First, I have to start by giving a huge thank you to Janis Noble at Caffeinated Conclusions (see her page button over there on the right?). She published a version of her classroom procedures on her blog, and I used it as a guide for creating my Classroom Procedures Handbook. I borrowed her layout, some of her language, and followed her publication as a template for my own. (Here's a link to her Teachers Pay Teachers Store.)
Also giving credit where it's due: all that cute owl artwork is © Laura Strickland/MyCuteGraphics.com-- she's super supportive of teacher usage, so I can support her, too!!
Now, here it is!
I have a blended 3rd/4th/5th class, with students who spend parts of their day learning with me, and parts in general education settings. With students and teachers coming and going from our small classroom hundreds dozens of times throughout the day, schedules and procedures are our glue! I've always had in mind that our procedures should be in writing...it was just a matter of finding the time to sit down and work through the process.
What's so fantastic about Ms. Noble's template is how throuroughly she spelled out the expectations for each part of the day. It made it easy to tweak the contents to reflect our schedule and expectations without thinking through the day from a blank start.
I do plan to use parts of this handbook with my students; however, its primary use will be for getting all the teachers and paraprofessionals in my room on the same page. Hopefully this will clarify the expected behaviors for each part of our day, and give our students more confidence in the consistent expectations of all staff. (Plus, I can re-read and refresh my memory for the behavior standards I have in mind.)
Use, pass along, enjoy!! Hope this helps!
I've been using some of the time on this mid-winter break to examine my classroom and behavior management practices. Two books have primarily occupied my reading, and have given me both important reminders of best practice and practical tips for reaching my students in effective ways.
My district provided me with a two-day training seminar this summer in the Positive Discipline program (Nelsen, Lott, & Glenn, 2000). While the tenets of this program work well with about 80-85% of the general student population (as a Tier-1 intervention), I have been finding that as a special education teacher with a high percentage of students with behavioral difficulties, my students are quite likely to fall into the top 5-15% of students for whom Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions just don't work.
The Tough Kid Book (Rhode, Jensen, & Reavis, 2006) is a collection of both theory and practical tips to support the application of more intensive behavior interventions for our most impacted students. Not only does this book describe why traditional classroom management practices and tier 1 interventions are ineffective for "tough kids", it also provides some classroom-tested suggestions for targeted intervention. Phenomenal read!
Schools of FISH! (Strand, Christensen, & Halper, 2006) takes a look at classroom community building through the four tenets of the FISH! philosophy: Play, Make Their Day, Be There, and Choose Your Attitude. (For more information on the FISH! philosophy and its Seattle Public Market roots, you can check out here: http://www.charthouse.com/productdetail.aspx?nodeid=24103.) I haven't made it through this book completely, but I appreciate the focus on choice and relationship building as the tools to build a caring community.
My goal is to compile the knowledge and understanding I've gained from these reads this week to build a positive behavior support system for my classroom. Be watching for updates here on my blog, on my classroom pinterest board (http://pinterest.com/rajieteach) and on teachersnotebook.com!
