As they step into the 2020-21 school year, teachers across the country are facing a wholly unique set of challenges brought on by the novel coronavirus, including the question of how best to deliver instruction when circumstances require that their delivery diverge—in some cases substantially—from what’s been effective in the past. Because Responsive Classroom educators Read More »
Continue Reading
SEP
17
2020
Creating Space for Students to Discuss Social Issues
Along with new structures and strategies teachers are employing in response to the multitude of changes to their teaching environments, the beginning of this school year is defined by the conversations across…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
AUG
20
2020
American School of Bombay Named International School to Watch
In early 2018 I presented my first Responsive Classroom course at the American School of Bombay (ASB) in Mumbai, India. This independent day school follows a college preparatory curriculum that supports an American Diploma…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JUL
23
2020
Running on Empty? You Need a “Refill Station”
This spring, many educators and administrators experienced working from home for the first time. We were teaching, leading, and planning in the same spaces where we cook, clean, parent children, care for…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JUN
23
2020
Our Words Matter
Our students have experienced unprecedented changes in their daily routines and communities. The focused attention on racial injustice after George Floyd’s murder and calls for societal and governmental change at all levels…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JUN
18
2020
More Grows in the Garden Than the Gardener Knows He Has Planted
I once observed a classroom where a teacher attempted to gain the attention of a classroom actively and excitedly engaging in a science experiment by using her loudest voice possible to announce,…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
MAY
21
2020
Ending the School Year with Distance Learning
The end of any school year can be a bittersweet time for both teachers and students. This year, these feelings are heightened as we consider how to have closure with our students…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
APR
27
2020
Supporting Students Offline
Many teachers have had to make the difficult transition from in-person to online teaching in a short period of time with little training and few resources, while other teachers have not been…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
APR
20
2020
Supporting Students’ Self-Care Virtually
It’s important to practice self-care, but doing so on a regular basis can be challenging at the best of times! One way you can develop your own self-care practices, as well as…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
APR
16
2020
Self-care Reflection
Everybody reacts differently to stressful situations. With acute changes to normal routines, concern about the possibility of illness, and isolation from social distancing, this a uniquely stressful time, making self-care even more…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
MAR
31
2020
Providing A Sense of Normalcy Amidst Uncertainty
Morning Meeting and closing circle are the bookends of the day. These powerful strategies ensure that students start and close their days with a sense of purpose and connectedness. These time-honored routines…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
MAR
27
2020
Tips, Activity Ideas, and Resources for Virtual Learning
As you make the transition to online teaching, here are some tips, activity ideas, and resources to support your virtual classroom: Communicate to parents the supplies their children will need for at-home…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
MAR
19
2020
Maintaining a Positive Community Remotely
Over the weekend, a friend shared a video with me that you may have seen as well, as it has been widely shared on social media. The video was taken in a…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
MAR
11
2020
Finding Time for Self-Care During the School Day
Research doesn’t have to tell us the effect teachers’ mental and emotional health has on the classroom community (though it does). As we all know from experience, it impacts not only ourselves…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
MAR
06
2020
Helping Students Turn Anxiety into Achievement
According to the Child Mind Institute, there has been a 17% increase in anxiety disorder diagnoses in young people. When these children show up in our classrooms, they want to be successful…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
MAR
03
2020
Making Test Prep Engaging and Stress Free
When we think of spring, we imagine birds chirping, leaves turning green, flowers blooming, and the sun shining its warmth over everything. If you are an educator, spring has a second meaning:…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
FEB
19
2020
Student Sharing: A Strategy for Culturally Responsive Teaching
Responsive Classroom strategies, structures, and techniques offer a wide array of practices we can use for culturally responsive teaching. One of these strategies is student sharing. Providing opportunities for students to share…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
FEB
17
2020
Using the Responsive Classroom Approach to Support ALL Students
Ensuring that all our students are academically engaged is our highest priority as educators. We want to teach our students the skills needed to creatively engage with content while becoming critical thinkers—…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
FEB
11
2020
Strategies for Cultivating a Classroom That Represents Students
Imagine walking into a family member’s home and seeing your photograph on the mantel, or being in class and hearing your professor use a cultural reference you connect with. These experiences make…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
FEB
06
2020
Strengthening Your Community: Continuing to Connect with Students and Families
Recently, as I was returning a rental car, the associate behind the desk asked me an all-too-familiar question: “How was everything?” Without very much thought, I smiled and provided my routine answer:…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
FEB
03
2020
Valuing Cultural Norms That Differ From Your Own
Black History Month is an opportunity for us as educators not only to teach students about historic contributors to our American history, but also to help students experience and find value in…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JAN
15
2020
Strategies for Getting Students Back on Track
Helping students get back on track when they are engaged in off-task or rule-breaking behavior is an important goal when responding to misbehavior. We want students to quickly get back to positively…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JAN
13
2020
Revisiting Routines with Students
Does this sound familiar? You teach your students classroom routines at the beginning of the year and watch as they integrate these new routines into their learning, but for some reason –…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JAN
10
2020
Breathing New Life into the Rules
Teachers and students alike return from a well-deserved winter break refreshed, looking toward new possibilities. The new year welcomes endless opportunities to reestablish goals, renew and revisit routines, and refresh well-known class…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JAN
06
2020
It’s a New Year – Time to Look at Students Through a New Lens
A new calendar year provides the ideal occasion to reflect on who our students are now compared to who they were at the beginning of the year. Depending on how early the…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading
JAN
01
2020
Goal Setting: An Ongoing Method for Channeling New Energy
Every January 1st, we all receive a chance to start fresh. While many of us set a New Year’s resolution, often we only manage to stick with it for a week or two! What…
Continue Reading
Continue Reading