We encourage parents to utilise the responsible thinking process at home whilst their children are studying, working online or even in the holidays when they are resolving conflicts in their lives. Parents can access the RTP questions and the college rules (which make great family rules) on the school website. Here you will find a flow chart showing how to work through the RTP questions and how you can tell that your student has made the decision it is time for them to complete a plan.

Typical RTP plans are available for prep students through to secondary students by accessing the How RTP Works link.

The Responsible Thinking Process works when we are able to give those students, who are disruptive, the opportunity for self-reflection in a non-controlling and supportive environment. When a student disrupts the teacher will ask them to reflect on their behaviour using a series of RTP questions. The student then has the opportunity to decide how they will behave for the remainder of the lesson. If the disruptive behaviour continues to occur, the student is given the opportunity for deeper self-reflection.

The student does this in what’s known as the Responsible Thinking Classroom, or RTC. Whilst in the RTC the child will spend time with an RTP facilitator who will listen to them patiently, without making judgment, and help the student to develop ways of achieving their goals and get along with others by thinking responsibly and following the class rules, without violating the rights of others to learn.

Please contact us if you wish for them to discuss your child’s plan with them before they return to their school work.

The student works through a RTP plan and makes his or her own suggestions on how they can achieve these goals. The student then talks this plan through with the teacher/parent and negotiates a time when they, the student, can return back to the classroom. The teacher/parent can make suggestions to the student to enable him or her to fulfill their plan. A plan is never ignored or refused and is taken as a sincere commitment by the student.

The key component of this classroom discipline process is its focus on how students can achieve their goals without getting in the way of others who are trying to do the same thing. In short, it teaches students how to respect others.

Mission Statement

Enriching lives by fostering right relationships and responsible thinking.

Vision

Our vision is to see each student think and behave responsibly, and recognise that their actions have individual and collective consequences.

Parkland Christian College utilises the Responsible Thinking Process (RTP) founded on Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) to help guide our behaviour education strategies. The Responsible Thinking Classroom (RTC), supported by a team of RTP Facilitators is accessed by students to help them learn how to modify their behaviour. We believe that behaviour is a concept that is taught just like any other subject and sometimes students need time and space to get their head around the impact of their behaviour. The RTC is such a space.

One of the misconceptions about RTC is that it is for ‘naughty’ students and is therefore a punishment and detention. This is not true; rather RTC is a space to learn responsibility, self-control and devise strategies for positive life choices. We avoid using words like detention and bad or naughty and certainly don’t associate ‘fear’ with the RTC.

A student may use the RTC for the following:

Ø Own their behaviour and devise strategies to respect the right of others to learn

Ø Complete homework, unfinished class work and assignments

Ø Study quietly and use the computers

Ø Print assignments

Ø Sort out uniform infringements

Ø Discuss any difficulties regarding staff or fellow students

Ø Process non-RTP behaviours

Through using RTP, we can help build the confidence of students by teaching them how to think responsibly and feel good about themselves. One way of doing this is to incorporate quality time. By providing quality time with these students we establish relationship, which is essential in the building up of self-worth and ability to succeed. So when things do go wrong, or a problem arises, the student can learn to achieve their goals whilst respecting other students’ right to learn.

Ø We take time out to listen to them, and try to understand WHY they feel the need to continue being disruptive.

Ø We spend quality time with that student.

Ø We treat them the same as every other student.

For more information on this process please visit:

RTP Website: http://responsiblethinking.com/

PCT Website: http://www.pctweb.org/

Frequent Flyers

No matter how many times a particular student is referred to the RTC. Each “Frequent Flyer” should be given the same opportunities as any other student. Every student is given the opportunity to reflect on the impact of their behaviour and its impact on the teaching and learning process.

Reduced Disruption

The RTC is a wonderful way to minimize class disruption. For example, if a student forgets to bring any significant equipment, rather than the teacher using up valuable class time following up a number of students, asking where their equipment is and organizing for equipment replacement then discussing better planning for the future, the student is referred to the RTC. The trip to the RTC takes about 5 minutes to collect a form that reviews their behaviour and requires the student to develop a plan to avoid the situation again. The teacher is free to deal with the student later, read their plan and assist the student as needed. This can all be done in a time when the teacher is free to deal with the issue without directly effecting teaching time. This same strategy is used for a wide range of disruptive behaviours including incomplete homework or assignments and lateness.

Non-RTC Behaviours

If a student is disrespectful, inappropriate behaviour, defiant or avoiding work, the RTP Facilitators will refer the student to one of the Heads of School.

Students may still visit the RTC as part of the requirements issued by the Heads of School. If a student is referred to the RTC and the student fails to comply with the responsible thinking process or continues to disrupt, the relevant HoS will normally suspend the student as necessary.

Home Communication

All RTC or HoS referrals will be communicated via email, phone or in person to parents. Our preferred method of home communication is via email. We encourage you to keep your personal details updated via student services and check your email on a regular basis. It is not always possible to express in writing the full and at times lengthy explanation connected to RTC visits. If you require additional information we encourage you to contact the referring teacher about the incident which led to the referral. Our RTP facilitators mediate the responsible thinking process which is initiated by a teacher and may not know the intricacies involved. However, should you have any questions concerning the responsible thinking process and our use of the process, please refer to our Common Q&A link on the school website or contact the RTP facilitators directly.

The Responsible Thinking Classroom (RTC) is designed to implement a Process (RTP) which teaches children and adults how to implement effective problem solving skills in order to achieve what they want without violating the rights of others. These skills can then be applied to a range of circumstances which in addition to classroom behaviour include managing sibling or peer disputes, parent-child disagreements, learning about and using key aspects of our personalities well, planning future academic success… and the list goes on!!

One of the strategies that we use to assist students remember this Process is planning. The RTP plan acts as a guide to students and adults to assist them develop the cognitive process of independent responsible thinking.

A child or adult’s ability to develop the skills required for independent responsible thinking can become disrupted. One of the key disruptions we see in the RTC is fear.

Occasionally we have students who despite having previous RTC experiences begin demonstrating heightened fear responses such as crying, lying or anger. When we speak with these students we usually learn one of two root causes for the child’s fear. First, fear of a parent’s negative reaction or second, fear of punishment. These fear responses, if mild, do not necessarily act as a disruption. However, if a child becomes fixated on the punishment or parents reaction, demonstrates uncontrollable sobbing, or is even demonstrating fearful responses to the idea of RTC when they are simply being reminded of the classroom rules then it is highly likely that the fear is unhealthy and impacting on the child’s ability to focus on learning responsible thinking skills.

It is common for a student who is fearful of attending RTC to remember feeling afraid, their response such as crying, and their parent’s response such as disappointment or punishment. What we also notice is that fear-disrupted students are usually unable to remember why they were referred or what they learnt about managing future similar incidents. This response is identical from the littlies in prep to year 12 students and reflects the findings of the California Science Centre (N.D) which suggests that stress hormones make it easier to recall memories of emotional experiences.

Scientific studies have shown that heightened stress can “impair the development of the prefrontal cortex, the brain region that is critical for the emergence of executive functions including making, altering and following plans; controlling and focusing attention, inhibiting impulsive behaviours and developing the ability to hold and incorporate new information in decision making (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2010).” Clearly these skills are integral to the development of independent responsible thinkers and should be cultivated from childhood right through to adulthood.

RTC is designed purposefully to be a safe place for students. It is common for students to demonstrate a mild fear response the first time they are referred to the RTC. Aware of this response the RTP Facilitators take special care of first-time students to help them have a positive RTC experience and memory. However equally important to our response is the parent’s response as this is the final stage of the process and the last memory the child will formulate in regards to their memory of the people, place and their interpretation of the experience.

This year we are aiming to irradiate fear responses in all students towards learning Responsible Thinking. So how can you help? Adults play a huge role in creating or reducing fear responses in children, a key reason for this is that children often develop fears by watching their parent’s own fearful reactions. You can help your child minimise their fear responses by following these simple ideas suggested by the California Science Centre (N.D.).

Finally what type of memory do you want your child to recall in the future when they are faced with problems?

a) A positive memory which can recall the behaviour which needs change, their goal and the steps they will take to reach their goal.

b) A negative memory that they felt afraid and their reaction such as crying, hiding or lying in response to perceived potential emotional pain?

In RTC we celebrate every opportunity for students and adults to become familiar with using responsible thinking. Why? Because our goal is for every student to graduate year 12 with the independent responsible thinking skills they need to navigate relationships, work places and life challenges.

A lot of us grew up with detention in school - I know I did. Detention is typically a place where a student will sit for a period of time and a) do nothing, b) write lines, c) pick up rubbish or some other task under supervision. Usually these tasks have very little learning attached to them and is more about wasting a student’s own time for their misconduct.

As an RTP Facilitator, one of the misconceptions that I often hear is that the RTC is for “naughty” students and sometimes the RTC is perceived as a “detention” for these naughty students to come and be punished. When one looks from the outside in, with little education or understanding around the RTC, I understand how people can perceive the RTC to be this way. A child demonstrates a disruptive behaviour and leaves the classroom to attend the RTC due to this. Sounds like detention or punishment right? Wrong.

Detention has a negative connotation attached to it, where the RTC rather, is a space for students to learn responsibility, self-control and to devise strategies for positive life choices. It is very different to a detention as the student is thinking, self- reflecting, learning to think from another person’s perspective and developing a plan for future.

Where staff would usually supervise a detention, the RTP Facilitators exist to provide emotional support, to positively challenge and coach students through this process and then support them to re-engage in class and put their plan into place. Very different to detention.

So then, now that we have clarified the difference between a detention facility and our RTC, it is important to understand the process that student’s experience when engaging.

If you think about it, each person is raised in a home and taught a wide selection of life skills as they age and interact with others. For example, being raised in a large family might mean that a child may learn how to interact confidently with different age groups or genders, or being raised with a sibling with a disability may teach another child how to have compassion and empathy for others and so on.

Not all children experience the same upbringing or learn the same skills. It makes sense for students to be referred to the RTC to learn the skills that they might not have been raised with. For example, at home it might be acceptable for a child to invade their siblings’ personal space in a playful way, however at school this might not be perceived as appropriate. The child might need to visit the RTC for a friendly chat with the RTP facilitator to have the difference explained to them or to consider how invading someone else’s space might make the other person feel.

Each time a student is referred, they are given the opportunity to utilise the Responsible Thinking Process to help them learn new skills such as how to manage conflict, how to follow class rules, how to be better prepared for class, how to be a kind friend and so on. This is done through discussion with the RTP Facilitator and also the completion of a RTP plan which enables students to think through self-reflective questions such as “what rule was I not following”, “how did this impact on others”, and “what is my goal for when I return to class”.

From what I have seen, students who are given the opportunity to come and discuss their behaviour or mistakes and learn from them – they tend to be much better off and well-rounded in the long run. Our team has found that when students are consistently referred, they are able to put their goals and strategies into practice. Eventually they come to a place where they have learned the skill of thinking before acting and ask themselves questions like “how will this make my friend feel” or “what will be the consequence of this behaviour”. Our goal is that a student will be able to successfully and independently implement the Responsible Thinking Process in time without needing to attend the RTC as often.

So if your child is regularly referred to the RTC for behaviour, please don’t see it as your child attending detention and being punished, rather, please see it as their opportunity to continue developing life skills and learning new ways of thinking.

1. Teacher to develop awareness of warning signs from Student when mood is elevated, low or angry; anticipate prior to Student shutting down or physically reacting.

· Arrives at school late/poor attitude/ without lunch, book, hat

· Trying repeatedly to tell the same story

· Student more withdrawn than usual from peers or in conversation

· Any behaviour which is different from the norm (at back of line, tapping, messy hand writing, avoiding eye contact, arms crossed, calling out/ or not calling out)

· Be aware of timing – does emotions escalate early in day, when hungry, when tired

2. When speaking to student, teachers are recommended to approach them one-on-one and get down on his level in order to speak with a calm and soft voice to provide redirection.

3. Student benefits from visual kinaesthetic learning style – this includes providing concrete aids such as having an example in front of them.

4. Student will perform best at academically demanding tasks in the morning/afternoon session

5. Where possible provide a breakdown of tasks with tick boxes for completion rather than an overview

6. When completing a written task Student will benefit from verbally planning their narrative before beginning to write

7. Spare time activities which encourage reading and spelling such as find-a-word, spelling list or mathletics etc.

8. Student omitted from answering questions in front of the class.

9. Provide regular breaks especially if Student is completing demanding tasks (lap around oval end of each hour, drink or task for teacher etc.)

10. Ensure you have Student’s attention before giving an instruction; ask them to repeat it back to you to check their understanding.

11. Break down the class tasks (ie circle task to be completed) to specific sections requiring only one to be completed at a time. Encourage Student for meeting each smaller goal. This will build Student’s sense of achievement and encourage them to continue working.

12. AD/HD symptoms can be pronounced when the student is stressed. If Student is particularly problematic, check if everything is okay with them first.

13. During class activities which require high energy provide a location in the classroom (ie. A chair to side of room or behind teachers desk) where Student can go to calm down and reduce likeliness of hyperactivity.

14. Strict routine and class rule expectations briefly outlined each lesson (refer to posters).

15. Provide Student with regular (every 15 mins) encouragement and feedback on their progress

16. Student responds well to humour and a supportive and caring environment. As much as possible teaching staff are encouraged to develop a positive individual relationship with Student.

17. When providing praise name the behaviour you expect and like “Ie: well done Student I know you are ready to begin work because your eyes were on me”

18. Be accepting of some movement and restlessness. Where appropriate the provision of physical movement during learning activates is encouraged. Appropriate fidget tools or medicine balls for seating are recommended.

19. Teacher to verbally encourage Student to make good choices, use ‘calm down’ strategy (counting, deep breaths) and assistance to self-manage emotions.

20. In instances where Student is getting hyperactive (calling out, silly behaviour) during class request Student complete a small task or have a quick drink break to resettle. Guide Student to consider “what will you do when you return to class.” Taking a break can actually provide more of a distraction so please consider where they will be going for a drink/task or whether 2 mins in the back of the classroom to put their head down is a better alternative.

21. Teacher to use Silent Signals to redirect student if calling out, jumping in with an unrelated story or vying for teacher’s attention. Teacher to make time later to ask the student to share story.

22. Teacher to rephrase their responses to use ‘Yes’ Statements. Eg. Yes you can read a book, when you have completed your handwriting. Yes you can go and get a drink, as soon as you have shown me your finished work.

23. Student will use a sticky note SOS to signify to the teacher that they requires help on a task.

24. Student responds well when they feel like they are ‘helping the teacher’; it can help to explain what the teacher is doing (their part) and then the task the student needs to do (their part). Alternatively giving the student a task is also a good idea – “As soon as you have completed your spelling words, can you help me out by collecting some whiteboard markers from Student Services”.

25. Teacher to give student 5 seconds to say what is wrong (count down) and then walk away.

26. Teachers encouraged to use fun/humour to redirect student momentarily during early stages of shutting down (this usually deescalates situation). Googling some basic jokes, taking a joke book to class (or starting class with a joke) or asking student ‘how things work’ are good strategies for encouraging student to reengage.

27. Where applicable buddy student up with someone in the class that they can peer-teach a specific concept.

28. Student to be provided with a fidget toy in the classroom to increase concentration where appropriate.

29. Teacher/aide to provide verbal planning in regard to entering new environments, ie. When returning to class discuss how will you go back, where will you wait, what will you say, then where will you go, what will you do etc)

30. Teacher to provide group work roles so that student can clearly identify what they are responsible for in group work. A visual display in the room related to Group work role is an additional reminder to refer student back to during group work tasks.

31. When speaking to student check that they are committed to the conversation or if they are just trying to ‘move on with it’.

To name a few...

When you ask your child 'the questions' you are starting a cycle that your child and you are collaboratively responsible to complete. The RTC faciliators are available to help answer any questions. Click here to see information about The RTP Cycle for parents and RTP plans.

Use this link to see all of the information provided to your child about RTP being used by parents, in the online classrooms and other great information.