Paraprofessionals…

1. Paraprofessionals… Classroom Management Tips That Maximize Learning! Title 1 Conference April 9, 2013 Deb Long & Lisa Sexton

2. Agenda • Learning Style • Positive Interaction Strategies • De-escalation Strategies – “do and don’t” • Teaching Strategies (gallery walk, think-pair share, snowball flurry, talk chips, self reflection, etc. ) • Reflection and Evaluation

3. Targets • 1. We understand our roles in motivating and helping students achieve success. • 2. We understand our styles and how to build rapport with students. • 3. We understand the how and why of building positive relationships with students. • 4. We understand positive interaction strategies to use and internalize in order to improve classroom management.

4. Celebrating What’s Right With the World - Dewitt Jones Listen and write down 1-2 comments or quotes on your index card that resonate with you.

5. Select one note from your index card that is your major “A-ha” or resonates the most with you. • Look around the room and find 2-3 people that you don’t know – stand together by pairs or triads. • Share your “A-ha” with each other and tellwhy you selected it.

6. “Best Practice” Positive Intervention Strategies • Courtesy Communication • Equitable Response Opportunities, Affirmation and Correction, Praise • Proximity and Individual Help • Listening • Personal Interest and Compliments

7. Courtesy Communication Objective: To use simple courtesies with all students and adults at my school. Student Awareness: “I am respected at this school.” Do: Courteous words (please, thank you, excuse me) body language, eye contact, greeting students at the door, calling them by their names. Watch out for: Sarcastic tone, insults, interrupting

8. How you treat people in the first 10 seconds will determine how well your day goes and will influence how their day goes. What does your greeting say about you? (Voice, body language, words)

9. Equitable Response Opportunities • Objective: Give all students an opportunity to respond and participate • Student awareness: “I’m going to be called on to perform and participate in this class or group.” • Strategies – tongue depressors, talk chips, calling for a summary statement, white-boards, entry/exit slips • Why are low achieving, minority and female students called on less frequently ?

10. Affirmation and Correction*Objective: Students will receive feedback about their performance. *Student awareness: “I am going to be told promptly whether or not my work is acceptable.”*How do you respond when a student gives a wrong answer?

11. Ways to Respond to an Incorrect Response. • Look at that again. • That’s good, but go further. • I never would have thought of that. • That’s another way of saying it. • Think over your answer again. • That’s one answer, can you think of another? • You’re working on the right path. • Try one more time.

12. Praise • Objective: To praise the learning performance of students. • Student awareness: “My teacher is especially pleased with my classwork.” • People who get 1 minute of praise per week from a boss or colleague…increase job satisfaction by 75%. • What are other ways to say “Good Job”?

13. Other Ways to Say “Good Job” • You tried very hard on this; nice job. • You put a lot of effort into this; way to go. • You were very focused; keep it up. • You were well prepared; it sure paid off. • You really though this through; this is excellent work. • You came well informed; how impressive. • You were ready for this; very creative. • You really outlined your next steps well; good thinking. • You’re an amazing learner; and you really used higher level thinking on your project.

14. Nonverbal Feedback • OK Gesture • Thumbs up • High Five • Touchdown sign • Wink • Nod • Smile • Sign Language (Good work, beautiful job)

15. Proximity • Objective: In a friendly manner, to be in arm’s reach of students. • Student awareness: “My teacher is close by and it doesn’t bother me.” • What are strategies that you could put into place to increase the use of proximity?

16. Individual Help • Objective: To provide individual help to students (Guided and independent practice time) • Student Awareness: “My teacher is concerned about me and wants me to succeed.” • Whoever does the work is doing the learning. • I do. We do. We do. We do. You do.

17. Listening • Objective: To listen attentively to all my students. • Student Awareness: “My teacher is really interested in what I have to say.” • Listening Activity: Groups of 6

18. “Listening is such a simple act. It requires us to be present and that takes practice, but we don’t have to do anything else. We don’t have to advise or coach or sound wise. We just have to be willing to sit there and be present.” Margret Wheatly

19. Compliments and Personal Interest • Objective: To give compliments and express personal interest in students (Interest Inventories, Sentence Stems, Me Bags, Recognition Displays) • Student Awareness: “I am more than just a student to my teacher; my teacher even compliments me.”

20. Compliments… Gratitude… Appreciation! • Write a “thank you” note to someone that you appreciate. • Write a note of congratulations to someone for a job well done. • Write a compliment to someone that has made a difference at your school.

21. Behavior Management • Objective: To be cool and calm when I redirect or give consequences for student misbehavior. To support the student in developing self management skills. • Student Awareness: “The teacher does not approve of my behavior, but still likes me as a person. I can manage myself.”

22. Behavior management is like an onion because ……………. (snowball flurry strategy)

23. “Each time we steal a student’s struggle, we steal the opportunity for them to build self-confidence. They must learn to do hard things to feel good about themselves. Self-confidence comes from being successful at something we perceive as difficult.” Susan Winebrenner

24. “No significant learning takes place without a significant relationship.” Dr. James Comer

25. Reflection, Closure, Evaluation • How Full Is Your Bucket? What about your colleagues? Students? • What strategies will you use consistently to create a positive and safe learning environment for your students?