Last week, Margaret Wilson’s post about read-aloud books for launching discussions of hopes and dreams mentioned Matthew’s Dream, in which the title character realizes that he wants to be an artist. I thought immediately of my sister Beth, who teaches first graders in Charleston, West Virginia, and a story she told me recently. When she asked her students “What are you most excited about learning this year?” one child jumped up and said, “I want to be a dentist!” [...]
Continue reading “I Want to Be a Dentist!”
How do you introduce students to their classroom and its resources? The Responsive Classroom practice of Guided Discovery is a focused, purposeful, and engaging way to begin. Guided Discovery stimulates creative thinking and teaches students how to use classroom materials independently and responsibly. … Here are some video clips and links to articles about Guided Discovery [...]
Continue reading “Exploring the Classroom”
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 [...]
Continue reading “Read-Alouds to Inspire Hopes and Dreams”
Classroom rules give children the structure and security they need to concentrate on learning. But how do you develop reasonable rules? How do you teach the rules so that children are invested in following them? These resources offer some great suggestions.
Continue reading “Creating Classroom Rules”
Knowing the typical schedules and routines of the classroom helps children feel secure and competent. Here are some links to articles that will help you create schedules and teach routines that fit your students’ needs. Check out one or two and let me know what you think: Have you found ways to make a tight schedule more child-friendly? Does a particular routine really make a difference in your classroom? [...]
Continue reading “Schedules and Routines”
Recently a teacher contacted me, frustrated over her school’s adoption of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, or PBIS. Her biggest concern was that PBIS would replace the Responsive Classroom approach to teaching and learning at her school. The perspective I offered was that Responsive Classroom and PBIS are compatible in many ways: in fact, Responsive Classroom practices and strategies can provide structure and support for PBIS and other behavioral and academic initiatives [...]
Continue reading “How Responsive Classroom Can Support PBIS Initiatives”
Last week, in a post on Two Writing Teachers, the terrific blog she co-authors with Stacey Shubitz, Ruth Ayres wrote about how powerful the words, tone of voice, and manner a teacher uses can be: “My voice does matter. Your voice matters. Everyday we are given the opportunity to encourage and strengthen and uplift” … and I thought about how helpful it can be to actually hear real teachers using positive language strategies. Then I remembered that we have some sample video clips from the new Teacher Language Professional Development Kit that we haven’t shared here yet. [...]
Continue reading “The Power in a Teacher’s Choice of Words” and watch the video clip.
Yesterday, in a post on the Yardsticks blog called “Standing Up Instead of Standing By: The Heart of the Classroom,” Northeast Foundation for Children co-founder Chip Wood wrote: “Every student, parent and teacher knows that bullying does not start in high school. We also know that talking about bullying does not stop bullying. It takes courageous action to stand up to a bully whether you are in third grade, sixth grade, middle or high school. You don’t just find that courage in your backpack one day. You have to learn it in school and at home just like you learn to read…”
Continue reading “Chip Wood: Standing Up Instead of Standing By”
