Responsive Classroom

Responsive Classroom

Children need a set of social skills to be successful both academically and socially

• Cooperation
• Assertiveness
• Responsibility
• Empathy
• Self-control

Say what you will model and why.

• Mrs. K: "Our goal is for everyone to do high-quality work during independent work time. Watch how Carlos and I work hard on our assignment and let others do the same."

Model the behavior.

• Mrs. K and Carlos (coached in advance) demonstrate how to work on a research assignment at the same table. They work quietly, but to show that it's okay to talk, they each exchange one fact from their research, briefly and in low voices. Then they get right back to work.

Ask students what they noticed.

• Mrs. K: "What did you notice?" Her students note the key elements of the demonstration, such as how Carlos and Mrs. K stayed in their seats, worked quietly, and talked in low voices for only a short time. Mrs. K prompts students to name any key behaviors they missed. For example: "What did we do with our papers and other materials?"

Invite one or more students to model.

• Mrs. K chooses four more students, who demonstrate how to work independently at the same table just as she and Carlos did.

Again, ask students what they noticed.

• Mrs. K: "What did you notice this time?" Her students point out the key elements, just as they did in Step 3, helping to reinforce these behaviors for themselves. Again, she prompts them if they miss any key behaviors.

Have all students practice.

• Mrs. K gives all her students a short survey to work on so she can observe and coach them.

Provide feedback.

• Mrs. K: "I see everyone focused on the survey, working quietly. That kind of focus will help you and your classmates complete your assignments and learn a lot this year."

What is Responsive Classroom?

Responsive classroom is a nationally used, research-and evidence-based way of teaching that improves students' social and academic skills and raises teachers' instructional quality.

Resources

History of Responsive Classroom

Guiding Principles

The social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum.

The greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction.

Classroom Practices

Knowing the children we teach is as important as knowing the content we teach

• Individually
• Culturally
• Developmentally

Morning Meeting

Gathering as a whole class each morning to greet one another, share news, and warm up for the day ahead.

Rule Creation

Helping students create classroom rules that allow all class members to meet their learning goals

How children learn is as important as what they learn: process and content go hand in hand.

Interactive Modeling

Teaching children to notice and internalize expected behaviors through a unique modeling technique

Positive Teacher Language

Logical Consequences

Using words and tone to promote children's active learning and self-discipline

Responding to misbehavior in a way that respects children, guides them to recognize the effects of their actions, d helps them develop internal controls.

Guided Discovery

Knowing the families of children we teach and working with them as partners is essential to children's education

Introducing materials using a format that encourages creativity and responsibility

How the adults at school work together is as important as individual competence: Lasting change begins with the adult community

Academic Choice

Increasing student motivation and learning by allowing students teacher-structured choices in their work

Classroom Organization

Setting up the physical room in ways that encourage independence, cooperation, and productivity.

Working With Families

Inviting families' insights and helping them understand the school's teaching approaches

Collaborative Problem-Solving

Using conferencing, role-playing, and other strategies to resolve problems with students

What the research says about Responsive Classroom...

The good (and some not so good) aspects of Responsive Classrooms...

• Parent resistance

• COST $$

• Joining the "community" in the middles of the school year

More high quality instruction

• Improved teacher-student interactions
• Higher-quality teaching and standards based instruction
• Improved social skills in children
• Greater student achievement in math and reading
• Equally strong gains for all socio-economic groups
• Greater gains for low-achieving students
• More positive feelings toward school among children and teachers
• Better organized, more emotional supportive classrooms

Improves social skills

Increased academic achievement

How the adults at school work together is as important as individual competence. Lasting change begins with the adult community.

Decreased problem behaviors

Now for our Morning Meeting...

• Greeting
• Sharing
• Group Activity
• Morning Message

How it aligns with Minnesota's Early Childhood Indicators of Progress...

Social and Emotional Development

Creativity and the Arts

Approaches to Learning

• Use a variety of media and materials for exploration and creative expression
• Participate in art and music experiences
• Participate in creative movement, drama, and dance
• Show interest and respect for the creative work of self and others
• Show opinions about likes and dislikes in art and creative expression

• Explore a wide range of emotions in different ways
• Develop an awareness of self as having certain abilities, characteristics, and preferences
• Interact easily one or more children
• Begin to participate successfully as a member of a group
• Sustain interaction by cooperating, helping, sharing, and expressing interest

• Show interest n discovering and learning new tasks
• Choose new as well as a variety of familiar activities
• Use new ways or novel strategies to solve problems or explore objects
• Generate ideas, suggestions, and/or make predictions

Physical and Motor Development

Language and Literacy Development

• Develop large muscle control and coordination
• Use a variety of equipment for physical development
• Develop small muscle control and coordination
• Use eye-hand coordination

• Listen with understanding to stories, directions, and conversations
• Communicate needs, wants, or thoughts through non-verbal gestures, actions, expressions, and words
• Speak clearly enough to be understood
• Initiate, ask questions, and respond in conversation with others
• Begins to associate sounds with words and letters
• Show beginning understanding of concepts about print
• Recognize and name some letters of the alphabet
• Understand that writing is a way of communicating