1. Responsive Classroom Principals and Practices Brent Elementary 2011-2012

2. Brent Elementary School What It Is Responsive Classroom is an approach to working with children. It is not a curriculum, a program, a rulebook, a practice, a person…

3. Brent Elementary School 7 Guiding Principles

4. Brent Elementary School The social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum.

5. Brent Elementary School How children learn is as important as what they learn: Process and content go hand in hand.

6. Brent Elementary School The greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction.

7. Brent Elementary School To be successful academically and socially, children need a set of social skills: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control.

8. Brent Elementary School Knowing the children deeply individually, culturally, and developmentallyis as important as knowing the content we teach.

9. Brent Elementary School Knowing the families of the children we teach and working with them as partners is essential to childrens education.

10. Brent Elementary School How the adults at school work together is as important as their individual competence: Lasting change begins with the adult community.

11. Brent Elementary School Practices

12. Brent Elementary School Morning Meeting Greeting Share Message News/Announcements Activity

13. Brent Elementary School Rule Creation Students should collectively create - or contribute to the creation of - the rules that govern their classroom.

14. Brent Elementary School Interactive Modeling Students can come to understand and internalize behaviors by having them modeled, and by modeling them for others.

15. Brent Elementary School Positive Adult Language Adults should be careful to ensure that their words and tone align to the goal of having students learn actively and internalize desirable behaviors.

16. Brent Elementary School Power of Our Words: Language Guidelines Be direct and authentic. Show faith in childrens abilities and intentions. Keep it action oriented. Be brief. Know when to be silent.

17. Brent Elementary School Logical Consequences Rather than following a proscribed set of behavior outcomes, teachers should respond flexibly and respectfully to student behavior. Consequences are not designed to make students pay for their misbehavior – the momentum should always be toward the internalization of positive behaviors.

18. Brent Elementary School Guided Discovery Rather than being told how to use (or what to do with) materials, students can be guided to use things (materials, tools, classroom spaces, centers…) flexibly but responsibly.

19. Brent Elementary School Academic Choice Allowing for student input and choice increases buy-in, motivation, and creativity. Also, differentiated instruction is preferable.

20. Brent Elementary School Classroom Organization There are ways to set up the room to encourage independence, cooperation, and productivity.

21. Brent Elementary School Working With Families Negotiating successfully between home and school is easiest when teachers listen to families insights and help families understand the school environment.

22. Brent Elementary School Collaborative Problem Solving Students can be part of the solution to any problem. Teachers can promote problem solving techniques that foster independence and strong socialization.

23. Brent Elementary School What Stands Out? Flexibility Intrinsic Language Independent Problem Solving

24. This Means that We… Do: Stay really calm Work through the problem toward the solution Hear the students side Ask real, pertinent questions Provide choice Dont: Deliberately create extrinsic motivation systems like card charts, stop lights, token economies… Yell at Kids Get even Insert ourselves as the regulator