Item 8

I create an oasis of safety and respect in my classroom

To create an oasis for safety and respect in the classroom, teachers need to establish clear rules for behavior and consequences for misconduct starting on the very first day. Ensuring every student feels safe to learn and contribute to classroom discussions is an essential piece of the teaching and learning process and should be verbally expressed and intentionally praised often!

Classroom Promise
During the first days of school the students can help the teacher establish rules for the classroom. The list should be short and address multiple behaviors under one rule. As a class, we engage in rich discussions about our purpose for being in school- to grow our brains. I make sure to highlight that the students are creating the rules because they know what is needed to have a safe classroom where we can all grow our brains. Once the classroom promise is complete, each student signs their "autograph" which states that they are one of the creators of the rules. Students are then given two puzzle pieces. On one puzzle piece, they will record a rule they are an expert at and one rule they will need to practice following this year. We all paste our puzzle pieces to the promise. The classroom promise is displayed in a central location in the classroom so it can be referred to often.

Behavior clips
One way I establish clear rules for behavior and consequences is by using a plate system to manage students behavior. Each plate has a title; above and beyond, on track, reminder, restore, and plan of action. Each plate is accompanied by a specific consequence or reward. For example, If a student ends the day with their clip on above and beyond, they earn a trip to our classroom prize box. If they end the day on plan of action, the student, teacher, and parent will create a specific plan of action for the next day/week. Here is a picture of our behavior plates system:

References:

Jensen, E. (2013). Principles of brain-based learning. Retrieved from
http://www.jensenlearning.com/principles.php