Articles

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.…

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,…

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…

Morning Meeting is an effective way to start any day throughout the school year, but it is especially impactful at the beginning of the year when you are looking to build a strong sense of community with a new class of students. Whether you are interested in trying Morning Meeting…

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…

How do educators spend their summer break? If you’re anything like me, you’re spending your summer trying to balance relaxation, quality time with family and friends, personal goals, and maybe even some professional development. Whether I’m in relaxation mode or skimming a professional text, I regularly find myself drifting into…

The beginning of the school year is full of emotion for teachers and students alike. Some students embrace the new year with excitement and anticipation, while others cautiously enter it with questions or anxiety about what to expect. Of course, all students deserve to feel a sense of belonging, significance,…

“Students experience greater success in school when the adults who care for them and help them learn and grow have a collaborative relationship that allows them to welcome and value one another’s questions, ideas, and thoughts.”  — Jane Cofie, Strengthening the Parent-Teacher Partnership Although it is summer break, it is…

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…

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…

  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…

Responsive Classroom Morning Meeting is an engaging way to start each day, build a strong sense of community, and set children up for success socially and academically. Each morning, students and teachers gather together in a circle for twenty to thirty minutes and interact with one another during four purposeful…

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…

Every member of your learning community—from students to educators to families—deserves recognition for the effort they put into this school year. Celebrating them (and yourself!) is a powerful way to end the year on a positive note, strengthen community bonds, and help students appreciate their progress while reinforcing their identities…

Elevating student voice in a school library may seem unusual to anyone who imagines a library only as a quiet sanctuary. Today’s school libraries bustle with activity and are the hub and heart of the school community. A professionally staffed and funded school library has a direct impact on student…

As the end of the school year approaches, I hope you find yourself admiring the growth your students and classroom community have made since the fall. I hope, too, that you look at yourself with pride as you reflect on all you have learned, adjusted to, and created this school…

As an SEL coach, Amy Isenhart is constantly inspired by all the ways educators positively impact the lives of students each day. In her reflective piece below, Amy writes from the perspective of a student to capture how meaningful this work is to students. When you welcome me with your…

Self-assessment helps students monitor and evaluate their own work and identify ways to improve their learning. Teaching self-assessment helps give our students the true gifts of education: both the recognition that they can grow and change and an innate desire to do so.  Self-Assessment Begins With Goal-Setting Self-assessment is closely…

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,…

In addition to identifying a set of academic competencies, the core belief of Responsive Classroom lays out a set of social and emotional competencies that students need in order to be successful in and out of school. Those competencies—cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self-control—are captured in the acronym C.A.R.E.S.  Incorporating…

The Responsive Classroom approach 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…

For students, spring is an energizing time of the school year. The days are getting longer and the weather is warming up, conjuring the possibilities of summer break. Students who are graduating are starting to prepare for their transition to a new school. It is a time of excitement and…

Take a moment to pause and reflect on your students and their success in keeping on track academically, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally. What factors influence their success? The subject matter? The time of day? Is there consistency across the week? Are there a few students who need more support, or…

Our class is about to start a collaborative project. Everyone is excited and the room is buzzing with diverse ideas for how to tackle the project. However, this excitement can cause issues: when working in small groups, students can sometimes be too eager and drown out the thoughts and opinions…

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…

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…