Responsive Classroom

The Responsive Classroom Approach

In our classroom I implement the Responsive Classroom® approach to enable optimal student learning.  This approach to teaching and learning fosters safe, challenging, and joyful elementary classrooms and schools.  It consists of teaching practices for bringing together social and academic learning throughout the school day.  Some of these include:

* A daily morning meeting

* Positive teacher language to promote learning

* Creating rules as a class that support everyone’s learning

* The use of logical consequences rather than punishment

* Opportunities for academic choice to increase engagement

* A classroom environment that is organized, comfortable, and respectful to children

The Responsive Classroom approach is based on the beliefs that social and academic learning go hand in hand and that all children want to learn and can learn!            

Beginning the day with Morning Meeting creates a strong classroom community and sets a positive tone for the day.  I use the Responsive Classroom approach in our class and our Morning Meeting is an important piece of children’s social, emotional, and academic growth.  During this time each day children greet one another, share news, and participate in community building games and activities.  In addition, academic skills are integrated into this part of our day.

An example of logical conseguences... Take a Break

As the class creates/ practices classroom rules and builds a strong classroom community, we discuss logical consequences.  One of our logical consequences is taking a break in the Take a Break seat in our room.  Take a Break can be a valuable strategy for helping children develop self-control while preserving the smooth flow of the classroom.  It is a way to teach children to refocus and return to successful participation in class activities.  

All children will practice using the take a break seat so they are comfortable with it and know that it is a positive strategy for regaining control.  We discuss that its purpose is to help calm us down and feel ready to join the class again.  Although Take a Break may look like “time out” at first, it has some specific differences.  I have listed the guiding principles of Take a Break below.

*Take a Break IS NOT a punishment!

*It is a positive way to allow children to make mistakes within the guardrails of adult controls

*Creates a safe and orderly learning environment 

*Take a Break is for everyone, anyone can make a mistake

*Is used before behavior escalates into a major disruption

Please let me know if you have any questions!  Thank you for your support at home!

For more information about Responsive Classroom, please visit http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/about-responsive-classroom.
From Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc.