Responsive Classroom

Key Components

The Key Components of the Responsive Classroom Model are:  

• Classroom Organization that provides active interest areas for students, space for student-created displays of work, and an appropriate mix of whole class, group and individual instruction.
• Morning Meeting format that provides children the daily opportunity to practice greetings, conversation, sharing, and problem solving, and motivates them to meet the academic challenges of the day ahead.
• Rules and Logical Consequences that are generated, modeled and role-played with the children and that become the cornerstone of classroom life.
• Academic Choice for all children each in which they must take control of their own learning in some meaningful way, both individually and cooperatively.
• Guided Discovery of learning materials, areas of the room, curriculum content and ways of behaving that moves children through a deliberate and careful introduction to each new experience.
• Assessment and Reporting to parents that is an evolving process of mutual communication and understanding.

Implementation

Methods include:

• Building a Classroom Community
• Modeling, Practicing and Role Playing Conflict Resolution
• Appropriate Environment and Materials
• Cooperative Learning
• Independent Inquiry, Continuous Progress, Portfolio Assessment, Critical Contracts

Outcomes

We measure outcomes through:

• Balance of teacher-directed instruction and child-initiated learning
• Student responsibility for work and environment
• Caring behavior
• Problem solving ability both socially and academically
• Parental involvement and understanding

Foundation

The foundations of our practice are:

• Knowledge of Child Development Theory
• Principle of Teaching Social Skills
• C.A.R.E.S. — Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy, Self-Control