What
First and foremost, Christ the King's mission is to "provide an excellent education in a Catholic community of love and care [and] to foster respect for one another". In this classroom, that mission (and our true belief in it) shapes all of our expectations and management philosophies.
As a class, we developed our own list of classroom expectations for what "A Great Classmate" looks like. This hangs in the classroom and is referred to frequently to reinforce expected behavior. I believe it is important that the students made this list, as this is their classroom, too. It also gives them a sense of ownership, makes the rules more memorable, and provides more "buy-in".
To manage the classroom, I have adapted the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Services (PBIS) and the Responsive Classroom models. I love the idea that misbehavior is preventable. Encouraging, modeling, and acknowledging positive behaviors we see in the classroom to a proven motivator for students to follow with these positive actions. We also work early and constantly to foster a sense of community in the classroom, as confortability and fluency in social curriculum is equally as important (and essential) as academic curriculum.
I also believe in the Growth Mindset. This means that through hard work and dedication, students are able to grow and improve, regardless of the struggles or road blocks. I will always encourage students to try their best, take chances, and be willing to make mistakes or fail (in order to learn and try again!) There is an enormous amount of research on this subject, and it proves that fostering this belief in children makes them more autonomous, adventurous, and capable adults.
How
The system that I use in my classroom to hold students accountable for their actions, is a clip chart. Each day, students begin on green ("Ready to Learn"), and aim to work their way up to purple ("Role Model"). Students can also land on "Great Work", "Think About It", "Teacher Meeting", or "Parent Contact". Throughout the day, students will move their clips along the chart based on their choices of actions and words. This system intrinsically motivates students to make the "right" choices, as there are no rewards for reaching "Role Model". We remind students that some days you may not make it to the top, and that is "A-Okay!" If a student does end the day on "Parent Contact", a note will be sent home outlining the day's behavior. I will also meet with that student to make a plan for how we can work together to make the next day a great one! 3 "Parent Contacts" in a 2-week period (or less), will require a parent meeting with the child present.
An important part about this clip chart is that it is entirely fluid. Depending on a student's choices, they may be asked to move their clip in any given direction 1-30 times a day! This shows that their positive choices have "rewards" (like that good-inside-feeling) and their negative choices have consequences...both of which are wonderful learning opportunities.
First and foremost, Christ the King's mission is to "provide an excellent education in a Catholic community of love and care [and] to foster respect for one another". In this classroom, that mission (and our true belief in it) shapes all of our expectations and management philosophies.
As a class, we developed our own list of classroom expectations for what "A Great Classmate" looks like. This hangs in the classroom and is referred to frequently to reinforce expected behavior. I believe it is important that the students made this list, as this is their classroom, too. It also gives them a sense of ownership, makes the rules more memorable, and provides more "buy-in".
To manage the classroom, I have adapted the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Services (PBIS) and the Responsive Classroom models. I love the idea that misbehavior is preventable. Encouraging, modeling, and acknowledging positive behaviors we see in the classroom to a proven motivator for students to follow with these positive actions. We also work early and constantly to foster a sense of community in the classroom, as confortability and fluency in social curriculum is equally as important (and essential) as academic curriculum.
I also believe in the Growth Mindset. This means that through hard work and dedication, students are able to grow and improve, regardless of the struggles or road blocks. I will always encourage students to try their best, take chances, and be willing to make mistakes or fail (in order to learn and try again!) There is an enormous amount of research on this subject, and it proves that fostering this belief in children makes them more autonomous, adventurous, and capable adults.
How
The system that I use in my classroom to hold students accountable for their actions, is a clip chart. Each day, students begin on green ("Ready to Learn"), and aim to work their way up to purple ("Role Model"). Students can also land on "Great Work", "Think About It", "Teacher Meeting", or "Parent Contact". Throughout the day, students will move their clips along the chart based on their choices of actions and words. This system intrinsically motivates students to make the "right" choices, as there are no rewards for reaching "Role Model". We remind students that some days you may not make it to the top, and that is "A-Okay!" If a student does end the day on "Parent Contact", a note will be sent home outlining the day's behavior. I will also meet with that student to make a plan for how we can work together to make the next day a great one! 3 "Parent Contacts" in a 2-week period (or less), will require a parent meeting with the child present.
An important part about this clip chart is that it is entirely fluid. Depending on a student's choices, they may be asked to move their clip in any given direction 1-30 times a day! This shows that their positive choices have "rewards" (like that good-inside-feeling) and their negative choices have consequences...both of which are wonderful learning opportunities.