An engaging and practical workshop exploring effective strategies for building and sustaining positive relationships with our students. This workshop empowers teachers with practical tools and approaches to behavior management, communication strategies that foster trust, and methods for addressing challenging behaviors without compromising the teacher-student relationship. You’ll be equipped and inspired to navigate the complexities of teaching middle school students.

Strategies:

• Start with Atmosphere (low impact, but helpful and foundational)
  • How School Looks
  • Greet the Students
  • Fun and Happiness
  • Celebrations
  • Kids feel Safe
  • Caring and Compassion
• Leverage Student Voice
  • Periodically do Plus/Delta lists (what’s going well, what are the challenges)
  • Co-design Classroom Code of Cooperation
  • Occasional Parking Lot contributions
  • Co-design SOPs for procedures students struggle with
  • Co-design curriculum with students (Beane Process & others)
• Dealing with Ongoing Behaviors
  • BARR
  • ACES
  • Regulated Classroom
  • Restorative Practices
  • Responsive Classroom
• Tone of Voice Matters
  • Avoid the Disappointed Voice
  • Avoid the Teacher Voice (unintentionally signals counter-productive authority)
  • Leverage the People Voice (coincidentally signals acceptance and respect)
• Relationship Deposits & Withdrawals
  • Based on Stephen Covey’s Emotional Bank Account concept in Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.
  • Similar to the deposits and withdrawals in a financial bank account – there are actions that increase and decrease others view of your honesty and trust.
  • The trick is to deposit more than you withdrawal.

Resources:

• Motivating Students: Focus on 6 Strategies 
• What Motivates Underachieving Students? (Middle School Journal, Nov. 2001)
• “Student Voice and Choice” is More Than Just Choice
• Overview of ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences)
• BARR
  • BARR’s 8 Interlocking Strategies
  • How BARR works in schools
• Regulated Classroom
• Restorative Practices
  • An Educator’s Guide to Fostering Positive School Climate and Culture
  • What Is Restorative Justice in Schools? Everything Educators Need To Know
  • 6 Restorative Justice Practices to Implement In Your Classroom [+Real Examples]
• Responsive Classroom
  • What is Responsive Classroom?
  • Center for Responsive Schools
• Tone of Voice Matters (In Surprising Ways)
• The Emotional Bank Account

 

Mike’s Sites:

• Mike’s Consulting: StudentLearning.Guru
• Mike’s Day Job: Principal East Grand School (Danforth)
• Mike’s Blogs and Resources: https://mikemuir.us