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Starting the Year Strong with Morning Meeting and Responsive Advisory Meeting

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Morning Meetings: Building Community in the Classroom

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Movement Activities that Support Refocusing as they Energize 

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Movement Activities that Support Refocusing as they Energize 

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Energizing Learning: Activities for Student Focus | Responsive Classroom

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Learn new activities that help your students recharge and refocus on their learning by providing them with opportunities to move around and interact with their classmates.

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An Energize that Reinforces Language Art Skills!

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An Energize that Reinforces Language Art Skills!

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A Fun Way to Practice Self-Control

Energizers provide structured mental and physical breaks from academics. They allow students to refresh and reenergize for the rest of the school day. They also help students both connect through play and practice crucial social skills.

As Still As A Rock is a variation of the traditional "Freeze" game. It requires coordination, listening skills, and-most importantly-self-control. When the teacher calls on students to be as still as a rock, they must not move or talk-a difficult task for most students! However, the consequence for failing to remain still and quiet does not result in being "out" of the game. Instead, students take part in spotting other children who fail to maintain self-control. That way, they continue to stay engaged in the game and focused on their classmates. Once they get the hang of the game, students can offer their own ideas for ways to add variety or make it more challenging.

Free Energizer Activity Printable

As Still As a Rock keeps students engaged while giving them a break from their lessons. The endless possibilities for adding variation encourages student choice and creativity. Download the As Still As a Rock energizer here.

Looking for More Energizer Ideas?

Get eighty-eight more ideas for energizers to keep students moving and laughing with Energizers K -6: 88 Quick Movement Activities that Refresh and Refocus.

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As Still As a Rock: An Energizer for Self Control

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Download this free Responsive Classroom Energizer, Still As A Rock, to help students practice self control while taking a mental break.

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This clapping chant is fun for K-3 students anytime, but especially when they're studying dinosaurs! Called "Dino Dinner Chant," it's from Energizers! 88 Quick Movement Activities That Refresh and Refocus, by Susan Lattanzi Roser.

Dino Dinner Chant

Practice saying the chant together before trying it "for real." As you chant, clap hands on thighs to keep a steady beat.

Variations: Try using different dinosaur names.

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Energizers! Energizing with the Dinosaurs

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This clapping chant is fun for K-3 students anytime, but especially when they're studying dinosaurs! Called "Dino Dinner Chant," it's from Energizers! 88 Quick Movement Activities That Refresh and Refocus, by Susan Lattanzi Roser. Dino Dinner Chant Practice saying the chant together before trying it "for real."

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Last week, I encouraged you to work energizers-quick breaks that get children moving, breathing, and having fun together-into your classroom day. Energizers are great ways to get children refreshed and refocused on learning anytime during the school year. They can be especially helpful during the winter months, when many children have fewer opportunities for active outdoor play.

Now, for all of you who are getting hooked on using energizers, I thought I'd offer some tips for using them more successfully. These tips are from Energizers! 88 Quick Movement Activities That Refresh and Refocus, by Susan Lattanzi Roser:

1. Know your students-and yourself. Pay attention to what your students need by asking yourself:

What is the overall mood and energy level of my class? Do they need an activity that will raise the energy level, or lower it?

Does the energizer I have in mind fit the developmental level of my class?

What is the risk-level involved in the energizer and is my class ready for it? Am I ready for it?

2. Model how to do each energizer. Plan ahead by considering the skills involved and how you will teach them.

3. Take your time. When teaching more complex energizers, scaffold by introducing the components slowly.

4. Make each energizer your own. Once you have learned and taught an energizer, have fun with it by making it your own. Give yourself permission to be innovative and creative by making adaptations that fit your class.

5. Invite the children's ideas. Inviting children's suggestions increases the level of fun and also communicates that you value their ideas.

6. Repeat the children's favorites. The key here is to stay in touch with children's interest level and know when it's time for a familiar favorite-or when it's time to move onto something new.

7. Find ways to include reluctant students. Make sure that all students have an opportunity to participate. This may require making accommodations for those students who are shy or reluctant.

8. Write out songs and chants. Providing lyrics helps all children feel comfortable and successful.

9. Join in and SING. Participating in energizers with students helps to build a strong sense of community in your classroom. Since children's voices are naturally about an octave or two higher than adults, you may want to use your highest voice.

10. Plan how to end lively energizers. Consider using quiet signals, quiet countdowns, or a rhyming chant to settle children back down. If you anticipate that students may struggle with settling down, use reminding language to prompt them beforehand. (For example, "What will it look like when we move back to our seats?") Also, be prepared to use calm but firm redirecting language when students aren't able to settle themselves. (For example, "Freeze! Return to your seats quietly. We'll try this again tomorrow.") And most importantly, use reinforcing language to name positive behaviors that you see when children regroup quickly following an energizer. (For example, "You returned to your seats so quickly and quietly! I saw you using the strategies we've practiced for moving safely in our classroom.")

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Last week, I encouraged you to work energizers-quick breaks that get children moving, breathing, and having fun together-into your classroom day. Energizers are great ways to get children refreshed and refocused on learning anytime during the school year. They can be especially helpful during the winter months, when many children have fewer opportunities for active outdoor play.

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Boom Chicka Boom: A Quick, Fun Energizer

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Download this free Responsive Classroom Energizer. Boom Chicka Boom is a quick way to give students a mental break so they can refocus.

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Many of us are longing for spring, but it's still February! It's a great time to perk up your class with quick energizers sprinkled throughout the day. Here's one called "Double This Double That"-especially fun for students in grades three through six. It's taken from Energizers! 88 Quick Movement Activities That Refresh and Refocus , by Susan Lattanzi Roser.

Double This Double That

1. Partners begin facing each other with hands in loose fists held up at about chin level.

2. Say "Double Double" and tap pinkie side of fists twice against same side of partner's fists.

3. Say "This This" and tap palms twice against partner's palms.

4. Say "Double Double" and tap pinkie side of fists twice against same side of partner's fists.

5. Say "That That" and tap back of hands twice against backs of partner's hands.

6. Say "Double This" and tap fists and then palms once against partner's palms.

7. Say "Double That" and tap fists and then back of hands once against back of partner's hands.

8. Say "Double Double" and tap pinkie side of fists twice against same side of partner's fists.

9. Say "This That" and tap palms once against partner's palms and then once against backs of partner's hands

Variations:

Tags:

Children sit facing each other in two circles, one inside the other. Each time the children repeat the chant, the inner circle moves one space to the right so that each child gets a new partner.

Play without sound when you need a quiet waiting game.

Math connection: Change words to Double Double, Two Two, Equals Equals, Four Four, Double Two, Equals Four, Double Double, Two Four (repeat with 3, 4, 5, 6, etc.)

Movement

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Energizers! Double This Double That | Responsive Classroom

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Many of us are longing for spring, but it's still February! It's a great time to perk up your class with quick energizers sprinkled throughout the day. Here's one called "Double This Double That"-especially fun for students in grades three through six. It's taken from Energizers!

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Children of all ages enjoy "Dum Dum Dah Dah." In this quick movement break, a leader establishes a pattern and the group chants or sings the words as they echo the leader's actions. It's taken from Energizers! 88 Quick Movement Activities That Refresh and Refocus, by Susan Lattanzi Roser.

Dum Dum Dah Dah

1. If necessary, discuss the meaning of the word "echo."

2. Share ways to maintain self-control while staying in one place.

3. Now begin. Children simply repeat your words and actions, like this:

Leader says:

Dum Dum and claps thighs twice, then Dah Dah and claps hands twice.

Group echoes leader, saying:

Dum Dum while clapping thighs twice, then Dah Dah and clapping hands twice.

4. Repeat, varying movements and pace as you wish. Try starting off at a low energy level, moving up to medium, and then on to high. Then, transition back down through the energy levels in reverse, ending with very calm movements. During the last round, whispering the words or softly saying "Shh Shh shh shh!" works well.

Movement ideas

Tags:

Touching toes

Reaching far to right and then left

Nodding head up and down or side to side

Snapping fingers

Reaching forwards and then behind back

Reaching up high

Bending at waist

Moving knees up and down as if marching

Doing jumping jacks

Making large arms circles

Jumping high and then touching ground

Movement

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A Follow-the-Leader Energizer for All Ages

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Children of all ages enjoy "Dum Dum Dah Dah." In this quick movement break, a leader establishes a pattern and the group chants or sings the words as they echo the leader's actions. (This, and the other energizers in this series, are from Energizers!

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Encouraging Reflection to Support Academics 

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Encouraging Reflection to Support Academics 

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Four classes of second graders have just begun a new science unit on insects at the University School of Nashville in Tennessee. I and the other three second-grade teachers have…

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"What's the group game today?" That's the question I keep hearing from my students as we walk out to recess. It's Mrs. VanDyke's day to lead the group game, and several students cheer when they hear that she is leading doctor tag. They run to join other third graders on the field, while my other students grab a soccer ball or head to the playground.

The other third grade teachers and I began leading group games at recess last year. We noticed students who were often alone at recess or didn't know what to play. There were other students who wanted to play a game of tag or kickball but couldn't figure out how to gather teams or how to agree on the rules of the game. We realized that while recess can be a lot of fun, it can also be an uncertain or stressful time for many children.

The three of us decided to each take a day to lead a group game while the other two teachers monitored the students who were playing on their own. We have led groups in games such as Kickball, Red Light Green Light, Hopscotch, Simon Says, Capture the Flag, and endless variations of Tag. As we teach these games to our students, we have the opportunity to teach them what a safe tag looks like, how to solve a disagreement, and how to include others who want to join the game.

Our group games have also become a way to strengthen the entire third grade community. When I lead a group game I have the opportunity to interact with students from the other two classes and they get to know me. Our students are comfortable with all three of the third grade teachers-not just their own classroom teacher. They also now have a shared repertoire of games and, on the two days a week when we are not leading games, it is common to hear a third grader announce that they are starting a game of Steal the Bacon or another asking if anyone wants to play Blob Tag.

The number of students joining our games varies from day to day, but the benefits of leading them remain the same-opportunities for students to feel included, learn new games and social skills, and have fun with their classmates.

To help get your classes started, here are directions for three fun variations on tag that our students have loved:

Doctor Tag

1. Choose 2 or three to be "it" and 2 to be doctors.

2. When a player is tagged, the person tagged has to keep one of their own hands on that tagged spot, but continues to play until he or she is tagged a third time-then the person must freeze in place.

3. The doctors can then unfreeze players by tagging them.

Blob Tag

1. Choose someone as "it"

2. "It" starts the game as regular tag, but when he catches someone, they must join hands with "it" to create a Blob.

3. Once the Blob has 6 people, "it" can split into groups of three, and may split into groups of three any time thereafter.

4. The person left without being tagged, is "it" and the game starts again.

Steal the Bacon

For this game you'll need an object to be the "bacon"-a scarf, a flag, etc.

1. Players form two even lines and stand facing each other at a distance.

2. The scorekeeper places the bacon in the middle between the two teams.

3. Players on each team count off and remember their number.

4. The scorekeeper calls out a number and the children who are that number on each team run out to try to grab the bacon. If the bacon is grabbed, the other player may tag that person and if he or she is tagged before getting back in line, the tagger-not the bacon grabber-earns the point.

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Leading Group Games at Recess | Responsive Classroom

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"What's the group game today?" That's the question I keep hearing from my students as we walk out to recess. It's Mrs. VanDyke's day to lead the group game, and several students cheer when they hear that she is leading doctor tag.

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We asked Responsive Classroom teachers what their strategies are for rebuilding safety and trust in the classroom, and here’s what they had to say!

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Sample Activity- Words Can't be Taken Back 

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Sample Activity- Words Can't be Taken Back 

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Words Can’t Be Taken Back: Toothpaste Squeeze Activity

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Preventing teasing, name-calling, and put-downs requires teaching children how to be kind and respectful to one another while still having fun. Here are nine proactive steps to promote respectful language…

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Ways to Support Student Self-Monitoring 

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Ways to Support Student Self-Monitoring 

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Often students struggling with emotional behavioral disabilities are overwhelmed by and over-reactive to daily events that seem mundane to others. They become easily stressed and frustrated, can feel out of control, develop self-doubt, and feel unsure about handling future situations. Empowering them to monitor their own behavior-to check in with themselves-sends students the message that although stressful situations are impossible to avoid, they can learn to cope and eventually remain in control.

Self-monitoring is the ability to recognize and keep track of our own behavior. If you've ever tried to quit smoking or lose weight, you might have been told to keep a log of how many cigarettes you smoke or how much food you consume. These logs, without any other interventions, can be powerful because just being aware of how much you're doing something can enable you to change your behavior. Self-monitoring and awareness are the first steps to take before we're able to "catch ourselves" acting inappropriately and work to terminate the inappropriate behavior altogether.

Self-monitoring skills help students maintain appropriate behavior. Here are three ways to help students develop these skills:

Regular Check-ins

To self-monitor, a student must recognize when his behavior is inappropriate or disproportionate. Many students need a teacher to help them reflect on and evaluate their behavior throughout the day. At the end of each period, you can meet briefly with the student and invite him to talk about his behavior. You could use a sheet that rates success with common behaviors-following directions, keeping a safe body, or doing schoolwork. Emphasize reflection, instead of rewards or consequences. These conversations are opportunities to give feedback and help the student learn to evaluate himself accurately. Developmentally, students will learn to reflect on recent behavior before they learn to catch themselves in the moment.

Many students will need help with the evaluation. Your nonjudgmental conversations are opportunities for you to tell the student exactly how her behavior was inappropriate or disproportionate: "Remember how you growled at Ms. Jensen when you were frustrated?" or "You threw your pencil when you were frustrated."

Class Check-ins

Throughout the day, use a consistently worded "self-check prompt," to signal students that it's time to recognize and reflect on their behavior in that moment: "Everybody do a self-check and record your behavior." Or, use more specific self-check prompts. "Body safety self-check! Are you keeping your hands to yourself?"

Regular "self-checks" with the entire class normalize the process and help students self-monitor specific behaviors (for example, paying attention to work). With frequent class check-ins, even students accustomed to being called out frequently for inappropriate behavior will have opportunities to notice how often their behavior is appropriate.

Students can record and tally their behavior on paper or with a mobile device. Some helpful apps for recording behavior:

Percentally: Automatically converts tallies to percentages. (iPhone, iPad and iPod touch)

Streaks: Records each day's progress toward behavior goals. (iPhone and Android)

Tally Counter: Helps track behavior frequency (iPhone, iPad, iPod)

Independence

To reduce reliance on adults, you can prompt students to check themselves at set intervals by using self-monitoring aids like vibrating timers and mobile apps to help make self-monitoring habitual. Two helpful apps:

Repeat Timer: Repeating interval timer and reminder for routine activities. (iPhone, iPad, Android)

MotivAider®: Private vibration prompt calls attention to desired behavior. (Android, iPhone and iPad; separate electronic device also available.)

(Note: Most apps are free or available for a nominal fee. Often you can upgrade to a professional version for an additional expense.)

Developing self-monitoring skills reduces unwanted behaviors and empowers students. It's an important step in helping them learn to cope with challenging moments while being aware of and managing their own behavior.

For more information about the next step to teach, see Jessica's blog post, " Teaching Self-Calming Skills."

Tags: Classroom Rules, Independence, Misbehavior, Responsibility

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Checking In: Helping Students "Catch Themselves"

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Often students struggling with emotional behavioral disabilities are overwhelmed by and over-reactive to daily events that seem mundane to others. They become easily stressed and frustrated, can feel out of control, develop self-doubt, and feel unsure about handling future situations.

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Explore strategies for reteaching and maintaining effective procedures to create a positive classroom environment and maximize learning time.

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It's never too late to revisit or reteach any classroom routine. In fact, here's a story from the Responsive Classroom newsletter by a teacher who started her whole year over in November!

While hopefully you don't need to take such drastic action, you probably have some everyday routines that could use tightening up around this time of year. Is it taking longer for your students to respond to the signal for quiet? Has lunchroom behavior taken a turn for the worse? Are you feeling frustrated because children aren't cleaning up as thoroughly now as they did in September? Try using a condensed version of Interactive Modeling to reteach:

Begin by offering a quick, positive, engaging reason for students to care about the reteaching.

You could try to pique students' interest: "I've been collecting some data about how long it takes us to get quiet when I give our signal. Yesterday it took about 30 seconds each time. That means that over the course of the day, we are using about 10 minutes to get quiet. In a week, that is 50 minutes! If we shortened our time to 10 seconds, we would have 30 extra minutes a week for doing more interesting things. Let's aim for 10 seconds every time today. We're going to practice now so we can see what ten seconds feels like."

Or, start from a place of empathy and belief -"I know it is hard to keep from chatting with friends during transitions. When I'm at meetings, I often want to talk to my friends when I'm supposed to be doing other things, so I know how you feel. But, even though it's hard, I know you can avoid chatting and come straight to the meeting rug when you need to."

Either of these techniques will be more motivating than venting your frustration-"I'm noticing that it is taking you longer and longer to get to the rug, and it's so unfair to make your classmates wait on you!"-even though you may feel tempted to complain.

Then, ask for a volunteer to demonstrate the routine as you practiced it at the beginning of the year.

Next, let students share what they noticed. Be sure especially that they pay attention to the "tricky" parts-voices off during lining up, quick and neat clean-up of materials during a transition from desks to the circle, or a quick response to the signal for quiet.

Have the whole class demonstrate the behavior. Pay special attention to the challenging aspects, and use reinforcing language to let students know what they did well: "You responded to the signal in about eight seconds. I saw people helping each other remember what to do, finishing what they were doing quickly, and really focusing on me quickly. I'm going to give the signal again in about 10 minutes. Let's see if we can do it just as well and quickly then."
Practice again shortly afterwards.
It's important to make re-teaching positive and to convey your firm belief that students can improve. While belief alone will not change student behavior, consistently demonstrating your faith that students can and will meet your expectations really does make a difference.

Tags: Quiet and Other Signals, Revisiting Rules

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It's never too late to revisit or reteach any classroom routine. In fact, here's a story from the Responsive Classroom newsletter by a teacher who started her whole year over in November!

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Responsive Classroom Supporting Common Core and Academic Achievement 

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Responsive Classroom Supporting Common Core and Academic Achievement 

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Setting Goals, Hopes, and Dreams: Connecting Students to the Community

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Watching a student show up to school each day excited to learn is one of the great joys of teaching. We give our students that spark when we help them Read More "

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Explore effective Secondary Practices for grades 6-8 to enhance student learning and engagement.

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Explore effective Secondary Practices for grades 6-8 to enhance student learning and engagement.

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Simple signals for attention—whether visual (a raised hand) or auditory (a chime, rain stick, or other pleasant-sounding instrument)—are an essential classroom management tool.When I was student teaching, one of my professors said he could tell if a teacher had good management skills by watching whether she could get her students’ attention whenever she needed it. This lesson stuck with me, and once I had my own classroom, the first thing I always modeled was how students should respond to my signals for attention.

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Child & Adolescent Developmental Traits by Age Chart

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Use this chart of physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development traits to better understand your students from ages 4 to 14.

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During my years of teaching, I have used individual written agreements coupled with a simple token system to give children with particularly challenging behavior the extra support they need to improve. Recently, I learned a big lesson about the effective use of these systems through a mistake I made while implementing an agreement with a student named Justin.

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Responsive Classroom is a CASEL SELect Program!

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Children build on their strengths, and to do that building-to grow academically and socially-they need us to recognize and encourage their positive efforts. But what's the best way to offer that recognition and encouragement?

For some time, I used rewards-tickets that I gave out when students met expectations. But something felt wrong: Although students would often change their behavior, at least temporarily, they seemed more focused on the tickets than on learning and building a classroom community.

After a lot of reading and reflection, I put the tickets away and settled on a new strategy for motivating students: language, specifically Responsive Classroom reinforcing language. Rather than giving students tickets, I'd give them words that told them exactly what behavior was working well, and why. After teaching and modeling classroom expectations, I might say to the whole class, "I see many people walking in line with hands by their sides and voices quiet. That helps students in the other classes keep learning." Or to an individual student I'd say, "Taylor, you waited until Axel finished speaking. That showed him respect and let him share his whole thought so we could all learn from it."

When I taught expectations and then used words in this way, students knew I believed they wanted to and could learn. The difference in their learning-and their behavior, motivation, independence, and stamina-was amazing. Still, it took me a while to complete the transition from rewards to words. Here's my story.

Poor Long-Term Results With Tickets

My ticket system was a way to reward students when they chose positive behaviors. Sometimes, when the entire class walked safely and respectfully in the hallway, I'd put a ticket in a jar. Other times, I would notice individual students completing work efficiently or working cooperatively and give them a ticket to place in the jar. Once the tickets in the jar reached a number I'd pre-designated, the whole class earned a prize, such as extra recess.

The system seemed to be working alright. But then I noticed that as students became more proficient in routines, procedures, and skills, they were still expecting tickets. A typical scenario: One day when the class was walking safely and calmly in the hall, a colleague passed by and commented how quiet the children were. When we reached our destination, Luna asked me if I was going to put a ticket in the jar because not only were they quiet in the hallway, but another teacher had noticed.

This sort of thing happened frequently, with children asking if they would receive a ticket for meeting expectations such as sharing materials, picking up trash, and completing tasks on time. Students had become more focused on receiving tickets-on being rewarded for their actions-than on understanding how and why to choose actions that would help them learn, stay safe, and respect others. They weren't developing their motivation or their learning muscles.

That's when I realized that although the ticket system did seem to work in the short run, in the long run it was working against my ultimate goal-developing intrinsically motivated students. I needed to reconsider how to recognize positive behavior. I'd heard about reinforcing language and decided to look into it.

Moving to Words

At first, ending my reward system seemed like a daunting task, and I had many questions and concerns. Could students really be kind to each other or complete their classwork without receiving tickets? Could I manage the classroom and nurture positive behavior without a quick, convenient system that required me to think and say very little? How could I teach efficiently while also carefully choosing words that would help students develop into strong, independent members of our learning community?

But then I remembered my own learning experiences, the ones that had the greatest impact on me. What made certain teachers of mine so powerfully motivating? One characteristic that stood out was the specific feedback they gave to let me know exactly what I was doing well. Because my teachers' reinforcing language had helped me develop my academic skills-and become a responsible community member-I was confident that using reinforcing language with my own students would have a similar impact. And I decided that if I allowed myself to learn this language slowly and steadily, I could eventually master it.

I began this learning at a Responsive Classroom summer workshop. We studied the characteristics of reinforcing language-clear and direct, genuine and respectful, and specific-and practiced using it. Afterward, I read The Power of Our Words: Teacher Language That Helps Children Learn. I then felt much more prepared to replace my ticket system when school started that fall.

Scaffolding My Learning

Here are some of the things I did that helped me leave rewards behind in favor of reinforcing language:

Posted this quote from Responsive Classroom on my computer screen: "Children, like all of us, need to feel recognized for their positive contributions and accomplishments. And they need ongoing information from the teacher about how they're doing." Each time I saw this quote (many times a day), it reminded me that students needed me to support their learning and positive behavior with reinforcing language.

Created multiple cue cards-sheets of construction paper on which I wrote reinforcing language sentence starters for myself, such as "I see you followed our rule on _____" and "You did _____. That helps us all be better learners." I hung these cards so that I could see one from anywhere in the classroom.

Practiced observing all my students carefully, looking not just for spectacular successes but also for the small yet important steps children take as they learn skills and behaviors. "Alva," I might say to a struggling writer, "I see that you ended three of your five sentences with a period or question mark. These punctuation marks will help your audience read your story more fluently."

Made sure to use reinforcing language with every child. Even when a student's behavior or work isn't where we want it to be, we can see positive efforts and growth if we observe carefully. To keep track of whom I've used reinforcing language with, I checked names off a list, keeping the list private to avoid provoking competition or anxiety among students.

Focused on giving specific information about behaviors that were helping students learn. This helped students become more aware of what they knew, what they could do, and how they'd progressed. With those ideas and images in their minds, they could pull up their positive behaviors to repeat and build on. Some examples of how I changed my language:

Good job on
your math!

You tried several different ways to solve that problem. That kind of persistence really helps you learn!

I love how you worked in the library.

You used your very quiet voices in the library. That helped the other students keep their learning going.

You're doing better with your writing.

I see that you included vivid adjectives. That helps readers really "see" what you're describing.

Gave myself permission to make mistakes-and I made plenty! For example, I'd say, "Good job!" or "That's awesome!" When that happened, I would follow up with specific feedback. For example, as I was conferring with James about his reading, I said, "Great, James!" because I was ecstatic that he was independently book shopping. As he gave me a blank look, I remembered to follow up with, "When you book shopped alone today, you chose books that are just right for you."

Staying Flexible

Gradually, reinforcing language has become my main tool for recognizing and encouraging students' positive behaviors. But that doesn't mean never using rewards. Some students with an entrenched negative behavior, such as habitually calling out during group discussions or speaking sarcastically to classmates, need that extrinsic support for a short time while I help them recognize and grow their capabilities and build their intrinsic motivation.

Before moving right to an external reward, though, I first try a tangible tracking system. A small chart taped unobtrusively on a child's desk enables us to check off how many times she remembers to raise her hand before speaking, use kind words, or walk quietly in the hall. Having a tangible tracking system to prompt self-noticing-and to show that I am also noticing-is often enough to motivate children to engage in positive behavior.

Fewer Misbehaviors, Less Stress, More Learning

That first year I used reinforcing language, students misbehaved less frequently, so I was less stressed and more able to interact positively with the class. And with their attention drawn to specific things they could do to meet expectations, students learned more, both academically and socially. Reinforcing language was a win-win for all of us.
Tracy Mercier taught grades three, four, and five for twelve years in diverse classrooms.
Tags: Challenging Behaviors, Classroom Rules, Misbehavior, Redirecting Language, Reinforcing Language, Reminding Language, Responsibility, Revisiting Rules, Rewards

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Children build on their strengths, and to do that building-to grow academically and socially-they need us to recognize and encourage their positive efforts. But what's the best way to offer that recognition and encouragement? For some time, I used rewards-tickets that I gave out when students met expectations.

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No matter how carefully we teach positive behavior, students will still sometimes misbehave. They'll forget the rules, their impulses will win out over their self-control, or they'll just need to test where the limits are. For example:

Janna rolls her eyes and snickers as Hector shares details of his weekend visit with his cousin during Morning Meeting.

William takes a pencil from a neighbor's desk and refuses to return it when asked by his classmate.

Annie grabs the ball from two smaller children, telling them they're not allowed to play.

As they learn to negotiate social expectations, children test limits, get carried away, forget, and make mistakes. In fact, having these experiences-and seeing how adults respond to them-is one way children learn about how to behave. Just as when we teach academics, we can use students' behavioral mistakes as opportunities for learning. To do this well, however, we adults must hold on to empathy for the child who misbehaves while holding her accountable. We also need to respond to misbehavior in ways that show all of our students that we will keep them safe and see to it that classroom rules are observed.

Goals for Responding to Misbehavior

In the Responsive Classroom approach to discipline, the overarching goal is to keep the focus on learning, while maintaining a classroom that's physically and emotionally safe for all. To achieve this, responses to misbehavior should:

Stop the misbehavior and reestablish positive behavior as quickly as possible

Maintain children's dignity

Develop children's self-control and self-regulation skills

Help children recognize and fix any harm caused by their mistakes

Demonstrate that rules help make the classroom a safe place where all can learn

In classrooms where this approach is used, adults respond quickly, firmly, and respectfully when children misbehave. Minor problems are addressed before behavior gets out of control. Children are held accountable for their behavior, with adults guiding their learning so they can make better choices next time.

Strategies for Responding to Misbehavior

One of the most important things to keep in mind when responding to misbehavior is to address the behavior as quickly as possible. When children's behavior goes off track, they need immediate feedback from adults to help them break their momentum and get back on track. Although this might sound obvious, adults often let small misbehaviors go, waiting to address them until they've escalated and are much more difficult to reverse.

Three response strategies that are especially effective when used before misbehavior escalates (and that also meet the other goals named above) are visual and verbal cues, increased teacher proximity, and logical consequences.

1. Visual and Verbal Cues

Once teachers have modeled expected behaviors and given children opportunities for practice, a visual or verbal cue will often stop a misbehavior and help a child get back on track. Simply looking briefly into a child's eyes can powerfully send the message that "I know you know how to do this; now let's see you do it." Other examples of visual cues are a writing gesture for "This is writing workshop; get to work" or a finger against your lips for "Remember, silent lips when someone is sharing."

Verbal cues can be as simple as saying the child's name. Reminding language can also be highly effective: Sonya, what should you be doing right now? Dante, what do our rules say about sharing materials?

Reminding language works best when a child is just beginning to go off track-about to open a book instead of getting out math materials, or beginning to reach to take the blue crayon away from a tablemate. If, however, the child is well into the undesired behavior, reminding language loses its effectiveness. At that point, a clear redirection is needed: Sonya, put the book away now and get out your math materials. Dante, choose another color. It's Ellen's turn to use the blue crayon.

2. Increased Teacher Proximity

Sometimes all that's needed to reestablish positive behavior is for the teacher to move next to a child. For example, if children have been taught how to sit safely in chairs, and Maria has just started tipping her chair back during direct instruction, simply moving to stand by Maria can communicate "Sit safely" without drawing undue attention to Maria or disturbing other children. Once Maria sits safely, the teacher's staying nearby for a bit helps the child understand that she must continue to sit safely.

Bringing the child closer, instead of going to the child, is another option. Suppose Darren turns around and begins fiddling with items on a shelf during Morning Meeting. The class has learned meeting rules, and they also know that their teacher will sometimes direct them to change their seats if they're beginning to misbehave. A quiet "Darren, come sit next to me" brings Darren to his teacher's side in the circle and gets his attention back on his classmates, without breaking the meeting rhythm.

3. Logical Consequences

Logical consequences are another strategy that teachers can use to stop misbehavior while helping children see and take responsibility for the effects of their actions. Logical consequences differ from punishment in that, unlike punishment, logical consequences are relevant (directly related to the misbehavior), realistic (something the child can reasonably be expected to do and that the teacher can manage with a reasonable amount of effort), and respectful (communicated kindly and focused on the misbehavior, not the child's character or personality).

Suppose Jinghua scribbles on her desk. Having her clean the desk would be a relevant, realistic, and respectful logical consequence. Having her miss recess would be irrelevant. Having her clean every desk in the classroom after school would be an unrealistic amount of work, and the uncleanness of the other desks is unrelated to Jinghua's mistake. Saying "You're so rude-you just don't care about anyone but yourself!" would be a disrespectful attack on her character.

[To learn more about logical consequences and how to use them, see Teaching Self-Discipline.]

Introducing the Approach to Children

The Responsive Classroom approach to responding to misbehavior is most effective when children know in advance what to expect from their teachers. It's important for the teacher to let children know that at one point or another, everyone makes behavior mistakes and needs support to get back on track, and that's okay-just as it's okay to make mistakes when learning academic skills. It's also important for the teacher to convey the belief that students can and will learn to choose positive behaviors, and that her responses to their mistakes will help them do so. Choice of words, along with a friendly, matter-of-fact tone and a few specific examples, will help get this message across. For example, when talking about responses to misbehavior, a teacher might say:

We're all working on following our classroom rules, but we all make mistakes sometimes. In our class, when you don't follow a rule, it's my job to help you get back on track, fix any problems you caused, and learn to follow the rule next time. So, for example, if you forget our rule about staying safe and start running and knock down someone's block tower, I might tell you to help them rebuild . . .

Or, with older students:

If I see that you are about to break a rule, I may use a signal to help you realize that you are getting out of control. It's not a big deal; it just means you need to check your behavior and get back on track. For instance, I might put my finger on my lips to remind you to be quiet, or I may just say your name and give you a look if I think you know what to do. If I give you a signal like that, I'm giving you a chance to correct your mistake quickly and quietly, without disrupting anyone else's learning.

Knowing Which Strategy to Use

Knowing which strategy to use, and whether more than one strategy is needed, is a skill that comes with practice and depends upon the teacher's knowledge of the children she's teaching. One child who's talking when she shouldn't may need only a cue to correct herself. Another child may need a logical consequence for the same behavior. Or the same child may need a cue on one day and a logical consequence on another. Some questions to consider: Which strategy will stop the misbehavior and restore positive behavior as quickly, simply, and kindly as possible? Which strategy will maintain safety and order for everyone? Which one will help the child develop understanding and self-control? Whichever strategies are chosen, it's important to remember to use them early, just as misbehavior begins. Doing so will prevent problems from mushrooming or becoming entrenched.

Try, Try Again

Responding to misbehavior is one of the most challenging aspects of teaching. Even the most experienced teachers make mistakes. But just as we allow students to make mistakes, we must allow ourselves to make them, too. And then, just as we do with students, we must allow ourselves to try again without judgment, in the spirit of learning to do it better next time.

Tags: Challenging Behaviors, Classroom Rules, Misbehavior

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No matter how carefully we teach positive behavior, students will still sometimes misbehave. They'll forget the rules, their impulses will win out over their self-control, or they'll just need to test where the limits are.

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It's January, and you notice that over the break your students seem to have forgotten all the routines they had been practicing since the start of the school year. Students are acting disrespectfully toward each other. During discussions, classmates are calling out when others are talking. They are showing they are annoyed with one another through unkind words and body language. It's time for a reset. Your approach to discipline is a key tool in this endeavor because it is a way for students to relearn the expectations of the classroom. Here are five steps for using discipline in your classroom to help your students get back on track midyear.

1. Review procedural expectations.

Any procedure that has been working for you and your students needs to be reestablished after winter break. This can be done through a short review of expectations in which students reflect both on routines they did before break and on how those routines were done. My students often fall back into the habit of speaking out of turn after spending time at home where they haven't needed to wait their turn to talk. Take a couple of minutes to let students practice having a conversation in which they raise their hand to signal they would like to speak. This practice can even be done with nonacademic information so all students feel included.

2. Restructure what isn't working.

The new year is a chance to reflect on past practices. What practices have been happening in the classroom that have not been serving you or your students? Consider what would work better. If a procedure or routine isn't working, now is the time to reset it and create a new routine. Perhaps your entrance time and warm-up work structure aren't working. What parts are making it frustrating for those involved? Try reworking those routines in a way that will better suit all involved.

3. Remind and reinforce when students are doing what's expected.

As you make changes, students will again be practicing how to engage in your classroom. As you notice students doing the actions you want to see in your community, commend them with specific wording. If you are currently practicing respecting others by getting warm-up work started in the morning so that everyone is ready for class, privately commend those students who are doing just that. For any students who find the new procedure tricky, privately remind them of the practice they have done in this area and what the expectations are now; then, allow them the opportunity to practice again.

4. Have a plan for reaction.

Inevitably, students will make mistakes as they continue to learn and practice classroom procedures and routines. In the moment, remember to remain calm and direct. This communicates to students that you are still going to be in control even if they find controlling their own behaviors challenging. You will also want to brainstorm how to address behavior mistakes once students have regained control of their behavior. Will students meet with you at lunch to discuss their behaviors? Will they create plans with you for when they make a behavior mistake? How will you welcome them back to the group if they have taken a break? How might students ensure that they help others in the community feel important and valued, even after they make a mistake? Making a plan before any errors occur in the classroom will ensure both that you are prepared for any variable and that students will experience consistency with your response to misbehaviors.

5. Start where you are.

There is no better time than now to start exactly where you are. Find the step that most resonates with you and begin there. You and your students can begin at any time of year to learn the procedures and routines needed to be successful not only in your classroom, but anywhere students engage with any other people or groups.

As with anything that requires practice, it will take time to reestablish old routines and establish new ones. Be patient with yourself and your students. Start with one item that you feel will have the most impact, and practice it with your students each day.

Hilary Woods is a seventh grade English teacher in New Hampshire and a Responsive Classroom consulting teacher.

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Five Steps for Responding to Midyear Misbehavior

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The middle of the school year comes with its own unique set of behavior issues. Here are five ways you can meaningfully address those issues by reconsidering your classroom's routines and your expectations for students.

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Using Language to Develop Reflective Thinkers Across Grade Levels 

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Using Language to Develop Reflective Thinkers Across Grade Levels 

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As educators, we all want to help our students develop valuable life-long skills, including the ability to think critically about their own work, truly know themselves and their learning styles, reflect on their individual strengths and challenges, and measure their progress toward goals. We want our students to become autonomous learners who take responsibility for their own learning. We want to help our students develop a growth mindset and build resilience. And we want this to happen with every lesson we teach!

How do we do this? Open-ended questions and structured reflection are strategies we can use to support our students' ability to reflect on academic and social-emotional growth.

Open-Ended Questions

Open-ended questions can stretch students' thinking and prompt reflective contemplation because, crucially, they have no one right or wrong answer; any reasoned and relevant response is acceptable. This key characteristic promotes engagement, encourages self-awareness, and nurtures a sense of community among classmates.

Open-ended questions also prompt students to build on what they already know as a way of exploring new content, which supports the natural way children learn. For this reason, they work well in many situations, such as when introducing a lesson, when coaching a student as they work, or when closing a lesson. They are a powerful way to help students synthesize new information, think critically about their work, and identify new directions in learning.
Tips for asking effective open-ended questions:

Genuinely open up your curiosity.

Clarify exactly what you are asking for.

Use words that encourage cooperation, not competition.

Watch out for pseudo-open-ended questions.

Help students focus on social-emotional learning

How were you a friend today/this week?

How did you follow the classroom rules today/this week?

How did a classmate help you today/this week?

What was a challenge you had today/this week? How did you try to overcome that challenge?

Did you have an opportunity to assert yourself respectfully this week? If so, how?

Help students become more aware of how they learn

What are some ways you figured that out?

How is this strategy helping you?

What class activities helped you learn the most?

What skills or strategies did you use to help you learn this content?

What help did you want from the teacher?

Help students take more responsibility for their learning

Is this what you expected or wanted your work to be?

What did you do to help your learning?

The next time you get to do this activity, what would you do to improve your performance?

Why might learning this skill/content be important?

Help students see growth in their learning

What did you learn today/this week?

What can you do now that you were not able to do last week/month/quarter/year?

How can you show that you met this learning objective?

Structures That Support Reflection

Another strategy we can embed into our lessons to support reflection is the use of specific structures that engage students in thinking about the learning that has occurred. For each structure chosen, we must be intentional in aligning the structure to the goal, developmental needs of students, and the current mood of the class. Through the skillful implementation of structures that support reflection, our students will develop speaking and listening skills, metacognition, and a deeper interaction with the content they learned.

Silent Reflection

Think to Yourself - Pose a focus question and provide a minute or two for students to silently think.

Thumb Gauge - Have students respond to a focus question such as "How well did you follow our class rules while you worked today?" with a thumbs-up, thumbs-sideways, or thumbs-down.

Fist to Five - Have students respond to a question such as "How well did you work independently today?" with a zero (a fist) all the way to a 5 (five fingers).

Journaling - Each student responds in writing to a focus question.

Partner and Small Group Reflection

Partner Chat - Here are some tips for teaching the skills that make for successful partner conversations.

Interactive Learning Structures - Check out this example of an interactive learning structure.

Whole Group Reflection

Around-the-Circle Sharing - For example "I did _______ because_______." Also, consider asking "Who remembers" questions to encourage careful listening.

Simultaneous Display - Sitting in a circle, students hold up or place work on the floor in front of them. Provide a focus, such as having classmates look for new ideas.

By adding in structured reflection and the use of open-ended questions, you'll see your students strengthen their ability to think critically about their learning. With time, these practices will be embedded into every lesson, and you'll see your students develop the abilities to examine their own work, know themselves as learners, and better set personal goals.

Written by Kerry O'Grady, Responsive Classroom Consulting Teacher, and Educational Consultant and Coach

Tags: Conversation Skills, Engaging Academics, Sharing

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Stop and Think: Teaching Students to Reflect

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As educators, we all want to help our students develop valuable life-long skills, including the ability to think critically about their own work, truly know themselves and their learning styles, Read More "

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Question: Think of an instance in which you used a teacher-child problem-solving conference. Why did you choose that strategy?

A: Edward often clowned around during work times, keeping everyone from getting work done. When logical consequences didn't help, I decided to try a problem-solving conference. I thought this might be effective because Edward could get defensive at times, and in this conference I could begin by naming the positive aspects of his humor.

I told him I noticed how he had a great sense of humor and a good memory for jokes, and how people liked to be around him because he could get them laughing. This helped him let down his guard and get into a productive problem-solving frame of mind.

We then talked about how telling jokes was not a problem, but doing it during work times was. By the end of the conference, Edward agreed to try to limit his joke telling to recess, lunch, after school, and designated Morning Meeting times. He clowned around less during work times, and he and the classmates around him were able to get more work done.

Marty Kennedy teaches first grade at University School of Nashville in Tennessee.

A: I had a student who dawdled whenever math started. I suspected the problem was that she didn't like minute math, always our first math activity, in which students have a minute and a half to do thirty simple computations. I realized that a problem-solving conference, with its structure for probing the causes of a problem, could help me confirm this and understand why she didn't like minute math.

Sure enough, when I posed some "Could it be" questions, the student said she didn't like minute math because she was "too slow," that she couldn't do all the problems in one and a half minutes.

So we agreed that she would do half the problems. As her confidence grew, she started doing a few more on her own. Eventually she did thirty computations like the rest of the class.

Maggie West teaches third grade at Federal Street Elementary School in Greenfield, Massachusetts.

A: David was a fifth grader who struggled with academics and had developed a tough guy exterior to save face. He wasn't getting his work done, and his facial expressions and body language said "I don't care about school. This is stupid."

I believe children like David critically need personal connections with caring adults, and I realized that a problem-solving conference would help me build that kind of connection with him. I had seen David playing football and knew what a different person he was on the field. I began the conference by noting how in football he was energetic in every play, intense in every huddle, cooperative through and through. That made him receptive enough to talk about how to transfer that sort of enthusiasm to school.

There were many challenges to overcome on that front. But one agreement we made was that David would come to school early so he could get extra help on assignments without classmates seeing. I also partnered David up with a college mentor to help him with homework. The mentor was himself a football player, so there was the larger benefit that he could help David see that in order to play football, one had to do well in school.

David needed many other supports, but the one-on-one attention he got in the problem-solving conference was an important first step.

Sheree Nolley is a literacy coach and multicultural coordinator at Kensington Avenue School in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Tags: Challenging Behaviors

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Problem-Solving Conferences That Worked | Responsive Classroom

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Question: Think of an instance in which you used a teacher-child problem-solving conference. Why did you choose that strategy? A: Edward often clowned around during work times, keeping everyone from getting work done. When logical consequences didn't help, I decided to try a problem-solving conference.

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An adapted excerpt from The Power of Our Words for Middle School: Teacher Language That Helps Students Learn. This compact guide offers middle school teachers many practical, easily do-able ideas for using reinforcing language and four other types of positive teacher language: envisioning, reminding, redirecting, and open-ended questions. Learn more about it.

"You persisted until you figured out a solution to our geometry challenge."

"I noticed speakers pointing out specific facts from the articles to support their ideas."

"You respected each other by remembering to speak one at a time today."

Teacher language-the words, tone, and pace we use when we talk to students-may be the most powerful of all our teaching tools. After all, language permeates nearly every interaction we have with students; we use words to exchange friendly greetings, give instructions, deliver content, and check understanding.

As the examples that open this article show, we can also use language to reinforce students' efforts and accomplishments by naming exactly which academic and social behaviors they're doing well. When we use this reinforcing language, we help students build on their successes and develop a sense of themselves as competent learners.

Here's an overview of this very powerful form of teacher language, along with examples and tips for trying it with the middle schoolers you teach.

The Power of Reinforcing Language

By naming exactly which actions are promoting student learning, reinforcing language goes beyond general praise (" Good job," "Nice work," "I like that"), which can leave students wondering how to repeat and build on the success our words have recognized. The specific feedback we provide with reinforcing language promotes engaged learning by encouraging students to:

Stay focused on practice and effort. By pointing out progress, reinforcing language helps students concentrate on the process of learning, rather than the grade or final product. Students see that hard work results in outcomes they can be proud of. They develop a growth mindset-the understanding that abilities and successes are less about "being smart" and much more about persistence and a positive attitude.

Form a positive vision of themselves. "The teamwork each of you showed today led directly to the significant progress you made with your group project." Such words of recognition and affirmation invite students to view themselves as valuable individuals, contributing team members, and competent learners. This positive perspective is crucial for adolescents because they're forming their young adult identities and becoming responsible and productive members of society.

Focus on their strengths. Reinforcing language helps students recognize their "learning muscles" and how to use them to tackle new challenges. As they think more deeply about their learning process, students can start to name for themselves what they did well. This self-recognition and reflection fosters motivation, effort, and a sense of ownership of their learning.

By showing our genuine appreciation of students' efforts and our respect for them as individuals, reinforcing language also fosters the strong teacher-student relationships that help students feel safe enough to take the risks essential to learning.

How to Use Reinforcing Language Effectively

Because reinforcing language can powerfully influence student growth, it's worth using frequently, throughout your time with students, and for any content you're teaching. Adolescents often dislike being singled out in front of their peers-even for doing well-so you'll want to reinforce them privately. Doing so will also avoid discouraging other students or fostering competitiveness among them. Of course, if a whole class has shown notable effort or accomplishment, it's fine to reinforce them as a group.

Find positives to name in all students

With so many time pressures facing middle school teachers, it's easy to fall into the habit of reinforcing only the "best" students-those whose academic performance and behavior are usually exemplary. If you observe closely and objectively over the course of the year, though, you'll likely see every student you teach making positive efforts and improving their skills, whether in small steps or large leaps.

Emphasize description, not personal approval

Reinforcing language shifts the focus to students and what they're doing that's helping them succeed. Describing students' actions and behaviors-rather than what we think or how we feel about those actions and behaviors-strengthens their development as self-motivated, responsible learners.

A student writes an essay in which she supports her argument with factual evidence.

Instead of this: (privately) "Felicity, I'm glad you seem to be understanding how facts and opinions are different!"

Try this: (privately) "Felicity, you included lots of specific details to support your position on this question. Using factual information in that way will help make your writing persuasive to readers."

Two students use their own time to research the answer to a question that had stumped the whole class.

Instead of this: (privately) "I really like the way you two took on this extra work."

Try this: (privately) "Althea, Matt, choosing to take on this task all on your own showed great initiative. That kind of effort will help you in all your classes."

Name concrete and specific behaviors

To promote students' growth, it's important to give them precise information about the behaviors that are enabling them to succeed. Precise descriptions help students become aware of what they know, their skills, and their progress.

Point out students' progress toward mastery

Students need time and practice to master the demanding academic and social skills of the middle school years. To encourage them to persist in working through challenges, we need to recognize their efforts-the imperfect products and almost-there behaviors that are steps along the path to mastery. Using reinforcing language to share our observations about their efforts and partial successes gives them a foundation to build upon as they become increasingly competent.

Use a question to extend students' understanding

Following reinforcing feedback with an open-ended question (one that requires more than a yes or no answer) prompts reflection and encourages students to think more deeply. Your questions can help students become more aware of their positive behavior and how it's helping their learning. Asking questions also encourages students to think about what they might do to advance even further.

Learning to Use Reinforcing Language

As you learn to use reinforcing language-or any positive teacher language-you'll find yourself becoming more aware of the words you use in all your exchanges with students. Gradually, you'll replace less effective words with skillful reinforcing statements that help middle schoolers move to higher levels of knowledge, confidence, and competency.

As you work on learning new types of teacher language, remember that it's a process, not an instant transformation. Change and growth take time, so be patient with yourself. The more you use your new words, the more natural they'll feel to you. Eventually, the new language will flow easily as a true expression of your positive approach to teaching.

Tags: Middle School, Redirecting Language, Reinforcing Language, Reminding Language

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Reinforcing Language: Giving Middle Schoolers Supportive Feedback | Responsive Classroom

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Teacher language-the words, tone, and pace we use when we talk to students-may be the most powerful of all our teaching tools. After all, language permeates nearly every interaction we have with students; we use words to exchange friendly greetings, give instructions, deliver content, and check understanding.

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I have always believed that across the board, all grade levels, should speak to children using mature vocabulary no matter what age. For early elementary school, it's okay to use vocabulary that they can comprehend. Then, follow it up with the more sophisticated language.

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"What are your hopes and dreams for the school year?"

Many teachers ask this question in the first weeks of school to help students get excited about learning and make a personal connection to what they will learn in school. Inviting students to name learning goals (hopes and dreams) right away shows them that school is a safe place, that they're important members of the classroom, and that they can look forward to an engaging, challenging, and fun year of learning. Establishing this classroom tone is one of the most important things to do at the beginning of the year.

The process of articulating hopes and dreams varies depending on the students' grade level and the teacher's style. Below are ideas for various grade ranges and special area teachers.

Grades K-2

Young students often need some school experience before they can start thinking about what they want to learn and do in school. Allow students to familiarize themselves with the new routine of school for the first couple days (or first week for kindergartners and first graders) before you help them establish learning goals.

After that initial settling-in period, invite the children to think about their hopes and dreams. Here's one approach to doing this with these young students:

Ask students, "Why do we come to school?" If they give a broad answer such as "to learn," help them stretch their thinking: "What can we learn in school?" Write down their ideas. They might say "To do things like write," "I think we will learn science stuff," or "To make friends."

The next day, ask students to reflect on their list of reasons for coming to school, and then help them think about specific learning goals. To guide them, say, "Today we're going to make another list. What are some of your hopes and dreams for the year?" Give examples of your own hopes and dreams, such as "This year, I hope our classroom will be a place where all of you find enjoyment and get to work at things that really matter to you." With this guidance, even students this young can turn a vague statement about why people come to school, such as "To do things like write," into a realistic learning goal: "I want to learn to write a story."

Over the next few days, continue to list students' ideas as they share. Keep each brainstorming session short, about five to ten minutes. Stretching this process over several days gives ideas a chance to percolate and sends the message that sorting out learning goals is important work, not something to rush.

If any goals seem unrealistic, coach students in rethinking. For example, if a student says "I want to read all the books in the library," you can respond with "Sounds like you want to do a lot of reading this year. Can I write that down as your goal?"

By the following week, everyone should be ready to choose one learning goal that's most important to them. Have students write down and illustrate that goal (with help from you and other adults in the room as needed).

By the end of that week, students can share their learning goal with the class. Post students' hopes and dreams on the classroom bulletin board for all to see.

Grades 3-4

To help students get enthusiastic about school right away, invite them to begin thinking about their hopes and dreams early in the first week of school. The challenge is to help them set learning goals that they truly care about and can realistically achieve in school this year. Here's one way to do this:

At the end of the first day, introduce students to learning goals in closing circle-a daily gathering before dismissal that helps students end the day on a positive note and feel energized about their learning. Going around the circle, ask students, "What's one thing you enjoyed about your first day of school?" and "What's something you're looking forward to tomorrow?" Then ask students to spend a few minutes that night thinking about what they want to learn and do in school this year.

Over the next couple days, help students brainstorm learning goals in short sessions, spreading this brainstorming over the course of the week to give them time to come up with lots of ideas. You might want to have students use a worksheet to help them come up with a goal that's achievable and meaningful. Start off the first session by sharing your own hopes and dreams. For example, you might say, "I hope our class grows into a safe and strong learning community."

Coach students who list goals that may be too broad or unrealistic for the school year. For example, if a student says "I want to be a professional musician," discuss the skills and habits needed to reach such a long-term goal and choose one that's realistic to focus on this year. For example, musicians need stick-to-itiveness, and an attainable school-year goal related to that might be "to keep trying even when something is difficult."

By the end of the first week, students should be ready to choose one goal to illustrate and share with the class. Display everyone's hopes and dreams on the classroom bulletin board for all to see.

Grades 5-6

Students in grades 5 and 6 are ready to set realistic, meaningful learning goals right from the start of school. Students this age are also ready for the additional challenge of stating one goal having to do with academic learning and one having to do with social relationships. Here's one way to help them do this:

On the second day of school, introduce students to learning goals in the Morning Meeting message, such as "This week we will think about our learning goals. What are some of your hopes and dreams for this school year? Try to think of both what you want to learn in different subjects and how you want to work with others." To guide students, state your own hopes and dreams. Be sure you also touch on both academic and social learning in your statement. For example, you might include in the message "I really hope everyone will feel safe, take care of each other, and be thinking workers."

Have a brief coaching conference with students who list goals that are too broad or unrealistic. For example, if a student says "I hope I get to play video games all day," you can help turn it into an attainable goal such as "to learn all that I can about computers this year."

By the end of the first week (or beginning of the second week), ask students to choose one social and one academic learning goal that is most important to them to write down and illustrate. Display everyone's hopes and dreams on the classroom bulletin board and give the class time to read what classmates have shared.

Special Area Teachers

Like other teachers, special area teachers can have students name learning goals for the year. This step establishes a sense of purpose and anticipation for the work students will do in the special area room.

Start by articulating your own hopes and dreams for this year. For example, you might say, "This year, I hope that we have the kind of [special area] classroom where students can be really creative, take some risks, and try new skills. I hope you all enjoy [special area] and look forward to coming each week."

Next, prompt students to think about their own learning goals by saying, "Now think about your hopes and dreams for this year in [special area]. What are some of your goals? What are some things you might like to learn?"

Special area teachers find many different ways for students to share their hopes and dreams. For example:

One physical education teacher has each student write their learning goal for PE on a paper basketball, which they then display on the "Hoops and Dreams" wall.

A music teacher fills his room with pictures of children playing an instrument, dancing, singing, or engaging in various other musical pursuits-students' illustrations of their musical hopes and dreams for the year.

Supporting a Key Goal of the First Weeks of School

One of our most important goals in the first weeks of school is to help students trust that school will be a place where their ideas matter and where the learning is meaningful. Guiding them in naming their learning goals for the year is a powerful way to meet this goal. Time spent on this activity is an investment that reaps benefits for months to come.

A Prelude to Rules

Besides setting a tone of purposeful learning, inviting students to articulate their learning goals for the year is also an important first step in co-creating classroom rules with students.

For example, after students share their goals with the class, you might say, "You've had a chance to read everyone's hopes and dreams. Let's start thinking of some rules that can help us work together really well and allow everyone to reach their goals." Next you would consolidate the ideas students name into a manageable list that will serve as the classroom rules for the year.

Even if you're planning to use existing rules-ones shared by your team, grade level, or whole school-you'll still want to ask students to articulate their hopes and dreams so you can talk with them about how these rules enable them to achieve their goals. When you connect students' goals to the rules like this, no matter where the rules come from, you help students see rules as positive guidelines that create a safe, supportive classroom in which they can do their best learning.

Learn More About the First Weeks of School

Creating learning goals is just one strategy for making the early weeks of school a highly fruitful time of year. To learn many others, see The First Six Weeks of School, 2nd edition. You'll find practical ideas that enable you to:

Create a climate of warmth, inclusion, and safety.

Teach classroom routines and behavior expectations.

Help students get to know and care for the classroom and school environment.

Establish expectations for academic work.

For more information on learning goals, how they connect to classroom rules, and other important strategies for a successful beginning to the school year, you can also check out Rules in School: Teaching Discipline in the Responsive Classroom.
(an adapted excerpt from The First Six Weeks of School, 2nd edition)
Tags: First Day of School, Hopes and Dreams/Learning Goals, Special Areas

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Inviting students to name learning goals (hopes and dreams) right away shows them that school is a safe place, that they're important members of the classroom, and that they can look forward to an engaging, challenging, and fun year of learning.

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Teachers at various grade levels explain how they used guided discovery and its impact on students/learning.

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Question: Guided Discovery is a strategy for introducing materials in the classroom. The primary goal is to generate interest and excitement about classroom resources and help children explore their possible uses. “What was a Guided Discovery in your class that was particularly effective?”

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My second grade class sits cross-legged on the rug. It is the first day of school, and I'm introducing a classroom tool that the children will be using today and all year. "What is this?" I ask as I hold up the colorful box. Hands shoot up like popcorn with an occasional "ooh-ooh" tossed into the enthusiastic mix. I call on the child who is opening his mouth to blurt the answer.

"Crayons! A box of crayons!" he calls out.

"What can we use crayons for?" Suggestions are given by knowing seven-year-olds. I pass out paper so these eager second graders can try out some of their creative ideas right in the moment. We share what we've drawn, shaded in, written, colored with overlapping colors, and I offer encouraging comments. From there we move to where we keep crayons and how we take care of them.

It seems so obvious: crayons, a classroom tool used since pre-K. But by starting with a fresh introduction and exploration of their potential uses, the class gains renewed enthusiasm for this everyday material and everyone is clear on the expectations for its care.

Over the first few weeks of school, we do a great deal of this kind of basic learning about the world of our classroom. Just as with the crayons, I use the practice of Guided Discovery with materials that children can use in lots of different ways-pencils, markers, math manipulatives, water colors. And I use Interactive Modeling for things that need to be used or done in a certain way, such as how to use scissors, order lunches, stand in line, hang up coats and backpacks, and select books from the classroom library.

Using one or the other of these two Responsive Classroom practices, I teach where things are kept, how they can be used, and how they are put away. The class learns how to generate ideas and get started with writers' workshop. We practice how to select books from the classroom library and how to work with a math partner.

The goal of this snail pace, or what I call the Tai Chi phase of second grade, is to build a sense of independence and ownership of our classroom.

While the supplies and routines I introduce seem simple, something that seems obvious to adults is not so obvious to second graders. Take notebook paper for instance. Often, they don't realize that the margin and holes go on the left of the front of the paper. Sometimes, they don't even know the top from the bottom of the page. They used different paper in first grade, the type with dots down the middle. I expect them to write on just one line. It is an adjustment.

This careful introduction takes time. I am personally a fast "let's get moving" type and I frequently have to rein in my impatience to move more quickly. I have found that when I rush through teaching a concept or a classroom skill, I almost always have to go back and reteach it. So I take a lot of deep breaths and think of the tortoise and the hare. Slow and steady wins the race.

From experience, I know the teaching of materials and routines pays off with rich dividends. Usually by Halloween, my class is largely self-sufficient. I'm able to work with a small group while the rest of the class does their work, alone or with partners, using moderately quiet voices. They solve most of their dilemmas without me.

By December, partners are doing research, selecting their own projects, and preparing presentations. The children throw open the cupboards, drag out materials, select books at their reading level on their topic. They create amazing, high level, collaborative work. They share resources and then clean up, all while I work with groups or individuals. I can move through the room, fine tuning, coaching, and reveling in their abilities.

I feel as if I'm the director of a symphony where a simple directive produces a rich second grade composition of belonging and competence. The underlying melody is to the tune of the slow and steady steps of September structure.

Learn More

The Responsive Classroom approach offers two strategies for introducing materials and routines at the start of the year:

Interactive Modeling-for introducing materials and routines that you want students to use or do in a specific way. Unlike conventional modeling, Interactive Modeling gives students an active role in the moment and allows you to immediately assess their understanding.

Guided Discovery-for introducing materials that can be used in many creative ways. Guided Discovery lessons not only help students explore potential uses of supplies that are new to them, but also rekindle excitement for materials they have been using for years. Guided Discovery also teaches students how to care for materials so that they last as long as possible.

Lee-Ann Meredith taught second grade at John B. Murphy Elementary School, a Chicago public school, for thirteen years. She used the Responsive Classroom approach throughout her teaching career and believes that a social curriculum supports academics. She is the author of Angels in My Classroom: How Second Graders Saved My Life and is a frequent contributor to theeducatorsroom.com.
Tags: Academic Choice, Guided Discovery

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My second grade class sits cross-legged on the rug. It is the first day of school, and I'm introducing a classroom tool that the children will be using today and all year. "What is this?" I ask as I hold up the colorful box.

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The fifth graders and their teacher, Mr. Lomax, sit in a circle. In front of Mr. Lomax is an array of five dictionaries. The largest dictionary has a worn leather cover and looks well-used. The rest of the dictionaries come in all sizes and shapes-two paperbacks, a bright red hardcover, and another hardcover that's a sedate gray.

"Today we're going to explore dictionaries," Mr. Lomax says. "I love dictionaries. I always learn something new when I flip one open." He picks up the old dictionary and gently touches its cover. "Now I know you're all familiar with dictionaries. What have you used them for so far?"

A few hands shoot up.

"I look up words to see if I've spelled them right."

"Whenever I ask my mom what a word means, she tells me to look it up."

"We used a Spanish dictionary a lot last summer when we went to Puerto Rico."

So begins a Guided Discovery of dictionaries. Guided Discovery is a teaching strategy used to introduce materials in the classroom. The primary goal of Guided Discovery is to generate interest and excitement about classroom resources and help children explore their possible uses. Guided Discovery also provides opportunities to introduce vocabulary, assess children's prior knowledge, and teach responsible use and care of materials.

A Guided Discovery can take as little as fifteen or twenty minutes. But the interest and excitement that are generated and the skills that children practice support academic learning throughout the day. Here's how it works:

Step One: Introduction and Naming

Second grade teacher Ms. Martell holds a covered plastic box. "I have some wonderful tools in this box," she says as she shakes the box. "They come in many colors and you use them to draw. What could they be?"

One of the goals of step one is to get children interested in the material. One way teachers do this-particularly with younger children-is to create a mystery. This engages children's thinking and helps them see familiar materials with fresh eyes.

But materials don't always need to be hidden inside packages, and introductions don't always need to take the form of mysteries. The teacher's tone of voice and the way s/he holds the material can catch children's attention. In the opening vignette, the teacher's excitement about the dictionaries and the reverence with which he handled the old dictionary helped get the children interested in learning more about the potential of a familiar tool.

Another goal of step one is to build a common knowledge base. To do this, teachers use open-ended questions that encourage children to think about their past experiences with the material and to share current observations. Questions such as "How have you used dictionaries so far?", "What might be in this box? What are your clues?", "What do you know about markers?", and "Look closely at your ruler. What's one thing you notice?" are all examples of open-ended questions.

Open-ended questions are at the heart of Guided Discovery, occurring in every step. When teachers ask an open-ended question, they are looking for a reasoned, relevant response rather than one "correct" answer. By listening without judgment to a range of answers, the teacher says "You have valuable experience and ideas that we want to hear about."

Step Two: Generating and Modeling Students' Ideas

"We're all going to get a chance to work with the modeling clay today," Ms. Wilson says to the circle of K-1 students. "First, we want to think about some ways to shape it. Who has an idea to share?" Students call out their ideas:

"Make a ball."

"Flatten it into a pancake."

"Make a long, skinny snake."

"What a great start!" Ms. Wilson says when there is a pause. "I wonder if we can come up with two more ideas."

"Make a letter."

"Make a number."

In step two, the teacher invites children to think through how to use the material. Ms. Wilson begins with an open-ended question to get children thinking. When the brainstorming falters, she challenges the students to go beyond their first ideas. She uses the phrase "I wonder" so that the challenge seems fun rather than stressful.

After the children name ideas for using the material, the teacher invites them to model some of the uses:

"Alexis, you suggested making a ball," Ms. Wilson says. "Will you show us how you do that?"

Alexis sits down next to Ms. Wilson, takes the small piece of clay that Ms. Wilson hands her, and carefully rolls and pats it into a ball.

While she works, Ms. Wilson asks the rest of the class, "What do you notice about how Alexis is making a ball?"

There are many situations during a typical day when a teacher needs to show students the correct way to do something (for example, the safe way to carry scissors). However, during Guided Discovery teachers turn to the students to model their own ideas. This sends the message that the teacher values the children's ideas for using the material creatively and appropriately and trusts their ability to do so. As several children step forward to shape clay or draw a design with markers or look up a word in the dictionary, everyone in the class observes and learns.

Step Three: Exploration and Experimentation

"Now you will all be able to try some of the ideas we listed for using markers," second grade teacher Ms. Martell says. She distributes sheets of cardboard and drawing paper. She then passes around the box of markers, asking each child to take two. At first, all the children work on the same tasks-drawing a figure, making a design, writing big letters-tasks that they just saw modeled. After a while, Ms. Martell says, "Now you can try out an idea of your own." As the children explore, she walks around to observe their work, pausing occasionally to make a suggestion or redirect a student who has gotten off track.

After students have generated a list of ideas and a few children have modeled ideas, it's time for children to independently explore the material. They tend to begin trying what was modeled. But with encouragement, they'll soon start experimenting with new ideas. Although the teacher sets some limits on the task, the children still can make choices about how to do the task. They learn to turn to their own and their classmates' resources rather than always looking to the teacher.

Step Four: Sharing Exploratory Work

After a brief exploratory time, Ms. Martell, the second grade teacher, rings the chime to get children's attention. "It's time to share our work," she says. "If you would like us to see your work, put it on the floor in front of you." All but two children display their drawings. "Without talking, everyone look around and see all the good ideas!" There is a moment of silence as the children look. "Who would like to share one detail that you noticed?"

"Ramona used lots of different colors."

"Ray's design looks like lots of lightning bolts."

The children continue sharing things they notice.

"Now who would like to tell us one thing they like about their own drawings?" Many hands go up.

There are many opportunities during Guided Discovery for children to learn from each other: they share and model their ideas, sometimes help each other during exploration, and at the end of the Guided Discovery they have an opportunity to share the work they've done.

Work-sharing is always voluntary; in order for children to feel free to experiment, they need to know they won't have to make their results public. Ms. Martell lowered the risk of work-sharing by having the entire group display their designs at once. She knows that the more examples of each other's work children see, the more opportunity they have to learn from each other.

Step Five: Cleanup and Care of Materials

The fourth graders in Mr. Alonzo's classroom are finishing a Guided Discovery of rulers. "We'll be keeping our rulers on the supply shelf with our other tools such as pencils, scissors, and staplers," Mr. Alonzo says. "Who can show us a safe and careful way to put your ruler away when you're done with it?"

Jocelyn volunteers. Holding her ruler by her side, she calmly walks to the supply shelf and neatly places the ruler in the box marked "rulers."

"What do you notice about how Jocelyn put her ruler away?" Mr. Alonzo asks.

In the final step, the teacher engages the children in thinking through, modeling, and practicing how they will clean up materials, put them away, and access them independently at a later time. As in previous steps, it is the children who generate and model ideas.

Earlier in the year, Mr. Alonzo had already discussed with the children where and how the rulers are stored. He now trusts that Jocelyn can take the lead in reminding the class how to put the rulers away in their designated spot.

Goals of Guided Discovery

1. To excite children about classroom materials

2. To help children explore materials with confidence and imagination and build a repertoire of constructive ways to use the materials in their academic learning

3. To enable children to make independent and purposeful choices

4. To establish and teach norms and routines for the use, care, and storage of materials

Guided Discovery Benefits Learning

Guided Discovery has a deep impact on children's learning. Children get interested in classroom materials and learn how to use them creatively in their academic work. They have opportunities to stretch their thinking and work independently. Perhaps most importantly, children are at the center of the process. Every aspect of Guided Discovery encourages children to offer ideas, act on them, and share the results of their work with others, which stimulates everyone's thinking about future uses of the material.

is the author of Paula Denton The Power of Our Words and Learning Through Academic Choice and the co-author, with Roxann Kriete, of The First Six Weeks of School.

Lynn Bechtel is an editor and writer at NEFC.

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The fifth graders and their teacher, Mr. Lomax, sit in a circle. In front of Mr. Lomax is an array of five dictionaries. The largest dictionary has a worn leather cover and looks well-used. The rest of the dictionaries come in all sizes and shapes-two paperbacks, a bright red hardcover, and another hardcover that's a sedate gray.

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This is website that gives good ideas about how to launch your Hopes and Dreams lesson!

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How to set up hopes and dreams in the elementary classroom

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Hopes and Dreams in the elementary classroom What are your hopes and dreams for the school year? Do you dream of your students being happy? Safe? Optimistic? I dream that my students will come every day to class ready to learn, and to create a warm and safe environment to learn in.

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A recent post on Facebook for more ideas about books to use with hopes and dreams made me think about why some stories work so well to inspire children to think about what they want to accomplish in school and beyond.

I think it's because so many great picture books celebrate real or fictional characters meeting impossible odds or overcoming challenges. Hearing and discussing stories about persistence can help children understand why you are asking them to set a goal for their school year and why that goal is important.

Whenever I'm lucky enough to be at a children's bookstore around this time of year, I look for books that could be used to inspire children's setting of hopes and dreams. I recently got to spend some time at Children's Bookworld in Los Angeles, and discovered some new ideas:

Basketball Belles: How Two Teams and One Scrappy Player Put Women's Hoops on the Map written by Sue Macy and illustrated by Matt Collins. Agnes Morley's parents sent Agnes, who had been raised in the rough and tumble of a cattle ranch, to Stanford University in the hopes that she would finally become a lady. Instead, she discovered basketball and determinedly led her team to the first-ever women's college basketball championship.
You could use this book with upper elementary students (grades 4-6) to talk about the type of mindset and persistence it took for Agnes to succeed. You could then have them reflect in detail about what it will take to accomplish their hope or dream for the year. (And if you like this book, check out Tillie the Terrible Swede: How One Woman, a Sewing Needle, and a Bicycle Changed History by Sue Stauffacher and Sarah McMenemy.)

In Jim Henson, The Guy Who Played with Puppets, Kathleen Krull explores the life of someone whom children might actually know, at least through his work in creating the Muppets. Illustrated beautifully by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, the book explores how Henson persisted in trying to make a career from his love of puppets and entertaining despite doubts from his parents and others.
Upper elementary students (grades 4-6), who are beginning to feel and understand peer pressure at a deep level, will enjoy the story of his determination to be himself despite others not understanding his love of puppets . . . and how that determination led to his ultimate success. You could use the story to encourage students to choose a hope and dream based on their own passions and interests-what do they really want to learn or accomplish in the year ahead?

by Patrick McDonnell, is a beautiful and charming book. (Even if you don't read it for hopes and dreams, just read it!) In it, McDonnell tells about the childhood life of scientist and naturalist Jane Goodall. As a child, Jane played with her toy chimpanzee, Jubilee, and dreamed of a life taking care of and learning about animals. Of course, she more than fulfilled that dream, and younger children can't help but be drawn in and inspired by this book's simple message of the power of dreams and curiosity. Use it to launch their thinking about what dreams they have for the year ahead.

In a similar vein, The Little Plant Doctor: A Story about George Washington Carver, written by Jean Marzollo and illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max, looks at the childhood life of this great scientist. As a child, George was fascinated by plants and what made them grow. Conducting experiments on his and neighbors' plants led them to dub him "the little plant doctor."
Younger elementary students could easily relate to George's curiosity and love of nature. Students could appreciate how even at an early age, George had a love of learning and worked hard to do what he loved. Use this story to get students thinking about what they love about school and what they want to learn in the year ahead. Then explore what they will need to do to reach that goal.

I hope you enjoy these books and the read-alouds I recommended for hopes and dreams last year. Let us know what you're doing to make the hopes and dreams and rule-making process powerful for your students this year!

Tags: Hopes and Dreams/Learning Goals, Language Arts

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A recent post on Facebook for more ideas about books to use with hopes and dreams made me think about why some stories work so well to inspire children to think about what they want to accomplish in school and beyond.I think it's because so many great picture books celebrate real or fictional characters meeting impossible odds or overcoming challenges.

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I love the beginning of each school year with the coming of fresh new faces to excited to learn. Most of my students have been to kindergarten and come to first grade with some ideas and expectations about what they'll be doing there. But they also come with an eagerness to discover all the new things that first grade has to offer.

One of the ways I launch each school year is with the process of creating hopes and dreams (see lead article for an overview). In my classroom, the process takes several weeks and involves lessons in literacy and math along with learning about school expectations, classmates, and how we'll work together as a group.

I find that taking my time with this process is essential to making it meaningful for children this age. Before ever beginning a discussion of hopes and dreams, I take time to explore and expand children's ideas about what they'll be doing in first grade.

Reading books about school

During the first few weeks, we read and discuss books about first grade, school, friendships, and learning. Here are some of my personal favorites:

Leo the Late Bloomer by Robert Krauss
Franklin Goes to School by Paulette Bourgeois
My Friends by Taro Gomi
Friends at School by Rochelle Burnette
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse and
Chrysanthemum, both by Kevin Henkes

As we read and reflect on these stories, children expand their notions about school. They also begin to get to know one another and feel comfortable sharing their ideas in a group. Many of my students come to school with limited verbal skills. Reading and discussing books is a great way for them to build their vocabulary and get more comfortable expressing themselves verbally. Then when the time comes to share hopes and dreams, they can do so in a genuine way.

While reading these books about school, we also explore our school environment. During the first two weeks, we take whole-group tours of the school. We also tour each center in our classroom, visiting the math center, science/ social studies center, writing center, library area, listening center, and art cart. Students notice the supplies and materials found there and offer ideas about what kind of learning might take place at each center. We complete these classroom tours by choosing a good spot for each center's label.

Introducing hopes and dreams

Once students are comfortable with the classroom and their classmates, I begin the discussion of hopes and dreams. This conversation typically occurs over many days. I might begin by asking a general question about hopes, such as "What does it mean to hope for something?" or "Have you ever hoped for anything?"

Then I ask students to think specifically about what they hope for in first grade. Each day, five students respond while I record their words on chart paper. I feel it's important to keep this activity short, even though this means it takes a good four to five days to get everyone's input. Many six-year-olds have a hard time sitting for longer than fifteen minutes in the beginning of the year.

To integrate early literacy skills, I use a repeating pattern of text to record children's ideas. For example, I might write:

Mary said, "I hope I learn to read books."

Joey said, "I hope I learn to count to 100."

Anita said, "I hope I make lots of friends."

Each day we re-read the list as a group before adding more students' hopes until everyone has had a chance to contribute. In the process, students begin to recognize one another's names and common sight words.

"I hope I learn to ride a big bike"

I want children's hopes to be related to school and to be attainable. When introducing hopes and dreams, I ask students to think specifically about things they hope to do or accomplish this year in school.

Still, some children will need more guidance making their hope school-related. When a child expresses a hope such as wanting "to learn to ride a big bike" or for "my dad to come back soon," I acknowledge the importance of the hope and ask him/her to think of another hope that can be achieved in school. This is essential because these hopes and dreams will later become the springboard for creating classroom rules.

The beginnings of a quilt

Each year we create a bulletin board display of the children's hopes and dreams so that we can refer to them all year. Last year I decided to create a paper hopes and dreams quilt to hang over an old chalkboard we never use.

First, I laid butcher-block paper over long worktables for children to make first draft illustrations of their hopes for the year. As they drew, I wrote their sentences next to the illustrations and then asked them to point to the words and read the sentence with me. Later they did the same with a partner. The children enjoyed the process of working side-by-side with classmates and sharing their pictures and hopes informally with one another.

Next I cut a paper quilt square for each child and typed his/her sentence on it. When students received their squares, I asked them to read the sentence to themselves and to ask for help if they had trouble with any words. They then read their sentence aloud to the group. Because children had practiced reading to themselves first, they were able to read to the group quickly and confidently. Now the students were ready to do their final illustrations on their quilt squares.

Adding color and detail

Understanding that these pictures would be displayed in the classroom, children were eager to do their best work. This provided a good opportunity to talk about what it meant to do quality work. Students offered ideas about making the picture go with the words, making it colorful and detailed, and taking their time. As children worked, I moved from table to table, noticing and encouraging their efforts. As children finished, they shared their quilt piece with classmates.

The final step was to make the border for each quilt piece using shapes and patterns. This activity dovetailed nicely with our math curriculum. Children glued their quilt pieces onto the center of another paper square. They then created different patterns around the border using pattern blocks. Once they found a pattern they liked, they copied the pattern onto the border using crayons or colored pencils.

We placed the squares onto a large red sheet of butcher-block paper and proudly hung our quilt on the wall. The children had worked hard and had learned a lot about classmates, school expectations, working together, reading, writing, and shapes and patterns. We were well on our way to building a sense of community and ready now to create our classroom rules. That would be the work of the coming weeks.
Paula Stafford has been teaching first grade at Murphy School in Chicago, Illinois, for eight years. Prior to becoming a first grade teacher, she taught preschool and Head Start in southern California and Illinois.
Tags: Bulletin Boards, Hopes and Dreams/Learning Goals

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Hopes and Dreams in a Primary Classroom | Responsive Classroom

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I love the beginning of each school year with the coming of fresh new faces to excited to learn. Most of my students have been to kindergarten and come to first grade with some ideas and expectations about what they'll be doing there.

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By now you probably know how much I love children's books! Here are some that would be perfect for launching a discussion of hopes and dreams-the first step in the Responsive Classroom approach to creating classroom rules with students. Last winter I shared a few read-aloud ideas in a post about revisiting hopes and dreams in the new year. Any of those books would work equally well at the start of the year, and here are some more ideas:

The Gardener by Sarah Stewart, illustrated by David Small. During the Depression, Lydia Grace Finch is sent from her family's farm to live with her uncle, a baker, in the city. She uses her talent for gardening to beautify her new surroundings and bring a smile to the face of her hardworking uncle. Lydia brought seeds with her on the train; you could talk about children's hopes and dreams as being seeds that will grow as the year progresses.

Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum by Meghan McCarthy. With simple but engaging text and cartoon-style pictures, McCarthy tells the story of an accountant, Walter Diemer, who despite knowing "lots about math but not much about gum" went on to invent bubble gum. The book shows how he persisted despite early failures, and you could encourage your students to think about obstacles they might encounter in trying to meet their hopes and dreams-and how they will overcome those.

However you decide to launch your hopes and dreams process, be sure to make it as meaningful as possible for your students. Revisit students' goals throughout the year, help students make plans for how to accomplish them or assess progress, and make new hopes and dreams if need be.

Tags: Classroom Rules, Hopes and Dreams/Learning Goals, Middle of the Year, Revisiting Rules

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By now you probably know how much I love children's books! Here are some that would be perfect for launching a discussion of hopes and dreams-the first step in the Responsive Classroom approach to creating classroom rules with students. Last winter I shared a few read-aloud ideas in a post about revisiting hopes and dreams in the new year.

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In the Responsive Classroom approach, we often say that we start the year exploring hopes and dreams, or learning goals , with our students, but this exploration can only occur after we have established an initial rapport, a feeling of safety, and a sense of joy among our new class members. Regardless of grade level, there is no classroom management approach that will fix a classroom culture that does not include positive relationships and the celebration of each child's contributions to the learning community. We can engage in this work by creating space for students' motivations to surface and be affirmed by their community.
What Is a Hope, a Dream, or a Goal?
Helping students reflect on their motivations is very important because not all young people can distinguish among a hope, a dream, and a goal. In my second grade classroom, I define them as follows:

A hope is something within a person's grasp to achieve or experience-something they can reach with effort and support.

A dream is a big, audacious outcome that might take years to achieve, like becoming a professional athlete.

A goal is a hope with a plan that is directed toward the overarching dream of the student.

I've found that creating a chart and placing student offerings under each section without judgment helps them begin to understand these nuances. For some students, it can be very hard to figure out a hope or goal they can take responsibility for. To support them, I always allow the class to sleep on their thinking and come back to look at their hopes, dreams, and goals from a fresh perspective the next day.
Helping Students Set Achievable Goals
Although SMART goals are explicitly introduced in our middle school approach, those of us who teach in earlier grades need to be aware of the qualities of effective goals in order to provide gentle guidance for our young students and leverage the impact of this process.

In the working paper "Understanding Motivation: Building the Brain Architecture That Supports Learning, Health, and Community Participation" (2018), the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child states, "Kids are motivated to work toward achievable goals." This is why it's important for teachers to help students take the big, audacious dream and identify smaller steps that a child of that age can realistically reach for.

This does not mean that goals and hopes should be too easily achieved. Fifty years of study have shown that the more specific and challenging a goal is, the more energizing and animating its effect (Locke and Latham 2002). There is a sweet spot where the student must stretch to reach for a goal that can be possible for them to attain with your support.
The Power of Including Families
Having students communicate a goal to someone they respect or care about increases their motivation and leads to increased realization of their goals. This is why I began the practice of having students take a copy of their goals home and sharing these with their parents or guardians.

This year, I'm planning a post-COVID Hopes and Dreams event where I invite parents into the classroom so their children will have the opportunity to share their goals for the year and perhaps explain how they came to these specific social, academic, or behavioral benchmarks of progress. Every child wants to succeed as a person and as a learner.
A Few Tips for Helping Students Set Goals

Guiding the process without inserting your own adult expectations allows students to envision authentic pathways toward their own desires and plants the seeds of belief in their ability to reach their dreams, which is so important for resilience.

Taking time to allow these personal motivations to take shape in the minds and hearts of our students ensures that they begin to take ownership of them.

Scaffolding students to creatively record their hopes, dreams, and goals in writing (or pictures for our younger students) increases their usefulness as anchors for effort, decision-making, focus, and self-control across the school year.

More excellent tips can be found in " Setting Goals, Hopes, and Dreams: Connecting Students to the Community .

By intentionally facilitating the practice of goal setting and acting as coaches supporting students in achieving those goals across the year, we are slowly establishing a life practice that will reap benefits for every child not only in their academic journey, but also as they age and tackle the larger challenges of livelihood, health, family, and social responsibilities.
Christine Lewis is a teaching and learning strategist in Maryland and a consulting teacher for Center for Responsive Schools. References
Locke, Edwin A., and Gary P. Latham. 2002. "Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goal Setting and Task Motivation: A 35-Year Odyssey." American Psychologist 57, no. 9: 705-717.

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. 2018. "Understanding Motivation: Building the Brain Architecture That Supports Learning, Health, and Community Participation." Working Paper No. 14. Retrieved from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/understanding-motivation-building-the-brain-architecture-that-supports-learning-health-and-community-participation/ .

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The Importance of Setting Purposeful Goals With Students

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Having students set goals early in the school year is a critical part of their academic journey. Learn more about how you can support them in setting purposeful goals.

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Six months ago, a second grader at Roundtown Elementary, a K-3 school in York, Pennsylvania, brought a simple idea to a whole-school assembly-to place a bench on the playground for students who feel lonely and want someone to play with-and the story went viral.

First, the "buddy bench" idea was featured in a local newspaper. From there, it caught the attention of major media outlets and Facebook users. Now, over 300 schools across the country have brought a buddy bench to their playgrounds.

Principal Matt Miller still receives almost daily inquiries from school leaders across the country seeking answers to these questions: How did you create a school culture that enabled this to happen? What's the key to your success?

"While the media has focused on the bench itself, this is really a story about empowering students, about creating a culture where students' ideas are encouraged and celebrated," says Miller. "At our school, this is a culture that we have deliberately built using the Responsive Classroom approach. What happened here isn't unusual in our school. It's about having a culture where student ideas are honored. And it all begins with hopes and dreams."

Starting the Year With Hopes and Dreams

As at many schools using the Responsive Classroom approach, every school year at Roundtown begins with students naming their most important goal, or " hope and dream," for the year.

During the first few days of school, this process takes place in all twenty-five classrooms. Teachers ask students to reflect on their school successes and challenges from the prior year and name the things they're looking forward to accomplishing this year. Next, students select their most important goal for the coming school year and create a classroom display of the class's "hopes and dreams."

The hopes and dreams serve not only as a constant reminder of the purpose of school, but also as the basis for creating classroom rules. The teacher asks, "If Olivia wants to learn to read chapter books and Essam wants to learn long division and Lalia wants to make new friends, what rules will we need so that we have a classroom where everyone can work well together and achieve their hopes and dreams?"

Buddy Bench Began as a Hope and Dream

The idea of a buddy bench at Roundtown actually started as the "hope and dream" of a first grader who had visited Germany and seen a buddy bench in action. His hope and dream was for students to have "someone to walk and talk with or play with if they're feeling sad or lonely."

Encouraged by his classroom teacher, the student brought the idea to Miller. After much discussion among the principal, staff, and the student about how this would work and what would need to be in place to make it successful, they decided to try it out the following fall. The kick-off began with the now second grade student explaining at an all-school meeting how the buddy bench would work.

"This all started because a child was invited to name his hope and dream for the school year and a teacher helped that child make that hope and dream come true," reflects Miller. "Sharing hopes and dreams is part of the rule-creation process, but in our community, it's really so much more than that. It's about sharing ideas, risk-taking, and pursuing passions. It's about creating hope and always looking for ways to make ourselves and our school better."

Hopes and Dreams Are for Adults, Too

It's not only the students at Roundtown who name their hopes and dreams.

Every year before students arrive, Miller leads staff members as they name their most important hope and dream for the school year. "It's a way to set a positive tone for the year and build the adult community," says Miller. "It also serves as a model for what every teacher will do with students, and as with the students, it serves as a springboard for discussing our adult rules."

Once staff members have articulated and shared their goals, Miller prominently displays their hopes and dreams for the whole community-students, families, and staff-to see. Many families stop to read the bulletin board, lingering especially at the hopes and dreams of their children's teachers.

Creating a Shared Sense of Purpose

At the end of the first week of school, Miller meets with every class to "receive" their hopes and dreams for the school year. "It sends a powerful message when the principal takes the time to review what every student in the school hopes to accomplish," says Miller.

Each class brings a chart listing all their hopes and dreams when they meet with Miller in the all-school meeting room. Eventually, twenty-five charts cover the walls, where they remain for the entire year.

After everyone sings a song or reads a story together, Miller reviews the hopes and dreams and chooses a few to highlight. For instance, he might begin, "I see that Sarah wants to learn her numbers to 100 and Devony wants to learn how to use paints. Who else wants to paint and learn more numbers?"

With older grades, Miller might point out the hopes and dreams of a younger class. "Take a look at some of the hopes and dreams of the kindergarten class," Miller might say. "Do you remember when you were in kindergarten and wanted to accomplish these things? You've learned so much in just a few years. Now that you're in third grade, let's see what your hopes and dreams are for the year."

"What all the activities surrounding hopes and dreams are about is creating a shared sense of purpose," says Miller. "The message is 'we are here for a reason and we all have important work to do.' "

At Roundtown, as at every other school that uses hopes and dreams, this message sets the stage for a positive and productive year of learning, where risk-taking is encouraged and each individual voice matters. This is the kind of school where great ideas are born and aspirations are realized every single year. And it all begins with hopes and dreams.
Matt Miller has been the principal at Roundtown Elementary School in York, Pennsylvania, since 2009. Previously, he served as the assistant principal at Hayshire Elementary School, also in York. He was a second grade teacher for eight years before that. Matt is currently working toward a doctoral degree in education at Immaculata University.
Tags: Getting Started with RC, Hopes and Dreams/Learning Goals

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Six months ago, a second grader at Roundtown Elementary, a K-3 school in York, Pennsylvania, brought a simple idea to a whole-school assembly-to place a bench on the playground for students who feel lonely and want someone to play with-and the story went viral.First, the "buddy bench" idea was featured in a local newspaper.

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Setting Goals, Hopes, and Dreams: Connecting Students to the Community

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Watching a student show up to school each day excited to learn is one of the great joys of teaching. We give our students that spark when we help them Read More "

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Hopes and Dreams Article (Including info for Specials Teachers!)

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"What are your hopes and dreams for the school year?"

Many teachers ask this question in the first weeks of school to help students get excited about learning and make a personal connection to what they will learn in school. Inviting students to name learning goals (hopes and dreams) right away shows them that school is a safe place, that they're important members of the classroom, and that they can look forward to an engaging, challenging, and fun year of learning. Establishing this classroom tone is one of the most important things to do at the beginning of the year.

The process of articulating hopes and dreams varies depending on the students' grade level and the teacher's style. Below are ideas for various grade ranges and special area teachers.

Grades K-2

Young students often need some school experience before they can start thinking about what they want to learn and do in school. Allow students to familiarize themselves with the new routine of school for the first couple days (or first week for kindergartners and first graders) before you help them establish learning goals.

After that initial settling-in period, invite the children to think about their hopes and dreams. Here's one approach to doing this with these young students:

Ask students, "Why do we come to school?" If they give a broad answer such as "to learn," help them stretch their thinking: "What can we learn in school?" Write down their ideas. They might say "To do things like write," "I think we will learn science stuff," or "To make friends."

The next day, ask students to reflect on their list of reasons for coming to school, and then help them think about specific learning goals. To guide them, say, "Today we're going to make another list. What are some of your hopes and dreams for the year?" Give examples of your own hopes and dreams, such as "This year, I hope our classroom will be a place where all of you find enjoyment and get to work at things that really matter to you." With this guidance, even students this young can turn a vague statement about why people come to school, such as "To do things like write," into a realistic learning goal: "I want to learn to write a story."

Over the next few days, continue to list students' ideas as they share. Keep each brainstorming session short, about five to ten minutes. Stretching this process over several days gives ideas a chance to percolate and sends the message that sorting out learning goals is important work, not something to rush.

If any goals seem unrealistic, coach students in rethinking. For example, if a student says "I want to read all the books in the library," you can respond with "Sounds like you want to do a lot of reading this year. Can I write that down as your goal?"

By the following week, everyone should be ready to choose one learning goal that's most important to them. Have students write down and illustrate that goal (with help from you and other adults in the room as needed).

By the end of that week, students can share their learning goal with the class. Post students' hopes and dreams on the classroom bulletin board for all to see.

Grades 3-4

To help students get enthusiastic about school right away, invite them to begin thinking about their hopes and dreams early in the first week of school. The challenge is to help them set learning goals that they truly care about and can realistically achieve in school this year. Here's one way to do this:

At the end of the first day, introduce students to learning goals in closing circle-a daily gathering before dismissal that helps students end the day on a positive note and feel energized about their learning. Going around the circle, ask students, "What's one thing you enjoyed about your first day of school?" and "What's something you're looking forward to tomorrow?" Then ask students to spend a few minutes that night thinking about what they want to learn and do in school this year.

Over the next couple days, help students brainstorm learning goals in short sessions, spreading this brainstorming over the course of the week to give them time to come up with lots of ideas. You might want to have students use a worksheet to help them come up with a goal that's achievable and meaningful. Start off the first session by sharing your own hopes and dreams. For example, you might say, "I hope our class grows into a safe and strong learning community."

Coach students who list goals that may be too broad or unrealistic for the school year. For example, if a student says "I want to be a professional musician," discuss the skills and habits needed to reach such a long-term goal and choose one that's realistic to focus on this year. For example, musicians need stick-to-itiveness, and an attainable school-year goal related to that might be "to keep trying even when something is difficult."

By the end of the first week, students should be ready to choose one goal to illustrate and share with the class. Display everyone's hopes and dreams on the classroom bulletin board for all to see.

Grades 5-6

Students in grades 5 and 6 are ready to set realistic, meaningful learning goals right from the start of school. Students this age are also ready for the additional challenge of stating one goal having to do with academic learning and one having to do with social relationships. Here's one way to help them do this:

On the second day of school, introduce students to learning goals in the Morning Meeting message, such as "This week we will think about our learning goals. What are some of your hopes and dreams for this school year? Try to think of both what you want to learn in different subjects and how you want to work with others." To guide students, state your own hopes and dreams. Be sure you also touch on both academic and social learning in your statement. For example, you might include in the message "I really hope everyone will feel safe, take care of each other, and be thinking workers."

Have a brief coaching conference with students who list goals that are too broad or unrealistic. For example, if a student says "I hope I get to play video games all day," you can help turn it into an attainable goal such as "to learn all that I can about computers this year."

By the end of the first week (or beginning of the second week), ask students to choose one social and one academic learning goal that is most important to them to write down and illustrate. Display everyone's hopes and dreams on the classroom bulletin board and give the class time to read what classmates have shared.

Special Area Teachers

Like other teachers, special area teachers can have students name learning goals for the year. This step establishes a sense of purpose and anticipation for the work students will do in the special area room.

Start by articulating your own hopes and dreams for this year. For example, you might say, "This year, I hope that we have the kind of [special area] classroom where students can be really creative, take some risks, and try new skills. I hope you all enjoy [special area] and look forward to coming each week."

Next, prompt students to think about their own learning goals by saying, "Now think about your hopes and dreams for this year in [special area]. What are some of your goals? What are some things you might like to learn?"

Special area teachers find many different ways for students to share their hopes and dreams. For example:

One physical education teacher has each student write their learning goal for PE on a paper basketball, which they then display on the "Hoops and Dreams" wall.

A music teacher fills his room with pictures of children playing an instrument, dancing, singing, or engaging in various other musical pursuits-students' illustrations of their musical hopes and dreams for the year.

Supporting a Key Goal of the First Weeks of School

One of our most important goals in the first weeks of school is to help students trust that school will be a place where their ideas matter and where the learning is meaningful. Guiding them in naming their learning goals for the year is a powerful way to meet this goal. Time spent on this activity is an investment that reaps benefits for months to come.

A Prelude to Rules

Besides setting a tone of purposeful learning, inviting students to articulate their learning goals for the year is also an important first step in co-creating classroom rules with students.

For example, after students share their goals with the class, you might say, "You've had a chance to read everyone's hopes and dreams. Let's start thinking of some rules that can help us work together really well and allow everyone to reach their goals." Next you would consolidate the ideas students name into a manageable list that will serve as the classroom rules for the year.

Even if you're planning to use existing rules-ones shared by your team, grade level, or whole school-you'll still want to ask students to articulate their hopes and dreams so you can talk with them about how these rules enable them to achieve their goals. When you connect students' goals to the rules like this, no matter where the rules come from, you help students see rules as positive guidelines that create a safe, supportive classroom in which they can do their best learning.

Learn More About the First Weeks of School

Creating learning goals is just one strategy for making the early weeks of school a highly fruitful time of year. To learn many others, see The First Six Weeks of School, 2nd edition. You'll find practical ideas that enable you to:

Create a climate of warmth, inclusion, and safety.

Teach classroom routines and behavior expectations.

Help students get to know and care for the classroom and school environment.

Establish expectations for academic work.

For more information on learning goals, how they connect to classroom rules, and other important strategies for a successful beginning to the school year, you can also check out Rules in School: Teaching Discipline in the Responsive Classroom.
(an adapted excerpt from The First Six Weeks of School, 2nd edition)
Tags: First Day of School, Hopes and Dreams/Learning Goals, Special Areas

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Inviting students to name learning goals (hopes and dreams) right away shows them that school is a safe place, that they're important members of the classroom, and that they can look forward to an engaging, challenging, and fun year of learning.

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We all know students who seem to give up quickly and appeal for our help, even when the task is appropriately challenging, or students who are reluctant to even start a task that seems challenging and instead opt to sit and wait until we check in with them. These behaviors can halt progress and feel frustrating for both students and teacher.
Clearly, students don't always come to school knowing how to move from "This is too hard" to "This may take some time and effort but I can do it." That means we need to teach them strategies such as positive self-talk, taking a couple of deep breaths to calm themselves and then returning to work, choosing a different approach, or asking a partner a clarifying question.

Interactive Modeling is a powerful Responsive Classroom practice used to teach students the skills, strategies, and procedures they need for success in school. You can use Interactive Modeling to show students how to use a paintbrush, sound out words, or take care of the class pet. And you can also use it to teach them higher level academic skills and behaviors, such as how to persevere through challenging academic work.

Modeling Perseverance Strategies

As the following examples for primary and upper elementary grades show, Interactive Modeling is a good way to teach students how to persevere because it shows them what perseverance looks and sounds like and gives them immediate opportunities for supported practice.

Interactive Modeling is a straightforward, seven-step process used to teach children skills, strategies, or procedures that you want them to do in a specific way.

1. Briefly state what you will model, and why.

2. Model the behavior exactly as you expect students to do it. (Don't narrate unless you need to "show" an internal thinking process.)

3. Ask students what they noticed. Prompt them to notice essential details.

4. Invite one or more students to model the same way you did.

5. Again, ask students what they noticed.

6. Have all students practice.

7. Provide feedback.

To learn more, see Interactive Modeling: A Powerful Technique for Teaching Children.

Primary Grades Example

1. Say what you're going to model and why. "Remember when we played 'Rumpelstiltskin' at Morning Meeting today? That's a fun game, but it's also kind of hard. And you figured out how to help yourselves through the hard parts. Sometimes our schoolwork is challenging, too. And just as you figured out how to help yourself during 'Rumpelstiltskin,' it's important to learn how to help yourself when you feel frustrated with your work. I'm going to show you one way to help yourself when your work feels hard."

2. Model the behavior. "Watch what I do and say as I try to figure out how to understand this math problem." The teacher models reading a short problem and beginning to draw a picture to visualize it. Then he gives the sign (a finger pointing to his head) that he's going to do a think-aloud: "This is that kind of problem we've been doing where a number is missing. I don't know how to draw this and I'm frustrated." He takes a few deep breaths. "OK. I feel calmer. I can figure this out. Maybe I can use cubes instead of drawing."

3. Ask students what they noticed. "What did you notice me do when I got stuck on my work?" The students name what they saw and heard. The teacher prompts them if they missed anything important.

4. Invite a student to model. "Jocelyn, can you model taking a couple of deep breaths and talking to yourself in a calm way? Watch Jocelyn and notice what she does."

5. Again, ask students what they noticed. "What did you notice Jocelyn do when she got stuck?" Students name what they heard and saw.

6. Have all students practice. "As you work on your math tasks, pay attention to any times that the work feels hard. Then think about what you saw and heard when Jocelyn and I got stuck. After math, we'll talk about how you helped yourself. Sometimes, you'll still need my help, and that's OK too."

7. Provide feedback. As students work on their math, the teacher checks in with them. When he sees them using a calming strategy, he reinforces their behavior: "Amir, it looks like you took a deep breath and tried the problem a different way. You're remembering what we practiced!" And if he sees a student struggling, he reminds them what to try if they're stuck.

At the end of math class, he asks reflection questions: "Did any parts of math feel hard today?" "What did you try when math felt hard?" "How did that feel?"

Upper Elementary Grades Example

1. Say what you're going to model and why. "Challenging work can be exciting and can help us learn, but it can also feel frustrating. I'm going to show you a strategy to use when you get stuck on a problem so that you can keep going and feel successful, even if it's hard."

2. Model the behavior. "Watch what I do and say as I work on this math problem." The teacher models beginning a math problem and then gives the sign (a finger pointing to her head) that she's going to do a think-aloud. "Hmmm, this doesn't seem to make sense. Ugh, I get so frustrated when stuff doesn't make sense." She takes a couple of deep breaths. "This feels hard but that's OK. I'll reread it slowly out loud this time." She then returns to the problem.

3. Ask students what they noticed. "What did you notice about how I worked on that problem?" The teacher listens as students name what they saw and heard. She prompts them if they missed the self-talk she used to get through the tough part.

4. Invite one or more students to model. "Who would like to demonstrate taking a couple of calming breaths and using positive self-talk, just as I did?"

5. Ask students what they noticed. "What did you notice Marcus do as he worked on the problem?" The teacher takes a few observations then digs deeper: "How will doing this help Marcus?" she asks.

6. Have all students practice. "Now we're going to continue working on math problems. As you work, pay attention to any time that you struggle and remember what you saw and heard. During our reflection later, you'll have a chance to share what you did to work through the challenging parts."

7. Provide feedback. The teacher checks in with students as they work and reinforces their positive efforts; when they seem stuck, she reminds them what to try. At the end of class, she asks a few reflection questions: "What helped you today when you were stuck?" "What will you try tomorrow if something is challenging?"

Supporting Students as They Use the New Strategies

Once you've done the initial teaching through Interactive Modeling, students will need continuing opportunities to practice using perseverance strategies. Here are some ways you can support them.

Display the strategies. Try creating anchor charts listing the strategies you've modeled. One chart might list all the strategies; another might list a few key details about one of the strategies, such as phrases students could use in their self-talk.

Use positive teacher language. Reinforcing language lets students know what they're doing well so they can continue to make improvements. And before students begin challenging work, reminding language helps them remember what they can do to help themselves. Here are some examples to get you started:

An Empowering Message

Teaching students how to persevere when they feel stuck sends them an empowering message: that they can grow to be independent and confident learners. Using Interactive Modeling to teach perseverance strategies lets students observe exactly how to use the strategies, practice right away, and receive immediate feedback on their efforts. That clarity and immediacy will help ensure their success in learning how to work through difficulties not just in their schoolwork but in other challenging classroom situations as well.

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Teaching Perseverance? Try Interactive Modeling | Responsive Classroom

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We all know students who seem to give up quickly and appeal for our help, even when the task is appropriately challenging, or students who are reluctant to even start a task that seems challenging and instead opt to sit and wait until we check in with them.

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Interactive Modeling is a straightforward, quickly paced process that's effective for teaching children any academic or social skill, routine, or procedure that you want them to do in a specific way (whether for safety, efficiency, or other reasons). One of the essential practices of the Responsive Classroom approach to teaching elementary school children, Interactive Modeling can be used by any adult anywhere in school at any time of year.

How Interactive Modeling Differs from Traditional Modeling

In traditional modeling, the teacher shows children how to do a skill, routine, or procedure, tells them what to notice, and expects that they will learn it immediately. Interactive Modeling also shows children how to do skills, routines, or procedures, but it goes well beyond that basic step. Students also:

Learn exactly why the skill, routine, or procedure is important to their learning and the respectful, smooth functioning of the classroom.

Are asked what they noticed about the teacher's modeling (rather than told by their teacher what to notice).

See a few classmates additionally model the routine or procedure after the teacher's initial modeling.

Practice the routine or procedure right away.

Receive immediate feedback and coaching from their teacher while they practice.

Why Interactive Modeling Is More Effective than Traditional Modeling

The distinctive steps of Interactive Modeling incorporate key elements of effective teaching: modeling positive behaviors, engaging students in active learning, and immediately assessing their understanding. Research shows that when we teach in this way, children achieve greater, faster, and longer-lasting success in meeting expectations and mastering skills.

With Interactive Modeling, children create clear, positive mental images of what is expected of them. They do the noticing themselves, which builds up their powers of observation and their analysis and communication skills. In addition, because they get immediate practice, they gain quicker expertise and stronger mastery of the procedure or skill being taught.

Interactive Modeling Steps for Elementary School

1. Briefly state what you will model, and why.

2. Model the behavior exactly as you expect students to do it (the right way, not the wrong way, and without describing what you're doing unless you need to "show" a thinking process).

3. Ask students what they noticed. (You may need to do some prompting, but children soon notice every little detail, especially as they gain expertise with this practice.)

4. Invite one or more students to model the same way you did.

5. Again, ask students what they noticed the modelers doing.

6. Have all students model while you observe and coach them.

7. Provide feedback, naming specific, positive actions you notice and redirecting respectfully but clearly when students go off track.

Interactive Modeling Steps for Middle School

1. Describe what you will model and why.

2. Model while students notice.

3. Give students the opportunity to collaborate and practice.

4. Reinforce their practice with immediate feedback.

What You Can Teach Using Interactive Modeling

Here are just a few examples:
Academic & Social Skills

Listening and responding to questions

Working with a partner or small group

Using technology and other resources

Taking part in a whole-group discussion

Test-prep procedures

Procedures & Routines

Arrival and dismissal routines

Cleaning up

Lunch, recess, and bathroom routines

Schoolwide assembly procedures

Transitions from one classroom/activity to another

How Long Interactive Modeling Takes

An Interactive Modeling lesson to demonstrate lining up, for example, may take only three or four minutes. A more involved lesson, such as teaching children how to partner chat, might take twenty minutes.

This modest investment saves you time in the long run. That's because children gain mastery more quickly and are thus able to spend much more time on task. You'll have less confusion in the classroom and fewer interruptions because children will not need to ask you or peers over and over what to do. As a result, you'll have more time for teaching-and children will have more time to complete their work and to learn.

How Much Time You Gain

A little time spent on teaching students exactly how you want them to do things will pay big dividends throughout the year. Say you lose a few minutes every hour to repeating instructions and dealing with interruptions. That can add up to twenty or thirty minutes of lost instructional and work time each day-2½ hours each week. That's 100 lost hours every school year! Think of what you could do with that time. Think of what your students could do.

What It Looks and Sounds like in Action

In a fifth grade classroom, Mrs. K wants the students to understand how to work productively during independent work time. She teaches this Interactive Modeling lesson:

1. Say what you will model and why.
Mrs. K: "Our goal is for everyone to do high-quality work during independent work time. Watch how Carlos and I work hard on our assignment and let others do the same."

2. Model the behavior.
Mrs. K and Carlos (coached in advance) demonstrate how to work on a research assignment at the same table. They work quietly, but to show that it's okay to talk, they each exchange one fact from their research, briefly and in low voices. Then they get right back to work.

3. Ask students what they noticed.
Mrs. K: "What did you notice?" Her students note the key elements of the demonstration, such as how Carlos and Mrs. K stayed in their seats, worked quietly, and talked in low voices for only a short time. Mrs. K prompts students to name any key behaviors they missed. For example: "What did we do with our papers and other materials?"

4. Invite one or more students to model.
Mrs. K chooses four more students, who demonstrate how to work independently at the same table just as she and Carlos did.

5. Again, ask students what they noticed.
Mrs. K: "What did you notice this time?" Her students point out the key elements, just as they did in Step 3, helping to reinforce these behaviors for themselves. Again, she prompts them if they miss any key behaviors.

6. Have all students practice.
Mrs. K gives all her students a short survey to work on so she can observe and coach them.

7. Provide feedback.
Mrs. K: "I see everyone focused on the survey, working quietly. That kind of focus will help you and your classmates complete your assignments and learn a lot this year."

Popular Articles about Interactive Modeling

Interested in more articles on this topic? Check out:

Further Resources

For a deeper dive into Interactive Modeling, we have a variety of books available, including:

We also offer free elementary school and middle school Interactive Modeling Planning Guides.

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Interactive Modeling is a straightforward process for teaching children a skill, routine, or procedure you want them to do in a specific way.

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Interactive Modeling is a straightforward and effective technique for showing students exactly how to meet expectations for any routine or skill that needs to be done in one specific way. You can use Interactive Modeling for school and classroom routines such as responding to a signal and walking in line , and it is an equally powerful tool for teaching academic skills. The technique's combination of modeling, noticing, and reinforcing gives students a clear mental image of the academic behavior, helps them notice important details about it, and immediately gives them opportunities to practice and receive teacher feedback.

For developmental reasons, the steps for Interactive Modeling are different in elementary school and middle school (you can find steps for both age levels ), but the overall principles remain the same. When implementing Interactive Modeling to support students in an academic endeavor, remember to make a plan, keep instructions straightforward, and follow up with productive feedback.

Make a Plan

Interactive Modeling works best when you prepare beforehand by considering these questions:

What specifically do I want my students to learn and practice? Reflecting on this question might lead you to the conclusion that a different strategy is more effective for the particular academic segment you are considering, especially if you are struggling to make the skill or concept specific enough to model.

What do I want my students to notice while I model? Deciding beforehand what you want students to notice ensures that students will have all the information they need to successfully practice. This also helps you catch if students are missing an important element of the modeling. If they do miss something, direct their attention directly to the element they are missing, rather than making it a guessing game: "What did you see me do before I used the ruler?"

What language can I use to reinforce students during practice? Brainstorming language in advance will help you provide effective feedback in the moment. In place of generic statements like "Good job making patterns," you can target the focus of the Interactive Modeling: "I am noticing people switching colors to create AB patterns."

Keep It Straightforward

Use Interactive Modeling to teach an academic skill or concept in which there is one way you want students to demonstrate their learning. Choose something that students will understand when they see you model it and something you can provide clear feedback about when it is the students' turn to practice. When choosing the focus of your Interactive Modeling, here are three things to keep in mind:

Choose a skill with a clear focus. The focus of your Interactive Modeling will be something you want all students to do the same way; modeling something open ended won't work. For example, modeling for students how to create an AB pattern will be much more successful than modeling how to create a pattern in general.

Avoid modeling multistep skills. Similarly, modeling a multistep process will not set students up for success. For example, trying to teach students long division using Interactive Modeling will invariably leave them frustrated or overwhelmed. Modeling a strategy for how to appropriately align digits to multiply two large numbers, however, is a specific enough focus that students can understand it when they see it modeled, practice it independently, and receive productive feedback.

Make sure learning doesn't get lost in the process of modeling. Sometimes when Interactive Modeling focuses on a strategy for how to learn, students can get too focused on that strategy at the expense of actual learning. For example, let's say you decide to use Interactive Modeling to teach your students how to do a Museum Walk to learn more about photosynthesis. When it's time to practice the Museum Walk, you notice that getting all the steps of the Museum Walk right is more of a priority for students than learning about photosynthesis. This is why it is important to figure out what learning you want to prioritize and to remove other, less important, steps from what you are modeling.

Follow Up With Productive Feedback

The final step of the elementary school version of Interactive Modeling is to "provide feedback," while the final step of the middle school version is to "reinforce students' practice with immediate feedback." There is a reason both versions end on such similar steps: using reinforcing language to let students know the ways they were successful in practicing what they saw modeled is what helps them solidify their learning. Effective feedback sets students up to be more successful the next time you ask them to perform the same academic strategy in the future.

Here are some sentence stems you can use to make productive feedback a key characteristic of your teacher language during Interactive Modeling:

"I'm noticing that we all remembered to . . ."

"Practicing the strategy this way really helped you be successful with . . ."

"I see that we remembered how to thoughtfully . . ."

"The way you did___ really helped you___."

"You were able to successfully ___ because ___."

"You demonstrated ___ exactly the way that it was modeled."

Further Resources

When Interactive Modeling is planned in advance, has an appropriate focus, and offers students effective feedback, it can be a powerful tool for helping students actively engage in learning and attain success with academic skills and concepts. Get started with your planning today with our Interactive Modeling Planning Guides for elementary school and middle school . Or learn more about how you can use Interactive Modeling in your classroom with Interactive Modeling , The Language of Learning , Make Learning Meaningful , and The Joyful Classroom .

Jane Cofie is the director of curriculum and instruction for Center for Responsive Schools and the author of the book Strengthening the Parent-Teacher Partnership

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Using Interactive Modeling for Academic Learning

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Interactive Modeling is a powerful strategy for helping students actively engage in learning and attain success with academic skills and concepts.

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It's the time of the year when middle school students are more comfortable with their learning community. They know what the expectations are. They know where their classes are. They are familiar with the flow of the school day. It's also the time of year when I begin noticing challenging behaviors begin to emerge that are a direct result of this increased comfort.

Challenging Behaviors

As my students get more settled into their environment, I tend to see an uptick in off-topic conversations during class, as well as a pattern of students who usually pass work in on time struggling to finish assignments. Even when it is not the student's intention, behaviors like these can come across as:

Defiant

Apathetic, lazy, or disinterested

Careless or irresponsible

It's important to remember that many of these behaviors are developmentally normal. For example, a seventh grader talking in class is to be expected according to common developmental patterns. That doesn't mean that the behavior isn't challenging or that it doesn't need to be addressed; however, cracking open Yardsticks to understand where my students are developmentally helps me prepare for and contextualize these behaviors rather than overreact in the moment.

Ways to Navigate These Challenges

Below are tools I use to support my students through this time of year and address any behavior issues that pop up.

Observe Students

One key difference between the beginning of the year and now is that I know my students better. As I observe them, I look for patterns, trends, or shifts in what I know about their behavior. If I notice any major changes, I ask myself a few questions:

Is this developmentally appropriate behavior?

Is this disrupting classroom relationships, or is it only bothering me?

Is there some factor-such as an assignment they are struggling to understand or a new friend group-that could be facilitating this challenging new behavior?

Answering these questions helps me plan for how to address the issue.

Respond in a Way That Keep Students' Dignity

Middle school students are in a developmental phase where they are easily embarrassed and where their peers' opinions matter a lot. Publicly pointing out missteps and mistakes can create the opposite result of what is intended. Handle behaviors privately when possible.

One way I keep behavior issues private is through problem-solving conferences. A problem-solving conference is a strategy for addressing one persistent problem involving one student by helping them identify the problem, take responsibility for it, and brainstorm solutions for it. These conferences are meant to be a collaboration, so it is important both that a relationship between the adult and student already exists and that the teacher asks for permission to hold the conference. These are not quick conversations, so I make sure to plan the conference ahead of time and figure out a time of day that works for both the student and me.

Use Teacher Language

Two types of teacher language are critical tools in supporting students through difficult midyear behaviors:

1. I use reminding language to help my students reconnect with the expectations for their learning environment. For example, before starting a new small-group project, I will say to my students, "Before we begin, I want to remind everyone about the expectations for group work." Or I give them the opportunity to state the expectations themselves by saying something like, "We are about to head to an assembly. Who can remind me about the expectations for the auditorium?"

2. Open-ended questions are a great way to offer students support without making them feel like they are being penalized. For example, if a student has fallen behind on an in-class assignment, rather than pointing out to them, "You're not done" or "You need to finish this," I ask them a question such as "How can I help you get back on track?" or "It looks like we have fifteen minutes left in the class period. What can you complete in that time?" This reframe empowers students to take ownership over their learning by brainstorming solutions.

As you use the strategies above to help your students navigate the inevitable bumps in the road that are particular to this time of year, remember that your greatest tool is empathy. Approaching each situation with curiosity and a desire to understand where the student is coming from will help you figure out the best way to address any difficult behavior and help that student find success.

Dr. Joe Tilley is the Responsive Classroom research manager.

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Navigating Challenging Middle School Behaviors in the Second Half of the Year

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Help middle school students navigate challenges unique to the second half of the school year using reminding language, open-ended questions, and problem-solving conferences.

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February is a good time to take stock of the strategies you use to address behavior issues in your classroom. The months you have already spent with your students have provided you with valuable knowledge about what behavior strategies will be most effective for them, while the months ahead give you the opportunity to effectively support your students engaging in thorny behaviors as they prepare for the next grade.

Below you will find descriptions and further resources regarding some of the most important Responsive Classroom practices for responding to challenging behaviors and misbehaviors from your students, along with articles and other resources to support . As you read through, take some time to consider which strategies might be best for your classroom.
Role-Play
Role-play is a strategy in which, under the guidance of a teacher, students take the role of characters facing critical decisions to practice making behavioral choices in complex situations. The teacher stops the narrative at a point at which a behavior decision needs to be made so that students can brainstorm and discuss different options. From there, students act out some of the choices, pausing between actions to discuss what they noticed. The goal is to proactively prepare children for complex situations and to build their capability to independently choose and carry out positive behaviors.

Read more about how role-play fits into the Responsive Classroom approach to discipline:

"Breathing New Life I nto the Rules"-"Consider revisiting Responsive Classroom practices such as Interactive Modeling or role-play to support students in practicing and reexamining what the rules look like, sound like, and feel like in action . . . role-play provide[s] opportunities to refresh and strengthen skills, procedures, and routines . . . [and] strengthens students' repertoire of handling social situations in positive ways."

"Teaching Self-Calming Skills"-"Each day, at a time when the student is calm, ask her to role-play what she looks/acts like when she is frustrated or anxious . . . To make the practice most effective, have the student do the role-play in the area of the classroom she's most likely to go when she's actually upset, such as the reading area or beanbag chair."

"What Kind of Teacher Are You? A Question Revisited"-"After a year of virtual learning, many students are also struggling with self-control. Using Morning Meeting, classroom rules and routines, logical consequences, and role-play helps students develop these skills, whether they are back in the classroom or still at home online."

Try out our Role-Play Planning Guide and C ommunication Role-Play script to get started today!
Problem-Solving Conferences
A problem-solving conference is a strategy for addressing one persistent problem involving one student. It helps students understand why their behavior is a problem and helps them take more responsibility for monitoring and self-correcting their own behavior. During the conference, teacher and student collaborate on solving the problem by exploring possible causes, articulating a specific goal to work on, and generating plans to achieve that goal.

Learn more about how problem-solving conferences fit into the Responsive Classroom approach to discipline:

"Teacher-Child Problem-Solving Conferences"-"One thing that is true of all problem-solving conferences, though, is that I always hold them away from the eyes and ears of the child's classmates. It's important that the student has privacy for these talks, and that the teacher and child can both focus on the conversation without interruptions."

"Problem-Solving Conferences That Worked"-"When logical consequences didn't help, I decided to try a problem-solving conference. I thought this might be effective because Edward could get defensive at times, and in this conference I could begin by naming the positive aspects of his humor."

"Approaching Discipline W ith Compassion"-"Problem-solving conferences prioritize collaboration and position teachers and students as partners in solving a shared problem. The steps involved help teachers and students identify a shared goal, better understand barriers to success, and generate solutions more likely to address the root of the issue."

"Ways to Address Common Behavior Challenges That Pop Up Midyear"-"Your response to behavior issues that pop up throughout the year will be most powerful when students have a voice in how the situation is handled. You can achieve this by using open-ended questions to better understand the experience of the student involved. From there, a strategy such as a problem-solving conference can help you and the student generate solutions that address the root of the issue."

Get started today with our Problem-Solving Conference Planning Guide!
Individual Written Agreement
Individual written agreements provide highly structured intensive support to an individual student. They involve a private meeting with the student in which teacher and student set a goal, write it down, and sign a contract. This practice can provide support to students for whom all other strategies have not led to any change in behavior.

Learn more about how individual written agreements fit into the Responsive Classroom approach to discipline:

"What I s an Individual Written Agreement?"-"Consider using this strategy if you have a student whose problem behaviors persist after you've tried other classroom climate-building and problem-solving strategies. This strategy is particularly effective for children who feel discouraged or seem to lack sufficient motivation to change their behavior."

"Individual Written Agreements"-"Because Justin was still having frequent outbursts at school, I decided to try a more intensive and highly structured intervention: an individual written agreement."

"A Lesson Learned About Prizes"-"During my years of teaching, I have used individual written agreements coupled with a simple token system to give children with particularly challenging behavior the extra support they need to improve. Recently, I learned a big lesson about the effective use of these systems through a mistake I made while implementing an agreement."

Class Meeting
This is a meeting that is held for the purpose of collectively solving a group problem. It allows students to use reasoned thinking to solve a group problem while also giving them opportunities to add their observations and solution ideas. It is best to use this practice when agreed-upon rules aren't working, a problem involves all group members, or when you are looking for student input.

Prepare your class meeting today with our C lass Meeting Planning Guide!

For much more on all these strategies, check out Solving Thorny Behavior Problems.

Ted Powers is an editor for Responsive Classroom.

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February is a good time to take stock of the strategies you use to address behavior issues in your classroom. The months you have already spent with your students have provided you with valuable knowledge about what behavior strategies will be most effective for them, while the months ahead give you the opportunity to effectively support your students engaging in thorny behaviors as they prepare for the next grade.

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Everyone makes mistakes; it is part of being human. Your students are inevitably going to make mistakes in the process of learning socially responsible ways to navigate challenges and express frustrations, disappointments, thoughts, and opinions. However, while mistakes are a natural part of the learning process, sometimes they can turn into a pattern of chronic behaviors that limit a student's ability to experience academic success or positive relationships. Just as you support students in finding academic success, you can also help them learn to take responsibility for their missteps and demonstrate socially responsible behaviors through the use of problem-solving conferences.

Problem-Solving Conferences

A problem-solving conference is a one-on-one structured meeting between a teacher and student that allows both parties to discuss one specific problem behavior, identify its possible causes, and brainstorm potential solutions. Problem-solving conferences can help students accept responsibility for their actions by first helping them see that the problem exists and is negatively impacting them, then by supporting them in coming up with solutions for rectifying the issue.

While they follow the same general structure, problem-solving conferences are conducted slightly differently in elementary school and middle school. The elementary version provides more guidance for younger students, while the middle school version condenses some of these steps to meet older students' developmental need for more autonomy. Below are the steps for both versions, with the specific steps that help students take responsibility for their behavior in bold.

Steps for Elementary School

1. Tell the student what you want to talk about, and set a time to meet.

2. Establish the purpose of the conference.

3. Start with the positive.

4. State the problem.

5. Discuss why it's important to solve the problem.

6. Talk about what might be causing the problem.

7. Set a clear, specific goal to work on together.

8. Brainstorm solution to try.

9. Select one strategy to try first.

Discuss Why It's Important to Solve the Problem

During this step, you are helping the student see something that they may not be aware of, so precise language is important. Your choice of words should help the student feel invested in wanting to solve the problem without making them feel defensive. For instance, if a student heads to the bathroom every day during writing time and doesn't return until it is over, you might say, "When this happens, it's keeping you from being successful in writing because you aren't able to capture or share all of your writing ideas and thoughts."

Talk About What Might Be Causing the Problem

Once the student is invested in solving the problem, this step is an opportunity to reflect on the "why" behind the issue. Here, posing questions that start "Might it be . . ." can really help the student consider, "Why am I doing what I'm doing?" In contrast to lines of questioning that position the teacher as the authority on the situation, which can cause students to shut down, this kind of questioning comes across as an actual inquiry rooted in curiosity and empathy. For example, "Might it be that it's hard for you to come up with ideas during writing time?"

Steps for Middle school

1. Establish the purpose for the conference.

2. Reaffirm teacher-student rapport.

3. Name the problematic behavior.

4. Invite the student to collaborate with you.

5. Set a goal and generate strategies.

Invite the Student to Collaborate With You

This step is an opportunity for you to invest the middle school student you are meeting with in caring about solving the problem by making it clear their voice in the conversation matters. Invite the student to collaborate with you by asking, " Would you like some help figuring this out?" Once the student has accepted your help, strike a balance between listening attentively to their perspective and offering feedback in a way that supports how the student views the situation.

Set a Goal and Generate Strategies

Often, middle school students can brainstorm solutions but need help understanding how to implement their plan. Your role in this step is to act as a facilitator and help the student draw out their ideas for how to navigate the problem. For example, if a student says, "I need to be more respectful when I don't understand something and not just shout out during class," you might ask them, "So how will that look? What is something you might do differently in that setting?"

Considerations for Success

There are a number of components that need to be present for a problem-solving conference to be successful and without which the conference simply won't work. Make sure to be aware of the following:

Plan ahead: Problem-solving conferences are not an in-the-moment decision. They need to be scheduled ahead of time. Come prepared with possible causes for the problem behavior and potential solutions.

Invite the student: Rather than telling the student, "H ey, we're going to sit down and talk," pose it as a question: "When might be a good time to talk?" Find a time to meet that works for both of you.

Consider time: The ideal length for a conference is ten to fifteen minutes .

Be an empathetic listener: Invite the student to share and ask questions with genuine curiosity.

Follow up: Check in to see if the strategy they chose is helping them navigate the situation better.

Don't force it: You need a relationship with the student to have a productive conversation. If a student doesn't want to collaborate, reflect on why that might be and how your relationship with that student will need to grow.

Giving students a voice in solving their own problems helps them learn the skills necessary to take on more responsibility for fixing and monitoring their own behavior. Problem-solving conferences support students in building those skills by teaching them how to identify a problem, articulate why it's an issue, and start to take responsibility for their behavior by coming up with solutions for the problem. That way, when the problem arises again, that student is able to navigate it better.

To learn more about problem-solving conferences, check out Teaching Self-Discipline and Seeing the Good in Students .
Jane Cofie is the director of curriculum and instruction for Center for Responsive Schools and the author of the book Strengthening the Parent-Teacher Partnership

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Would your students benefit from learning how to fix their own mistakes and monitor their own behavior? Try a problem-solving conference.

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As educators, we are accustomed to dealing with limit testing, challenging behaviors, and even, at times, outward defiance. While it is never easy to manage these moments of upheaval, we know it is a part of the normal childhood experience. All children will test limits in their natural process of learning, growing, and developing. Many of our Responsive Classroom strategies and practices help us foster a positive community and keep student behavior on track. We also have tools to help us with individual students who present with larger difficulties or more persistent challenges with self-regulation or self-control. But there are also times when we might see our entire class grappling with a similar challenge.

The Goal of Class Meetings

Ignoring problems, especially class-wide problems, will not make them go away. Giving too much attention to a class problem is also counterproductive and can even have unintended consequences. Class meetings with open and honest dialogue can be a strong starting point to help solve many prickly issues. During these conversations, the goal is to help students be reflective and come up with their own strategies and solutions. The teacher can step in as a guide but should try to keep the students focused on their own power and agency to make the situation better. What comes out of these class discussions can be an agreement, much like a class rule, that can be revisited and reinforced often.

Holding a Class Meeting

I recently encountered a whole-class challenge after I had been absent for an extended period. After two and a half years of avoiding COVID, I finally caught the virus and had to miss seven straight days of school. My twenty-one kindergartners were bounced around to three different substitutes during this time.

When I returned, I anticipated that we would need to reset, reestablish rules, review routines, and reconnect as a classroom community. But the reality of how much rebuilding we needed to do surprised me. As I worked to get my class back together, a persistent challenge became apparent. I had received a few emails from parents and from two of the substitutes about it, so it didn't catch me completely off guard, but I had secretly hoped it might resolve on its own when I returned. Our problem was a class-wide epidemic of potty talk and mean name-calling.

Instead of trying to address this issue with individual students, I felt it was important to bring the class together for a full-class meeting to address it head-on with positive solutions in mind. I looked over the Class Meeting Planning Guide and used it to structure my class meeting. Here are the steps I took and how they went.

The Group Reviews the Class Rules

First, I shared some of the great moments and trends I had observed since the year began. I shared how I noticed their love of reading, their desire to participate in math lessons, their effort to share materials, and their calm and careful transitions. I also reminded them that at the beginning of the year they had created a class rule that said: "Be kind and help others."

The Teacher States the Reason for the Meeting

Second, I named the problem that I saw. I told them directly that I had been hearing a lot of bathroom words and mean name-calling. I shared that some students had told me that this language hurt their feelings and made them uncomfortable.

Students Share What They've Noticed

Third, I asked the students what they thought about this problem and what ideas they had about why it was occurring. Giving students space to reflect and consider their choices can be a powerful tool when attempting to change behavior. The students spoke openly and honestly. Some shared that they had a hard time not repeating words that they heard others say and some even admitted that they liked to distract others and wanted to try to make them laugh. Other students shared that they really didn't intend to be mean, but just wanted to be silly. Still others shared that they really did not like being called names and that it was hard to ignore.

Students Suggest Solutions and Everyone Agrees to a Solution

Fourth, I asked the students how we could solve this problem. They suggested that we should all agree that bathroom words are for the bathroom and not the classroom. They also agreed that our room should be free of mean name-calling. As a group, they came up with three ideas to address these words and name-calling in the moment. Those ideas were that they could ask the person to stop, ignore it, or move away from the person. Lastly, they all agreed that they would try to exercise more self-control and avoid calling anyone names.

The Teacher Follows Up With Reminders and Check-Ins

Fifth, we agreed on a time when we would check in and reflect on our progress. We decided we would check in every Tuesday and Thursday during closing circle for the following two weeks.

The Results

The change in my classroom was almost immediate. Everyone was really trying to adhere to our new agreement. I overheard a few students using some mean name-calling language a couple of days later, and two classmates immediately chimed in: "Remember, we don't use those words here. We need to use nice words!" "Oops, sorry!" replied the other student. We did our check-ins as planned during closing circle, and I gave students time to reflect on their own efforts and talk with partners about how it had been going. After the two weeks had passed, we had nearly resolved the issue. By addressing this issue head-on and giving my students time and space to be a part of the solution, we made great strides as a classroom community.

When to Use Class Meetings

Class meetings, like the one I describe here, can be useful when addressing a wide range of class-wide challenges such as difficult transitioning after lunch or between teachers, lunchroom issues, recess issues like rough play, materials use, bathroom cleanliness, morning arrival routines, and many more!

When organizing class meetings, remember to focus on amplifying student voices and letting their ideas, reflections, and thoughts take center stage. When well executed, these meetings will result in students taking even more ownership over their behavior and actions at school. Building a strong classroom community is a year-long effort,and class meetings can be a great addition to your ever-growing teacher toolbox!

For more on class meetings, check out Solving Thorny Behavior Problems .
Mollie Bruhn is a consulting teacher for Center for Responsive Schools. She also teaches at Brooklyn Arbor Elementary School (PS 414) in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.

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How To Address Group Conflicts Using Class Meetings

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Learn how class meetings can help you address challenges and conflicts your whole class is struggling with.

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The is based on building a positive community of engaged learners. In order to do so, it is essential to uphold the dignity of all students. It is hardest, but most necessary, to do this when a student misbehaves. There are five Responsive Classroom practices you can use to preserve dignity in these situations by turning moments of misbehavior into opportunities for connection and growth.

Authoritative Leadership

An authoritative leadership style is rooted in the belief that students want to do what is right. Rather than rely on punishment or rewards, which can cause students anxiety and stress, an authoritative leadership style supports students in learning socially responsible behavior. Authoritative leaders aim to support a positive learning community for all students. Here's how you can implement an authoritative leadership style in your classroom:

Be firm, kind, and consistent.

Believe in the good of students.

Establish shared rules and a consistent and thoughtful classroom structure.

Empathy

Teacher empathy results in students feeling seen, heard, and validated while still taking responsibility for their own actions. Building connections with, and being empathetic toward, students creates the foundation for discipline with dignity. Try the following to build your empathy in preparation for situations where a student misbehaves:

Get to know students-both what makes them shine and what sets them off.

Look for the reason behind their behavior.

Consider that even adults tend to misbehave when they are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired.

Consider why you may have driven over the speed limit, used your cell phone during a time when it was inappropriate to do so, or missed a deadline . . .

Teacher Language

The words, phrases, tone, and pace that teachers use in speaking with students can build a strong, positive learning community. When speaking with students, try the following:

Logical Consequences

When a student misbehaves, giving the student a logical consequence allows them to fix and learn from their mistakes while maintaining dignity. Consider the following when implementing logical consequences:

Ensure physical and emotional safety by first stopping the misbehavior.

Focus on the behavior, not the student's character.

In conversation with the student, focus on the damage done and help them see the consequences of their action.

Brainstorm ways to make a different choice in the future and how this can be an opportunity for growth.

Offer consequences that are respectful, related, and realistic by employing one of three logical consequences :

Loss of privilege

Break it, fix it

Space and Time (for middle school) or positive time-out (for elementary school)

Check Your (Unconscious) Bias

Our reactions to misbehavior and discipline tap into our previous experiences and biases. It is important to recognize that we all have unconscious biases and to check on them in situations where emotions may be running high by doing the following:

Question yourself and your behaviors-are you acting on past experiences instead of considering this particular student and situation?

Commit to the ongoing work of recognizing and questioning your biases.

Make it routine to know your students and help them get to know each other.

Ensure that discipline is fair.

Overall, approaching discipline with care, respect, and a desire to see the good in students allows every member of your learning community to participate in discipline with dignity. As pointed out in Seeing the Good in Students , you can set students up for success by making it clear that "mistakes are a natural part of the learning process, and that we all sometimes make mistakes, no matter how hard we try to follow the rules" (68). Make your discipline process an invitation for growth.

To learn more about any or all of these practices, check out the following resources:

Kate Conway is the leadership curriculum and instructional designer for Responsive Classroom

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Five Discipline Strategies That Preserve Dignity

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Here are five ways you can preserve students' dignity by turning their misbehavior into opportunities for connection and growth.

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Logical consequences are a key practice in the Responsive Classroom approach to discipline. A logical consequence is a non-punitive response to misbehavior that allows teachers to set clear limits and students to fix and learn from their mistakes while maintaining their dignity. Depending on the child and the situation, teachers might combine a logical consequence with other strategies, or they might use more than one logical consequence. There are three types of logical consequences.

Three Types of Logical Consequences

1. "You break it, you fix it"

This type of logical consequence is used in situations when something has been broken or a mess has been made-whether accidentally or intentionally. The consequence is that those responsible for the problem take responsibility for fixing it. Teachers use this type of logical consequence when they see an opportunity for a child to solve a problem he or she has caused.

Examples:
Adam jiggles the table and causes water to spill. The teacher directs Adam to clean it up.

Jana accidentally knocks Pedro down on the playing field. The teacher prompts Jana to help Pedro up, ask if he's OK, and go with him to get first aid if needed.

2. Loss of Privilege

This type of logical consequence is used when children's behavior does not meet pre-established expectations. The consequence is that the child loses the privilege of participating in an activity or using materials for a brief time, usually a class period or a day. What's taken away must be directly related to the misbehavior, and the teacher must make sure that the child truly understands and can live up to expectations. Teachers use this type of logical consequence when children defy, test, or simply forget the rules.

Dana insists on using the watercolor brush in a way that damages its bristles. The teacher tells Dana that she cannot use watercolors during choice time until she's reviewed correct use of the brush and shown the teacher that she knows how to use it without damaging it.

Garth's class job for the week is line leader, but as he leads the class to lunch, he leans into a classroom to wave hello to a friend. The teacher tells Garth that he has lost the privilege of being line leader for the day and temporarily gives that responsibility to another child. Later, she checks in with Garth to make sure he remembers and understands the expectations for walking in line.

3. Positive Time-Out

This type of logical consequence, which is known in middle school as "Space and Time," is used when a teacher believes that a child needs a way to calm down and recover self-control. The consequence is that the child moves to a pre-established place in the classroom, takes time to regroup, and then rejoins the class once he or she has calmed down. Teachers use time-out to keep minor misbehaviors-intentional and accidental-from escalating and becoming disruptive, and to give children opportunities to practice strategies they've learned for regaining self-control. Because many children have experienced punitive uses of time-out, it's important for teachers to explain that "in this class, time-out simply gives us the time and space we all sometimes need to get ourselves in check when we begin to lose our cool."

Example:
Mark disrupts a math lesson by calling out answers without raising his hand. The teacher sends him to the time-out place. In the minute or two he spends there, Mark calms down using self-calming techniques the class has learned, and then returns to his regular seat.

Goals of Logical Consequences

Stop the misbehavior

Keep everyone safe

Preserve the child's dignity

Get the child back to productive learning as soon as possible

Help children see how their behavior affects their own and their classmates' learning

When to Use a Logical Consequence

When the teacher and the student are calm

When students break the rules

When simple cues and language are not effective

Popular Articles about Logical Consequences

Further Resources

For a more comprehensive look at logical consequences, check out:

A closer look at how to use logical consequences in your classroom is also available in our core and advanced courses, as well as our workshop Responding to Misbehavior.

Tags: Challenging Behaviors, Logical Consequences, Misbehavior

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Logical consequences are a key practice in the Responsive Classroom approach to discipline. A logical consequence is a non-punitive response to misbehavior that allows teachers to set clear limits and students Read More "

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It's that time of year again! You're in a classroom with a whole new group of students. In all the excitement and commotion, you might be eager to create a sense of order by establishing classroom rules. But before you do, it's essential that you ensure your procedures are in place and your students are beginning to feel comfortable with one another. Following are some ways you can make sure your classroom rules support the development of your new classroom community.
Before You Establish the Rules
Here are two things you can do to promote a sense of class community in anticipation of creating classroom rules:

1. Introduce students to the learning space and make them feel welcome and included. Think about what daily procedures your class will use on the very first day of school. It can be helpful to sit down and write a list of each of these procedures, starting with the first moment they walk into their classroom and ending with closing circle and dismissal. Remember to use Responsive Classroom practices such as Interactive Modeling and Guided Discovery to help students get acquainted with the expectations around navigating space and using materials in their new classroom. Ensure each student feels seen and reflected in the space through books, artwork, name tags, and more.

2. Discuss your hopes and dreams. Talking about hopes and dreams with your students can be a bonding experience that helps establish a class identity. What do your students have in common? Where can you see their individuality shining through? Use these discussions to get to know your students better and to help guide you in the rule creation process.

How to Establish Classroom Rules
Once every student feels welcome in the learning space and has identified and discussed their hopes and dreams for the school year, it is time to establish the rules. Here are a few strategies you can use:

1. Include students in the rule creation process. Students who have a say in the classroom rules are more likely to be invested in them . This sense of ownership can help students bond with one another and hold each other accountable, as well.

2. Help guide your students with envisioning language. Encourage them to determine how they will succeed this year. For example, you might pose the question "What needs to happen in order for everyone to achieve their hopes and dreams for this school year?" Remind students to think not only of rules that help determine behavior but also to think about academic and social goals as well.

3. Write down all thoughts that students generate. In order to build a strong classroom community, it is of the utmost importance that every student feels seen and heard during this process. By the end, you should have three or four rules that all students can agree to and see as helpful for reaching their individual hopes and dreams for the year.

Organize your thoughts around each of these steps with our Establishing Rules Planning Guide .

Now that you've laid the groundwork for a positive class environment, you and your students will feel more comfortable together and your sense of community will only continue to grow!

For more on how to cocreate the rules, check out Teaching Self-Discipline and the Quick Coaching Guide A Proactive Approach to Discipline: Start With the Rules .

Alyssa Brunner is a curriculum and instructional designer for Center for Responsive Schools. She has taught first, second, and fifth grade and is a certified Responsive Classroom

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How to Create Community with Classroom Rules

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It's that time of year again! You're in a classroom with a whole new group of students. In all the excitement and commotion, you might be eager to create a sense of order by establishing classroom rules. But before you do, it's essential that you ensure your procedures are in place and your students are beginning to feel comfortable with one another.

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Classroom rules work best when students understand why rules exist and how rules will help them, as individuals and as a group. I have found several children's books over the years that help inspire conversations about these topics. Here are some suggestions:

Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller. When his new neighbors, the otters, move in, Rabbit learns of the guiding principle, "Do unto otters as you would have otters do unto you." He asks himself, "How would I like otters to treat me?" He comes up with some ideas, such as "I'd like otters to be considerate" and "I'd like it if we could share things," which Keller illustrates with some hilarious asides and speech bubbles. You could use this book to start a conversation about how children would like others in the class to treat them.

Never Spit On Your Shoes by Denys Cazet. In describing her first day of school, Annie the dog describes her own teacher's efforts to lead a rather wild class in a discussion of the rules. Some ideas the animals contribute are "Always keep your tools dry" (from a beaver) and "Just say no to catnip" (from a cat) and "Never spit on your shoes" (from a goat). You could use the book to launch a discussion about how the rules the class in the book developed did not really help them learn and enjoy school (as the pictures show!). Then encourage your class to think about what some more positive and helpful rules would be.

Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann. Officer Buckle is dedicated to teaching children about safety rules ("Never stand on a swivel chair," "Never leave a thumbtack where you can sit on it," etc.), but his earnest presentations put children to sleep. All that changes when he starts taking his dog Gloria along, and behind his back, Gloria acts out what would happen if children didn't follow his rules. Children start paying attention and become fully engaged in his talks! Use this book to launch a discussion of why rules are necessary, or to practice taking a list of many specific rules and putting similar ones into categories.

What If Everybody Did That? by Ellen Javernick and illustrated by Colleen Madden. Funny and engaging illustrations show what happens when a boy imagines possible answers to the question he keeps hearing from adults: "What if everybody did that?" For instance, we see the fat zoo animals that would result if everyone broke the rule about not feeding them, and the cluttered roadside and animals dodging flying objects that would result if everyone threw cans out of car windows. Reading this book could inspire a great class discussion about why rules exist. And, because at the end of the book the boy's thoughts turn in a more positive direction ("What if everyone gave out hugs?"), you could also use it to start a conversation about rules that would make your class a safe and happy place.

I also asked some colleagues for suggestions about great books and ideas for classroom rule creation with students in the upper elementary grades.

A teacher in a workshop I led recently said she uses The Secret Knowledge of Grown-Ups by David Wisniewski to start the rule-making process with fifth graders. Wisniewski portrays the multitude of rules grown-ups have developed and the reasons they give for those rules as mere pretexts for the real, top-secret story: behind each grown-up rule is an issue of critical importance to our national security. For example: The reason children have to eat their vegetables? Otherwise vegetables might regain world domination! Children will be drawn to the idea that there is an adult conspiracy afoot and to Wisniewski's hilarious explanations. To use this book, you'd need to move into a discussion of what rules your class might need this year, along with the obvious and not-so-obvious reasons for those.

Martha Hanley told me she ties the rule-creation process into learning about the drafting of the U.S. Constitution. She sometimes uses the book by David Catrow. In it, he takes the preamble to the constitution and makes sense of it through cartoon-like illustrations of three children and their dog on a camping trip. For instance, for the words "provide for the common defense," Catrow portrays the dog standing guard outside, as the children play in the tent. This fun take on the preamble, along with School House Rock's musical version, would inspire students both to learn more about the Constitution and to create their own meaningful set of classroom guidelines.

Martha reminded me that September 17th is Constitution Day! Even if you have already finished making your classroom rules, that makes it a great day to revisit and celebrate them!

Tags: Classroom Rules, Language Arts

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Classroom rules work best when students understand why rules exist and how rules will help them, as individuals and as a group. I have found several children's books over the years that help inspire conversations about these topics. Here are some suggestions:

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As materials come out of storage, your classroom space comes to life and you begin envisioning the excitement, engagement, and meaningful learning your students will experience in the upcoming school year.

Below are three teaching practices that can help you make this vision a reality. Each of these practices promotes active teaching over direct teaching: Rather than education being a one-way street in which a teacher lectures, learning becomes a collaboration between teacher and students. And if you're looking for a way to get started with Responsive Classroom in your classroom, these practices are a great way to begin.

1. Academic Choice

Academic Choice is a three-step strategy that involves planning, working, and reflecting. These steps invite students into the learning process by giving them a voice in the how or what of learning and granting them the autonomy to explore.

Planning

Present students with options for how to meet the day's learning goals. Prompt students to consider what will be the best choice for them - something that will both challenge them and connect to their interests. For example, if a lesson plan calls for students to make a personal connection to a story the class is reading, you could have students choose between painting a scene, making a collage with captions, or writing a poem.

Working

Students bring that choice to life through hands-on interaction with new concepts and materials. They explore, practice, experiment, and problem solve while you provide feedback through reinforcing language and prompt further engagement by posing open-ended questions. You might tell a student who is drawing, "I see you are trying a new skill. You're stretching yourself." Or, you might ask a student, "What would be a good caption for the image you just cut out?"

Reflecting

Give students the opportunity to consider what they learned, assimilate new ideas, and consider possibilities for future use. Reflecting is often most successful when done with partners or in small groups, where students get the chance to practice speaking and listening skills. The opportunity to chat about what they experienced also provides students with a sense of closure that makes transitioning to a new subject more natural.

2. Interactive learning structures

Interactive learning structures promote participatory learning by getting kids moving, talking, and thinking together. They can be used to introduce new skills and concepts or deepen understanding of old ones. In place of lecturing or solitary learning, interactive learning structures get students collaborating in a variety of ways that accommodate a wide range of learning styles and aptitudes. Students also get to practice essential speaking, listening, and thinking skills, important interpersonal skills such as cooperation and responsibility, and new ways to interact with content.

Check out some examples: Carousel, Inside-Outside Circles, and Museum Walk.

3. Interactive Modeling

When a skill, routine, or behavior needs to be done in a specific way, such as using scissors safely or reading with a partner, try Interactive Modeling. This invaluable practice increases students' academic engagement and grounds their understanding of how and why the skill is important by inviting them to be active participants and mindful observers. It can be especially helpful at the beginning of the school year. The steps of Interactive Modeling are:

1. Say what you will model and why - This lets students understand the skill's significance in relation to both the classroom rules and their own goals.

2. Model the behavior - Do this without narration and let students observe the details.

3. Ask students what they noticed - Here, students get to define, rather than be told, what it is they need to know.

4. Ask students to model the same behavior - By observing multiple models and modeling the behavior themselves, students get a clear mental image of the desired behavior.

5. Again, ask students what they noticed - As with the third step, this is a chance for you to make it clear to students that their observations matter.

6. Have the class practice - This gives students firsthand experience with the new behavior.

7. Provide feedback - Your immediate feedback cements the learning of the lesson for students.

(We've also got examples of these steps applied to a variety of skills, from perseverance to walking in a line, in our Interactive Modeling articles.)

Academic Choice, interactive learning structures, and Interactive Modeling give students an opportunity to do the things they love-talk, sing, dance, perform, observe, build, create, collect-all while encouraging them to be engaged, curious, and thoughtful as they explore new concepts and skills.

Tags: Joyful Classrooms

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If you're looking for a way to get started with Responsive Classroom in your classroom, these practices are a great way to begin.

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There is such a sense of potential that comes with the freshly sharpened pencils, organized supplies, and stacks of books waiting to be handed out at the start of a new school year. But the strongest feeling of possibility by far comes from your list of new students. The best way to support this new classroom community is by laying the foundation for a productive and developmentally appropriate classroom environment at the start of the year. Make a plan to lay that foundation by following these five Cs on the first day of school:

1. Connect. Focus on activities that allow you and your students to connect with one another and build a positive classroom community. For example, when you introduce students to the classroom library, give them the opportunity to share what types of books they like; this not only builds connections between students, it also creates interest in academics. For other ways you can build a positive classroom community early in the school year, check out Building an Academic Community

2. Create. Cocreate the rules and expectations of your classroom environment with your students. Ask for their input in how the classroom is set up or organized, and work together to create classroom agreements for behavior. Taking this step will set up your classroom to be a calm and orderly learning environment that promotes academic autonomy-a defining characteristic of the of effective management.

3. Chime. Introduce students to one of my favorite Responsive Classroom tools, the Zenergy Chime . Using a visual (such as a raised hand) and audible signal for quiet attention from the very first day of school sets a clear expectation for the classroom.

4. Cultivate. Right from the start, cultivate engaging academics. Reminding students that they are mathematicians, scientists, authors, and artists as they explore their materials will give them a sense of purpose and agency. Understanding their interests will allow you to connect and keep learning relevant to your students.

5. Consider. Consider who your students are, on a variety of levels. Developmentally responsive teaching starts with looking at the data you have before the students even walk in the door, such as birthdays (try out the Birthday Cluster Exercise ), and then being open to learning and adjusting your understanding of their developmental stages.

Factor in Development
While these five Cs are universally applicable, they will look different for each developmental stage . For instance:

Kindergarteners need more visual markers of time and schedule (think hourglass and colors) in cocreating.

First and second graders have a robust sense of discovery for the natural world that can be used to cultivate engaging academics.

Third and fourth graders can engage in more complex connecting activities and can connect to places and people beyond the classroom.

Fifth and sixth graders are ready to take on leadership roles including managing the chime.

Seventh and eighth graders can engage in an entire unit on their developing identity, which will give you much to consider in the wonderful year ahead!

For more thoughts on preparing for the first day of school, check out The First Six Weeks of School , which also offers ideas for planning the days and weeks following the opening day, and , which can help make these strategies developmentally responsive.

Kate Conway is the leadership curriculum and instructional designer for Responsive Classroom

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Five Things Every Teacher Should Do on the First Day of School

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There is such a sense of potential that comes with the freshly sharpened pencils, organized supplies, and stacks of books waiting to be handed out at the start of a new school year. But the strongest feeling of possibility by far comes from your list of new students.

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The physical space of the classroom plays a significant role in both the culture and community of your learning environment. In fact, I consider the space to be a third teacher, alongside the students and myself. Classroom space is most effective when it invites and encourages learning: bookshelves invite readers to read, math shelves invite exploration of geometry and algebra, and displays invite discussion or debate, just to name a few examples. And while it is tempting to fill up every inch of the classroom with displays and materials, it is essential to have a tidy, organized space that invites meaningful learning and interactions. As I set up my classroom, I keep three big ideas in mind:

Organization is key to the infrastructure. An organized space sets the tone for how things will be done in your classroom. I like to start with a minimalist setup in which materials are clearly labeled and accessible.

Minimize visual distractions. If it doesn't serve a purpose, store it to use later in the year or offer it to another educator.

Let the furnishings multi-task. Let furniture serve more than one purpose. Embrace the 70/30 principle: if 70% of the furniture serves a dual purpose, don't stress about the rest.

With these three key ideas in mind, here are ten ways to set up your classroom for success before students arrive.

1. Start with a clean slate. You'll spend most of your waking hours in your classroom, so make time to give it a proper clean. This is the perfect opportunity to consider what furniture serves multiple purposes and what you might be able to live without.

2. Channel Marie Kondo. Teachers often have a scarcity mindset when it comes to supplies. But purging unused items frees up space for those you do use and brings a sense of lightness, openness, and creativity. If you haven't used it in two years, you inherited it, or it looks older than you, get rid of it. It is an added bonus if you find someone else who can use it!

3. Inspect the walls. Are your walls neat and inviting or cluttered and distracting? Many of us tend toward an overabundance of displays, but a examining the effects of the visual environment on children's learning found that young children struggled to filter out the displays of a highly decorated learning environment. As a result, they spent more time off-task, and demonstrated smaller learning gains. Keep items on the walls simple, relevant, and organized.

4. Label meticulously. When things are put in the proper place, they are more available to students. Labels support students in finding materials and properly returning them. They also create opportunities for students to build autonomy and responsibility. Plus, this organizing will serve you well all year. If any labels wear out, invite students to make new ones!

5. Schedule space surveys. Once a month, schedule time to take stock of your space. I write this in my calendar so I don't forget or mindlessly start doing it when I have other work that needs my attention. What you're not using, put away, including any anchor charts that are not still relevant.

6. Plan Interactive Modeling lessons. Now that you have invested time in organizing the space, consider the routines and procedures students will need to know to be successful. Make a list of each and plan your Interactive Modeling lessons, or check out those already outlined in .

7. Post what is most important. We all have essential information that needs to be displayed, including class lists, schedules, and emergency procedures. Post these neatly in a way that supports their use. Consider using simple mats or frames or securing them to the wall with removable Velcro or magnets.

8. Plan a prominent display point for class guidelines. Each summer, I keep an eye out at yard sales or Goodwill for a new frame that will hold my upcoming class's unique rules. These rules will be the center point of our work, particularly in the first six weeks , so the display needs to beckon students' attention and reflect their intentions and hopes.

9. Make space for everyone. Whether you have tables, crates, or desks, each student needs a workspace. Look for opportunities to minimize what is on students' tables or desks by making a space for shared supplies to be stored. Many children do better with learning tasks when there is less in front of them. Plus, getting up to get necessary materials can provide movement that helps focus attention and build cooperation skills.

10. Secure your spot. Where can you station yourself for students' arrival each day to greet each student individually? Where is your workspace, and can you see the whole class from there? Do you need an entire desk, or will a portable workstation help you join small groups throughout the classroom? Minimizing teacher workspace often frees up more space for interactive learning.

Thinking proactively about your space sets everyone up for success. Take time now to assess your space and start with a clean slate. Soon you will be welcoming new students to the classroom-how will you show them the space is made for them and their learning?

Lisa Dewey Wells is a consultant and coach for the Center for Responsive Schools and co-wrote the book Empowering Educators: A Comprehensive Guide to Teaching K, 1, and 2 . She has taught preschool through middle school for nearly thirty years.

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Ten Ways to Set Up Your New Classroom for Success, Literally!

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Here are ten ways to set up and organize your classroom so that it invites meaningful learning and interactions between your students.

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In the Responsive Classroom approach, we often say that we start the year exploring hopes and dreams, or learning goals , with our students, but this exploration can only occur after we have established an initial rapport, a feeling of safety, and a sense of joy among our new class members. Regardless of grade level, there is no classroom management approach that will fix a classroom culture that does not include positive relationships and the celebration of each child's contributions to the learning community. We can engage in this work by creating space for students' motivations to surface and be affirmed by their community.
What Is a Hope, a Dream, or a Goal?
Helping students reflect on their motivations is very important because not all young people can distinguish among a hope, a dream, and a goal. In my second grade classroom, I define them as follows:

A hope is something within a person's grasp to achieve or experience-something they can reach with effort and support.

A dream is a big, audacious outcome that might take years to achieve, like becoming a professional athlete.

A goal is a hope with a plan that is directed toward the overarching dream of the student.

I've found that creating a chart and placing student offerings under each section without judgment helps them begin to understand these nuances. For some students, it can be very hard to figure out a hope or goal they can take responsibility for. To support them, I always allow the class to sleep on their thinking and come back to look at their hopes, dreams, and goals from a fresh perspective the next day.
Helping Students Set Achievable Goals
Although SMART goals are explicitly introduced in our middle school approach, those of us who teach in earlier grades need to be aware of the qualities of effective goals in order to provide gentle guidance for our young students and leverage the impact of this process.

In the working paper "Understanding Motivation: Building the Brain Architecture That Supports Learning, Health, and Community Participation" (2018), the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child states, "Kids are motivated to work toward achievable goals." This is why it's important for teachers to help students take the big, audacious dream and identify smaller steps that a child of that age can realistically reach for.

This does not mean that goals and hopes should be too easily achieved. Fifty years of study have shown that the more specific and challenging a goal is, the more energizing and animating its effect (Locke and Latham 2002). There is a sweet spot where the student must stretch to reach for a goal that can be possible for them to attain with your support.
The Power of Including Families
Having students communicate a goal to someone they respect or care about increases their motivation and leads to increased realization of their goals. This is why I began the practice of having students take a copy of their goals home and sharing these with their parents or guardians.

This year, I'm planning a post-COVID Hopes and Dreams event where I invite parents into the classroom so their children will have the opportunity to share their goals for the year and perhaps explain how they came to these specific social, academic, or behavioral benchmarks of progress. Every child wants to succeed as a person and as a learner.
A Few Tips for Helping Students Set Goals

Guiding the process without inserting your own adult expectations allows students to envision authentic pathways toward their own desires and plants the seeds of belief in their ability to reach their dreams, which is so important for resilience.

Taking time to allow these personal motivations to take shape in the minds and hearts of our students ensures that they begin to take ownership of them.

Scaffolding students to creatively record their hopes, dreams, and goals in writing (or pictures for our younger students) increases their usefulness as anchors for effort, decision-making, focus, and self-control across the school year.

More excellent tips can be found in " Setting Goals, Hopes, and Dreams: Connecting Students to the Community .

By intentionally facilitating the practice of goal setting and acting as coaches supporting students in achieving those goals across the year, we are slowly establishing a life practice that will reap benefits for every child not only in their academic journey, but also as they age and tackle the larger challenges of livelihood, health, family, and social responsibilities.
Christine Lewis is a teaching and learning strategist in Maryland and a consulting teacher for Center for Responsive Schools. References
Locke, Edwin A., and Gary P. Latham. 2002. "Building a Practically Useful Theory of Goal Setting and Task Motivation: A 35-Year Odyssey." American Psychologist 57, no. 9: 705-717.

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child. 2018. "Understanding Motivation: Building the Brain Architecture That Supports Learning, Health, and Community Participation." Working Paper No. 14. Retrieved from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/understanding-motivation-building-the-brain-architecture-that-supports-learning-health-and-community-participation/ .

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The Importance of Setting Purposeful Goals With Students

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Having students set goals early in the school year is a critical part of their academic journey. Learn more about how you can support them in setting purposeful goals.

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“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” –Frederick Douglass This famous quote, printed on bright pink cardstock and posted above the whiteboard of a third grade classroom, stood Read More »

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Developing Intrinsic Motivation with Choice

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According to Vocabulary.com, the word “intrinsic” is an adjective that means “belonging to a thing by its very nature.” Some synonyms for intrinsic are: essential, built-in, constitutional, inherent, integral, inner, Read More »

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It's the end of the week and Mrs. Cofie's fourth-graders are gathering in the meeting area to begin Morning Meeting. As they find their places in the circle, they review the morning message. In Mrs. Cofie's classroom, Friday's message is always connected to the week's social studies learning. There's a lot of social studies content to cover and Morning Meeting provides an ideal opportunity for students to review content in a way that's engaging and low risk.

For their Morning Meeting activity, Mrs. Cofie has taken a song they learned in a previous Morning Meeting, "Ram Sam Sam," and modified the words to help students remember the roles of important people from the Revolutionary War. The students sing it several times and, by the second round, even add their own motions. After the meeting, as they prepare for the rest of the day, Mrs. Cofie can hear students quietly singing the song, and she's eager to see how much they remember when they review the roles during social studies later in the day.

According to the National Council for the Social Studies, "The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world" (NCSS 1994). An important aim to be sure, and yet, all too often, social studies gets relegated to a tightly scheduled block of time. So, how can teachers make time to help students get excited about, and deepen their understanding of, the world around them?

The answer to this question can be found in Morning Meeting. The activities in our new book, Doing Social Studies in Morning Meeting: 150 Quick Activities That Connect To Your Curriculum, use the components of Morning Meeting to bring social studies concepts to life and help students connect what they learn to their own lives.

Morning Meeting is a natural time to practice social studies skills:

Greeting teaches students to interact respectfully in a variety of ways.

Sharing provides opportunities to explore and appreciate social and cultural differences.

Group activity allows students to learn empathy through interaction and the discovery of shared commonalities.

Morning message gives students a forum for practicing the critical thinking skills necessary to be informed and reasoned decision makers.

Doing Social Studies in Morning Meeting can be used to supplement any curriculum; topics have been chosen based on the National Curriculum for Social Studies. Activities are geared toward specific grade levels from kindergarten through sixth grade but can be adapted for any age group. Here are a few examples:

Put It to a Vote gives kindergartners the opportunity to experience firsthand how voting works.

Use the Map makes learning about maps more personal and more creative, as third grade students work together to make a map of their school.

History Mystery turns recalling important historical information into an engaging collaborative guessing game for fourth grade students.

Cultural Intrigue asks sixth grade students to actively consider cultures outside their own through the examination of artifacts, thereby widening the students' understanding of multiple perspectives.

Morning Meeting is a chance for teachers to introduce and reinforce critical academic and social-emotional skills for students of any age. Bringing social studies into Morning Meeting can give students extra opportunities to discuss and reflect on their experiences interacting with their peers, and, by extension, explore how a human society functions. Doing Social Studies in Morning Meeting provides the framework to practice and review these important concepts and skills at the start of the school day, without adding to an already busy schedule.
Learn more about supporting academics with Morning Meeting:
Doing Social Studies in Morning Meeting

Work Cited: National Council for Social Studies. 1994. Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies. Washington, D.C.: NCSS.

Tags: Engaging Academics, Social Studies

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Bring Social Studies Into Morning Meeting

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Morning Meeting is a chance for teachers to introduce and reinforce critical academic and social-emotional skills for students of any age. Bringing social studies into Morning Meeting can give students extra opportunities to discuss and reflect on their experiences interacting with their peers, and, by extension, explore how a human society functions.

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"As their teachers, we hold in our hearts our own hopes and dreams for [our students]. We want them to engage in academic rigor and to be ideamongers who contribute to classroom learning-and we also want them to become the very best people they can be; to live the very best lives they can live; and to contribute as best as they can to their families, schools, communities, and our world... But to learn all that, students must master what is essentially a new language-the language of learning.

-Lora Hodges, Executive Director, Center for Responsive Schools, foreword to The Language of Learning

Speaking confidently is just one part of the language of learning, but it is a crucial skill. When we teach students to speak confidently in class, we are empowering them to change the way they view themselves as scholars, the way they connect to and take ownership of the curriculum, and the way that both peers and adults in and out of school perceive them. Essential speaking skills like speaking confidently help students exchange ideas with classmates-expressing ideas in literature circles, productively discussing science concepts, and respectfully debating in social studies.

The essential skills for speaking confidently are:

Having a confident body posture-sitting up, turning toward the listener, and, for older students, keeping bodies still and avoiding distracting gestures

Making eye contact-and when talking to more than one person, making "roving" eye contact

Speaking at an appropriate volume and pace-younger students can learn the Goldilocks Principle: not too loud, not too soft, not too fast, not too slow; older students can begin to understand how to vary volume and pace to make their points more effectively

Students of all ages become truly engaged in academics when teachers make space for them to make meaningful connections to the curriculum and dig into topics that they're personally invested and interested in. When students are engaged and motivated to learn, and when teachers create a safe space within which they can practice, even the shiest among them can learn to speak confidently.

Mr. Nelson, for example, deliberately helped his fifth graders to speak with confidence by teaching them the specific skills that academic speaking requires and then providing them with opportunities to practice and master those skills. During one writers' workshop, he refers his students to an anchor chart from an earlier lesson on speaking confidently, briefly demonstrates how the characteristics will apply to their discussions, and then sends them off to work small groups.

In one group, Juan sits up confidently. He looks group members in the eye and speaks loud enough for them to hear but not so loud as to disturb nearby groups. He says, "My story takes place at night in the woods. It's really dark, and there's only a little light from a small sliver of the moon. But there's just enough to make scary shadows."

After he describes how the trees look, how the wind feels, and the "crunchy leaves" and "gooey mud" underfoot, Juan's groupmates take turns telling him the adjectives and descriptive details that stood out to them. Juan's ability to express his ideas effectively helped him prepare for writing his story and gave his group members a vision for how they, in turn, could describe their own story settings.

Teach students to speak confidently just as you would teach any other new skill:

Use Interactive Modeling to teach students the confident speaking skills outlined above. They'll likely realize that they see you model these skills every day, and many younger students will be eager to practice "talking like a teacher."

Give students plenty of opportunities to practice confident speaking skills. After initial, targeted practice (for example, students can pair up and share about their weekend plans, focusing on making eye contact while speaking), work up to using the whole set of confident speaking skills in multiple settings (partners, small groups, and whole class).

The school day is filled with opportunities to practice confident speaking. Enlist students in creating visual reminders that illustrate confident speaking skills to hang in easy-to-see places in the classroom. Use reinforcing teacher language (clear, concise, positive) to give students feedback as they progress.

Students need these essential speaking skills as the building blocks for higher-level speaking skills, so they can be prepared for more formal speaking situations and communicate better in social situations. What do confident speakers in your classroom sound like?

To learn more about the power of teaching students core thinking, listening, and speaking skills, including specific examples of how to give meaningful feedback and address common mistakes, check out The Language of Learning.

Find even more teacher language tips to support your teaching in The Power of Our Words and The Power of Our Words for Middle School.

Tags: Conversation Skills, Engaging Academics, Reinforcing Language

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"As their teachers, we hold in our hearts our own hopes and dreams for [our students]. We want them to engage in academic rigor and to be ideamongers who contribute Read More "

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Elements and description of Morning Meeting

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Morning Meeting is an engaging way to start each day, build a strong sense of community, and set children up for social and academic success.

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Morning Meeting and Responsive Advisory Meeting are essential, foundational Responsive Classroom practices that are an important part of a successful beginning to the school year. In this webinar, hear about the importance of establishing a predictable routine for building meaningful connections and respectful, trusting relationships while meeting students' developmental needs.
Participants will . . .

Learn how Morning Meeting and Responsive Advisory Meeting meet students' needs for significance and belonging

Examine how these practices are inclusive of all students, regardless of ability or prior knowledge

Consider ways to start the school year with low-risk, highly structured activities in order to build useful routines and positive relationships

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Starting the Year Strong with Morning Meeting and Responsive Advisory Meeting

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August 18: Starting the Year Strong With Morning Meeting and Responsive Advisory Meeting Morning Meeting and Responsive Advisory Meeting are essential, foundational Responsive Classroom practices that are an important part of a Read More "

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Responsive Advisory Meeting is a core component of the Responsive Classroom approach to middle school because it provides middle school students with the opportunity to explore new interests, practice new skills, and strengthen their social and emotional competencies, all while developing positive relationships with their peers and with a caring adult at school.

It can be particularly impactful when introduced to middle school students at the beginning of the school year. Adolescent learners are experiencing significant developmental change, and the beginning of the year is a time of transition. Consequently, they benefit from the stability and community Responsive Advisory Meeting offers as they navigate the new experiences that accompany the start of the year.

The resources below will help you plan Responsive Advisory Meetings that will get things off to a great start for advisor and advisees alike.
Getting Started With Responsive Advisory Meeting
New to Responsive Advisory Meeting? Get a quick introduction with " What Is Responsive Advisory Meeting? " Then pick up some tips for getting started .
The Purpose of Responsive Advisory Meeting
Each Responsive Advisory Meeting lesson plan is based on one of seven purposes:

1. Build student-to-student affiliation.

2. Energize and reengage.

3. Reflect and recalibrate.

4. Extend learning through themes.

5. Support academic readiness.

6. Strengthen advisor-advisee relationships.

7. Develop communication and social skills.

At the beginning of the school year, students are searching for meaningful relationships, have a strong need to be with peers, and want to both get to know others and be known by others, so the most relevant advisory purpose for this time of year is to build student-to-student affiliation.
Lesson Plan Ideas
The following lesson plan ideas all fulfill the purpose of building student-to-student affiliation and can help you lay the groundwork for a year of fun, productive, and meaningful Responsive Advisory Meetings:
Responsive Advisory Meeting Resources
Ready to plan your own Responsive Advisory Meeting? Map out each component with our daily planner .

Want to gain buy-in from parents? This letter template can help you connect with parents as you introduce both your role as advisor and the Responsive Advisory Meeting format.

For more Responsive Advisory Meeting resources, check out The Responsive Advisory Meeting Book and the Quick Coaching Guide The Teacher's Role in Responsive Advisory Meeting , and make sure to continue checking back here for more Responsive Advisory Meeting resources and advice throughout the year.

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Everything You Need to Know to Use Responsive Advisory Meeting at the Start of the School Year

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Lessons plans, guides, and other resources to plan Responsive Advisory Meeting at the start of the school year.

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February is the shortest month of the year, but for educators it can feel like the longest. There is a lot to get done in the second half of the year, and often students returning from winter break need to be retaught classroom rules, routines, and expectations. But there is another important factor that can lead to classroom tension at this time of year: your students are no longer the same children you met at the beginning of the year. In fact, in almost every way-socially, emotionally, academically, and developmentally-they are moving closer to their next grade than the one they left behind at the beginning of the year. (For example, your third grade students are now more like fourth graders than second graders.) The strategies and practices you were using back in October will no longer meet their needs.

Morning Meeting and Responsive Advisory Meeting

One of the main reasons educators proactively plan lessons and activities is to create an equitable and inclusive environment for all students in the learning community. Morning Meeting (for elementary school) and Responsive Advisory Meeting (for middle school) are a great place to start as you work to build an equitable and inclusive environment that meets your students where they are now. That's because both practices provide a consistent time in the day for students to build, strengthen, and reinforce positive and inclusive communities:

With its four components of greeting, sharing, group activity, and morning message, Morning Meeting provides elementary school students with the opportunity to explore and practice skills, build a sense of community, and prepare for the day ahead.

The four components of Responsive Advisory Meeting-arrival welcome, announcements, acknowledgments, and activity-are structured to ensure that each middle school student has frequent and meaningful opportunities to meet with a caring adult and develop positive relationships with peers.

Here are some ways you can leverage Morning Meeting or Responsive Advisory Meeting to build a positive classroom community in which all students feel a sense of significance and belonging.

Greet Students by Their Preferred Name

One easy way to make students feel included is to give them a warm greeting that uses the name they prefer. Both practices offer a clear opportunity for these salutations: the greeting component in Morning Meeting and the welcome arrival component in Responsive Advisory Meeting. Watch out for the common pitfalls of giving students nicknames they didn't request

(such as calling Michael "Mike") or using terms of endearment (such as "honey"), and make sure to honor a student's chosen name.

Make Sure Students Are Heard and Seen

Both Morning Meeting and Responsive Advisory Meeting are set up to make students feel a sense of significance and belonging in their community. In Responsive Advisory Meeting, this process starts the moment the student walks through the door and is greeted by the teacher, while in Morning Meeting it begins once the teacher starts the meeting.

One element of Morning Meeting that creates an environment in which students can be seen and heard is the circle. When students sit in a circle, everyone is on equal footing. No one is at the head of the table or in a special seat, and, just as important, no one feels excluded. Students can physically see and be seen by every other student in the classroom.

For developmental reasons, creating these conditions will look different in Responsive Advisory Meeting. Middle school students might not immediately be comfortable looking and being looked at by peers, so it's best to start off with assigned seats and let students get comfortable in the Advisory space before introducing activities that involve circling up.

Use Language in Which All Students Can See Themselves

It can seem like a small thing, but students notice when teachers use language in the morning message or announcements that doesn't include them. For example, the phrase "boys and girls" might not include everyone in the classroom. Similarly, the term "friend" can make a student who is struggling to connect with peers feel excluded.

Instead, try something like "fifth graders" or "learners." Or gear your message toward what your students are learning and practicing: call them "writers," "readers," or "mathematicians." Whether it's written in a message or spoken, any time you refer to the whole class, make sure everyone feels represented by the language you choose.

Let All Students Participate at Their Own Comfort Level

Morning Meeting and Responsive Advisory Meeting can act as great equalizers in the classroom because students get to choose the level at which they feel comfortable participating. For example, one student might be comfortable performing a special handshake during the greeting component of Morning Meeting, while another student might only be comfortable with a high-five, and still another student might prefer an air-five. Despite these variations, all three students are fully participating.

Furthermore, students do not need a background in these practices, or any prior knowledge or skill sets, to be successful. In fact, a new student can participate at whatever level they are at.

At this time of year, it is easy to feel so comfortable with the routine of Morning Meeting and Responsive Advisory Meeting that you forget the transformative power they can have for your students. As your students continue to develop by leaps and bounds, a great way to support them in their growth is to proactively plan Morning Meetings and Responsive Advisory Meetings to create a climate of inclusivity and equity.
Jane Cofie is the director of curriculum and instruction for Center for Responsive Schools and the author of the book Strengthening the Parent-Teacher Partnership.

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Maintaining a Climate of Inclusion and Equity With Morning Meeting and Responsive Advisory Meeting

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Support students' growth by planning Morning Meetings and Responsive Advisory Meetings that create a climate of inclusivity and equity.

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Responsive Advisory Meeting is a purposeful routine for meeting the needs of young adolescents through building positive, meaningful relationships with caring adults and peers. There are four sequential components: arrival welcome, announcements, acknowledgments, and activity.

Why Middle Schoolers Benefit from Responsive Advisory Meeting

Responsive Advisory Meeting serves as an anchor for adolescents, a predictable routine that students need more than ever as they undergo rapid physical, emotional, and intellectual changes. Advisory provides a space and structure for teachers to support middle school students, both individually and as a group, as they develop their sense of self and identity in connection to their relationships with peers.

Responsive Advisory Meeting supports middle school students of all levels of development:

For new middle schoolers, consistency is key. While navigating a new building, adjusting to a different schedule, and mastering that right of the passage that is the locker, students find comfort and consistency in Advisory.

For older middle schoolers, Advisory offers agency. It is a springboard from which ideas for student-led service projects arise and a meeting ground for safe, healthy debate among students engaged in learning as a community.

The Four Components of Responsive Advisory Meeting

1. Arrival welcome - The teacher welcomes each student by name as they enter.

2. Announcements - In advance, the teacher writes an interactive message and displays it where it can be easily seen and read by all students.

3. Acknowledgments - In pairs or small groups, students share their responses to a prompt in the announcements message, a piece of news about themselves, or ideas about a topic related to their studies or interests.

4. Activity - The whole group does a fun, lively activity that's focused on the specific purpose of the meeting

Things to Remember

Responsive Advisory Meetings can be autonomous or can build on a common theme. Here are some tips for each component.

1. Arrival Welcome: Use your very first Responsive Advisory Meeting to focus on names. Ask each student to introduce themselves rather than reading names off a roster. This ensures that everyone is being addressed by their preferred name (which may not match the name on your roster or may have changed since the last time students were together) and that everyone can hear the proper pronunciation of each name.

2. Announcements: Communicate with digital natives digitally. If your school uses tablets or laptops, try writing the Announcement as an email or chat scheduled to send at the start of class. This also allows for more accessibility as students with visual impairments can enlarge the font and those with reading difficulty can wear headphone and listen to the message through a text reader.

3. Acknowledgments: Always read the room. Keep Acknowledgements low-risk at the beginning of the year or on those not uncommon occasions when students in the group have carried an underlying social conflict into Advisory that day. A simple one-word share around the room is always an easy choice.

4. Activity: Here is your chance to get students sinking their teeth into a rich content area or theme. Foster engagement by keeping the format fresh. If students are working on small group, on-going projects for a week or more, allow time for the group to break into pairs or for moments of solitary work and reflection.

The Purposes of Responsive Advisory Meeting

Advisory is designed to address seven key purposes:

1. Build student to student affiliation

2. Energize and re-engage

3. Reflect & recalibrate

4. Extend learning through themes

5. Support academic readiness

6. Strengthen advisor-advisee relationships

7. Develop communication and social skills development

As you become more comfortable with the practice and work to design Advisories for the year ahead, keeping these purposes in mind can help to scaffold effective, engaging lesson plans for all students.

Popular Articles about Responsive Advisory Meeting

Looking to introduce Responsive Advisory Meeting into your classroom or refine your current practices? Here are some of our most read articles on the subject:

Further Resources

For a more thorough exploration of this practice, including practical tips and effective ideas for each component, check out the following:

Also be sure to check our sample lesson plan and our 1-day planner with guiding questions to help you purposefully plan each component.

Tags: Building Classroom Community, Getting Started with RC, Responsive Advisory Meeting

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Responsive Advisory Meeting serves as an anchor for adolescents, a predictable routine that students need more than ever as they undergo rapid physical, emotional, and intellectual changes.

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Use Envisioning Language and Goal Setting to Promote Student Reflection

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Showing Students What Is Possible The language we use with students every day influences how they see themselves. Our words can shape students' views of themselves years after our direct Read More "

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We've all been there: that dreaded moment when words come out of your mouth before you have a chance to think them through; you are hit with an immediate wave of regret, and you feel your face turn red or a shudder crawl up your spine. You wish you could just take the words back!

But making mistakes is part of being human, and every misstep is an opportunity for reflection and growth. Even situations that leave you feeling upset, embarrassed, or disappointed in yourself can transform into a learning opportunity through the simple three-step process of reflect, project, and correct.
Teacher Language
In the Responsive Classroom approach, the characteristics of teacher language are of paramount importance to empowering students and setting them up for success. They are:

Body language also has the unique power to underscore or undermine the message we are trying to convey. Research indicates that 93 percent of what we say is nonverbal, so educators must consider tone, facial expressions, and body posture when talking to students.

In moments when you fail to meet the ideals of teacher language in conversation with students, you can meditate on your misstep, rectify the situation, and adopt practices that will help you respond better in the future.
Reflect, Correct, and Project
Teachers are reflective practitioners. We can perseverate over lessons that could have gone better, further actions we could have taken to help a student, and the words that come out of our mouths. Recognizing what happened is the best first step to improvement because it provides the situation with clarity. It will be fine; you're working hard and doing the best you can!

We know from the core belief of Responsive Classroom that social-emotional learning is just as important as the academic content we teach our students. Part of our role is to help our students build the competencies they need to be responsible members of a learning community. It is a powerful, character-building moment for them to witness a significant adult in their life say, "I'm sorry that the tone of my words hurt you. I will be more conscious of it in the future." Along with modeling for students what taking responsibility looks like, a sincere, heartfelt apology also lets students know that they are valued members of the classroom and can go a long way toward mending any hurt feelings.

After a breakdown in communication, consider how to be proactive in the future. A simple sticky note on your laptop, a sentence starter on the board, or an anchor chart on the wall can provide the coaching you need. If you are feeling courageous, consider videoing yourself so you can hear and see yourself communicating in action. Our language is ingrained in us; these reminders are all we need to become more self-aware so that we can break out of unhelpful patterns.
The Impact of Our Words
Our students are always watching and listening. As Paula Denton writes in , "What [students] hear and interpret-the message they get from their teacher-has a huge impact on how they think and act, and ultimately how they learn" (2007, 1). Our transparency can help support the social and emotional skills that our students need in order to thrive. As you communicate and converse with people throughout all aspects of your life, I hope you feel empowered to reflect, correct, and project proactive practices. Remember . . . words matter!

Jenni Lee Groegler Pierson is a contributing author for Empowering Educators: A Comprehensive Guide to Teaching Grades 3, 4, 5 and author of multiple Quick Coaching Guides, including Joyful Gatherings Seeing That Students Belong and Are Significant.

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Words Matter How to Reflect, Correct, and Project, by Jenni Lee Groegler Pierson

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Words Matter: How to Reflect, Correct, and Project We've all been there: that dreaded moment when words come out of your mouth before you have a chance to think Read More "

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Summer is a recharging station. It offers teachers a mental and physical break from the day-to-day routines and demands of teaching. While recharging, teachers begin to dream of and envision what the upcoming school year will offer in terms of growth-both for our students and ourselves. Here are a few gentle steps to take to prepare for the upcoming school year while taking time for self-care.

Reconnect With Your Why

Take some time to reflect on what it was like when you were your students' age. If possible, find a picture of yourself from around that time. What do you remember about school? What ignited your passion for becoming a teacher? If you could be a student in your current classroom, what would you want to see in the space? How would you like to feel in that space? Check out how your responses-and your ultimate "why" for teaching-align with the core belief and guiding principles of Responsive Classroom.

Pack Your Sense of Wonder

In his song "Son of Man," Phil Collins sings, "In learning, you will teach / And in teaching you will learn." This summer, take that advice to heart. Do something you enjoy. Be a student and dive deeper into a passion project. Take note of the natural learning cycle as you generate ideas, establish a summer learning goal, and actively work toward it. Reflect on what you gained from your project and how it feels to be an engaged learner. (Learn more about the natural learning cycle and how it enhances student learning here.)

Revisit Expectations

During the previous school year, you witnessed the developmental growth of your students and facilitated student learning. With the upcoming school year looming, now is the time to revisit developmental expectations and create a plan to get to know your new group of students. Request your class list, organize the list chronologically, and do the Birthday Cluster Exercise. Pull out your copy of Yardsticks and examine the developmental expectations for the ages you will be teaching.

Map the Next Steps in Your Responsive Classroom Journey

As you recharge this summer, spend some time meditating on the next steps in your Responsive Classroom journey. Whether it be revisiting a Responsive Classroom resource you have used in the past, such as he First Six Weeks of School or The Power of Our Words; exploring the Responsive Classroom webinars; reading a book that is new to you, such as one from the Empowering Educators series; or finding a four-day or one-day workshop to advance your practice, Responsive Classroom offers many resources to support your growth.

Being intentional and purposeful in using your summer experiences to recharge and prepare for the upcoming year will set the stage for a year of growth for both you and your students.

Julie Kelly is a Responsive Classroom consulting teacher and a contributing author for Empowering Educators: A Comprehensive Guide to Teaching Grades 3, 4, 5.

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Gentle Steps to Prepare for the Upcoming School Year During the Summer

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Here are a few ways you can prepare for the upcoming school year while still taking time for self-care over the summer.

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Starting the Year With Effective Teacher Language

The skillful use of teacher language has the power to help create and maintain a positive, encouraging, and respectful classroom community, especially in those first weeks when there is so much to model, explain, and encourage! When we focus on using positive language, we convey our faith, enthusiasm, and a sense of order. Every use of teacher language in the classroom can be categorized into one of four main types: redirecting, reminding, reinforcing, and envisioning language. Early in the year, reinforcing and envisioning language can be especially powerful tools for encouraging students and introducing them to new learning possibilities:

Reinforcing language helps students understand that success is about hard work, persistence, and a positive attitude. We can help students focus on their strengths by moving beyond general praise ("Great job") and instead name concrete and specific actions that illustrate what students are doing well ("I see you're checking your work before turning it in"). This allows students to know exactly when they are on the right track and what actions and behaviors are contributing to that.

Envisioning language can be used to set a positive tone for future work and engage children in problem-solving. This type of positive language is ideal for setting goals, solving problems, and launching new units of study; it can also motivate and encourage. In the early days of school, envisioning language is most effective when it connects the matter at hand (a new assignment, a problem at recess, etc.) to something that the students care deeply about in their larger lives and gives students the opportunity to fill in the details. You might use envisioning language to help the class brainstorm rules or guidelines: "We need to be careful listeners to do our best learning. What do careful listeners do?"

Small Shifts in Your Language

As the school year begins, consider how small shifts in your language can make a powerful impact on establishing your relationships with students and in setting the tone for the school year. Use the first few weeks to notice, reinforce, and convey your faith in students' abilities, starting with these four shifts:

1. Instead of "I like," try "I notice." When we say "I notice," we are naming specific behaviors students are doing well, rather than imposing our own judgment or pleasure with student behavior or performance. Recognize the specific efforts that led to success: "I noticed you worked for ten minutes without stopping, and you have completed your math assignment!" Bonus: when you use the word "notice," it will guide you to be and students' efforts and behavior!

2. Use inclusive language. By using inclusive language such as "second graders," "students," "math thinkers," or "artists," we are sending the message that everyone belongs. It also builds confidence and self-esteem as we communicate to students that we see them as learners across domains and that we have faith in their abilities.

3. Practice nonjudgmental questions. When we convey our faith in students, it builds their confidence and skills, which often leads to a deeper engagement and willingness to cooperate. If students feel intimidated or unvalued, they are more engaged in negative attention-seeking or misbehavior. Open-ended questions-such as "What do you see in our room that makes you wonder?"-make students feel seen and let them know that their opinion matters. It also leaves room for them to ask questions and accept help.

4. Practice calm firmness. A neutral tone helps everyone maintain balance, but it is often hard for us if we are feeling frazzled or stressed. When we can use a neutral, respectful, judgment-free tone, we not only foster a positive learning environment and convey trust, but we also keep our own emotions in check. Taking a deep breath or practicing silence allows us to intentionally use a calm tone of voice and maintains the dignity of students.

Changing our teacher language takes time. Rather than feeling like there is more for you to do or learn, start with noticing the positives about yourself and then your students. Articulating what is working or where there is growth is powerful! Set a goal to add a few phrases to your daily conversations that focus on seeing the positives and conveying your faith in students. Our language is one of our most powerful teaching tools, so the time and effort you put into these positive practices will have a significant impact on your students and their learning, especially in the first few weeks of school.

Lisa Dewey Wells is a consultant and coach for Center for Responsive Schools. She is a coauthor of Empowering Educators: A Comprehensive Guide to Teaching Grades K, 1, 2 , and she is currently working on a book on language for parents and caregivers that will be released in 2023.

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Four Powerful Ways You Can Shift Your Teacher Language to Welcome Students

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The skillful use of teacher language has the power to help create and maintain a positive, encouraging, and respectful classroom community, especially in those first weeks when there is so much to model, explain, and encourage! When we focus on using positive language, we convey our faith, enthusiasm, and a sense of order.

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Teacher Language: Reinforcing, Reminding, Redirecting, and Envisioning

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Strategies for reinforcing good behavior, effectively reminding students, and redirecting when needed in educational settings.

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As the children come back from lunch, they are slow to quiet down. Calmly, the teacher rings a chime, a well-rehearsed signal for attention. She waits a moment until the last child is settled, quiet, and looking at her, then says in a conversational voice, "I see that everyone is ready for math.

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General Principles and Practices Across Grade Levels 

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General Principles and Practices Across Grade Levels 

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The Responsive Classroom approach is informed by the work of educational theorists and the experiences of exemplary teachers. Read more!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttO-nPfivu8