I’ve noticed that teachers who are learning about the Responsive Classroom approach to discipline often worry a lot about choosing the “right” response to student misbehavior. “Is there a list of logical consequences that match up with specific misbehaviors?” is an often-asked question, and I see how disappointed they are when I say no. Explaining that there’s simply not a one-size-fits-all solution—different children and situations require different responses— doesn’t seem to help.
Not long ago I watched an animated group of second graders happily share their opinions about a children's picture book. They were responding to their teacher's open-ended question about what might have motivated one of the characters in the book.
I've been thinking about the communication gap that sometimes exists between parents and teachers and how we can narrow it. For example, has this ever happened to you?
A teacher offers advice on an issue a child is having, and the parent hears it as veiled criticism. The parent offers additional information to help the teacher more fully understand what’s going on, and the teacher thinks the parent is just making excuses.
Rules reveal a lot about what is valued in classrooms and schools. Recently, when visiting classrooms in a large school district, I saw vivid examples of how the rules of each room influenced children's behavior, cooperation, creativity, independence, and passion for learning. I saw how the rules reflected the teachers' values—whether or not students had participated in making the rules. In each classroom I visited, I imagined what it might be like to be a student, and how living by the rules of that room might inspire (or thwart) my learning.
When it's done effectively, Interactive Modeling helps students achieve greater, faster, and longer-lasting success in meeting expectations and mastering skills. My new book, Interactive Modeling, provides step-by-step guidance on using this powerful technique in the classroom, and I'm excited to let you know that now there are several new videos on the Responsive Classroom YouTube channel that support the book.
A few years ago, at dismissal time at Four Corners Elementary School in Greenfield, Massachusetts, 229 students in grades K through 5 would leave their classrooms simultaneously and head for the school's front door, where a bottleneck formed each day. School staff, recognizing that this situation often left children feeling anxious and frustrated as they left school, decided to re-examine the school's dismissal routine and see what they could do to make it a smoother experience.
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.
Lately I've been thinking a lot about the amazing things teachers do, often almost without thinking. While working on my latest project, a book about behavior challenges, I've been interviewing some experienced teachers about how they managed challenging situations over the years. I've been moved to tears by stories of courage and ingenuity that they told somewhat casually, as if what they did was no big deal.
Take a look at your classroom walls and displays. What do they say about you, your relationship with your class, and your view of teaching? Are your students guests in your room, or does the classroom feel like a space you share with them? Do the walls and displays show what you think and believe . . . or do they show what your students know, think, and wonder about?
What do you do when a student flat-out denies doing something you know (or are at least pretty sure) she did? Are consequences ever appropriate in this situation? Do you just give up and move on? Do you enlist parents’ help? It can be a hard call to make.
Children need to develop the ability to think imaginatively and creatively. Children with imagination do a better job visualizing what they are reading, solving problems, entertaining themselves without devices, and thinking creatively in a variety of situations.
Garfield Elementary, a K–6 public school, began its Responsive Classroom initiative seven years ago. Located in Fairfax County, the sixth-largest public school district in the U.S., Garfield is a Title I school with 360 students and 40 staff members. 53% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch and breakfast, and 46% have limited English proficiency.
