A reader recently asked about including children with challenging behaviors in year-end celebrations. Should children with persistent behavior issues be allowed to participate in this type of celebration? The short answer is “yes” … Still, if you have a student with persistent behavior problems in your class, it may feel risky to hold a classroom or schoolwide learning celebration. Here are some suggestions to help you plan and structure successful end-of-year celebrations for groups that include students with challenging behaviors. [...]
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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 [...]
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At University School of Nashville, where I was an administrator and teacher for 23 years, the physical education teachers have recently been trying a new way of engaging students’ parents in the day-to-day life of the school. They call it “PE Kudos.” Here’s how it works…
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What are the ingredients for taking the Responsive Classroom approach schoolwide? What research supports the Responsive Classroom approach, and what connections does it have to other social-emotional learning initiatives? On March 12, in Mahwah, New Jersey, administrators and teacher leaders will spend a day exploring these topics at the Responsive Classroom Overview for Administrators workshop. [...]
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… I was pleased to see a New York Times article last week citing evidence about the positive changes that accrue from scheduling recess before lunch in elementary schools, since that is a practice that we’ve advocated for over twenty-five years now. [...]
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