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Articles

Learning on the Playground

Were you one of the kids who got picked last for kickball? I was, and I hated it, until I figured out how to beat the system. My Catholic school didn’t have equipment for recess games, so kids brought their own balls, bats, mitts, jump ropes, and so on. The…
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Jul 21 2011

Setting the Stage for Successful Assemblies

School assemblies, including those involving families, are an important part of building a strong school community. Whether it’s a science group presenting during the school day or a student band performing in the evening, a large-group gathering is a powerful opportunity for people from many parts of the school community…
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Jul 20 2011

The Art of Rules

As an art teacher, I'm always looking for ways to adapt Responsive Classroom practices to specialist areas. Here's an idea I came up with for having students do the Hopes and Dreams and classroom rule creation process while incorporating explorations in art. Early in the fall, we made a paper…
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Apr 04 2011

Summer Reading for Teachers

We asked four Responsive Classroom consultants, "What's one great resource for teachers as they look ahead to the next school year?" Here are their responses: Mark Emmons said, "The Well-Balanced Teacher, by Mike Anderson, is a quick read and has many helpful tips for teachers. It shows teachers how to…
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Apr 01 2011

Leadership That Inspires Change: Three Keys to Success

When Rita White stepped into her first principalship at an inner-city school in Memphis, Tennessee, she faced daunting challenges. The school of 980 students was on the state’s “needs improvement” list, students were not making adequate yearly progress, and discipline referrals exceeded 1,000 a year. The approach to discipline was…
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Apr 01 2011
Photograph by Jeff Woodward.

Let’s Do Lunch!

All too often, the caring, cooperative, responsible, friendly behavior that is expected, practiced, and seen in the classroom breaks down when the children hit the lunchroom. To truly change the dynamics of the lunchroom environment, schools must address the issues through a schoolwide effort involving all staff and an examination…
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Mar 25 2011

Using the Responsive Classroom Approach in Special Area Classrooms

Music teachers, art teachers, physical education teachers, librarians, and other specialists are an integral part of school and play a role, as all staff members do, in teaching children to be responsible, caring learners. But unlike self-contained classroom teachers, specialists see hundreds of students a week, often travel to more…
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Mar 17 2011

What Keeps You Inspired?

In the throes of a winter snow storm, progress reports, parent conferences, state testing and the flu season, imagine what might have inspired these comments: "This was totally worth giving up two weekends!" "This was fabulous . . . we lost two weekends in January and it well worth it!…
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Feb 02 2011

Encouraging Classroom Visits and Peer Observations

Heather Anderson remembers the year she decided to go to art with her second grade class as “magical.” As she worked on art projects alongside her students, she saw children who struggled academically “shining in these different ways,” and she learned art techniques that she brought back to the classroom.…
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Feb 01 2011

“Good teachers are . . .”

Last summer I spent several weeks working with teachers who wanted to learn more about the Responsive Classroom approach. My travels took me from New York City to Winnipeg, Canada! The group from Winnipeg had participants who haled from 13 of the 77 schools in their large district. They’ve stayed…
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Jan 18 2011

Making an Entrance

Think of a place where you feel welcome as soon as you arrive. For some people, that place might be home; for others, someplace where they eat, play, work, or shop; for others, a favorite vacation spot. When you think of places that feel welcoming to you, does your school…
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Nov 01 2010

Technology in the Classroom

With new technologies arriving on the scene constantly, it can be hard for teachers to keep up. Which devices will improve the learning environment in your classroom? Which will gather dust? Here are some basic guidelines to help you decide on the role of technology in your elementary classroom: Use…
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Aug 02 2010

Traditions For a New School

As the founding faculty of Community Partnership School (CPS) prepared to welcome our first classes of pre-kindergartners, kindergartners, and first graders, we focused not only on the practical details of opening a school, but on developing a sense of schoolwide community. We knew that the routines and traditions we established…
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Aug 01 2010

Re-Energizing a Behavior Pledge

As members of the Bywood School community: We respect all people, we respect all property; We walk safely, we talk quietly; We never touch to hurt another person; We always keep our school a safe and clean place; So that we can learn and succeed. —Bywood Elementary School Behavior Pledge…
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Aug 01 2010

RC Works!: Capitol Heights Academy

Michelle Flores, lead teacher at Aspire Capitol Heights Academy in Sacramento, California, contacted us last week to share the news that her school had been designated a California Distinguished Elementary School for 2010. This statewide recognition program "honors schools that have demonstrated educational excellence for all students and progress in narrowing…
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Apr 23 2010

How Responsive Classroom Can Support PBIS Initiatives

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…
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Apr 12 2010

PE Kudos! Forging connections with families

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: Earlier this year, the…
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Mar 25 2010

Better Together

"This year, in partnership with the United Way of Greater Toledo Women's Initiative, the Toledo Public Schools, and the Toledo Federation of Teachers, our focus will be on creating caring learning communities that help us all do our best," announces East Side Central Elementary School principal Tony Speaks. It's the…
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Feb 01 2010

Starting with a Common Signal

"Where should we start?" is a common question for schools that want to implement the Responsive Classroom approach schoolwide. There's not one right answer, although it's definitely helpful to invest early on in helping teachers master the core classroom practices. Besides that, a good way to start is to establish…
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Feb 01 2010

The Principal Story (Film Review)

At the recent National Staff Development Council (NSDC) conference in St. Louis, I had an opportunity to view The Principal Story. This documentary, which aired on PBS earlier this fall, tells a poignant story about two elementary school leaders who turned around their under-performing urban schools. (Follow the link to…
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Dec 29 2009

Have You Read This?: Organized Chaos

I read quite a few blogs written by elementary teachers, and Organized Chaos: A think tank focused on creative solutions for future problem solvers is one I particularly enjoy. The author, a special educator in a diverse and rapidly-growing public elementary school outside of Washington, DC, tells classroom stories that…
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Dec 03 2009

RC Works!: Hollin Meadows School

Perhaps you've seen the news that First Lady Michelle Obama and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Hollin Meadows Science and Math Focus School in Alexandria, Virginia, last week as part of their promotion of the Obama administration's Healthier U.S. Schools initiative. Their visit was timed so that they could help…
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Nov 23 2009

Great Expectations

I recently had the privilege of witnessing an encounter that made me think about how important it is to communicate our faith in children’s positive intentions. The assistant principal of a school I was visiting had just delivered a brief but powerful message about “great expectations” in the morning news…
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Oct 19 2009

Does the Responsive Classroom Approach Work in Urban Schools?

When I describe the Responsive Classroom approach to educators from urban areas, somebody always says, “That sounds great, but it would never work at my school.” When asked why, the person usually cites issues familiar to all of us who work in urban schools: a high poverty rate, turnover of…
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Aug 01 2009

The Responsive Classroom approach can be used to implement PBIS

Did you know? Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), also known as PBS or Positive Behavior Support, is used in schools nationwide to create a positive climate for learning. The U.S. Department of Education is currently encouraging school districts to use stimulus funds to implement PBIS. The Responsive Classroom approach…
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Aug 01 2009

What’s a Responsive Classroom book that you rely on?

A: Our school finds The First Six Weeks of School incredibly helpful. At the beginning of each year, new and returning staff members meet weekly for a book study on this book. We share how things are going in our classes and bounce ideas around for the upcoming week. The…
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Apr 01 2009

School Spotlight: Hollin Meadows

“My teacher’s coming, my teacher’s coming,” squeals a gleeful six-year-old as he catches his first glimpse of his teacher as she steps out of her car and walks to his front door. His eight-year-old sister was equally excited a half hour earlier as she sat on the front steps, nervously…
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Apr 01 2009

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