Responsive Classroom Institutes! August 2 to August 5 – Chicago, IL

Our interactive, engaging, and thoughtfully designed Responsive Classroom courses prepare educators to create optimal learning environments where students can develop the academic, social, and emotional skills needed for success both in and out of school.

All classes will run from 8:00 am to 3:30 pm local time on each of the event dates. Course materials and lunch will be provided.

Please see our FAQ for more information on how we run our in-person and virtual events. For information on cancellations, see our cancellation policy. Registrations for this event close after 7/24/2022. We cannot accept any registrations after the deadline.

Not all courses are offered at all events. See below for more on the classes offered at this event!

Responsive Classroom Elementary Core Course

Suitable for educators of grades K–6

No prerequisite

In four engaging and interactive days, you will learn about the practices and strategies of the Responsive Classroom approach, designed to create safe and joyful learning communities where all students can thrive—while helping them develop strong social, emotional, and academic skills. You will also have the opportunity to:

• Engage in energizers and interactive learning structures that can be used with students
• Experience an Academic Choice lesson that can be adapted for any grade level
• Plan Interactive Modeling, role-play, and Guided Discovery lessons to use with students
• Map out your learning space to include elements of classroom organization
• Create detailed plans for implementation of Responsive Classroom practices

All materials are included: the course resource book, Yardsticks: Child and Adolescent Development Ages 4–14, The First Six Weeks of School, The New Bird in Town, Charlie and the Octopus

Responsive Classroom Middle School Core Course

Suitable for educators of grades 5–8

No prerequisite

In this interactive and engaging four-day course, you will learn how to design and implement a middle school experience that is responsive to the developmental strengths and needs of young adolescents—while helping your students develop the academic and social skills they need to be successful. You will also have the opportunity to:

• Discover how to create a safe, positive, and inclusive learning community with the Responsive Classroom approach to discipline
• Practice and plan for holding Responsive Advisory Meetings
• Develop your teacher language to encourage student engagement and help students become more responsible and respectful
• Learn new strategies for effective classroom management

All materials are included: the course resource book, Yardsticks: Child and Adolescent Development Ages 4–14, Building an Academic Community

Responsive Classroom Middle School Advanced Course

Suitable for educators of grades 5–8

Prerequisite: Responsive Classroom Middle School Core Course

Expand and strengthen your knowledge of the Responsive Classroom approach for middle school in this advanced interactive four-day course. You will be introduced to new methods and strategies for supporting students’ social, emotional, and academic needs. Unpack and connect to your current approach as you:

• Build upon core Responsive Classroom middle school practices, including Responsive Advisory Meetings, SMART goals, and logical consequences
• Discover new strategies for connecting with students and their families
• Learn proactive steps for dealing with difficult issues like toxic stress and cyberbullying
• Develop self-reflective practices using portions of the Responsive Classroom Assessment Tool for Middle School Teachers

All materials are included: the course resource book, Seeing the Good in Students

Special Notice

The COVID-19 pandemic may affect the scheduling of in-person workshops for this site. In the event that we cannot hold this workshop in-person, we will either transfer this event to a virtual one or work with you to find another virtual workshop for you to attend instead. If you decide to register for a virtual event, all course materials will be shipped directly to you.