Positive Connections to Build Elementary Classroom Communities

Susan Pinson, M.A.T.

Executive Director of Professional Learning

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Alignment to Learning Forward Standards • The new education law, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), redefines professional

development with a purposeful influence from Learning Forward.

• Learning Forward, a national association recognized as leaders in professional learning, has established standards for professional learning that set a high bar for quality learning experiences.

• This session aligns to the following standard(s)

• Learning Communities

• Leadership

• Resources

• Data

• Learning Designs

• Implementation

• Outcomes

“Classroom management is not discipline. You

don’t discipline a classroom. You manage a classroom. Classroom management is the practices and procedures that allow teachers to teach and students to learn.”

Harry K. Wong, educator and author http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/chat008.shtml

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Who We Are What We Do How do we hold ourselves internally? How do we come across to our students?

What classroom management strategies do we design and implement? How do we connect with students?

Basic Principle

Smith & Dearborn, 2016

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Teachers teach content and

appropriate behavior.

5 Smith & Dearborn, 2016

Students

want to learn

appropriate

behavior.

Smith & Dearborn, 2016 6

What are students trying to access?

Alberto & Troutman, 2003; Riffel, 2017

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What are students trying to escape?

Alberto & Troutman, 2003; Riffel, 2017

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Smith & Dearborn, 2016

When students are acting out, complaining, or throwing a tantrum, they may really be saying . . .

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Preventative Responsive

Procedures Rules Routines Strong instructional planning Engaging activities Constructive feedback Consistency Positive Connections

Rules and consequences Behavior plan Actions when consequences don’t work Making changes Administrator support Holding our ground

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PREVENTATIVE

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Rules – Regulate Actions

• Communicate your most important expectations

• Make rules that are specific, observable, and stated positively

• Have five or fewer rules

Sprick, 2016 12

Consequences for Common Rule Infractions

Sprick, 2016

• Fitting and mild

• Implemented calmly & consistently

• Implemented immediately in the setting

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Group Think

What are basic rules that work in your classroom? What consequences are effective with your students?

Form a small group. Talk about the following questions:

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• The most important skills,

attitudes or traits that will help

students be successful in your

class

• Values that you want students to

remember for their whole lives

Sprick, 2016

Norms – Guidelines for Success

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Procedures – Ways to Do Things

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Procedures

• Classroom procedures, routines, and expectations

must be explicitly taught, modeled, and practiced

beginning on the first day of school.

• Never assume that students know the procedures.

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PROCEDURES CONTENT

Smith & Dearborn, 2016

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Procedures

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Student Teacher

Why?

Steps to Teaching Procedures 1. Identify the procedure 2. Set the purpose 3. Record the desired behaviors 4. Model the most desired

behaviors 5. Model the least desired

behaviors 6. PRACTICE

Modified from Boushey, G. and Moser, J., 2014. 20

Procedures

CHAMPS: A Proactive & Positive Approach to Classroom Management Sprick R.S., 2009

onversation elp ctivity ovement

articipation uccess!

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RULES NORMS PROCEDURES

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RESPONSIVE

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An Effective “No”

The ability to say no effectively and remain on the student’s side

An effective no has no _____________.

Smith and Dearborn, 2016 24

Get Conflicts off Center Stage

“If we try to answer the question in

the heat of the moment, the student

may move from right-brain-emotive’ to

‘left-brain-logical-debate-and-argue’

mode.”

Smith and Dearborn, 2016 25

The RRR Technique

Recognize

Reorient

Respond

Smith and Dearborn, 2016 26

Arguing with the Ref Times when students argue with a teacher’s decision

Smith & Dearborn, 2016. 27

Defuse Negative Behavior

Breaux and Whittaker, 2013 28

Preventative Responsive

Procedures Rules Routines Strong instructional planning Engaging activities Constructive feedback Consistency Positive Connections

Rules and consequences Behavior plan Actions when consequences don’t work Making changes Administrator support Holding our ground

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So many strategies . . .

Weekly email blog posts

Two Principles: 1. Follow a strong plan and hold students

accountable. 2. Create a classroom that excites students

and makes them feel like they belong.

Classroom Tips Try This! Songs for Transitions

Michael Linsin Smart Classroom Management www.smartclassroommanagement.com

Rick Morris New Management www.newmanagement.com

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Strategies for students who exhibit aggressive behaviors (hitting, kicking, biting, etc.) Tier Two and Tier Three Support Strategies Effective strategies for special education teachers

Newsletter “Stuff Teachers Can Use” Workshop Handouts Lesson Plans for Teaching Procedures

Dr. Laura Riffel Ten Tenets of Behavior http://behaviordoctor.org/

Rick Smith and Grace Dearborn Conscious Classroom Management: Unlocking the Secrets of Great Teaching

www.consciousteaching.com

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Create emotionally and physically safe environments for children Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS) Response to Intervention (RtI)

Three characteristics of an effective teacher:

1. Positive expectations

2. Classroom management

3. Lesson mastery

Dr. Randy Sprick Safe and Civil Schools www.safeandcivilschools.com

Dr. Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong The First Days of School www.effectiveteaching.com

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Contact Information

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Susan Pinson, M.A.T Executive Director of Professional Learning (405) 522-1835 susan.pinson@sde.ok.gov

References

• Behaviordoctor.org

• Boushey, G., & Moser, J. (2014). The Daily 5: Fostering Literacy in the Elementary Classroom. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.

• Breaux, A., & Whitaker, T. (2013). Making good teaching great: everyday strategies for teaching with impact. New York: Routledge.

• Effectiveteaching.com

• Morguefile.com (copyright friendly pictures)

• Newmanagement.com

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• Publicdomainpictures.net (copyright friendly pictures)

• Safeandcivilschools.com

• Smartclassroommanagement.com

• Smith, R., & Dearborn, G. (2016). Conscious classroom management: unlocking the secrets of great teaching. Fairfax, CA: Conscious Teaching LLC.

• Snappygoat.com (copyright friendly pictures)

• Sprick, R. S. (2009). CHAMPS: a proactive & positive approach to classroom management (2nd ed.). Eugene, OR: Pacific Northwest Publishing.

• Wong, H.K., & Wong, R.T. (1998). The first days of school. Mountain View, CA: Harry Wong Publications

References

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