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4 Approaches to Building Positive Community in Any Classroom AUGUST 8, 2016
Maurice J. Elias Prof. of Psychology, Director, Rutgers Social-Emotional and Character Development Lab (www.secdlab.org), Director, the Collaborative Center for Community-Based Research and Service (engage.rutgers.edu)
Building positive community starts with the first day of school -- actually, it starts beforehand. You can reach out to your students with a welcome letter to let them know how excited you are for them to be in your class and what appealing projects you plan to do over the coming year.
Once they show up, students crave a sense of being a part of the community. Here are four groups of ideas to help them feel welcomed and comfortable. They are not one-shot deals. Rather, they benefit from frequent (i.e. almost daily) repetition, particularly during the first six weeks of school, and then regularly thereafter as ongoing reminders. Thanks especially to my colleagues at the Northeast Foundation for Children and PassageWorks who have thought and written about these matters extensively. Most of these ideas can be adapted to your age groups.
Getting to Know You In small groups, have students answer one to three questions from those below -- or similar ones you create. Use a timer to give them 30-45 seconds to respond. Have groups share out one of the answers, or the most common answer. After the first round (which should have only one question to enable them to get started comfortably), help them learn how to keep track of time and to listen to what their classmates have said. Repeat other rounds over the next few days, or have students share the same things with different peers. Here are some sample questions:
• What kind of music do you like? • If you could travel anyplace for free, where would you like to travel? Why? • What is a place that you have visited that you like the most? • When is your birthday? • Where were you born? • Who were you named after? • Where do members of your family come from? • What languages do they, and you, speak? • What holidays do you enjoy, and how do you celebrate them? • Have you ever been to a park, zoo, museum, or a farm? Pick one, and tell us about it. • What is a movie or a book you have seen or read lately that you really liked? Why? • If you could be any animal that you wanted as a pet, what would you pick? Why?
• If you became the principal, what is one thing you would change about this school if you could?
Take a Stand and Stand Too often, students can be classmates, but feel disconnected from one another. Here is a way to help lower barriers. For each question, have all students stand if it is true for them. At any point, you can ask students who have areas in common to move to a spot in the room and share in more detail.
Stand up if you:
• Were born inside/outside the United States (In the north? South? East? West?) • Were born in this state/on an island (Someplace south of here? East of here? A map will help with this
one!) • Play an instrument (Percussion? Strings? Winds?) • Play sports (With a large ball? Small ball? Soccer?) • Like to read (Non-fiction? History? Fiction? Mysteries? Vampire stories? Sci-fi?) • Know a quote from a book, poem, or lyrics from music (Who is the author or composer?) • Like pizza (What kind? With mushrooms? Pepperoni? Olives? Onions? Extra cheese? Other
toppings?) • Like to eat dessert (Cold? Hot? Sweet? Creamy? With dough? With fruit? With chocolate? With peanut
butter? Anyone with food allergies?) • Can stand on one foot for five seconds (On the other foot? For 10 seconds? Longer than that? Ask for
demonstrations!) • Like hot/cold weather (Being in the sun? Being in the rain? Thunderstorms? Windy
days? Temperatures in the 90’s? In the 20’s? Anyone ever been in a tornado? Hurricane? Typhoon?) • Know someone with a disability (Physical? Communication? Behavior? Cognitive? Other?) • Have ever been part of a team (In school? Out of
school? Music related? Sports related? Academic related? Other?) • Have ever been to a concert/play/show/sports event indoors (Outdoors? At night? Did you sit near or
far away?)
Small Things Teachers Can Do Every Day All of these make more of a difference to students than we typically appreciate.
• Use students' names often. • Establish shared agreements and rules with students. • Enforce ground rules and agreements consistently with the help of students. • Model behaviors of respect, caring, self-control, and fair decision-making. • Use energetic, enthusiastic, and receptive body language and words to convey interest and respect. • Use a respectful quiet down signal to gain class attention.
Be a Role Model for Positive Community Dr. Joanne MacLennan teaches future teachers about social and emotional learning (SEL) at the College of Saint Elizabeth in New Jersey. “Probably the most powerful thing that the teacher can do right away is to model what he or she wants in terms of positivity and community, along with unconditional positive regard for each child. The other factor is a genuine passion for what the teacher is doing regarding subject matter and an understanding that his or her emotional state (expressed verbally and non-verbally) can bless or curse classroom climate.”
David Eisenstein, who teaches a general education population of urban sixth-grade students, believes in modeling plus: “In my class, the students work in groups, and points are awarded to the group for completin
g tasks and getting problems correct. Most importantly, points are also awarded for being polite, having good manners, and praising fellow students in class. All these positive behaviors must be modeled by me in class -- always -- so the students understand what these concepts mean and can use my examples as a template for their positive behavior.”
For those wondering about whether rewards are necessary if the modeling is powerful, David says, “I've been teaching over four decades, and I've watched the children's intrinsic motivation go down over time. The old methods aren't working as they once did, so why not use something different? Points help motivate students into a desired outcome. If not enough students are finishing their homework, then a large, 100-point bonus for all members of every group who finishes their homework may help. Points must have value. For instance, 500 points can buy a group a one-night homework pass.”
Your Turn Creating a positive community can no longer be considered an option. It is essential for promoting a climate for collaborative, lasting learning. Please share your own ideas for various grade levels in the comments section below.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/4-approaches-building-positive-community-any-classroom-maurice-elias
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8/19/2016 Back to School: Reviewing Procedures and Routines for Your Middle School Classroom kelseynhayes
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B A C K T O S C H O O L , B E H AV I O R M A N A G E M E N T , E X P E C TAT I O N S , F E AT U R E D , P R O C E D U R E S
Hey, y'all! I'm back today for post #2 of the Back to School series, this time aboutReviewing (or setting up, if you're a new teacher!) Procedures for Your Middle SchoolClassroom!
Teaching my students my procedures and expectations is one of the cornerstones of makingmy classroom work. The importance of this cannot be overstated. I think sometimes, thoseof us who teach older kids (I have 8th graders) assume kids should know how to operate in aclassroom by now through experience, or at least common sense. Well, about 2 minutes intoclass, those of us who have ever thought that have immediately regretted it :) All students(whether the best or worst behaved!) need (and want!) to know how they are supposed tooperate in your classroom, and what is expected of them. In this post, I'm going to outlinea list of procedures to think through for your own classroom. This is by no means anexhaustive list, especially if you teach a lab class or special class like chorus or art, butis a base list. I'd love to hear others you come up with in the comments!
Whether you're a brand new teacher, or a seasoned pro, it is definitely worth your time toreview your classroom procedures and expectations in the summer (and reflect moreon them in the school year, but that's another post!). Your style changes, your studentschange, your room or set-up may change. What has always worked in the past may continueto work, or maybe you had a particularly challenging student that made you realize youneeded procedures for certain classroom things. Either way outlining exactly what you wantclears your head before the school year begins.
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8/19/2016 Back to School: Reviewing Procedures and Routines for Your Middle School Classroom kelseynhayes
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One of the most helpful things I saw when I first became a teacher was a teacher'sprocedures laid out in an A to Z format in one document. Committing your procedures andexpectations to paper makes certain that you have in your mind what you want exactly.In my opinion, it is always best to have more procedures than needed thought through andready to implement versus trying to get your students to buy in aⴠ〠er the fact.
Now, let's get to the A-Z Procedures list with questions...
AttendanceWhat do you want kids to do if they miss a day? (with Attendance Notes, to getMake Up Work, etc.)
What do you want kids to do it they're tardy to your class?
AttentionHow do you get the attention of students in your classroom?
What does "being attentive" look like in your classroom if just being quiet isn'tenough?
BathroomWhat do you want kids to do when they need to go to the bathroom? (How to getyour attention, getting a pass, signing out, etc.)
Binders (or Folders)If your class has binders, are they leⴠ〠 in your classroom or do kids take them withthem every day?
Do you want them out at all times or under their desks?
If they stay in your room how do you want kids to retrieve them and put them awayeach day?
ComputersHow do kids check out computers in class if they take them to their seat?
How do they need to operate them?
How do they need to return them?
What procedures do they allow in the beginning of class on the computer so classstarts successfully?
What if their computer isn't working, needs to be charged, or they need helptroubleshooting something?
Electronics (other than computers)Can students ever have electronics in your room (like a phone or tablet)?
If so, how do they know when an appropriate time to use it is?
When they can't be used, what do you want students to do with the device?
What is the procedure if they have out a device at an inappropriate time and getcaught with it? If your school collects them, where are students supposed to put it?
Entering the RoomHow should kids enter your classroom each day? (Begin from the hallway and workyour way to them being seated)
Do they need to get something before sitting down?
Can they get up to get something aⴠ〠er being seated?
Do students need to begin any work immediately? How will they know what thatwork is?
Exiting the RoomHow should kids exit your room each day? (Again, think through a fewminutes before they leave to walking out).
What must be done before they leave?
Thinking Through Procedures
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Will you give a "Go" signal and let them do it all or will you lead them through thesteps each day?
GradesHow can a kid request to see his grade? By note? Raising his hand? Asking beforeclass starts?
How can a student submit late work to be graded?
How can a student re-do an assignment? Is that allowed and if so, does the newlycompleted assignment go somewhere di〠ㄊerent than tuning in regular work?
How will you communicate grades to your students, and how oⴠ〠en?
HomeworkHow will students know their homework each day?
Do you require them to write it down somewhere? Do you need to check it?
Where do they turn HW in?
Do you spot check it before you go over it?
What happens if a student loses a copy or the HW?
What happens if a student forgets to do the HW?
What does a student do with late work?
Independent WorkWhat does Independent Work look like in your classroom? What do you need toteach so this is implemented successfully in your room?
Intercom (had to include this one b/c it is my pet peeve!)If someone comes over the intercom to your classroom, what do you want kids todo? (It never fails that when the front o〠ㄊice says, "Ms. Hayes?" that 5 kids answer"YES!" as if their names suddenly changed :) )
LockersWhat needs to stay in student lockers and can't be in your class?
What if a student forgot something in their locker they need for class?
How do they ask to go to their locker?
Do they need to sign out?
Make Up WorkHow does a student know what he/she missed?
How long do they have to turn it in?
Where does it go in your classroom once it is completed (a special place for makeup work?)
How long do they have to complete the make up work?
Do students have the re-do option on exams? What is that process?
Paper HeadingsHow do you want students to head their papers each day? With just a name?Name/Date? Assignment name at the top?
Parent/Guardian ContactDo you have a system for parent/guardian contact?
Do you only want parents to call school or email you to connect or can they callyour cell phone?
If they send notes from home with students, where do the kids put those?
Partner WorkWhat does partner look like and sound like in your room?
What do you need to teach so partner work is productive in your classroom?
Is there a place students can look to see if it is partner work time and what thoseexpectations are?
PencilsWhat does a student do if he/she needs a pencil?
What if it needs to be sharpened?
How do you collect borrowed pencils?
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PhoneWhat happens when the phone rings in your classroom? (Do 3 kids run to thephone? :) )
Do you have a specific student answer the phone, or can only you answer it?
Do students continue working or does everyone get silent?
Receiving HelpHow do kids ask for help in your room? Are their things you want them to do beforethey ask you?
SeatingHow are kids seated in your room?
What do you want ids o do if they have a huge problem with their seat for whateverreason?
Do you o〠ㄊer flexible seating? If so, when can they move around during class? Howare their seats chosen daily?
Small GroupHow do you want kids to work in small groups? What does success andparticipation look like?
Is there anything you need to teach them so they can work in small groupssuccessfully to meet your expectations?
SuppliesWhat do students do if they need to get supplies other than a pencil?
What do students so when they need to clean-up/give supplies back during class?
TissueWhat does a student do if they need a tissue?
Do you want them to step outside to use the tissue?
TrashWhat do kids do if they need to throw trash away?
Is it okay for them to get up and do it, or are they supposed to wait? Or is their abin by each table?
UniformsWhat do you/ a student do if he/she is not in uniform in your class? Is therea procedure for getting the student in uniform?
WaterWhat if a student wants to go to the water fountain during class?
Whole Class What should you teach for whole class instruction to be successful inyour classroom? What do the kids look like and sound like?
VisitorsWhat do you do if a visitor comes to your room? Does a particular student answerthe door? If someone is coming in for the lesson, do you have a studentambassador to greet them, or see if they'd like a copy of the assignment? Or do youhandle all knocks at the door and students are to continue with what they'redoing?
Once you have thought through all of the procedures above (and I'm sure you even thoughtof others!) it is a good idea to commit your procedures to paper. When doing so, make sureyour instructions are clear and concise (and maybe even in a numbered list format!) so theyare easily understood by you and made so you can simply communicate them to students.
Again, each year I go through this process so I can fully reflect on each part of myclassroom and make sure that my actions and my classroom environment are allgeared to maximize student learning time and to build a culture of achievement in allstudents.
Creating Procedures
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Just like a brilliant written lesson plan, you have to now teach these procedures to yourstudents over and over again! When teaching procedures you will have to go over themoⴠ〠en, if not daily with many of them, until students get the hang of it. In the first few daysof school, you should be teaching procedures (explaining, modeling, practicing, etc.) as theycome up in the classroom. Obviously simply going through the list and explaining tostudents what you want will not be enough and you and the students will end up frustrated!
I've heard teachers say many times "You're spending how long teaching procedures?". Ialways explain that in the long run the time I spend at the beginning of the year helpingstudents get them down will save much valuable instructional time down the road, andkeep me from going grey earlier :)
_________If you missed the first post in the back to school series about setting big goals formeaningful achievement in you classroom, check it out here!
More posts coming soon on classroom expectations, behavior plans, investing students, etc.Stay tuned!
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What did I miss? Do you have any procedures in your classroomthat I didn't cover here? Let me know in the comments oron Twitter!
NEXT STORY →BACK TO SCHOOL: SETTING BIG GOALS FOR STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUR CLASSROOM
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Learning GoalStaff will gain a better understanding of
how to create a positive classroom culture, a classroom design that fosters
learning and collaboration, and techniques for classroom management.
Unique & SharedSupplies Needed:
● Groups of 4-5● 1 writing utensil● 2 sheets of paper● Notetaker
Taken from: http://www.icebreakers.ws/team-building/unique-and-shared.html
Appointment Agenda
Find appointments for
12:00, 3:00, 6:00 and 9:00
Classroom CultureQuick Write:
When you think of classroom culture - what comes to mind? What would an ideal classroom culture look/sound/feel like?
Meet Your 6:00 partnerPractice Empathic Listening:
2 minutes - Person #1 shares their vision of classroom culture, person #2 listens (no comments/questions, etc.)
2 minutes - Switch!
Resources for building Classroom culturehttp://www.edutopia.org/blog/4-approaches-building-positive-community-any-classroom-maurice-elias
http://www.tolerance.org/blog/four-strategies-building-relationships-students
Connect-Extend-ChallengeConsider what you have just read and heard, then ask yourself:
● How are the ideas and information presented connected to what you already knew?
● What new ideas did you get that extended or broadened your thinking in new directions?
● What challenges or puzzles have come up in your mind from the ideas and information presented?
Classroom Management : NO FEAR!
Turn That Mush to Muscle!“ A classroom that is chaotic as a result of poor management not only does not enhance learning, it might even inhibit it…” (Marzano, 2007)
● Rules identify general expectations or standards.
● Procedures communicate expectations for specific behaviors.
● Research indicates the most successful teachers spend a great deal of time establishing rules and procedures.
Action Steps to Establish Classroom Management
1. Organize the environment for effective learning. Determine how to best accommodate the needs of your students and create an optimal learning environment.
2. Determine rewards and consequences in advance and communicate them. Be consistent.
3. Establish how you will reward or provide consequences for adherence to rules or lack thereof.
4. Establish appropriate relationships with students.
Classroom ManagementDesign Question 6:
What will I do to Establish and maintain Classroom Rules and Procedures?
Design Question 7:
What will I do to Recognize and Acknowledge Adherence to Classroom Rules and Procedures?
Design Question 8:
What will I do to Establish and Maintain Effective Relationships?
Recognizing and Acknowledging Adherence and Lack of Adherence to Rules and Procedures. “Rules and procedures for which
there are no consequences-positive and negative-do little to enhance learning.” (Marzano, 2007)
● The effects of reinforcement depend on the nature of the reinforcement used.
● Methods of reinforcement and acknowledgment of negative behavior should be chosen carefully.
Biggest Impact: What do you think?Turn and Talk to your neighbor about which of the following has the biggest impact on classroom management:1. Tangible Recognition2. Teacher Reaction3. “Withitness”4. Direct Cost5. Group Contingency6. Home Contingency
Adherence to Rules and Procedures: Positive Reinforcement
Lack of Adherence to Rules and Procedures : Consequences
Simple Verbal and Non-Verbal Acknowledgement - “Nice Job doing____”
Be “With It” Occupy the Entire Room, Notice Potential Problems, Use Graduated Actions; look at students, move in the direction of students, stop and confront the behavior.
Tangible Recognition - Token Economy Use Direct Cost Consequences such asTime Out or Overcorrection
Involve Home Recognition - Call to Note Positive Behavior
Use Home - call and inform families of the situation and ask for support
Have a Strategy for High Intensity Situations - ask your support staff for assistance if needed
Design an Overall Plan for Disciplinary Problems
Classroom Management Tips & TricksUsing Proximity to help manage a classroom:
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/building-a-comfortable-classroom
Getting students attention:
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/student-attention-getting-tip
Classroom Management Tips & Trickshttps://www.teachingchannel.org/video/sticks-spoons-student-engagement
Classroom Management Tips & Tricks con’t...5 Principles of Outstanding Classroom Management
https://www.edutopia.org/article/5-principles-outstanding-classroom-management
Cell phone use - how do we manage this?
http://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/cell-phone-parking-lot
Classroom ProceduresTake time to think about how you want your classroom to run before the first day of school when your students arrive.
Resource: “Back to School: Reviewing Procedures and Routines for your Middle School Classroom” by Kelsey N. Hayes
Classroom Strategies/Planning● Strong lesson planning is critical.● Clear learning goals with consistent monitoring of all
students are a must.● Plan with the end in mind.● Communicate expectations.● Consider all levels of students and how you will reach
them.
Classroom set-upDesign Question 6, Element 5 - Organizing the Physical Layout of the Classroom
● Clear traffic patterns● Layout is designed to support long-term projects by
individual students or groups of students● Easy access to materials and centers● Decorated in a way that enhances student learning
○ Bulletin boards relate to current content○ Student work is displayed
Flexible Spaceshttps://www.edutopia.org/article/optimal-seating-plan-letting-your-students-choose-emelina-minero
Physical Classroom Space Set-upTake time to explore some resources and ideas…
http://www.weareteachers.com/blogs/post/2016/07/27/15-marvelous-classroom-organization-tips-for-back-to-school
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/film-festival-learning-spaces-classroom-makeovers
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Strategy HarvestUnique & Shared Connect-Extend-Challenge
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Quick Write Video Examples
Empathic Listening Two Stars & a Wish
Sticks & Spoons
CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT
5 Principles of Outstanding Classroom Management When we asked our community for their best classroom management practices, over 700 ideas rolled in.
By Samer Rabadi, Betty Ray November 14, 2017
©Shutterstock.com/Monkey Business Images
Effective classroom management requires awareness, patience, good timing, boundaries, and instinct. There’s nothing easy about shepherding a large group of easily distractible young people with different skills and temperaments along a meaningful learning journey.
So how do master teachers do it?
To get a deeper understanding of experienced teachers’ go-to classroom management strategies, we took an informal poll on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Unsurprisingly, there is no silver bullet for classroom management success. That said, as we pored over the more than 700 responses, we did see some clear trends. Here are the most often cited and creative approaches.
1. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR STUDENTS As the airline safety videos say: Put on your own oxygen mask first.
To learn effectively, your students need a healthy you, said our experienced teachers. So get enough sleep, eat healthy food, and take steps to attend to your own well-being. In her first year of teaching, Jessica Sachs “was working 15-hour days and was completely stressed out. My husband finally said to me, ‘The most important thing that you do at school is make decisions. If you are too tired to do that properly, it won’t matter how well-prepared you were the night before.’” A few deep breaths can go a long way to helping you identify frustration before you act on it. Mindy Jones, a middle school teacher from Brownsville, Tennessee, notes that “a moment of patience in a moment of frustration saves you a hundred moments of regret.”
Countless studies corroborate the idea that self-care reduces stress, which can deplete your energy and impair your judgment. While self-care is more of a habit or practice for your own well-being than an actual classroom management strategy, the benefits include improved executive function, greater empathy, and increased resilience—all qualities that will empower you to make better decisionswhen confronted with challenging classroom situations.
2. FOCUS ON BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS This was the theme we heard the most: Building healthy student-teacher relationships is essential to a thriving classroom culture, and even sets the stage for academic success. The phrase “build relationships” occurred 27 times during the Facebook and Instagram discussions, and other variants of that wording appeared 78 times.
“Rapport is huge!” confirmed middle school teacher Kim Manzer, before adding that she always makes the time to talk to students as a whole class or one on one. Simple efforts like greeting kids outside the classroom before the start of the day pay outsized dividends. “They appreciate it so much when I just stop to listen and take interest.” Teacher Amanda Tait from Prince George, British Columbia, adds a little spice to the ritual: “I always meet them
at the door and we do a ‘high-five, chicken-five,’ touching elbows with a ‘wing.’”
Yes! We high-five, chicken-five in agreement.
Many educators noted that a teacher’s ability to balance warmth and strong boundaries is key to successful relationships—and classroom management. “Be consistent but flexible. Love them unconditionally, but hold them accountable. Give them voice but be the leader,” said Rae Rudzinski.
3. SET RULES, BOUNDARIES, AND EXPECTATIONS (AND DO IT EARLY) Students don’t thrive amid chaos. They need some basic structure—and consistency—to feel safe and to focus.
But maintaining a culture of mutual respect doesn’t mean your goal is to “make pals,” noted middle school reading coach Heather Henderson. “You can’t be their friend. You can be kind, loving, and supportive, but you still have to be their teacher.” Establish the code of conduct early in the year, and be sure that everyone—including the teacher—makes an effort to stay true to it. Predictability counts: “Follow through with rewards and consequences. If you say it, mean it. And if you mean it, say it. Be clear, be proactive, and be consistent,” said Lori Sheffield.
There was broad consensus among educators that modeling appropriate classroom behavior sets the tone for children: “You make the weather,” said Diana Fliginger from Minot, North Dakota. “Your attitude as the teacher really determines what the tone and environment of your classroom is like. If you want calm and productive, project that to your kids.” Many others cautioned that while enforcing rules consistently is critical, it’s important to pick your battles too—especially if those confrontations are going to be public: “Instead, say, ‘You and I will talk about this later,’” advises Denise Tremblay Drapeau.
“That way you can still address the issue while saving face. It completely changed the vibe in my classroom.”
4. TAKE A STRENGTH-BASED APPROACH In a long back-and-forth about classroom management practices, it might have been the most memorable quote: “Find ways to make your hardest kid your favorite kid,” said Karen Yenofsky, turning a nearly perfect phrase and triggering an avalanche of teacher love. “When you connect with them... it makes everything smoother.”
That’s not easy, of course. A strength-based lens means never forgetting to look beneath the surface of behavior, even when it’s inconvenient. “Find the root of the problem,” urged teacher Judi Michalik of Bangor, Maine. “I have never met a student that doesn’t want to be successful. If they are misbehaving it is kind of like when a baby cries; there is something wrong in their world. If they are misbehaving for attention then find out why they need the attention and how you can give them what they need.”
And don’t forget to continue to work to deepen the connection, being mindful of the context and using language thoughtfully. “Don’t sound surprised when remarking on struggling students’ successes,” said Jenni Park, a teacher from Asheville, North Carolina. “Instead of saying, ‘Wow! That was amazing,’ it’s better to say, ‘I’m proud of you, but not surprised. I always knew you could do it.’”
Finally, cultural differences can also play an unconscious role in our expectations of whether a student will succeed, so it’s important to reflect on any stereotypes that come up for you. “Don't look at a single one of your kids as if they are deficit and in need of ‘guidance’ to become better,” says elementary educator Elijah Moore, drawing over 230 positive reactions. “Cultural difference does not equal cultural deficiency.”
5. INVOLVE PARENTS AND GUARDIANS “Never forget that every student is someone’s child,” writes Molly Francis, echoing many teachers in our thread. “Parents/guardians/caregivers want to hear that you see the good in their child. A positive connection with home can often help in the classroom.”
The popular apps Remind and ClassDojo were frequently praised, and appear to be well on the way to replacing phone calls—both from teachers to guardians, and in the other direction, too. “Let’s be honest,” wrote middle school teacher Kristin Ward. “If some parents had my personal cell number they would be calling all the time!”
The majority of teachers send home reports of both positive and negative behaviors—it’s critical to do the former, too—and also use email and text services to communicate about upcoming events, due dates, and student progress. “Catch them doing good and call their parents to let them know you noticed,“ suggests Barbara Rawson. And Kim Manzer (she’s so nice we quoted her twice) reminds fellow teachers that the benefits of parental communication find their way back to the classroom: “It’s important that parents are involved and know what’s going on so they can support and reinforce at home.”
Connect – Extend – Challenge
Consider what you have just read and heard, and then ask yourself:
How are the ideas and information presented connected to what
you already knew?
What new ideas did you get that extended or broadened your
thinking in new directions?
What challenges or puzzles have come up in your mind from the
ideas and information presented?
Small Things Teachers Can Do to Build CommunityWant to build a safe and positive learning community?
Here are 15 small ideas that can make a big impact:
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Make an effort to learn every student’s name, and use their names often.
Don’t just talk about respect, caring, self-control, and fairness, model them.
Use energetic, enthusiastic, receptive body language and words to convey interest
and respect.
Laugh at yourself -- when you do something silly or wrong, mention it and laugh at it.
Keep a quotable quotes bulletin board or corner in your room—look for humor quotes
and post them and encourage your students to do the same.
Keep a cartoon file, and have an area where you can display one or two a day on a
rotating basis, with students making the choice.
Joke Day -- ask students to bring in jokes to share (you may want to screen them first).
Have a funny hat day, or mismatched socks day, or some other funny dress-up time.
Ask students to bring in books they think are funny or inspiring. Ask them to talk about
why, and to use examples from the book.
Spend the first few minutes of class to engage your students in casual conversation.
Start class with a poem.
Talk about things you appreciate or are thankful for.
Bring a few objects to class and talk about why they are special.
"Find Someone in this Class Who..." Scavenger Hunt: List several descriptions (for
example, "Has been to the ocean" or "Has a brother and a sister") and ask students to
find others who match.
Two Truths and a Lie: Ask students to share three statements about themselves, two of
which are true and one which is a lie. The rest of the class tries to guess which one is
the lie.
LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
The Optimal Seating Plan? Letting Your Students Choose Allowing students to move the furniture can help you differentiate instruction and give your students more agency in their learning. By Emelina Minero February 14, 2017
How you arrange your seating can be an asset for differentiating instruction. Summit Preparatory Charter High School in Redwood City, California, uses different seating configurations for independent work, collaborative work, mini lessons, and large-group discussions.
Through scaffolded guidance from their teachers—which includes a personalized learning platform, daily goals, and a culture of formative assessment—students understand how they learn best and what resources they need, enabling them to choose and set up the seating arrangement that works best for them each day.
Summit uses furniture with wheels—trapezoidal and rectangular tables and soft fabric lounge chairs with tablet arms—to make it easy for students to move the furniture. Used furniture networks, like The Reuse Network, can be great resources, says Myron Kong, a Summit real estate team member, who adds that another way to lower costs when purchasing furniture is to aggregate all school orders into one.
Here’s how Summit creates a flexible learning environment to support differentiated instruction.
Understand Your Students’ Needs Before you can plan your physical space, you need to know the needs of your students, and surveys can you help you figure those out. Try questions like
“Do you want to work independently or with a group?” and “Do you want to learn from a Socratic discussion or a video?”
To learn more about creating surveys—and to learn about other free tools Summit uses to differentiate student learning—see “Challenging Every Student in the Room.”
Plan Your Physical Space Design different seating configurations students can choose from when they come in. Chris Kelly, a history teacher, suggests asking yourself about the best spaces for independent and collaborative work, and how many students will want mini lessons.
“Have a clear, data-driven objective for why you want students to rearrange the space in the classroom. It is easier to articulate, get buy-in, and have students appreciate the personalized ways that you are helping them to learn,” explains Cady Ching, a biology and AP environmental science teacher.
Post-it Note Goals
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Students’ Post-it note goals
Before breaking out into the different seating options, Kelly’s students write their goals for the day on Post-it notes and stick them on the whiteboard. They write down what they want to accomplish for the day, noting specific tasks or what they hope to achieve by working alone, with a group, or in a mini lesson. The goals can be things like helping their fellow students after they finish a chapter or unit, understanding specific skills, or reaching certain checkpoints.
This increases transparency and allows Kelly to better help his students. It also enables students to make the best choices for their own learning, choosing their seating arrangement and their collaboration partners.
Independent Work Have your students move tables against the walls. Their backs will face you, increasing transparency. “If they’re working with their computers [or other materials], I can see specifically what they’re working on at a given moment,” says Kelly. This transparency enables you to check in on your students, offering encouragement or guidance when needed. This table configuration also limits distraction, moving students away from others’ discussions.
Collaborative Work Have your students move tables to the sides of the classroom and work in groups of two to four students per table. With one group per table, your students will be able to make direct eye contact with each other and share their screens or resources with each other, says Kelly. For larger groups of up to six students, push two tables together. Make sure there’s enough space for you to walk around each table so you’re able to check in with every student.
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Summit students collaborate.
Mini Lessons When doing mini lessons for small groups of two to three students, have them move a table to the middle of the room. “For a larger mini lesson, place students at the center in collaborative seating, preventing a ‘teacher-at-the-front-talking’ mode. Facilitate think/pair/shares during the lesson,” suggests
Kelly. When doing mini lessons for larger groups, resources such as overhead displays can be a factor in determining the placement of groupings. Media carts with a projector and speaker can create more flexibility, or a projector can be ceiling-tracked to save floor space.
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Three Summit students receive a mini lesson from Kelly while others work on their own and in groups.
Large-Group Discussions For group discussions, like Socratic seminars or fishbowl discussions, group students in the middle of the classroom. “They sit in a circle, facing each other, usually with no tables so that open body language is encouraged. It gives them an opportunity to both show knowledge they researched in preparation for the Socratic seminar and to have the quiet space for discussion,” says Ching. Aukeem Ballard, a Habits, Community, and Culture teacher, uses this same table-less circle configuration for whole-class discussions. In fishbowl discussions, 15 students sit in a circle at the center of the room and discuss a topic, and the other 15 sit outside the inner circle, listening and taking notes on the discussion.
© Edutopia
Summit students and Ching circle up for a discussion.
“No matter what the physical space might be, it’s the students making decisions to learn that marks a culture of learning,” says Kelly. “It matters more on who is in that space and the kinds of decisions that educators make to set students up to make positive choices for their learning.”
Why We Chose Summit Prep for Our Schools That Work Series Summit Prep is a high-performing charter high school that leverages a personalized pedagogy and smart use of technology to help a largely underserved demographic achieve impressive results and success in college. With 68 percent minority enrollment and 41 percent eligibility for subsidized lunch, the school boasts a 95 percent graduation rate, which is 12 points higher than the national average for all students. And Summit Prep has a 99 percent four-year college acceptance rate.
In 2015, 58 percent of 11th-grade students in Summit’s district, Sequoia Union, scored proficient or above on the Smarter Balanced Assessment for English language arts. At Summit Prep, 82 percent of students scored proficient or above on that test. Summit students similarly outperformed both Sequoia and the state of California on the Smarter Balanced Assessment for math in the same year.
Furthermore, the school has a replicable model of instruction, as evidenced by its continued expansion—there are now eight Summit schools in California and three in Washington, and more communities have requested that Summit open schools in their areas. And Summit makes its innovative personalized learning platform available to other schools for free.
Quick Write: When you think of classroom culture, what comes to mind? What would an ideal classroom culture look/sound/feel like?
Four Strategies for Building Relationships With Students www.tolerance.org /blog/four-strategies-building-relationships-students
With the push for accreditations and student test scores, many teachers are using every instructional minute forwhat they are intended for: instruction. However, maximizing academic time often comes at the cost of minimizingtime spent building relationships. That doesn’t have to be the case. A little patience and a few adaptable strategiescan help educators prioritize relationship building and effective instruction.
Here are four strategies I use to connect with students and to build stronger relationships.
Create student-defined rules of respect.
Teachers often have students help with classroom rules. It’s a wonderful idea used to empower students. I used itmy first three years of teaching, but in reflecting, I had to analyze whether those rules ever really mattered tostudents. The answer was no, because the rules were not grounded in relationships.
This year, my students sit in “colleague committees.” Each day begins with a conversation, the first of which was todefine respect and disrespect. From our discussions, we jointly developed five “Rules of Respect.” The students ledthe discussion, and I served as the scribe. Now, each time a student shows signs of disrespect, I can reference theestablished rules.
Correct behaviors using I-messages.
Students often perceive corrections as criticisms. In those moments, teachers may not realize they have offendedstudents. I once had a student say to me, “You’re always telling me what I’m doing.” When I wrote my reflection thatnight, as I often do, it made sense to me—and that something had to change. Instead of naming behaviors first, Idecided I would personalize my feedback and explain my corrections with I-statements. Here are two examples ofsuch feedback:
I’m sorry, Jaden, that your peers are choosing to talk while you’re talking and I can’t hear your ideas. I’ll waitbecause I want to hear what you have to say.
I don’t like when you choose to use the words shut up because they sound disrespectful. We don’t use words likethat to each other in this classroom because colleagues don’t speak that way to each other.
Both responses name a feeling first, name a behavior and explain why or how that behavior is inappropriate. I havefound that students who feel respected show respect.
Share mistakes and weaknesses often.
The second colleague conversation of the year asked the students to answer the question, “What are two of yourweaknesses?” I modeled by sharing my painful experiences playing soccer and the effort that went into learninggeography. I discouraged use of the word can’t, and students shared their insecurities with each other in smallgroups. We shared as a whole group as well. Almost half of my students admitted to struggling with reading. When Ileveled them, I was excited—and overwhelmed—by the truths they had told. My students are now used to sharingtheir weaknesses and failures, which allows us to have real conversations without fear of embarrassment.
Survey your students to learn about interests and experiences.
I have life experiences unique from those of my students, and we often hold different worldviews. Regardless, my
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job is to relate to them. By halfway through the school year, my goal is to be able to answer the questions listedbelow about each of my students. I ask them in conversations, I listen to them talking to each other and I surveythem.
Where does the student live? Where does the student spend weekends?
Who does the student live with? Who does the student want to live with?
What does the student do after school?
Which subject does the student enjoy most?
What hobbies does the student enjoy or want to pursue?
Who does the student trust?
Name three academic strengths.
Name three academic goals.
I use the answers to these questions to determine how to approach students, how to connect with them and how toteach them effectively. Prioritizing getting to know my students shows them how much they matter and motivatesthem to learn.
Most important, at the start of every school day, I remind myself of Jean Anouilh’s words: “Things are beautiful if youlove them.” And that is my most effective strategy of all.
Coombs is a sixth-grade teacher for Fredericksburg City Schools
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