Responsive ClassroomBy Mary Whittle, Kelly

McNab, and Ruth Demshick

In the Beginning…

Stephen Elliot, study done in West Haven, CT

1991-92

1993-94 Stephen Elliot, study done in Washington, DC

1996-97 and 1997-98

Stephen Elliot, study done in Springfield, MA

NEFC received sponsorship from DuBarry Foundation

1999

2001-02 and 2003-04 Sara Rimm-Kaufman, Social and

Acedemic Learning Study

1981 4 teachers decided to start NEFC and emphasize social curriculum

Procedures and Techniques

The first six weeks of school is the most vital time of the school year in which a Responsive Classroom is implemented.

Elliott et al. (2001) said that, “Educators who choose to assess and intervene to improve students’ pro-social behaviors will find that it can pay academic achievement dividends for individual students while improving their own instructional environment”

Procedures and Techniques

C. A. R. E. S.Approach in RC

where 5 major clusters of social skills which are in the repertoire of

socially competent individuals

•C ooperation

•A ssertion

•R esponsibility

•E mpathy

•S elf-control

Procedures and Techniques

Procedures and Techniques

Procedures and Techniques

Discrimination TrainingAccording to Chapter 9 of our text, we have

learned, that the concept formation of DT is to teach by presenting positive and negative examples.

• Teachers want students to: obey rules, follow instructions, perform specific academic skills

• A major part of teaching task• Establishing specific times, places,

instructions and other antecedent events as discriminative stimuli for student behaviors

First Six Weeks of School, Continued

Procedures and Techniques

Sample antecedents to Problem Behavior

•Lack of functional vocabulary to communicate

•Physical environment: for example noise, number of students

•Meaningless repitition

•Non-functional activity

•Rate of physical prompting or verbalizations

Procedures and Techniques

Antecedent Oriented• Proactive• Co-Created Rules and Consequences• Clear and Consistent• Developing Self control • Taking Responsibility for Actions

Creating a Safe Learning Envrionment

Procedures and Techniques

Social Curriculum“How” Children Learn

Social InteractionCARES

“Knowing” the children “Knowing” the families

Implementing a Social Curriculum

Principles of Responsive Classroom

Steps for ImplementationTeaching Practices Of RC

• The Northeast Foundation for Children (2004) has stated specific teaching practices that have arisen from the seven principles of RC:

• Morning Meetings • Rules and Logical Consequences• Classroom Organization• Guided Discovery• Academic Choice• Reaching out to Parents

Steps for Implementation

Morning Meeting

1. “ Good Morning, _________, how are you today?

2. COMMUNITY BUILDING3. Antecedent Oriented

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=77ab95753b79935ced01

Steps for Implementation

Rules and Logical Consequences

Classroom + Rules = Respect and Reason

Logic + Consequences = Responsibility

Example of Rules and Logical Consequences

Rules and Logical Consequences

Rules and Logical Consequences

RC encourages that the teacher ignore the problem behaviors while reinforcing the appropriate behaviors.

For example..

A student is running to the cafeteria. The teacher says please walk.

When the student begins walking the teacher should immediately reinforce the student by saying “I like how you listened and followed the rules of our school.”

Differential Reinforcement

Steps for Implementation

Classroom OrganizationTeachers-• Effectively organize classrooms

• create safe, warm and welcoming space • encourages social and academic excellence

• Arrange classrooms • ways that promote students’ organization, cooperation and

independence.

• Provide spaces• children work independently and cooperatively.

• Students’ works displayed throughout the classroom• students feel valued and respected

Classroom Organization

Steps for Implementation

Guided Discovery1. Encourage2. Encourage3. Encourage

4. Teacher Language (antecedent oriented)

For example: Instead of “Quit goofing off!” How about, “ Thumbs up to show me your ready”

For Example: In closure, the teacher asks one student to model a careful cleanup of the materials, suggesting that the other students also model appropriate behavior in the cleanup task.

Teacher Language

Steps for Implementation

Academic Choice

REFLECTION Mistakes

Develop Interests

Options

Opportunities

Academic Choice

Steps for Implementation

REACH OUT TO PARENTS

“Knowing the Families”Encourage communication

Inviting parents to be a part of the school community

Encourage collaboration Include parents in goal setting

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ab9aeca583fd0bb0e1c6

Advantages

Children: • Increase in reading and math test scores• Better social skills among classmates

– Sense of community – Behavioral improvements

• More positive attitudes about school

Teachers:• Feeling more effective and positive about teaching

experience– Attitudes of teachers using this curriculum have also

changed • Some offer more high-quality instruction • Teachers collaborated with their peers more.

Disadvantages

• Teachers – If not trained well…

• If teachers are not trained ahead of time or well informed about the program…

– If the right attitude is not displayed during these lessons… • What will happen during this time?

• Classroom Setting – If classroom is messy/cluttered, program will not

be effective because of display of work aspect

Tying in to Applied Behavioral Analysis

• Behaviorists focus is on the “present environmental conditions maintaining behavior and on establishing and verifying functional relations between such conditions and behaviors” (pg. 16)

• Instructional Procedures: prompts (thumbs up, show me your ready), modeling, fading (singing a song to humming)

• Two Principles of ABA:– Behavior is largely a product of its immediate environment– Behavior is shaped better by positive (reinforcement) than

negative (punitive) consequences

URL

http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/

• Start of slides that are already used in RC Show

Northeast Foundation for Children

Emphasizing: Social

EmotionalAcademics

Safe School Community

Goal: Optimal Student Learning

Success in School Settings

“Survey Says….”

Greater increases in reading and math scores

Teachers more frequently engaged in and placed higher value on collaboration

Children had increased pro-social skills and increased trust for school, peers and teachers

Increased confidence led to effective teaching and stronger relationships with students

Definition – Responsive Classroom

• Emphasizes Importance of Social and Academic Learning

Academic CurriculumFocuses on knowledge of educational

material

Social CurriculumFocuses on knowledge of positive

behaviors and relationship

Scenarios

• Who knows…• How can I help you?• I see that…• I notice…• I see you… • You need to…• Who can tell me…• Show me…• Remind me…

• Teachers model desired words and behaviors

Definition

• Charney (2002) said, “It is about teaching children to care.”

• Classroom Management• Nurturing• Respectful• Full of Learning

Strategies for Teacher Language

• Make yourself listen to your words• Tape record yourself in the classroom• Have a colleague record your words and phrases• Focus on one phrase at a time• Ask children to help• Replace inappropriate words right at the moment• Think before you speak• Agree with colleagues to work on changing the same

word or phrase• Post replacement words on classroom walls• Use signals instead of words to get children’s attention• Use more open-ended questioning as a way to interact

with children