Response to Intervention Energizing Teachers About Your School’s RTI Team Jim Wright

Response to Intervention 2 believe referring to the RTI Team is a sign of failure do not think that your team has any ideas that they haven’t already tried believe that an RTI referral will mean a lot more work for them (vs. referring directly to Special Education) don’t want to ‘waste time’ on kids with poor motivation or behavior problems when ‘more deserving’ learners go unnoticed and unrewarded don’t want to put effort into learning a new initiative that may just fade away in a couple of years Teachers may be reluctant to refer students to your RTI Team because they…

Response to Intervention 3 can engage in collegial conversations about better ways to help struggling learners learn instructional and behavior-management strategies that they can use with similar students in the future increase their teaching time are able to access more intervention resources and supports in the building than if they work alone feel less isolated when dealing with challenging kids have help in documenting their intervention efforts Teachers may be motivated to refer students to your RTI Team because they…

Response to Intervention 4 “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.” --Margaret Mead

Response to Intervention 5 RTI Team Strategies to Win Over Reluctant Teachers (from Cialdini, 1984)

Response to Intervention 6 Reciprocation When people are given a gift or have a service performed for them, they feel obligated to pay it back.

Response to Intervention 7 Reciprocation: Team Tips Stuff teacher mailboxes with intervention tips Sponsor teacher workshops with handouts & refreshments Accommodate a teacher’s schedule to hold RTI Team meetings Offer to collect ‘baseline’ information on a student— share results with teacher Compile list of RTI Team members’ services– invite teacher to select 1 or 2

Response to Intervention 8 Consistency People strive, often unconsciously, to maintain consistency between their opinions or attitudes and their actions.

Response to Intervention 9 Consistency: Team Tips Invite a reluctant teacher to an RTI Team meeting to ‘support’ a colleague Sign up teachers as ‘consultant members’ of the RTI Team Ask a teacher to keep RTI Team referral forms or other RTI Team resources in classroom to share with colleagues Set up contest for ‘best intervention ideas’ Showcase ideas from reluctant teachers

Response to Intervention 10 Social Proof People are influenced to take an action when they see that others like them are also doing it.

Response to Intervention 11 Social Proof: Team Tips Encourage teachers to give RTI Team testimonials at faculty meetings Make sure that all grade levels are represented on the RTI Team Share successful RTI Team intervention ideas with other members of a referring teacher’s team Bring in RTI Team speakers from another school who resemble underrepresented groups Share general RTI Team statistics with staff

Response to Intervention 12 Liking People are motivated to carry out the requests of those whom they like or with whom they feel ‘connected’.

Response to Intervention 13 Liking: Team Tips Ask satisfied teachers to invite a friend to refer to the RTI Team Assign RTI Team members to invite friends, acquaintances to an RTI Team meeting Encourage referring teachers to bring friends, teaching partners to an RTI Team meeting Praise teachers at an RTI Team meeting for positive teaching, management qualities Seek out popular, respected staff to serve on the RTI Team

Response to Intervention 14 Authority People respect and follow those with authority (organizational, experiential, professional).

Response to Intervention 15 Authority: Team Tips Have principal encourage new teachers to refer to the RTI Team Invite building- or district-level administrators to make positive comments about the RTI Team to faculty Have teachers with experiential, professional authority to give positive testimonials about the RTI Team Send ‘Thank You’ cards signed by principal Ask outside presenters to ‘plug’ the RTI Team

Response to Intervention 16 Scarcity When items, resources or opportunities are in short supply, people value them more (especially when competing for them).

Response to Intervention 17 Scarcity: Team Tips Establish a cut-off date for accepting RTI Team referrals Limit the number of RTI Team referrals that your team will accept in a year Publicize the limited slots available at key referral times (e.g., end of marking period) Give away limited-edition packets of intervention resources at RTI Team meetings Sign up ‘consultant member’ to the RTI Team but limit the number of meetings that he or she attends

Response to Intervention 18 References Cialdini, R.B. (1984). Influence: How and why people agree to things. New York: William Morrow & Company, Inc.