Specific Classroom Strategies

A variety of short videos and articles on specific strategies staff members can use to support positive student behavior and redirect negative behaviors. Sources of strategies are from MPS and external from MPS.  Staff are encouraged to view a variety of strategies to continue to add to their "toolbox" of strategies to use throughout the school with all students to support positive behaviors. 

Strategies available within PLP Classroom Behavior in Infinite Campus.

• 5X5 Focused Relationship (Edutopia)

• Appreciation, Apology, Aha (Edutopia)

• Snowball Toss (Edutopia)

• 8 Proactive Classroom Management Tips (Edutopia)

• Line Up Strategy (Teaching Channel)

• Managing a chatty classroom (Teaching Channel)

• Ask 3 Then Me (Teaching Channel)

• Start with a 'Do Now' (Teaching Channel)

• Alternative to a Behavior Chart (ASCD)

• Managing Transitions (Teaching Channel)

• Greeting at the Door (Edutopia)

• TUMS at the Door (Edutopia)

• Simple ways to promote student voice in the classroom

• Scanning & Circulating (Match Minis)

• Giving Clear Directions (Match Minis)

• A Leader They Can Trust (Match Minis)

• Reacting to Minor Misbehavior (Match Minis)

• Reactive Management Moves (Match Minis)

• Rebuilding After Conflict (Match Minis)

• De-escalating Meltdowns (Match Minis)

• Classroom doorbell (We Are Teachers)

• Classroom presence (We Are Teachers)

• Interactive Modeling (Responsive Classroom)

• Reinforcing, Reminding, and Redirecting  (Responsive Classroom)

• What is precorrection and when to use it

• Pre-correcting and prompting

• Student conference (The Teacher Toolkit)

• Attention Signal (The Teacher Toolkit)

• Cell Phone Parking Lot (The Teacher Toolkit)

• Classroom Contract (The Teacher Toolkit)

• Myster Motivator Reward (The Teacher Toolkit)

• Teaching Procedures (The Teacher Toolkit)

• 2X10 Strategy

• 10 Easy Ways to Create an Amazing #ClassroomCulture #Podcast

• Understanding Microaggressions module (WI DPI/ Dr. Newell)

• How to use the gradual release of responsibility 

• Start requests

• Using "I" statements

• 10 ways to improve communication with parents about their child's behavior

• How to call or email parents about difficult topics

• 7 attention-getters to use instead of raising your voice (Edutopia)

• The best ways to get your kids to listen without nagging

• Broken Record Technique (Video)

• Regulatory activities

• Opportunities to respond

• Whip around engagement strategy

• Four corners (movement engagement strategy)

• Student response cards 

• Popsicle sticks (engagement strategy)

• Classroom affirmations

• How to keep students from bolting out of class (Edutopia)

• How to create a calm down corner in 5 easy steps

• How to create and use a calm-down corner in any learning environment

• Successful calm corner ideas for classrooms

• Effectively implement a calm corner in your classroom in 6 steps

• 20 inspiring calm down corner options for your classroom

• Calm down corner (Action For Healthy Kids network)

• De-escalating meltdowns (video)

• Calming & de-escalation strategies (video)

• De-escalation strategies for challenging behaviors (video)

• Trauma informed care: de-escalating challenging behaviors (video)

• Traverse Talk (for increasing student engagment opportunities)

• Addressing work refusal in the classroom 

• District-debrief-resolution process for disruptive behaviors

• Brain Breaks (Edutopia) 

• Using the 'would you rather' game for reasoning and reflection

• 16 variations on think-pair-share to keep students engaged

• Active Supervision (video)

• Compassion-Based Strategies for Managing Classroom Behavior

• Putting a Definition Back in Defiance

• Why Classroom Clip Charts Do More Harm than Good

• Responding in Vulnerable Decision Points

• 7 teacher phrases that can change your classroom culture

• How to show teens respect so you can earn it from them

• The secret to classroom management- no matter where you teach

• Teachers who praise see a 30% increase in good behavior from students

• Ditch the Clip! Why clip charts are not a PBIS practice and what to do instead

• Does your face light up?

• Student describe their favorite teachers (Education Week march 2020)

• A letter to the teacher of "that kid" with the difficult behaviors

• Seven Ways to Make High School "Suck" Less (ASCD)

• When schools meet trauma with understanding, not discipline

• Why student voice is critical for managing discipine when schools reopen

• With stress in schools increasing, simple strategies to stay calm

• How to talk to a "problem student" without tuning them out

• Suspension Prevention: Classroom Management in Distance Learning

• Checking yourself for bias in the classroom

• Positive words go a long way

• Respect: find out what it means to me... actually ask your students

• Praise improves behavior faster than criticism, according to a new study

• How novice and expert teachers approach classroom management differently

• 7 things teachers say to create a supportive classroom

• Creating and Establishing Classroom Routines in Safe Space Classrooms

• Create your classroom rules WITH your students for a powerful start to the year

• 30 classroom procedures to head off behavior problems

• 12 must teach classroom routines and procedures

• 3 practices to promote equity in the classroom 

• Guiding middle and high school students to enter and exit the classroom smoothly

• Helping students reacclimate to being with others all day

• Why are we quicker to call parents about kids' behavior than about their academic performance?

• ASCD: avoiding common classroom management missteps

• Fostering a feeling of security in young students

• Leaders can build community, even in a divided school

• Teacher's Handbook of Helpful Strategies

• Trading 'please focus' for 'how are you?' a listening strategy that's helping some teachers improve the classroom experience

• Remembering how to be friends: amid COVID isolation, one school is using talking circle to help kids reconnect

• How to create a classroom culture wall

• Addressing persistent defiance

• Four steps to discussing challenging behavior with a student

• Classroom procedures and routines: Why a strong routine is important

• Importance of classroom routines and procedures

All best practice examples from Dr. Sharroky Hollie

• Walk and talk

• Mind streaming

• Chalk talk

• Verbal expressiveness strategies

• Give one get one

• Find someone who

• Put your two cents in

• One three six

• Save the last word for me

• Hot seat

• Shout out

• Stand and deliver

• Circle the sage

• Who's the stray

• Stop and scribble

• Article doodle

• Jump in reading

• Tag reading

• Wordy conversation

• Hilarious illustration time

• Scattegory share out

• Quiz Quiz trade

• 60 second radio spot

PBIS World 

• Select behavior you are seeing from students and find strategies to implement by behavior

Intervention Central

• Various evidence based and research based interventions for behaviors

Mindfulness Videos (videos would be used with students within the classroom)

Mindfulness Posters (posters would be printed and used as a reminder for students to use mindfulness strategies)

Mindfulness Resources (MPS)

Mindfulness in the Classroom (Teaching Channel) 

Community Building

• MPS Community Building Guide

• The Rhythm of Relationship Building

• Build with care: recruiting student teacher voices to rethink schools because of the pandemic

• 225 of the silliest 'would you rather' questions for kids

• How to build your classroom community from the first days of school

• 10 team-building activities for the first week of school

• Community building activities you need for the first week of school

• Tell Me Something Good (The Teacher Toolkit)

• School-wide relationship mapping

• Helping students create healthy relationships

• Random ice breaker question 

• 12 "first day of school" printables

• Welcome back icebreakers, stand if true for you

• How to create a classroom culture wall

• 3 end-of-year reflection strategies for students

• Meaingful ways to provide closure at the end of the school year

Morning Meetings

• Curtin Elementary School example

• Edutopia example 1, example 2, example 3

• MPS Bilingual Classroom example

PearDeck Templates

• Fist to Five

• First day icebreakers

• Feelings check-in

• About me

• Today's mood

• Facing History & Ourselves Pear Deck for first days of school

• Pear Deck: A student self-care recipe

• Pear Deck: Celebrating students

• Bullying prevention

• Compassion

• Digital safety

• Celebrating the end of the year

Harry Wong- how to start class immediately with respect and care

We are teachers: 38 must teach classroom procedures and routines 

Prairie Trail School- various cool tools

Cool Tool: maximizing structure with routines and procedures

Illinois PBIS Network- cool tools (various)

19 effective classroom procedures you can try

IRIS Center: Procedures module