Eastern Washington University
Brain Breaks are short mental pauses lasting no longer than 2 minutes that are designed to facilitate focus and attentiveness. For a variety of reasons including long lessons, impending holidays, or upcoming tests, students can collectively begin to lose that focus. Brain Breaks are intended to be fun and stimulating by offering a sporadic change from the norm (and sometimes mundane).
This greeting tool is a great way for kids to start off their morning and for the teacher to be able to read how the child is feeling that day. In short, it’s a board that is posted outside the classroom where the individual student gets to pick how the teacher greets them that day before entering the classroom. Some of the options can include fist bump, hug, mini dance party, high five, handshake, or any other options the teacher sees fit.
Random Acts of Kindness is a tool used in the beginning of the year where students first pick one envelope each where it has an act of kindness written in it. Their next step is to do that act of kindness and take a picture or write about what they did. It is helpful as it shows students different ways they can show kindness to each other.
Appealing classroom can be used to nurture reflective thinking. Having cool tone colors and uncluttered rooms can create a positive classroom that will proactively prevent student misbehavior.
Inspired by the book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, Australia is a get away corner for students who seem to be having a rough day. This tool helps students regroup to be able to focus again.
Silent signals are a few predetermined hand signals/sign language symbols that students are able to use to ask permission from the teacher for simple tasks such as going to the bathroom or getting a drink. This procedure helps to prevent distraction in the classroom and allows for daily tasks to be carried out more smoothly.
Cross the River can be used to help students build community and respect for one another. Because students are asked to collaborate and work together to formulate a solution to the problem presented to them with limited resources, this activity will help students establish relationships with each other and move towards being able to work as a team.
Natural consequences are the outcomes or the consequence that happens as a result of the behavior. They are not preplanned consequences the teacher has in place if something happens. This tool is helpful because the consequence will naturally happen and be connected with the actual misbehavior, therefore it will make sense to the child.
There are 3 goals of creating rules in the Responsive Classroom approach to discipline. They are 1) establish guidelines and expectations for positive behavior, 2) create a sense of order and safety- both physical and psychological in the classroom, and 3) teach children the purpose of rules by connecting the rules to learning goals.
The wrinkled heart starts as a simple cut out of a heart and when negative things affect the heart it becomes more and more wrinkled. It is a very helpful tool in the classroom because it gives the students a visual representation of what hurtful words can do.
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