 211, 165-182. doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-63425-2.00007-6

Rotz, R. & Wright, S. (n.d.). The body-brain connection: How fidgeting sharpens focus. Retrieved February 12, 2018 from https://www.additudemag.com/focus-factors

Matlen, T. (n.d.). Dr. John Ratey discusses exercise and ADHD in new book. Retrieved February 11, 2018 from https://www.healthcentral.com/article/dr-john-ratey-discusses-exercise-and-adhd-in-new-book

Ratey, J. (2013). ADHD: Running from distraction. In Spark: The revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain (pp. 141-166). New York, NY: Little, Brown, & Co.

Donaldson James, S. (2015, June). Keep fidgeting! Movement helps improve focus in kids with ADHD. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/fidgeting-movement-helps-improve-focus-kids-adhd-n373406

Kamenetz, A. (2015, May). Vindication for fidgeters: Movement may help students with ADHD concentrate. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/05/14/404959284/ fidgeting-may-help-concentration-for-students-with-adhd

Friendship Circle/Fidgets: What are they and how can they help? (2011, October). Retrieved from http://www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2011/10/31/fidgets-what-are-they-and-how-can-they-help

Isbister, K. (2017, May). Fidget toys aren't just hype. Scientific American: The conversation. Retrieved from https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fidget-toys-arent-just-hype

Spiegel, E. (2017, March). Managing stress for at-risk students: a Massachusetts school that specializes in educating highly stressed adolescents offers lessons that could benefit all classrooms. Phi Delta Kappa International, 98(6), 42-46. org/10.1177/0031721717696477

Silver, E. (2017, May 9). Fidget toys: Effective tools or classroom distractions? The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/fidget-toys-effective-tools-classroom-distractions/i4FB0QtMsMA6e9L0YY8zrN

Mennillo, M. (2017, March). Stop touching things! The role of fidget toys. Retrieved from http://occupationaltherapychildren.com.au/stop-touching-things-the-role-of-fidget-toys

Scharf, R., Durmont, R., & May-Benson, T. (2017). Efficacy of occupational therapy using Ayres Sensory Integration®: A systematic review. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72, doi:10.5014/ajot.2018.028431

American Occupational Therapy Association. (n.d.). Fact sheet: Occupational therapy using a sensory integration-based approach with adult populations. Retrieved February 12, 2018 from https://www.aota.org/About-Occupational-Therapy/Professionals/HW/Using-Sensory-Integration-Based-Approach-With-Adult-Populations.aspx

Dorman, C., Nowotny Lehsten, L., Woodin, M., Cohen, R., Schweitzer, J., & Trigilio Tona, J. (2009, May). Using sensory tools for teens with behavioral and emotional problems. Retrieved from http://www.ateachabout.com/pdf/OTP_Nov09_UsingSensoryTools_Teens.pdf

©2018 Therapy Shoppe® Incorporated. All rights reserved.

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The Benefits of Fidget Tools: What Research Says About ADHD AND SPD

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Therapy Shoppe® is excited and pleased to welcome Carol Claflin, Ph.D. as a regular expert guest author! Dr. Claflin is a developmental psychologist, registered pediatric nurse, and former Associate Professional of Psychology before her retirement from teaching in 2007.

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To me, a calm classroom doesn't have to mean a quiet one. It means a classroom where students are taught and practice being in charge of their feelings and behaviors. This can be through calm corners, guided breaks to reset, steps to resolve peer conflicts, flexible seating, or lessons to help students find their preferred strategies.

Calm Corners as Regulation Tools

Calm corners are the popping up all over social media and with good reason. They send the message that in this classroom, we understand that everyone has big feelings and deserves the space to work on managing them. It puts strategy use up front and communicates that we can solve our problems.

For calm corners to work effectively, students need to be taught how to use them. They need procedures just like anything else in the classroom. The linked post reviews six procedures for a calm corner that are essential: Going to the Space, In the Space, Strategy Use, Leaving the Space, Rejoining the Class, and Class Response. Once your calm corner is up and running, it is also a great way to manage the needs of all your students.

Calm corners are not Time-Out under a nicer name. The spirit behind calm corners is teaching self-regulation, not punishing. Keep your consequences outside of that space.

Interested in getting a calm corner setup in your classroom or office? Check out this post on Creating a Calm Corner.

Recommended Calming Tools & Posts

Personalize It

One key to calming strategies we don't talk about enough is helping students personalize the strategies they use. Students need to opportunity to try different strategies, reflect on how they work for them, and create a strategy toolkit they can use independently.

Try a whole-class lesson on coping strategies using the following process.

Identify different feelings.

Identify when big feelings happen.

Try out different calming strategies.

Reflect on which calming strategies would work best for you.

Create a plan by matching calming strategies to situations.

For more detail on how to teach and personalize calming strategies, check out this post on developing coping skills that stick.

Recommended Calming Tools & Posts

Classroom Calming Activities

You know the situation. Students return from recess and have some sort of amnesia that makes them forget they are now inside the classroom. Or students are half asleep late the afternoon after a long day.

It is important that we build in whole class activities that help reset the students before moving on. Think about times in your schedule where students are out of sorts for lack of a better word. Build in a 5 minute break where you reset.

In that break, I want you to respond to the students in front of you. Do they need something to energize them, calm them or refocus them? After recess, usually we need some calming activities. After two heavy academic periods, we might need 5 minutes to breathe and refocus.

Recommended Calming Tools & Posts
Self Regulation Brain Breaks
Blog post on integrating yoga in schools.

Mindful Minutes: Freebie in the Toolbox Resource Library. Login or Sign-Up Here to access.

Calming Strategies During Instruction

Recommended Calming Tools

What Calming Tools Will You Use?

A calm classroom is a place where self-regulation is front and center, practiced, and embedded into the daily routine. It is not an extra thing, but rather an understanding that students need tools to regulate their feelings and behaviors throughout the day. Just like all of us do.
What calming tools do you use in your classroom?
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Calming Tools for the Classroom | Social Emotional Workshop

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To me, a calm classroom doesn't have to mean a quiet one. It means a classroom where students are taught and practice being in charge of their feelings and behaviors. This can be through calm corners, guided breaks to reset, steps to resolve peer conflicts, flexible seating, or lessons to help students find their preferred strategies.

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Do you need calm down kit ideas? Or have you been wondering how to make a calm down box for kids, but don't know where to start? This printable list of 40+ things to put in a calm down kit is the ideal starting point!

Every child should learn coping skills.

And every child can benefit from having their own homemade calm down kit, filled with calming tools and things that suit their needs and interests.

I've always tried my best to teach my kids emotional regulation strategies such as deep breathing exercises, talking about emotions, and doing meditation as a family.

It is my hope that they'll feel confident managing anxiety, stress, and sensory overwhelm because they've practiced these different strategies. And having a tailor-made calm down box is another one of the strategies we use to promote healthy self-regulation skills.

So if you've been wondering how to make a calm down kit for your own kids, then look no further than this free printable list of 40+ things to put in their kit.

While this list is geared towards smaller children, I also have a list geared specifically towards older kids.

What to Include in a Calm Down Kit for Kids

There are lots of different things that you can include in a calm down kit and obviously, you will want to tailor it to your child(ren). Here are 40+ things you can put in a calm down kit for anxious kids:

1. Free printable visual calm down strategies cards

2. Bottle of bubbles

3. Chew toy or chew necklace

4. Small puzzle

5. Fidgets such as Tangle Jr. or puffer ball

6. Weighted lap cushion or stuffed animal - You can find some great DIY ideas under tip #10 here.

7. Weighted vest or pressure vest

8. Stretchy resistance bands

9. Sensory tunnel

10. Hearing protection ear muffs or noise canceling headphones

11. Chewing gum, hard candies, or lollipops - We love Pur natural chewing gum and Spry natural chewing gum!

12. Calming essential oil spray

13. Rescue remedy - I swear by this stuff! Seems to instantly calm meltdowns!

14. MP3 player with music and/or audiobooks - Be sure to include headphones and an accompanying book for the audiobook so they can read along while listening.

15. Book of yoga poses or printable yoga cards

16. Blank notebook and a writing utensil (crayons, pencil crayons, markers, or similar)

17. Sensory bottle or calm down jar - I love this post about 6 ways to make a calm down jar from Preschool Inspirations.

18. Skipping rope - Try our DIY skipping rope that's made from straws!

19. Visual stims such as a kaleidoscope or an hourglass

20. Books to read

21. Activity books: dot to dots, mazes, word searches, I Spy, etc. - Or print off a bunch of our I Spy printables and include them in your calm down kit!

22. Stress balls

23. Play dough or silly putty

24. Photo album filled with photos of family and friends

25. Small blanket

26. Bubble wrap

27. Pinwheels - To encourage deep breathing and blowing out.

28. Rubik's cube

29. Small chalk board and chalk, Magna-Doodle, Etch-a-Sketch, or Boogie Board for doodling and drawing

30. Eye mask

31. Tissue paper to rip - Fill a zipper seal bag with tissue paper. Kids can rip what they need.

32. Light up toys, flashlight, or similar

33. Plastic snow globe - Acts like a calm down or sensory bottle and makes for a great visual stim.

34. Snacks with a variety of textures like crunchy (pretzels or nuts), chewy (fruit leather or dried fruit), or soft (marshmallows)

35. Pipe cleaners to twist and bend

36. Coloring books

37. Scarves or fabric scraps

38. Spinning top

39. Mini massager

40. Scratch and sniff stickers

41. Whistle, harmonica, party blowers, or similar small wind instrument - To encourage kids to breath out. Also, making music is a great way to release a variety of emotions.

42. Small mirror for making silly faces and exploring emotions

43. Straws and pom poms or cotton balls - A great oral motor idea to encourage deep breaths.

44. Body sock - Kids can retreat into a body sock for calming proprioceptive sensory input. Since they fold up relatively small, they make a great addition to a calm down kit.

45. Smelling bottles - Just fill bottles with calming scents, such as lavender.

46. Scratch art doodle pad

47. Social stories dedicated to deep breathing, calming strategies, chewing, or loud noises

Other Great Calm Down Tools for Anxious Kids

Here are some items that you might want to have accessible to your child during their calm down time. I even encourage you to create or designate an entire space to be your child's calm down corner and include these items in it.

1. Wiggle/balance cushion - Great for sitting on, walking on, balancing, on, etc.

2. Weighted blanket

3. Large cardboard box, fort, or ball pit - Kids will love retreating to these quiet places, but using a ball pit also provides lots of calming proprioceptive input.

4. Exercise ball - Perfect for bouncing or balancing on.

5. Mini trampoline - Great for kids who love to jump as a way to calm down.

Download the Free Printable Calm Down Kit List

This Canadian muggle might be a no-laugher (despite her energy vampire husband's jokesies), but Dyan's a fierce advocate for her two boys and passionate about all things hyperlexia and autism.

She's an avid book reader, lifelong learner, and former piano teacher. She likes Toad as her Mario Kart driver and prefers to listen to audiobooks and podcasts at 2.8x speed. Her idea of a perfect lunch is nachos. You can frequently catch her saying, "It's Dyan, not Dylan. There's no L."

She has a B.A.H. in Psychology, an ATCL diploma in Recital for Solo Piano, an RCM Grade 10 Piano certificate, and an RCM History & Theory: Intermediate certificate.

Connect with Dyan on: Instagram - Pinterest - Facebook - Threads or Join The Hyperlexia Hub community!

To get a copy of this printable, click the link below:

>> Click here to download the free printable

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40+ Things to Put in a Calm Down Kit for Kids {Free Printable}

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How to make a calm down kit or box for kids plus a free printable list of calming tools and things to put in your child's kit

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Are you working on a calm down kit for your classroom this year? They are a great way to help students when they need to take a break, breathe, and calm down so they can continue their day. These are especially helpful for students with sensory processing needs. We have pulled together some creative, helpful, and teacher-approved products that will start or complete any calm down kit needs.
Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!
Sure, there are sensory bin hacks and DIY versions of these products, but if you're pressed for time, this is a nice option at a good price. The kit comes with water beads, water lava bubbles, color-changing silly putty, a narwhal, and a stretchy ring. Grab a few kits and your students will be on the path to calm in no time. You can also get more fidget toy ideas here.

This is part project/part stress relief. When you assemble the stress balls, you'll have an opportunity to sneak in a quick science lesson: How do the beads expand? How long will it take? How many water beads will fit into each balloon? Once the stress balls are made, each student will then have their own go-to calm down toy.

Some classrooms have banned them, but you may want to consider keeping a fidget spinner or two in your calm down kit. They help soothe the mind and settle a fidgety student.

These stretchy bands are the perfect tool to encourage mindfulness. Dubbed fidget strings or monkey noodles, the noodles are ideal for children with ADHD or anxiety, and the tough material can withstand all sorts of pinching, stretching, and other manipulations. As a bonus, twist a few bands together to pull and you've got yourself a good arm exercise.

Sandboxes are often marketed toward younger children, particularly toddlers, but magic sand can be the perfect addition to encourage mindfulness. Students can easily become mesmerized by the way the sand flows and stays together. It's a great activity for helping students forget about their stress and simply relax. Stow the sand in a box or plastic bin for easy clean up.

There's a reason stress relief balls are still popular: They work! Stress relief balls double as a calm down method and a therapeutic sensory toy for students with ADHD or anxiety. Plus, these stress balls are just plain old fun to mush around in your hands! There are so many options out there, but we're a big fan of these emoji ones. Or learn how you can make your own in this DIY stress balls article.

Sometimes calming down isn't about doing something to calm down; sometimes it's about not doing. If a student is feeling stressed and overwhelmed, these noise-canceling headphones can provide a quiet sanctuary in the middle of a busy classroom.

Expanding balls make a great addition to your mindfulness bin or chill-out corner. Toss a ball back and forth between friends or use it as a solitary toy to encourage and visualize slow, deep breaths. This set comes with two balls that both expand up to 12 inches.

Which Thinking Putty will you try? The Cosmic Thinking Putty comes with a glow charger, but this isn't the only super cool putty. There is magnetic putty, glowing putty, color-changing putty, and optical illusion putty. Grab a few tins, and your students will be relaxed and peaceful in no time.

Ideal for students who can read independently, the Cards for Calm game doesn't just distract your students; the cards actually teach them how to practice mindfulness and manage any stress, anxiety, and negative thinking. It can be played with multiple students or as a single-player game.

Who says all squishy stress relievers have to come in ball form? This unicorn squishy is so cute! Bonus: This unicorn doesn't have plastic smell that many polyurethane toys have ... and did we mention it's tear-resistant?

Weighted blankets are well known for their ability to help children (and even adults) calm down. This blanket would make a great addition to your reading corner. What's better than a book and blanket to just chill out? Available in 15, 20, and 25 pounds.

Don't want to invest in a blanket? A weighted lap pad can also do the trick. These colorful pads also have different textures to further extend sensory benefits.

Adult coloring books are all the rage, and for good reason: They help adults relax. However, adult coloring books aren't just for adults. Older students (who already know how to color within the lines) will also benefit from these types of coloring books. You'll want to keep lots of colored pencils (grab a 72-piece kit here) on hand for these projects.

Sometimes you need something really visual to help you take a break and get yourself centered again. These are similar to glitter jars you can make yourself, but this one is all set and ready to go.

These are great for general fidgeting, but they're also good for those who like puzzles. They come with a set of four that can be broken apart and snapped together again, to give students a bit of a brain break.

Here's another kit that is worth a try. If you're unsure what your students will respond to, this has plenty of options! You get 19 pieces in all, and they're all great for fidgeting or as part of a calm down kit.
What are your favorite things to put in a calm down kit? Come and share in Plus, check out these fidget toys to try. 5 our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

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15 Great Ideas for Your Classroom Calm Down Kit

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Are you working on a calm down kit for your classroom this year? They are a great way to help students when they need to take a break, breathe, and calm down so they can continue their day. These are especially helpful for students with sensory processing needs.

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Sensory Tool Box Ideas- FB Live with Alescia Ford-Lanza

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If you've got a sensory child who's of school-age, most likely sensory supports will be needed in the classroom.

When talking to teachers and administrators about the need for sensory tools in the classroom, it's important to frame your discussion in terms of your child's "readiness to learn."

Before we get into our top 10 list, take a look at our video on 7 Tips for a Sensory Friendly Classroom. Then, in this blog post, we'll discuss why it's important to have a sensory informed classroom!

7 Tips for a Sensory Friendly Classroom

Why is a Sensory Friendly Classroom Important?

Sensory tools are intended to promote regulation, improve focus, and increase participation, therefore enabling your child to be available for learning!

The key to a sensory-informed classroom is that it supports the various sensory needs of the students in the classroom in a way that is as natural as possible. Not all students learn the same, nor do they have the same sensory needs. When you include sensory supports or tools in a classroom, they will be used differently by kids depending on what their bodies need, when they need input, and how they choose to use the tools!

No matter how they are used, sensory tools that are naturally embedded into the existing school day are more likely to be used by more than just your sensory child, therefore decreasing the social stigma of needing something "different."

By creating a sensory-informed classroom, teachers are setting the tone or culture of the classroom to be one of inclusion, acceptance, and differentiation, no matter what the students' needs are!

The goal of sensory tools in school is to support participation, engagement, and interactions that promote skill development and learning. Whether your child is working to develop social skills with peers, behavioral and emotional regulation, improve attention/focus, develop organization skills, or manage classroom behaviors, sensory tools can regulate a child's arousal level in order to get at these higher-level skills needed for classroom success!

If you'd like to learn more about how to make sensory breaks work better in the classroom, check out this article.

A Facebook Live Session about Sensory Tool Ideas

Below this video, you'll find our top 10 list of sensory tools for school, but we wanted to include this Facebook live session that covers more sensory toolbox ideas and how to implement them at school or home.

Sensory Tool Video Show Notes

6:00 Support your child's OT by integrating activities into your daily routine.

7:30 Toolbox supplies will cover the different sensory systems.

7:40 Vestibular input ideas

9:45 Harkla Sensory Swing

11:40 Scooter Boards are great!

14:30 Body Sock activities

16:06 Vibrating or buzzing massager

18:07 Exercise ball

21:00 Weighted objects

23:00 Fidgets

Our 10 Favorite Sensory Tools for the Classroom

1. Flexible/Alternative Seating

Did you know that school-aged children need 4-5 hours of movement per day to meet their developing central nervous system's sensory needs? That's a hard recommendation to follow when much of their day is spent in school!

The easiest way to allow for movement in a classroom is to offer students active seating options. "Active seating" is seating that allows for wiggling, moving, and adjusting as an alternative to the typical classroom chair. There are a number of designs to consider:

Tabletop seating on T-Stools (see photo), ball chairs, or Move n'Sit cushions

Floor seating in a beanbag chair, backjack chair, or sensory floor cushion

Standing stations with standing desks or easels

2. Heavy Work Activities

Heavy work activities are designed to provide proprioceptive input that has a calming, organizing effect on students. When you put everyday classroom objects (books, lunch bags, recess equipment) into a laundry basket, students can carry/push/pull these heavy baskets for extra doses of proprioceptive input.

Better yet, assigning these heavy work tasks as daily classroom "jobs" will ensure these heavy work activities are embedded into natural classroom routines: chair stacker, library book returner, white-board eraser, recess equipment carrier, door holder!

Check out the American Occupational Therapy Association's OT Connections Blog for some heavy work chores and activities that are appropriate for home and school.

3. Manipulatives or Fidget Toys

Manipulatives are often used as a multi-sensory way to teach concepts in school.

If you've read our article on fidget toys you know how tactile tools are used as fidgets to help some kids to focus.

Sensory-informed classrooms can incorporate tactile manipulatives and fidgets to support a multitude of students. Consider distraction-free fidgets like pencil top fidgets, bouncy bands on chairs and desks, and set expectations with a classroom poster of fidget rules!

Whether reinforcing math concepts with popsicle sticks or segmenting and blending words with unifix cubes, manipulatives allow for a hands-on approach to new learning. For kinesthetic learners or students who learn best when actively touching, moving, and manipulating materials, these manipulatives make learning happen.

4. Oral Sensory Input

The easiest way to incorporate consistent oral motor sensory input into the school day is to look at what you're sending your child for snacks and lunch. Just as you vary the nutritional contents of those foods you send, you should also be varying the textures, flavors, and consistencies. Chewy, crunchy foods will offer proprioceptive input to the mouth/jaw and offering liquids to suck through a thick straw (i.e. water bottle w thick straw like this) will also require the use of mouth muscles!

For kids who need more oral input in school, alternative tools allow for sensory modifications in subtle ways.

"Chewelry" (chewable jewelry) offers necklaces, dog tags, and bracelets that are fashionable and functional.

Some classrooms and schools allow gum or chewy candy to be proactively used to meet oral sensory needs. In these cases, "gum rules" are enacted to ensure appropriate use.

Pencil toppers allow your child to safely chew on the end of his pencil

5. Movement

When you get your child's school schedule, take note of the movement opportunities in the form of gym class, specials, and recess. Are those times sufficient to help your child regulate and get a good dose of vestibular input?

If not, you'll need to look at additional movement opportunities in the form of whole-class activities.

GoNoodle is a free favorite with teachers and students alike!

Student-specific movement activities on key rings, flashcards, or classroom posters can cue kids to take movement breaks to help regulate.

Movement-minded classroom jobs like a mail carrier, materials manager/paper passer, or office runner allow for movement within natural routines

If you're lucky enough to have a classroom therapy ball, there are a multitude of movement-based sensory breaks using the ball from bouncing to rolling and !

6. Deep Pressure

Weighted objects and weighted lap pads are a must-have in every classroom for seated tabletop tasks and carpet times! Weighted materials like Harkla's weighted lap pad offer deep pressure input that has a calming and organizing effect.

Read more on the effects on deep touch pressure here.

Some students prefer compression garments worn under regular clothing or compression vests are worn on top of their clothing. These are student-specific considerations that are appropriate sensory tools for school depending on your preference and your child's sensory needs.

Click here to visit Harkla's Catalog of Weighted Vests, Blankets, and Lap Pads

7. Sensory Deprivation Area

Because a classroom can be a noisy, visually overwhelming, overstimulating place for a sensory student, it's important to have a designated "quiet corner" that could be as simple as the reading nook in the corner of the class or as complex as a teepee with a beanbag chair and headphones!

Take a look at the Harkla Hug! It provides a calming place for a child to sit while it applies much-needed pressure to sensitive areas of the body, helping your child feel grounded and in control.

Having an identified sensory deprivation area will allow your child to initiate taking a break when needed, proactively de-escalating when he feels overstimulated.

8. Visuals

It's important to look at visual supports for learning as well as for regulation assistance in a classroom. When visuals are effective, they reduce the amount of verbal direction, reminders, or prompting needed.

For some sensory students, these strategies could make a huge difference in supporting positive classroom behaviors and self-regulation. Visual timers and visual calm-down bottles both offer non-verbal ways of prompting transitions and behavior supports.

For other students, reducing the amount of visual distraction is key to helping them maintain attention and complete classroom tasks. Desktop or tabletop partitions, privacy boards, or "offices" are sometimes all it takes to help a student to focus on his work!

9. Tactile Tools for Teaching

Think back to preschool and kindergarten - so much new learning took place through tactile mediums! Fingerpaint tracing shapes, shaving cream letter writing, even playdoh letter rolling -- using the tactile (touch) sensory system helps some students learn new concepts!

For elementary-aged children, using tactile tools can support continued concept development, so bring out the sand tray, raised line paper, tactile bins, and sensory table. There's a way to make most new concepts multisensory!

10. Auditory

We've talked about reducing sensory stimulation with a quiet corner in the classroom, but there are times when auditory information can help sensory students identify transitions and learn new information. Familiar songs, rhymes, and music can prompt students through the routine expectations of the classroom.

We all remember Barney's Clean Up song, right? Predictable musical prompts, whether they are a song or an instrument like a chime, can ease transitions from preferred to nonpreferred activities.

For the reluctant reader, include audiobooks along with text to draw on auditory interests and strengths. Sometimes, listening to the rhythmic, calming voice of the narrator can help engage a reluctant reader and avoid some behaviors in the classroom.

Check out our video on the Top 5 Products for an Elementary Classroom!

Conclusion and Takeaways

No matter the type of classroom setting your child is in, or the type of learner he is, there are countless ways to modify the school environment with sensory-informed choices.
We at Harkla would love to hear from you about what your sensory-informed classroom is doing to keep all students engaged and learning! Comments will be approved before showing up.
For more information on sensory tools for school, check out Adapt & Learn's Sensory-Informed Classroom Pinterest page.

WATCH 6 Sensory Strategies to Improve Your Child's Attention Span!

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10 Tools for a Sensory Informed Classroom

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Does your child go to a sensory informed classroom or are you a teacher looking to make your classroom more sensory friendly? Check out our list of sensory strategies as well our 10 favorite sensory tools for a classroom that is helpful to those with autism or sensory processing disorder.

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Best on-the-go toys

Looking for something you can fidget with while you wait for an appointment or during your commute?

You can throw these handy options in a bag or even stow them in your pocket.

Price: $$

This mini Rubik's Cube may require a little more involvement than some fidget toys. But if you're a puzzle-solving fiend, it should hit the spot.

Just keep in mind that some reviewers find this mini version a bit uncomfortable for larger hands.

Price: $

The Tom's Fidgets Original Flippy Chain has two stainless steel split rings and two small pieces of bike chain that you can slide and flip around on the rings for discreet and near-silent fidgeting. It includes small silicone bands for added texture. Because it's made of bike chain links, it can stand up to a lot of use.

This flippy chain can fit in your pocket. Some reviewers recommend putting it on a keychain to avoid losing it.

Price: $

This option is made of smooth, interlocking rings. If you enjoy textures, stroking the rings may have a calming effect. This toy's small size may make it excellent for quiet fidgeting with one hand, whether you stroke or rotate the rings or simply spin the ball in your hand.

The Möbii Fidget Ball is recommended for kids 13 years and older since it's small and could present a choking hazard to younger children.

Price: $$

This aluminum cube consists of eight smaller cubes you can rotate to create different shapes and configurations. Reviews suggest this fidget toy has enough weight to give it a sturdy feel without being heavy.

It can make a small amount of noise when in use, so it's probably not great for a very quiet environment.

Best desk toys

These options are a little larger, making them better suited for a spot on your desk. Some of them can make pretty sleek decorations, too.

Price: $$

This desktop toy comes with a magnetic base and 220 small magnetic balls. You stack the balls onto the base, arranging them into various shapes. Use it when you're taking a break from work or need a few minutes to relax or ease anxious thoughts.

The small balls pose a choking hazard, so be sure to keep it out of reach of children.

Price: $$$

Zen gardens typically include patches of gravel or sand that visitors can rake to promote a meditative state. Keeping a miniature version on your desk may help make it easier to take a break and focus on something calming if you start feeling anxious.

Price: $$$

To work the toy, you set the disk onto the mirror and spin it. The disk spins continuously, creating different patterns of color and humming as it spins faster and faster.

Because this toy does involve noise, it may not be great for very quiet work environments. And if you have any sensitivity to light, you may want to skip this one.

Price: $$

A classic Newton's cradle consists of spheres that hang from a metal frame. By drawing one ball back and releasing it, you set a pendulum effect in motion. Watching how the balls move can have a soothing effect.

The spheres click when they touch, so keep that in mind when you choose to use this fidget tool.

Price: $$

The EASTBULL Useless Box isn't a traditional fidget toy, yet it can still offer a distraction from distressing or upsetting thoughts. To use it, you insert two AA batteries and flip a switch that opens the box. After the box opens, a mechanism pops out to flip the switch off, automatically closing the box's lid. Every time you flip the switch, the cycle repeats.

Best jewelry

Fidget jewelry can be a great option to help soothe anxiety when you're on the move or trying to be discreet.

Price: $$

Spinner rings, also referred to as worry rings, work in a similar way to fidget spinners. They have two stacked bands, one of which stays in place on your finger, and one that you can spin around the fixed band.

You can find spinner rings in a variety of styles and colors. This one is versatile and has a unisex style and reasonable price. It's also made of sterling silver, so it won't turn your finger green after a few wears.

Price: $$

Like the Möbii Fidget Ball at the top of our list, the pendant of this necklace features smooth, interwoven rings. They come in a variety of colors, so you can choose your favorite or even customize a design with multiple colors.

Reviews suggest this fidget necklace may work well for adults and children old enough for jewelry since it offers a quiet, discreet way to fidget at school, work, or home.

Price: $$

These springy rings are designed to strategically stimulate pressure points on your fingers, but they can also make great fidget toys.

Slide it up and down your finger for stress relief and a massage.

Price: $$

Some people may chew things, including pen caps, fingers, and shirt collars, when feeling anxious. A chewable necklace is a discreet option that you can use just about anywhere and offers some sensory input that can be calming for some.

The ARK Krypto Bite Chewable Gem Necklace is sophisticated enough for adults but durable enough for children. It's made from medical-grade thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), which is a type of rubber that's similar to silicone, but more durable. It's completely latex-free and free of BPA, heavy metals, and phthalates.

Best for the classroom

Keeping fidget toys in the classroom may help some kids manage stress and anxiety.

Price: $$$

Kick bands, also called resistance bands, may be helpful for anyone who tends to jiggle their feet or kick chair, table, or desk legs when feeling anxious or stressed.

They attach to the chair legs and reviewers say they're relatively silent.

Price: $$

Chewing may offer a quiet way to relieve tension and stress for those with anxiety. These chewable pencil toppers from Panny & Mody are made of 100-percent food-grade silicone that's completely nontoxic and free of bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalate.

The pencil toppers have multiple textures - large studded bumps and smaller rounded bumps - to provide different sensations. Just make sure students don't share them and spread germs.

Price: $$

The Tangle is a popular fidget toy for classrooms and other quiet environments because it doesn't produce noise. It includes connected, curving pieces you can reshape, take apart, twist, and put back together.

Reviews suggest it can benefit children and adults alike. Children may find the toy entertaining and soothing. It may promote relaxation or stress relief in teens and older adults.

Many reviewers report that this fidget toy helped them manage symptoms of anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other distress.

The Tangle Jr. is a smaller version that may work well in the classroom or on the go.

Best sensory toy

People who are sensitive to sound or light may feel stressed or anxious as a result of sensory overload. However, not having enough sensory input can also cause distress. That's where sensory fidget toys come in.

Price: $$

Also called stress-relief dough, adult play dough is pretty similar to the stuff you played with as a kid. However, this option from The Squeeze is infused with 100-percent lavender essential oil, which can help promote feelings of calmness.

The benefits are twofold: Squeezing and kneading the dough may help reduce stress and anxiety, similar to the way a stress ball works, while the lavender helps soothe through aromatherapy.

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Tend to fidget when you're anxious? We've rounded up 18 fidget toys for children and adults alike.

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Today's mission is to be so busy loving life that there's very little time left over for worry, fear, or anxiety. Know that soothing sensory tools can help keep overwhelm, stress, or frustration in check when cabin fever, uncertainty, or a bit of impatience from a little too much togetherness starts creeping in. Below are 25 top pick sensory tools that can help alleviate some of that anxiety and stress.

Give yourself a big hug from us and know that we're always here for you.

- Your Therapy Shoppe Family ❤️

We have 100s of soothing chewy tools that can help decrease anxiety and stress. Handheld chewy tools, chewelry (chewy bracelets, necklaces, and rings), chewy fidgets, chewable pencil toppers, and so much more. These soothing chews can be terrific self-regulation tools for oral sensory seekers, "picky" eaters, finger nail biters, fidgeters, and those who chew on their pencils, hair, sleeves, hoodie strings.

Our silky sensory pillows provide soothing vibrating tactile input. A comfy sensory tool that most sensory seekers find to be very calming and soothing. These pressure-activated pillows require 2 "D" batteries that are not included.

Experience the many benefits aromatherapy can offer you with these 100% pure essential oil blends that are a scent inhaler about the size of chapstick! Scent Inhalers retain their scents for up to a year. A nice calming sensory tool for sensory diets and self-regulation. Choices include: Stress Less, Anxiety Relief, Mood Lift, Insomnia Relief, Appetite Control, and Study Buddy.

These shiny fidget stones make a fun desk toy or pocket-sized fidget you can take everywhere to entertain yourself with. Excellent for calming or alerting, and for a little stress relief at your desk, during meetings, while traveling, or for homework time.

Bathed in an irresistible rubbery material, these fabulous Tangle toys are sprinkled with sensory bumpies that provide premo tactile input to fidgety fingers. Tangles snap-apart segments are great for stress relief and finger strengthening, too. The deluxe Tangle Therapy is much larger and twice the thickness for double the fun; both help strengthen finger and improve range of motion. These colorful, silent fidgets are a delight for silently coiling, twisting, and twirling the hours away.

This one-of-a-kind sensory gel ball is covered in a silky soft, smooth neoprene skin that provides wonderfully calming tactile input. Firmer than most of our other fidget balls; this unique stress-busting fidget ball provides a nice deep pressure finger workout. A perfect 2-1/2" palm size.

Soft and soothing, classical 50-70 beat music for slowing down, rebalancing, relieving anxiety, and lowering stress. Based on the works of Dr. Alfred Tomatis, this duo CD set features soft and sweet classical music that naturally slows your heartrate and helps "unwind" your mind through simplified harmonies and decreasing tempos. Beautiful piano solos and trios dance lightly with the breathtaking music of Vivaldi, Bach, Mozart, Schubert, Ravel and many other renowned composers. A wonderful set for relaxing both your body and mind.

One of the most satisfying squishy squeeze balls you'll ever have the pleasure of fidgeting with! Ooey Goey Glitter Bead Balls™ have a rubbery skin filled with glitter, water beads, and extra thick gel. These extraordinarily tactile fidgets gently ooze through your fingers as you squish, squeeze, and squash 'em. They feel oooey gooey to the touch, but don't leave any sticky residue behind. Oh yea!

Soothing quilts scented with just the right blend of self-regulating herbs and spice (lavender, peppermint, cinnamon, and cloves). These extraordinary 20"x40" weighted blankets makes the perfect, mini-sized multisensory throw for homeschoolers, senior citizens, car rides, naps... anywhere. Made of an ultra-soft velvety minkee material that's dotted with 100's of fluffy bumpies on one side, and snuggly flannel on the other. Surface washable. Lovingly made in the USA.

Mystical, mesmerizing sand window that contains breathtaking colored sand clouds , sparkling stars, and a beautiful moon that are heavenly to gaze at as you rotate the window around. You can even create your own celestial storm or eclipse. This 5-1/2" circular window makes an extraordinarilg soothing eye candy tool. Comes with a free-standing base. Sand colors sometimes vary.

Gorgeous glittery gel shapes filled with colorful (or clear) gel and tiny sparkling stars. Magical, calming sensory tools that are wonderful for squishing, squeezing, and kneading sensory input. Soothing senational sensory tools!

Fabulous tactile sensory fidgets! Our exclusive 3-1/2" Furry Sensory Squares are made of sensationally texturey furry fabrics and are scented with calming lavender or focusing mint. They look, smell, and feel amazing! Designed for gentle fidgeting, snuggling at bedtime, or for tucking inside your desk, backpack, purse, or under your pillow. A Therapy Shoppe® exclusive. *Please note these contain flax.

Made of pure essential oils, these handy 2.7 oz. aromatherapy spray pump bottles come in 3 amazing calming scents: Lavender, Peppermint, or Spice (a delightful new scent that smells like cinnamon and cloves). These all-natural, Essential Oil Sprays are gentle, safe, and contain no harmful ingredients. A simple and safe way to help reduce stress and anxiety.

There's no beginning, no end.... no right or wrong way to trace these wonderfully mind-relaxing finger labyrinth cards... just a delightfully peaceful way to relax and unwind, while engaging your fingers and mind. Use your finger or the included stylus (or try it just using your eyes) to trace 10 different soothing designs. Up the challenge by switching hands and tracing with your non-dominant hand. Or REALLY exercise your brain and eyes by tracing 2 different cards at the same time! An exclusive Therapy Shoppe product available only from us. Includes a special stylus.

These discreet weighted lap pads are a wonderful self-regulation tool and include a snuggily soft, washable fleece cover! Made of premium, water-resistant nylon, these exclusive Therapy Shoppe® lap pads feature a unique quilted-design that assures even weight distribution and maximum therapeutic benefits. Surface washable.

These amazing little sensory seats "cradle and rock" the user, providing the user the perfect combination of self-regulating sensory input. HowdaHugs are adjustable, legless seats, made of wooden slats, and colored canvas that create a snuggily embrace around bodies; providing a wonderfully calming, hugging sensation and gentle rocking input that has a calming, focusing effect for most individuals. Comes in 3 sizes for preschoolers to adults. Wonderful!

Our unscented 4.5 lb. weighted shoulder wraps provide calming deep pressure input as they hug your shoulders. They come in your choice of 2 beautiful fabrics that have snuggily soft fleece on one side, or in a true wipe clean reversible fabric that can be sanitized on the spot with antibacterial wipes or spray.

Now's the perfect time to "adopt" a new family pet! Absolutely adorable, snuggily soft kittens, puppies, turtles, panda bears, lambs, monkeys, hedgehogs, dinosaurs, elephants, snakeys, and more. Our irresistible plush weighted pet family includes scented animals, fluffy, furry, sequiny, scaley, and unscented friends for those sensitive to smells. Get ready to fall head over heels in love!

Adorable little 2" smiley stress balls that have a head full of fluffy yarn hair and double as a fun little screen cleaner for all of your electronic devices! These silent sensory fidgets are terrific for squeezing all your anxiety away while exercising /strengthening your fingers. The perfect pocket-sized desk toy fiddle for homeschoolers, the office, and makes a much loved gift for mom or dad on Mother's and Father's Day.

Thinking Putty is like chewing gum for your fingers! We have dozens of fabulous choices you can choose from: Scented (bubble gum, pizza, carmel corn, orange cream, berry vanilla, chocolate), Unscented, Glow-in-the dark, Shimmery, Glowing, Unicorn Putty, Crystal Clear putty that looks like liquid glass, and even a Thinking Putty Kit where you create your own amazing blends.... Fun, entertaining, and a soothing stress buster for those who need a simple way to help decrease their cabin fever.

Gorgeous 4" fidget squares with 100's of tiny squishy squeezy colored gel beads inside. Minds relax and fidgety fingers stay busy for hours squashing, kneading, and squeezing these neat stress-reducing tactile fiddles that can be chilled, too.

This medium resistance sensory putty is scented with pure essential oils and comes in 3 amazing scents: Lemon, Mint, and Lavender. Makes a great stress-relieving, self-regulation tool for keeping restless fingers happily engaged and slowing overactive minds. Lavender is very calming and relaxing; Lemon is refreshing and can help reduce anxiety/stress. Mint (while calming for many individuals) can also be alerting and energizing; nice for increasing focus and concentration.

These "scratchy" silent tactile fidget tools feature an enclosed marble you slide back and forth, keeping fingers happily engaged and minds/bodies more relaxed. Boinks Marble Fidgets make the perfect, pocket-sized calming fidget tool for homeschoolers or skin pickers, and are a nice 'n subtle fidget for the office.

Feel your anxiety, worry, and tension melt away as you knead one of these silky smooth stones between your thumb and fingers. Sensory Worry Stones are a calming nature fidget tool that can help you feel more relaxed and able to focus better. These pocket-sized fidgets are wonderfully subtle; the perfect size to tuck inside a purse, backpack, car cup holder, or to keep in your glove box.

Our cool little grouchy-face Globby Guy is awesome for taking away some of your stress and frustration! This squishy, squashy squeezy 5" rubbery dude can be stretched, posed, gently pinched, and flattened into tons of fun, stress-busting ways. Designed for teens and adults, but not overly rough use or he might burst. *Contains latex.

For more helpful information about managing stress and anxiety, read our other exclusive Therapy Shoppe articles:
"25 Favorite Stress Reducing Fidget Tools"

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25 Soothing Sensory Tools That Can Help Alleviate Anxiety

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Today's mission is to be so busy loving life that there's very little time left over for worry, fear, or anxiety. Know that soothing sensory tools can help keep overwhelm, stress, or frustration in check when cabin fever, uncertainty, or a bit of impatience from a little too much togetherness starts creeping in.

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Coffee Shop Ambience ☕Cozy Rainy Day [ASMR Study & Relax] keyboard typing + Light Rain + people

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Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) can help students experience less stress and anxiety through sensation methods, according to the l argest Facebook community for ASMR.

ASMR is a tingling sensation that some people experience with certain triggers. Some triggers include whispers, sounds, slow movement, or touch. The sensation can be used as a tool to help individuals relax, lower anxiety and reduce stress.

College students may experience stress or anxiety due to balancing out different responsibilities simultaneously, but ASMR can help. Videos on YouTube focusing on the sensory phenomenon show viewers different methods to relax. It depends on what triggers that tingling sensation.

Nicole Lemus, a psychology major at CSUN, said ASMR is a stimulus to create a sensation that is enjoyable.

"It is extremely helpful because it allows you to only focus on the sensation and that helps take your mind off of the stressful subjects such as assignments, papers, or deadlines that a college student encounters every day," Lemus said.

According to the American College Health Association, a study from 2015, stated that stress was the highest factor to affect a students academically by 30 percent. Anxiety was the second highest at 21.9 percent, followed by sleep difficulties at 20 percent.

GentleWhispering, a YouTube channel on ASMR focuses on a young woman named Maria who whispers in the camera to make viewers feel calm through her voice. ASMR Darling, another channel, includes multiple videos using whispering methods. Relaxing ASMR, on the other hand, provides different content such as cleaning, drawing, opening packages, and creating different noises with various objects. The videos are meant to help calm one's mind, body, and sleep patterns.

Fabiola Procopio, an environmental and occupational health major, said she has felt tingles from her head to her spine.

"I have felt that tingling sensation while watching someone bite into an ice cream bar," Procopio said.

Emma Barratt and Nick Davis, authors of "Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR): a flow-like mental state" focused on gathering information by people who experience ASMR.The phenomenon has not been scientifically proven, but the feeling is real to many people.

"I experience those tingly sensations that run from my head to my neck, and down my spine with multiple triggers such as touch, whisper, and the sound of nails tapping a table," said Jazmine Ruiz, another student. "I am intrigued with ASMR and will use those triggers more often during my most stressful times."

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ASMR is a unique feeling that may help students relax

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Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) can help students experience less stress and anxiety through sensation methods, according to the l argest Facebook community for ASMR. ASMR is a tingling sensation that some people experience with certain triggers. Some triggers include whispers, sounds, slow movement, or touch.

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Playing some relaxing music during learning breaks can help settle everyone's minds and refuel our reserves so we can tackle the rest of the day. Regardless of whether you and your students prefer nature sounds, guitar strumming, or piano music, there is truly something for everyone out there. Oftentimes, relaxing music for kids to play in the classroom is accompanied by a video with peaceful imagery. Soothing sights and music can help settle big emotions following a particularly stressful event like standardized testing. Music in the classroom has so many benefits including (but not limited to) improving mood, assisting in cognitive development, and enhancing creativity. Check out our favorite selections of relaxing music for the classroom!

1. Happy Background Music for Children

These peaceful tunes will certainly give growing minds a well-deserved break.

2. Happy Relaxing Music for Children

This light instrumental hang-drum song is perfect after a stressful morning.

3. Relaxing Guitar Music

While school can sometimes be stressful for students (and teachers!), the strumming of this guitar will chase your worries away!

4. Instrumental Background Music for the Classroom

This instrumental selection should be featured on any list of relaxing music for kids to play in the classroom.

5. Relaxing Music for Stress Relief

The underwater sounds will wash your cares away so you can think more clearly!

6. Calming Music for Children in the Classroom

Regardless of whether students are writing, studying, reading, or doing homework, this video will help create a positive learning environment.

7. Fine Art Music and Paintings

Listen to the music of Debussy and more while watching a slide show of beautiful paintings.

8. Relaxing Music With Ocean Waves

The calming and rhythmic sounds of the ocean can feel so soothing to busy minds.

9. Happy Relaxing Guitar Music for Children

The sweet plucking in this video feels so positive and refreshing.

10. Relaxing Nature Sounds

Practice some meditation in your classroom while you mellow out to the sounds of birds chirping and water flowing.

11. Minecraft Soundtrack

Regardless of whether or not you love Minecraft, this instrumental soundtrack is great for a break between lessons.

12. Instrumental Music for Relaxation

What's better than a relaxing video that includes piano music? One that also features soothing guitar strumming!

13. Morning Relaxing Music for Children

When the mid-morning doldrums appear, try this choice for relaxing music for the classroom.

14. Positive Background Music for Kids

This video is so uplifting and sweet and perfect for a well-earned break or even for study time.

15. Classical Music for Kids in the Classroom

This video exposes students to classical music. It features a violin performance of Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons, Concerto No. 4 in F minor."

16. 3-Minute Timer With Music for Kids

This plucky video can help with time management since it features a 3-minute timer. You can also try this one for classical music. Also check out the 1-minute, 5-minute, and 20-minute timers!

17. Relaxing Music for Children With Animals

Perfect for promoting calm and mindfulness and also an appreciation for nature and the world around us.

18. Disney Piano Selection

Disney movies have arguably the best soundtracks out there, so why not play this collection of relaxing instrumental songs in your classroom?

19. Coffee Shop Ambience

The calming jazz music in this video is perfect for the start of school since it will call to mind the crisp fall air and changing leaves.

20. Ambient Music for Studying

The tranquil music in this video will help students focus while reading a favorite book or studying for a big exam.

21. Comptine d'un autre été

This beautiful song from the movie Amelie would calm anyone, but if you teach French, you have even more reason to play it!

22. Quiet Music Plus Baby Animals

This video proves that relaxing music for the classroom can be equally adorable and soothing!

23. Krishna Flute Music

This flute music will have your students in a Zen state in no time!

24. Soothing Drum Music

While drums are often thought of as being noisy, this video proves that they can be calming as well.

25. Rain Sounds and Relaxing Music

Do you and your students find the sound of rain relaxing, but the skies are clear? This video provides the perfect soothing backdrop to any classroom.

26. Sensory Experience

What's better than a calm-down corner? A calm-down corner that features this video of lanterns floating while calming music plays!

Do you use calming music in your classroom? Share your tips and ask questions in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

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26 Relaxing Music Videos for the Classroom

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Whether you're at school or teaching online, life gets stressful. Here's a list of relaxing music for the classroom to help find your Zen.

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Morning Relaxing Music - Meditation Music, Relaxing Piano Music, Stress Relief Music (Betty)

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lofi hip hop radio - beats to relax/study to

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What is trauma?

According to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), child trauma is when a child witnesses or is involved in an event and, as a result, feels intensely threatened. A traumatic event or situation exceeds an individual's ability to cope. Several types of psychological or physical trauma can lead to extreme distress. Sources of trauma can include (but are not limited to) bullying, natural disasters, and sexual abuse. The National Survey of Children's Health states that 35 million children in the United States have experienced one or more types of childhood trauma.

One way to consider trauma is as a continuum in frequency and severity, from a single event to multiple events occurring over and over again. The three types of traumas are acute, chronic, and complex. Acute trauma occurs as an isolated event, such as a severe accident, medical procedure, or being a victim of a crime. Chronic trauma is when stressful or threatening events are experienced repeatedly, such as domestic violence. Complex trauma results from multiple and ongoing traumatic events such as abuse or neglect, living with alcoholism or substance abuse, and suffering from financial, food, and/or housing instability.

Impacts of trauma

Trauma has both short and long-term effects on a child's brain and body. Reactions to acute trauma may include shaking, crying, or being easily startled. It may be easier to see and understand a child's response to an acute traumatic event because it happens immediately, and one can grasp the reason why the child is distressed.

Chronic and complex trauma can be more challenging to detect in the classroom. A child may appear to be reacting to the situation at hand, but in reality they've been triggered by something else. Trauma can affect the body and brain in the following ways:

Body development: Trauma can lead to living in a near-constant state of extreme stress or fear. This heightened stress response means the child or adolescent can seemingly overreact emotionally, behaviorally, and/or physically to something that another child may not consider stressful. Children who have been traumatized may also over-respond to stimuli and be extremely sensitive to light and sounds.

Brain development: Trauma often leads to difficulties with language, communication, and processing new information. Reasoning skills are often delayed because of trauma as well.

Emotions: Emotional struggles are common with a trauma history. Children or teens may have difficulties expressing and managing their emotions, quickly exploding and struggling to calm down once upset.

Behavior: Trauma affects the ability to develop healthy attachments and relationships. Distrust, manipulation, argumentative behavior, and impulsivity can be common in youth who have been traumatized.

The trauma-informed approach

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that approximately one in every four children will experience a traumatic event before the age of 16. This means each classroom could have multiple children struggling to deal with various traumas. To create a trauma-sensitive school, where every classroom is safe, healthy, engaging, and challenging for each student, educators must incorporate a trauma-informed approach. This involves first learning about trauma and how it affects children's behaviors, learning, and relationships. Then educators set about intentionally creating an atmosphere that supports each student, demonstrates empathy, and teaches resilience.

What is being trauma-informed?

First and foremost, being trauma-informed means that one has a level of understanding about trauma and its impacts on an individual's brain, body, emotions, and behavior. It is a commitment to learning more about trauma and viewing the individual as a person and not their behavior. Without being trauma-informed, a teacher may misinterpret a child or teen's behavior in the classroom. Being trauma-informed recognizes that the undesirable behaviors are attempts to soothe emotional dysregulation, and this is often done unconsciously on the part of the trauma-impacted individual. It shifts the question from "What is wrong with this child?" to "What has happened to this child?"

Having a trauma-informed lens

A trauma-informed lens is a perspective of how the instructor views the child and the classroom. With a trauma-informed perspective, a teacher can consider alternatives as to why a student might be acting in a certain way, and the teacher can respond in a way that will not cause additional trauma to the child.

Guiding principles of trauma-informed care

SAMHSA released a report containing the six guiding principles of trauma-informed care. Both in-person and virtual classrooms can apply these guiding principles. These principles include:

Safety: Throughout the school and in each classroom, all people (administration, staff, and students) need to feel physically and psychologically safe.

Trustworthiness and transparency: Decisions are made and implemented with the primary goal of building and maintaining trust between administration, staff, students, and their families.

Peer support and mutual self-help: An atmosphere of support is key to building trust and empowerment and in establishing safety.

Collaboration and mutuality: Everyone-administration, staff, and teachers-has an essential role in developing a trauma-sensitive school. This responsibility is not just for those in therapeutic positions; instead, everyone must do the work to create a trauma-informed workplace.

Empowerment, voice, and choice - everyone in the school strives to empower others and recognizes that each student is unique, and both require and deserve an individualized approach. For example, when emotionally dysregulated, a student may be asked what they need to feel better. Providing the student an opportunity to use their voice and select what they want or need empowers the child or teen to recognize what they need, express those needs, and feel calm and heard when those needs are met.

Cultural, historical, and gender issues - Ignoring stereotypes and biases and ensuring that both teaching and other interactions with students and staff are culturally sensitive and responsive is a crucial part of trauma-informed schools.

One must note that these elements of trauma-informed care are not merely a one-time task to be checked off of a list. Instead, a true trauma-informed approach is a series of ongoing, deliberate interactions that put the child as an individual at the forefront and not the exhibited behavior.

Trauma-informed best practices in the classroom

Studies have shown that classrooms can implement several best practices to maximize the support that students need. These evidence-based trauma interventions include:

Recognize the signs of trauma

Signs of trauma in the classroom may include a child having difficulty focusing, struggling with creating and maintaining friendships, being overly tired, and/or having poor self-regulation. Students with excessive absences, changes in their school performance, and withdrawing from activities or others may also be signs that a child has been affected by trauma.

Provide consistency and structure

Daily schedules should be structured and contain elements of academics, entertainment or play, and physical exercise or movement. Also, weaving in aspects of self-regulation skill building such as breathing exercises, mindfulness and journaling can be quite helpful so that students can learn to develop these skills and implement them on their own as needed. Consistency is key to helping a child feel secure.

Providing an overview each day of the schedule and lessons for the day can also reduce anxiety for those children and teens who may become easily distracted, wondering or fearing what might come next. This quick and straightforward task may help return a bit of control to the child as they can mentally prepare for the day.

These tips also apply to virtual classrooms. Consistency and structure can also be provided by setting expectations and goals together as a class, define responsibilities, and regularly checking in with virtual students to see how they are faring.

Utilize social-emotional learning

Social-emotional learning, also called SEL, is the process through which students develop skills in critical areas. These areas include self-awareness, self-control, social awareness, interpersonal skills such as feeling and demonstrating empathy for others, effective listening and communication, and making responsible decisions. SEL skills are critical for student success in school, life, and future work.

Educators can teach these skills in various ways, including modeling behavior, using specially designed SEL curriculum materials, and in their classroom management practices. In addition to specific counseling activities to teach social-emotional learning, these skills can often be introduced in the midst of everyday learning:

When reading a story to the class, discuss how characters might think or feel.

Assigning responsibilities and tasks to each student builds a sense of self-worth.

Starting the day with an affirmation can set the tone for a positive learning environment as it encourages positive self-talk and promotes a growth mindset.

Teaching mindfulness activities such as breathing can be done in conjunction with "brain breaks" in between lessons.

Journal exercises help students identify and express their feelings or opinions, and group discussions can promote healthy and respectful disagreements.

Social-Emotional Learning Circles help promote community discussions and respectful, reflective listening.

Use restorative practices over zero-tolerance policies

Trauma-informed programs realize that zero-tolerance policies are ineffective and harmful. Zero-tolerance policies focus on the offense and are rooted in punishment. The child or teen is punished for committing an infraction with detention, suspension, or expulsion. It removes the student from the classroom environment but does not consider the student as an individual and what might have led to the misbehavior. Zero-tolerance policies disproportionately affect students of color, perpetuate the school-to-prison pipeline, and do not provide the support or services the struggling student needs to achieve.

Rather than a single technique or tactic, restorative justice is a paradigm shift in how schools consider discipline and how students who break the rules are perceived and addressed. The goal is to create a new disciplinary system that is highly supportive while also being highly controlled. This system is rooted in respect, healing, empathy, and accountability. Restorative practices seek to do just that - restore relationships and environments. Instead of focusing on punishing the offending student, the focus shifts to repairing relationships between the offending student and the victim or repairing physical damage that may have occurred.

Restorative practices use support systems, including talking circles and peer juries, to create an environment where the student can hear how their actions affected the other party, and the offending student can respond. This approach humanizes both parties and encourages keeping the misbehaving student in the fold rather than excluding them from the school community. It also allows the student to be involved in finding a way to make amends instead of having a punishment doled out upon them. Restorative practices rebuild a traumatized student's relationships with authority figures, reform their belief in fairness, and build their capacity for conducting themselves with integrity.

Research shows that school-wide use of restorative practices has long-term, positive impacts on student behavior, attendance, and achievement. Drop-out and truancy rates decline, and students report being happier while in school. Utilizing this trauma-informed positive behavior support can create an entirely different school environment, especially for students affected by trauma.

Implement a trauma-informed pedagogy

Trauma-informed pedagogy is the practice that keeps trauma and how it affects learners at the forefront when designing and implementing teaching strategies. For instance, during this time of uncertainty and social isolation with the COVID 19 pandemic, educators can recognize that these stressors may compound upon existing trauma and lead to students having a more challenging time completing even basic tasks, being motivated, and engaging with other students.

A trauma-informed pedagogy also provides content warnings before discussing potentially triggering topics. The educator also prepares themselves in advance on how to respond if a student is triggered. It allows students to opt-out of participating in these discussions and reassures students that they can opt-out without any penalties. Trauma-informed pedagogy also describes and teaches grounding techniques for students who may feel overwhelmed. These types of practices help to create a safe and supportive learning environment for all students.

Teacher self-care while being trauma-informed

In order to create a supportive, trauma-informed classroom, it is imperative that instructors not only identify and deal with their own trauma but also regularly engage in self-care. Self-care techniques can vary based on the educator's preferences, but examples include exercise, traveling, reading, meditation, yoga, seeing a therapist, and participating in creative or artistic pursuits, such as dancing or painting.

Secondary traumatic stress

Failure to prioritize self-care can lead to burnout or secondary traumatic stress. This is significant stress that develops as a result of caring for others with a history of trauma. Hearing about various traumas each day can weigh on an educator, resulting in both physical and mental difficulties that can severely interfere with one's life.

Warning signs of secondary traumatic stress include:

Difficulties sleeping/having nightmares

Excessive fatigue

Physical aches and pains

Lack of motivation and/or decreased productivity

Difficulties concentrating

Isolation - avoiding people or activities that once brought joy

Feelings of anxiety, hopelessness, or anger

Secondary traumatic stress is not a permanent condition. Prioritizing self-care, talking to supportive family, friends, and professionals, and finding healthy outlets to relieve the stress can all help. In time, these difficulties can resolve, allowing for a clear and healthy mindset ready to support and encourage hurting students.

Professional development and training

Training is necessary in order to develop a trauma-informed classroom. Professional development training is a perfect opportunity to learn about trauma and examine ways to build a supportive environment and trauma-informed communication skills.

Trauma-informed professional development and training topics

Trauma-informed training for teachers can include a variety of topics surrounding trauma, including:

The different types of trauma

How trauma affects a child's development

Ways trauma can manifest in student's actions in the classroom

How to and how not to respond to undesirable behaviors

Developing a trauma-sensitive classroom

Developing a trauma-informed lens and teaching pedagogy

School-wide techniques and programs that can be implemented to be responsive to both student and staff stress and trauma

For those who want to become even more well-versed in recognizing and managing trauma-based challenging behaviors in the classroom, options exist for both post-graduate certificates and even a degree in trauma-informed teaching. Spending time learning as much as possible about trauma and how to best support traumatized children in the classroom can have positive and lasting results on both students and the educator.

Resources

Building a Trauma-Informed, Compassionate Classroom: Strategies & Activities to Reduce Challenging Behavior, Improve Learning Outcomes, and Increase Student Engagement by Jennifer Bashant

Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom - by Kristin Souers and Pete Hall

Hacking School Discipline: 9 Ways to Create a Culture of Empathy and Responsibility using Restorative Justice - by Nathan Maynard and Brad Weinstein

Berry, M. (2018). Restoring American education: An end to zero-tolerance policies through restorative justice. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/cap_thes_all/315

Byer, L. (2016). Restorative practices in the school setting: A systematic review. Retrieved from Sophia, the St. Catherine University repository website: https://sophia.stkate.edu/msw_papers/564

SAMSHSA. (2014). SAMSHA's concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach. Retrieved from https://youth.gov/feature-article/samhsas-concept-trauma-and-guidance-trauma-informed-approach

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Trauma-Informed Teaching Tips for Classroom & Online Educators | Resilient Educator

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Trauma-informed teaching incorporates the understanding of trauma and its impacts on a student's brain, body, emotions, and behavior. Learn strategies, pedagogy, and self-care in relation to the trauma-informed approach.

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All children face disappointment and fears, but some students deal with more serious, often traumatic, hardships at home. The term "trauma" can encompass many situations, explains Lori Sanchez, Ed.D. "In the past, when you talked about a child experiencing trauma, you assumed abuse or neglect," she says. "Now we understand that trauma can mean a lot of things-families dealing with divorce, serious illness, a natural disaster, a military deployment, and more." Of course, you can't undo the painful experiences your students have gone through, but you can make a difference in their learning and their resilience by bringing innovative strategies into your classroom.

To help students deal with stressful situations at home, many schools are using innovative trauma-informed strategies. Here are some of the most effective tools for teachers.

Look beyond the behavior

Research has shown that traumatic experiences alter the brain and can affect children socially, emotionally, behaviorally, and academically. It's a quadruple whammy. Toxic levels of stress and anxiety shape behavior and may make kids appear angry, depressed, checked out, uncooperative, or distracted, says psychologist Jamie Howard, PhD, of the Child Mind Institute in New York City. "When you adopt a trauma-informed perspective, you approach that student's behavior with openness and curiosity," she says.

"Rather than jumping to the conclusion that she's a problem, ask yourself, 'What happened to this child and why is she behaving this way?' " Howard recalls one student she worked with who didn't want to go to the front of the classroom to write on the board. "He seemed defiant, but actually it was scary to him to have his back exposed to the whole room," she says. It turns out he had an unstable home life and was bringing some of his fears and insecurities into the classroom.

Build relationships

You already know how important it is to have good relationships with your students. But for children who have been affected by trauma, strong connections are vital. Rich relationships with teachers help children form the foundations of resilience.

Building bonds is a central component of August Spiegelberg's classroom at Bruce Vento Elementary in St. Paul, Minnesota, where more than 90% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Spiegelberg regularly invites one or two of his fourth graders to eat lunch with him, using the opportunity to get to know them better. "I ask questions and then set them up to answer what they feel comfortable sharing," he says. He also tries to form relationships with the student's whole family. "But when a parent isn't super responsive, I try even harder to build a relationship with the child. The better we know students, the better we can teach them."

Create a safe environment

You play a critical role in making your students feel welcome in your classroom. "Students have to feel secure and connected, both to adults and to peers, in order to learn," says Susan Cole, director of the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative in Boston.

That's the kind of environment seventh-grade teacher Lauren Jansen, EdD, fosters at North Middle School in O'Fallon, Missouri. "I'm keenly aware of how my students interact with each other," she says. "When I see anything negative beginning to happen, like one student picking on another one, I stop it immediately and have a conversation with the child, reminding them why it's not OK. My classroom is a place where students know they can be themselves and won't be made fun of."

It's also key to recognize that any student, regardless of their home life, can grow scared and anxious by a national news story such as a school shooting or a devastating hurricane. To ease children's fears in the wake of a tragedy like this, talk about the news as a group (in an age-appropriate way, of course), and reassure them that they're not in danger.

Meet students where they are

To help a student experiencing trauma feel settled in the classroom, you might need to make special accommodations. When Lori Sanchez, EdD taught sixth grade, she came up with creative solutions for students who were dealing with the aftermath of trauma.

She remembers one student who had been abandoned as a baby. Although the child was living with wonderfully supportive adoptive parents, she would periodically burst into tears in the middle of class, afraid that her parents were going to leave her. Sanchez kept a phone on her desk and allowed the girl to call her parents whenever she got anxious. "Just knowing the phone was there was enough to calm her," she says.

Perhaps you have a student in your class who's cranky and disruptive in the morning because he doesn't have a regular bedtime, or who melts down easily because her parents are fighting. Setting up a "safe space" in your classroom, where a child can take a short break to calm down, de-stress, and even take a short nap if they're tired, can make a world of difference.

Be predictable

Feeling out of control is one of the hallmarks of traumatic experiences, so adhering to a clear, predictable routine in your classroom provides students with a sense of stability. Tammi Mueller, a first-grade teacher at Riceville Community School in Riceville, Iowa, has students who live in foster care, a situation that often involves trauma and disruption. "I try to keep a scheduled classroom to help anchor the kids," she says. "I have a visual schedule at the front of the room, and I keep to a routine as much as possible. If I have to change things, I make sure I tell them."

You can't adopt a trauma-informed approach in your classroom all on your own. It takes teamwork and sharing what you know with colleagues. "Meet with the educators and others in your school and start a study group," advises Susan Cole. Think about strategies for working with a small team and get the support of your principal. The best news is that trauma-sensitive techniques don't just benefit kids who are struggling; they help all your students build resilience, confidence, and well-being.

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Trauma-Informed Strategies to Use in Your Classroom | Resilient Educator

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All children face disappointment and fears, but some students deal with more serious, often traumatic, hardships at home. The term "trauma" can encompass many

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We have outlined a few overall approaches a school can adopt to become more ACE-aware, Attachment-aware and trauma-informed
Often the damage incurred as a result of ACEs and childhood trauma is complex and spans over a long period of time, therefore the 'repair' of this damage does not consist of a quick-fix, you cannot adopt a one size fits all 'package' and being trauma-informed is a mindset with which educators should approach all children where we attempt to fix our broken systems rather than fixing our children. The impact of the trauma often depends on the severity and timing of the trauma and the impact can cause a cascade of impaired functioning both socially, emotionally and cognitively. Approaching education with an understanding of the physiological, social, emotional and academic impacts of trauma is driving change in our systems. We need to remember that becoming trauma-informed is a journey and not a destination and being trauma-informed in our daily practices is truly a process of learning and adjustment.

Some key areas to consider are:

Developing positive relationships - where you normalise a child's disrupted body and brain stress response systems and develop self regulation.

Competencies where you give the child opportunities to improve competencies such as self concept where they haven't had the necessary environment to acquire these skills.

Self regulation/co-regulation where different approaches to behavioural management (not just reacting to the behaviour) help traumatised children to learn to regulate their emotions and behaviour. You need to keep calm to help calm a pupil down who is experiencing frustration, fear or anger, using strategies that consider the student's emotions and need for space while calming down their systems, their emotions need validating and getting to the root of what is causing the emotion. It's not about excusing poor choices but it means ensuring they are in a state where they understand and accept any consequences which is necessary if they are to learn from the experience.

Difference between pupil consequences for inappropriate behaviour and punishments. Consequences are designed to teach but punishments chastise. It is important to set clear boundaries and expectations for our pupils, when students do not meet these expectations or disregard boundaries we need to teach them the expectations through consistent consequences.

Here are some overall whole school approaches that can have a significant impact:

Continuously maintain an awareness of the impact of ACEs, toxic stress and trauma.

Adopt a whole school policy and practice that are consistently implemented along side ongoing whole school training, support, strategies and resources - Senior leaders need to truly understand what they are dealing with and proactively take steps to address it.

Maintain a safe, predictable, calm environment that prioritises relationships and consistency, so pupils feel valued, supported, connected and ready to learn e.g. Demonstrating unconditional positive regard to all pupils (and school staff) at all times. Punitive behaviour policies do not work for children that have had difficult childhoods as they can fuel feelings of deep-rooted anxiety and shame but restorative practices do improve the relationship between people and communities.

Remember that behaviour is a symptom of the problem, not the problem. Be curious about behaviour - ask "what happened to you?" rather than "what is wrong with you?" Do not take things personally - it is not about you.

Teach pupils to self-regulate and calm their stress response system and eliminate stress triggers from the environment - loud voices, abrupt sounds, etc. Providing a variety of practical subjects such as music, art, drama, dance, sport and technology. These subjects offer children experiencing adversity therapeutic qualities that help children regulate, allow them to feel a sense of success, let them express themselves and their creativity, and help to repair some of the damage done to the brain through early adversity.

Support the pupils' care-givers and connect with the whole family - it improves the pupils' outcomes.

Ideally these children need permanent, knowledgeable professionals who understand what has happened to them and will be there consistently and compassionately, no matter what these children throw at them.

For more information about Trauma Informed Practices click here to read this article about Trauma Informed Practices in Plymouth.

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A few tips to help schools become ACE-aware, Attachment-aware and trauma-informed - Fagus Educational Resource

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We have outlined a few overall approaches a school can adopt to become more ACE-aware, Attachment-aware and trauma-informed Often the damage incurred as a result of ACEs and childhood trauma is complex and spans over a long period of time, therefore the 'repair' of this damage does not consist of a quick-fix, you cannot...

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Vol. 77

No. 2

Abstract

1. Expect Unexpected Responses

2. Employ Thoughtful Interactions

3. Be Specific About Relationship Building

4. Promote Predictability and Consistency

5. Teach Strategies to "Change the Channel"

6. Give Supportive Feedback to Reduce Negative Thinking

7. Create Islands of Competence

8. Limit Exclusionary Practices

Fostering a Feeling of Safety

Small changes in classroom interactions can make a big difference for traumatized students.

Credit: Shannon Fagan

Abstract

1. Expect Unexpected Responses

2. Employ Thoughtful Interactions

3. Be Specific About Relationship Building

4. Promote Predictability and Consistency

5. Teach Strategies to "Change the Channel"

6. Give Supportive Feedback to Reduce Negative Thinking

7. Create Islands of Competence

8. Limit Exclusionary Practices

Fostering a Feeling of Safety

Up to two-thirds of U.S. children have experienced at least one type of serious childhood trauma, such as abuse, neglect, natural disaster, or experiencing or witnessing violence. Trauma is possibly the largest public health issue facing our children today (CDC, 2019). Traumatized students are especially prone to difficulty in self-regulation, negative thinking, being on high alert, difficulty trusting adults, and inappropriate social interactions (Lacoe, 2013; Terrasi & de Galarce, 2017). They often haven't learned to express emotions healthily and instead show their distress through aggression, avoidance, shutting down, or other off-putting behaviors. These actions can feel antagonistic to teachers who don't understand the root cause of the student's behavior, which can lead to misunderstandings, ineffective interventions, and missed learning time.

Neurobiologically, students can't learn if they don't feel safe, known, and cared for within their schools (Aupperle et al., 2012). When teachers are proactive and responsive to the needs of students suffering from traumatic stress and make small changes in the classroom that foster a feeling of safety, it makes a huge difference in their ability to learn. Here are some examples.

1. Expect Unexpected Responses

First, teachers must learn to put students' reactions into context-and not to take them personally. Students with trauma histories can react and behave in seemingly unexpected ways, such as having a sudden outburst during a favorite activity or crying out of the blue one second after laughing. Teachers may be taken by surprise. They say things like, "But he was fine this morning, I didn't see that coming!" or "She normally loves playing the drums in music class. I have no idea where her reaction came from." This uncertainty leaves the teacher in a constant state of hyper-alertness when interacting with the student. This in turn can result in fatigue, as the teacher is guarded and unable to predict what will happen from one moment to another.

One way to understand these reactions is to think of the student as a soda can, and events that may trigger their trauma stress as shaking that can. We can't tell by looking if the can was recently shaken, but if it was, opening the can results in an unexpected explosive, messy reaction. If a student is triggered and experiencing heightened emotion, even a benign direction such as, "Please move over to make room for Jenny" could result in an "explosion" that the teacher never saw coming. By using trauma-sensitive strategies in the classroom, we can help reduce the times our students are "shaken."

2. Employ Thoughtful Interactions

Traumatized students often behave in ways that may interfere with teaching and learning, which can be frustrating. Teachers are in a position of power, and these students may be overly defensive, anticipating adult criticism, or defiant, as a way to assert control (Jennings, 2018). Yet for traumatized students, the ability to learn and behave appropriately can be person-dependent. When they are with a safe and supportive adult, their behavior reflects that.

Consider this scenario drawn from schools I've worked with: Trevor, a 6th grader whose father overdosed on heroin two years ago and who has witnessed ongoing domestic abuse throughout his childhood, was in Ms. Carlton's class for part of the day and Ms. Finch's class for the other part. Ms. Carlton had a reputation of working well with hard-to-reach kids, and sure enough, Trevor behaved in a stellar way in her class. When he was with Ms. Finch, however, he was sent to the office nearly three times a week for explosive behavior.

The teacher is 50 percent of every interaction with a student: By changing the way we give a direction or respond, we can reduce problematic behavior. Ms. Carlton had taken the time to build a trusting relationship with Trevor and learned to give directions in a way that he would respond well to. Interaction strategies are a type of accommodation that typically go unnamed and unwritten, but they were the reason that Trevor could feel safe and access the curriculum (Minahan & Rappaport, 2012).

If Ms. Carlton had written down the successful strategies she used with Trevor, the list might have started with avoiding authoritative directives such as, "Pick that up." To give Trevor a sense of control, Ms. Carlton always embedded choice in her directions, asking, "Do you want to be in the front of the line or the back of the line?" instead of simply telling him to "line up." This helped prevent a poor reaction (Minahan, 2019).

Ms. Carlton also conveyed respect and transparency by providing the reason behind each direction. Instead of saying, "No backpacks on the floor. I don't want to trip and fall!" Ms. Carlton would say, "Oh dear, I hope I don't fall. I have a bad knee! Could you please move your backpack?" Stating the reason first assured that Trevor knew the context (and necessity) of the demand.

Conversely, Ms. Finch would often go up close to Trevor, tower over him, and say in front of his peers, "Stop tapping your pencil!" This typically ended in a power struggle and Trevor's escalating behavior. Trevor, like many traumatized students, had experienced a loss of control in his life, and power struggles with an authoritative figure were particularly triggering. Ms. Carlton instinctively knew that a more private nonverbal direction could be less confrontational for a student in "fight or flight" mode. She would write, "Please stop tapping" on a piece of paper, put it gently on Trevor's desk without his peers noticing, and then give him space by walking away quickly. When possible, she also gave Trevor extended time to comply with directions to avoid power struggles, asking, for example, "Can you please pick that up before lunch?" rather than, "Pick that up now" (Minahan, 2019). This allowed Trevor time to decompress and respond rationally.

3. Be Specific About Relationship Building

At one point in the year, Ms. Carlton told Ms. Finch that building a relationship with Trevor was key to her success with him, and she suggested that Ms. Finch do the same. Unfortunately, saying, "Build a relationship" is too vague and leaves too much up to the teacher's instincts. Instead, Ms. Carlton could have told Ms. Finch that she greeted Trevor every day at the classroom door and asked him about the Avengers or basketball. She could have told Ms. Finch how she used the "two by ten" rule; she talked to him for two minutes a day for 10 days in a row about topics unrelated to academics or behavior. Whenever Ms. Carlton could see she wouldn't have time for this in the 10-day period, she asked the counselor or special education teacher to cover her class for two minutes so she could go for a walk with Trevor. She repeated this trust-building strategy several times throughout the year, especially after he exhibited anger or frustration and after school vacations and long weekends.

Ms. Carlton skillfully used relationship-building and interaction strategies to work with Trevor. Yet the impact could have been greater had she written and shared those strategies with Ms. Finch and the rest of Trevor's team via a shared document, behavior plan, or student success plan (Minahan, 2019). Likewise, if counselors, school nurses, and psychologists write and share such techniques with each classroom teacher, kids like Trevor, when triggered, wouldn't always have to leave class to find a safe adult.

Not knowing what is coming next can put anyone on high alert, especially traumatized students. Providing predictability through visual schedules of the class agenda or school day can help. Ms. Carlton was adamant about previewing any changes to the normal routine ahead of time (saying, "We are going to have indoor recess today because of the snow," or "The DVD player isn't working so we can't watch a science video at the end of class today"). This prepared Trevor and thus elicited a calmer response.

A teacher's behavior can also feel unpredictable to traumatized students. When students are working independently and quietly-doing what they are supposed to be doing-they don't know when they will get the teacher's attention. But when students are doing the wrong thing-like drumming on the desk with a pencil in each hand or swearing-teachers are more predictable and react quickly! Because predictability is comforting to students with anxiety and trauma histories, they may resort to getting the teacher's attention through inappropriate means. Trevor could get Ms. Finch to react immediately by flipping his water bottle noisily, but could go 20 minutes without so much as eye contact from her when he was quietly reading.

To counter this imbalance and create an overall feeling of safety, teachers can use predictable positive attention (Minahan, 2014). During independent work time, if a teacher says to a student "Great work! I'll be back to check on you," the student has no way of predicting how long they need to wait-and from past experience they know that the teacher may forget to return altogether. Using predictable positive attention, however, the teacher can say, "I am going to check on you in 10 minutes," put a timer on the student's desk, and add, "Come tap me on the shoulder when the timer goes off." If the teacher has many students in the class that could benefit from this, she could transfer the strategy to small groups: "I will check on this desk group at X time."

Another strategy for providing predictable attention, especially for middle and high school students, is to hand an anxious or traumatized student a sticky note with a time on it as they walk into class each day. The first time, the note will need to be explained: "If you don't understand something in class, please don't worry-I am going to check on you during independent work time at 11:45, and I will answer any questions you have then." Ms. Carlton found this strategy comforting to Trevor. This predictable check-in pairs the negative thoughts the student may have ("I don't know how to do this") with a reassuring thought ("But my teacher will be here in seven minutes!"). The student can better tolerate uncomfortable feelings when they know help and a positive interaction are coming. Telling the student what will happen and when and always following through establishes the teacher as a consistent, reliable adult.

5. Teach Strategies to "Change the Channel"

Traumatized students often engage in inaccurate thinking, tending to focus on the negative. Common classroom management strategies often only exasperate this tendency. How many of us have seen frequent movement breaks on a student's IEP or student success plan? It is one of the most common accommodations that we offer to students who seem dysregulated. Unfortunately, during these breaks, students can ruminate on negative memories, current stressors, angry thoughts, or worries. If we ask a high school student who is getting angry and becoming agitated to take a walk, he may ruminate the whole time and return just as angry. Sending a 1st grader to a "calming chair" can leave her to perseverate on worrying thoughts. Instead, we need to help them "change the channel." Both Ms. Carlton and Ms. Finch used breaks with Trevor, but in vastly different ways.

When adults can't sleep, we often read a book or watch TV, which distracts us from uncomfortable thoughts so we can fall back asleep. Teachers can use the same principle for kids with trauma and anxiety: Teach students that their brain is like a remote control that they can use to "switch the channel" to help them calm down (Minahan & Rappaport, 2012). These switching activities are called cognitive distractions or thought breaks and are incompatible with negative thinking. A listening center or "find the picture" activity can be helpful to young children. For older students, you might try Mad Libs, trivia, or more abstract strategies such as counting all the green items in the room, saying the alphabet backwards, or thinking of the first 10 lines of a favorite movie. Ms. Carlton taught Trevor to do Star Wars trivia when he was upset, which helped him calm down quickly. Conversely when Ms. Finch had Trevor go for a walk, his negative thinking would escalate, and he would often not return to class.

6. Give Supportive Feedback to Reduce Negative Thinking

Many traumatized students interpret information through a negativity amplifier. When a teacher says, "Please correct the first problem," the student might hear, "You are stupid." Or a student might report that the teacher screamed at her when the teacher was really using a calm tone, as even neutral facial expressions can be misinterpreted. It is helpful to smile and explicitly say when you are happy with the student, a strategy Ms. Carlton utilized. When giving negative feedback, teachers can use the positive sandwich approach-starting and ending with a positive comment: (1) "I love how you remembered the formula," (2) "You made a small calculation error there," (3) "Great job getting problem #3 correct."

7. Create Islands of Competence

Recognizing areas of strength in students is a powerful way to combat the poor self-concept and negative thinking associated with trauma (Jennings, 2018). To support a more accurate self-concept, teachers can provide what Robert Brooks calls "islands of competence" for students swimming in a sea of inadequacy (2003). When a student thinks negatively, the negative moments during the day tend to weigh more heavily than the positive moments. We need to counter this effect with positive experiences. Educator teams need to ask themselves, "Does the student feel competent during the day?" If the answer is no, contriving an island of competence for the student is in order. Ms. Carlton often asked Trevor to help a younger student or a peer who was struggling in an academic area Trevor was strong in, or had him fix the stapler when it was malfunctioning. She would also point out in a written note to Trevor that he was the first student to finish a math activity. In high school, educators may want to foster students' talents by never letting them drop electives (which might require creativity in scheduling academic support in core classes).

It is important that students experience competence to develop a more accurate self-narrative and to begin to create a positive future picture of themselves. We want them to say, "I really helped that student with her artwork. When I grow up, I could work with kids." Or "I am good at fixing things. I could be a mechanic someday."

8. Limit Exclusionary Practices

Behavior is communication, and we've looked at how traumatized students often communicate feelings through their behavior. Teachers' behavior is also communication-and it may not be communicating the message we are striving to send. Common teacher practices such as ignoring inappropriate behavior, sending students to the office, or sending younger kids to sit alone at a back table or in the hallway can unintentionally trigger students who have experienced abandonment or neglect. We need to remember that when some of our students were young and cried, no one came. Ignoring them can trigger a trauma response and make them feel the teacher doesn't like them or is even happy that they are upset.

Ms. Finch would ignore Trevor when he was expressing anger, such as by crumpling up a paper, growling, or slinging a book from his desk onto the floor. On the other hand, Ms. Carlton responded to such moments at the beginning of the year by validating Trevor's feelings ("I am sorry you are upset" or "I see that you are angry"). This is a much more empathetic approach, will preserve the relationship, and will avoid triggering a trauma response in the student.

Another practice to be cautious about is using time with a preferred adult as an incentive. For example, a principal might say, "If you get all your homework done this week, you and I will have lunch together!" The problem with this is that if the student doesn't get all their homework done, then the principal withholds their attention and time. This implies the relationship is conditional and can trigger an abandonment trauma response for some students. It is better to use one-to-one time with students in a noncontingent way. This way adults are communicating, "I like you for who you are," not "I like you when you behave the right way."

Fostering a Feeling of Safety

Students can't learn unless they feel safe. When it comes to student trauma, there is much that is beyond educators' power, but there is also a great deal they can do to build a supportive and sensitive environment where students feel safe, comfortable, take risks, learn, and even heal.

Reflect & Discuss

➛ As Minahan writes, "Students can't learn if they don't feel safe." What small changes are you willing to try in your classroom to foster a sense of safety among traumatized students?

➛ Think about one of your students who struggles with behavior. How could you help him "switch the channel" when he is upset?

➛ Do you routinely share-and exchange ideas about-what's working with a traumatized student? How could you better improve lines of communication across the whole support team?

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Vol. 77 No. 2 Abstract 1. Expect Unexpected Responses 2. Employ Thoughtful Interactions 3. Be Specific About Relationship Building 4. Promote Predictability and Consistency 5. Teach Strategies to "Change the Channel" 6. Give Supportive Feedback to Reduce Negative Thinking 7. Create Islands of Competence 8.