BUILDING COMMUNITY
At Highland School, teachers implement Responsive Classroom strategies to promote positive classroom behavior. This year, our goal is to share these strategies with parent/guardians. This blog has been created for that purpose, in hopes that parents/guardians will find these strategies helpful for use at school and at home.
Responsive Classroom is a research- and evidence-based approach to education that leads to greater teacher effectiveness, higher student achievement, and improved school climate.
HOPES AND DREAMS
During the first few days of school, teachers ask students to reflect on their school successes and challenges from the prior year and name the things they are looking forward to accomplishing during the year ahead. Students select their most important goal for the coming school year and create a classroom display of the class’s “hopes and dreams.”
These hopes and dreams serve not only as a constant reminder of the purpose of school, but also as the basis for creating classroom rules. Some guidelines for establishing clear expectations from day one:
Home Connection: Hopes and Dreams are not only for school. Think about sitting down with your child and discussing their hopes and dreams for the year. These hopes and goals do not have to be solely academic but could also be social or family-oriented goals. Some sample goals might be to try to read together as a family, to finish all homework before dinner, or to try to eat dinner as a family at least a few times a week. By setting these hopes and dreams together, it gives you and your family a focus for the upcoming year.
Responsive Classroom is a research- and evidence-based approach to education that leads to greater teacher effectiveness, higher student achievement, and improved school climate.
HOPES AND DREAMS
During the first few days of school, teachers ask students to reflect on their school successes and challenges from the prior year and name the things they are looking forward to accomplishing during the year ahead. Students select their most important goal for the coming school year and create a classroom display of the class’s “hopes and dreams.”
These hopes and dreams serve not only as a constant reminder of the purpose of school, but also as the basis for creating classroom rules. Some guidelines for establishing clear expectations from day one:
- Expectations should be communicated using positive language and stating the exemplar. For instance, instead of “don’t run,” say “use walking feet.”
- Create rules for the classroom and for home that connect to students’ goals
- Use techniques such as interactive modeling to teach positive behavior
- Reinforce positive behavior with supportive teacher language. For instance, instead of “good job!” “I noticed you pushed your chair in.”
- Quickly stop misbehavior
- Restore positive behavior so that children retain their dignity and continue learning
Home Connection: Hopes and Dreams are not only for school. Think about sitting down with your child and discussing their hopes and dreams for the year. These hopes and goals do not have to be solely academic but could also be social or family-oriented goals. Some sample goals might be to try to read together as a family, to finish all homework before dinner, or to try to eat dinner as a family at least a few times a week. By setting these hopes and dreams together, it gives you and your family a focus for the upcoming year.
One more important strategy is called Interactive Modeling. Teachers use this strategy as way to teach basic routines (putting belongings away, taking care of classroom materials) to positive behavior and academic skills. Children are eager to rise to high standards of behavior, but we cannot assume that they know what is expected of them. We need to be clear and direct with our expectations. Interactive Modeling is a way for adults to show what the expected behavior looks like.
Check out the short video below which shows Interactive Modeling in use:
Check out the short video below which shows Interactive Modeling in use:
Interactive Modeling is a great way to show children what respectful, caring actions look like, sound like and feel like. By giving children a chance to experience expected actions, we are guiding them to form good habits!
Home Connection: Think about some of the expectations you have for your child around the house. Have you thought about modeling some of these expectations for your child? Children often benefit from seeing expectations modeled for them, so that they can clearly see what is expected of them. For example, if you want your child to pick up their room, perhaps model for them what a clean room looks like and what they need to do in order to pick up their room to your expectations. If you would like them to clear the dinner dishes, show them what this would look like.
Home Connection: Think about some of the expectations you have for your child around the house. Have you thought about modeling some of these expectations for your child? Children often benefit from seeing expectations modeled for them, so that they can clearly see what is expected of them. For example, if you want your child to pick up their room, perhaps model for them what a clean room looks like and what they need to do in order to pick up their room to your expectations. If you would like them to clear the dinner dishes, show them what this would look like.
Resources adapted from The Northeast Foundation for Children.