I’d been teaching for over 30 years and felt pretty comfortable with the way I managed my music classes. But a few years ago, I took a Responsive Classroom workshop, and it turned everything I knew right-side up! I now use many of the practices, such as Interactive Modeling, positive teacher language, and rules creation, adapting each as needed to fit the fact that I see students weekly rather than daily. Because I know that creating rules with multiple classes can be a bit tricky, I thought I’d share how I make the process work in my music room.
Which parts of your school day just don't seem to work as well as you'd like? Now's a great time to do some problem-solving, imagine new possibilities, and plan to make changes when school starts again. It's also a great time to brush up on Interactive Modeling, a key Responsive Classroom practice that's especially helpful for teaching routines and procedures.
Often, when I talk with teachers who have started trying out Responsive Classroom practices such as interactive modeling, they reflect, “Interactive modeling worked great for a while. My students did really well with whatever I modeled and they practiced. Then, things slowly started to slide.” Of course, I’m not in these teachers’ classrooms to know exactly what is going on, but I have a pretty good hunch—and an idea for how to change this trend.
When used calmly, consistently, and respectfully, Responsive Classroom time-out can be a valuable strategy for helping students develop self-control while keeping the classroom calm, safe, and orderly.
Santiago is at the interactive whiteboard, showing the class his solution to a math problem the teacher challenged them with. Everyone is paying attention except Claire, who repeatedly and loudly bangs her feet together. Her teacher reads confusion and tension in her scrunched-up face.
Recently I left my coat in a classroom in northern California, lost the cover for my Blackberry somewhere between California and Greenfield, Massachusetts, and made a pot of soup for dinner that was inedible. There was a time in my life when mistakes like these would have left me undone. I would have felt mortified and chastised myself for days. One of the blessings of aging is that I'm learning to be easier on myself when I make mistakes.
One key to success with routines is helping students understand that by following routines, they make their classroom and school a better place to be. When students understand this, they're more likely to feel invested and to take more responsibility for their behavior. We teachers need to clearly explain to students why routines matter, and we need to establish clear expectations and teach students how to meet those expectations. Then we need to share responsibility for following routines with our students.
Here are some ways to help students become more invested in routines:
(This is one of a series of posts about reteaching everyday classroom routines, such as lining up or responding to the quiet signal.)
Once you and your students have gotten classroom routines back under control, the key to keeping them crisp is paying attention! This is what makes the effort you've put into teaching and practicing everyday skills pay off. It's unrealistic to expect children to maintain the standards you’ve set without support from you. Instead of waiting until things start slipping again, try some of these ideas:
