Read or listen to this as a podcast.

You cannot survive PBL in total chaos - class management matters!

*structure
*time for deep work
*clear behaviour expectations
*noise shouldn't interfere with learning
*accountability through interdependence
*be proactive!

This article explains 6 ways to use breathing for stress relief and mental wellness.

The first in a two-part series, this Module discusses problem behavior in terms of the stages of the acting-out cycle and suggests ways to respond to students in the cycle's different phases (est. completion time: 1 hour). When you have completed this Module, be sure to learn more in part two.

The second in a two-part series, this Module describes interventions that can increase initial compliance to teacher requests as well as interventions that can be implemented to decrease disruptive and noncompliant behaviors.

Erin Espinoza's kindergarten classroom encourages children to learn on their own. A classroom profile.

This is a collection of a variety of articles to address supporting all learners.

This Module, first in a two-part series, provides information on the early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as well as an overview of the difference between a medical diagnosis and an educational determination of ASD. Resources include notes on instructional considerations for teachers who have children and students with ASD in their classrooms, as well as things to keep in mind when working with the families of those children and students (est. completion time: 2 hours).

This Module, second in a two-part series, highlights strategies that have been shown to be effective in teaching appropriate behaviors and skills and decreasing inappropriate behaviors with children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It next explores several strategies that are particularly effective with young children, elementary and middle school students, and high school students (est. completion time: 3 hours).

Select the student behaviour to begin. Then you will work through a series of descriptions and suggestions for what you can do to help that student.

You can look at interventions for Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3.

Each intervention suggested for a behaviour is then "clickable" and more information is provided on why to use this intervention, and how to do it.

This site is amazing!

Minds in Bloom blog. This link contains several posts with ideas for brain breaks in the classroom. There are brain breaks by theme (Christmas, Mystery) or brain breaks that can be used throughout the year.

This is a playlist of 191 videos you can do with your students (of various ages) to get them up and moving!

Simply project the video and let the students move along to it.

"Why take brain breaks?
Brain breaks allow children the opportunity to mentally rest their brain by diverting their mind into movements that allow them to:
• refresh
• recharge
• refocus
• regenerate
• release stress
• breathe
Regular brain breaks enhance attentiveness, concentration, focus and accelerate learning by allowing children to release their energy, anxiety and stress. Brain breaks also increase circulation, promote physical fitness and coordination."

Some students misbehave because they are trying to attract teacher attention. Surprisingly, many students who value adult attention don't really care if it is positive (praise) or negative attention (reprimands)--they just want attention!
Unfortunately, instructors with students who thrive on teacher attention can easily fall into a 'reprimand trap.' The scenario might unfold much like this: First, the student misbehaves. Then the teacher approaches the student and reprimands him or her for misbehaving. Because the student finds the negative teacher attention to be reinforcing, he or she continues to misbehave-and the teacher naturally responds by reprimanding the student more often! An escalating, predictable cycle is established, with the student repeatedly acting-out and teacher reprimanding him or her.
Teachers can break out of this cycle, though, by using 'random positive attention' with students. Essentially, the instructor starts to ignore student attention-seeking behaviors, while at the same time 'randomly' giving the student positive attention. That is, the student receives regular positive teacher attention but at times unconnected to misbehavior. So the student still gets the adult attention that he or she craves. More importantly, the link between student misbehavior and resulting negative teacher attention is broken.

Motivating a reluctant student to complete schoolwork is not easy. In a typical classroom, students can choose from a number of sources of potential reinforcement (Billington & DiTommaso, 2003)--and academic tasks often take a back seat to competing behaviors such as talking with peers. One way that teachers can increase the attractiveness of schoolwork is by structuring lessons or assignments around topics or activities of high interest to the student (Miller et al., 2003).In fact, with planning, the teacher can set up a 'trap' that uses motivating elements to capture a student's attention to complete academic tasks (Alber & Heward, 1996). Here is a 6-step blue-print for building an academic 'motivation trap' (adapted from Alber & Heward, 1996).

Many people can have a poor body image, seeing their general physical appearance in a negative light (e.g., “I hate my body”). However, the term Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or BDD, is used to describe a particular more specific type of body image problem. BDD is marked by an intense preoccupation with a perceived flaw in one’s physical appearance. Individuals with BDD often spend significant periods of time worrying about and evaluating a particular aspect of their appearance. Large amounts of time may be spent checking their appearance in the mirror, comparing their appearance with others, and engaging in behaviours designed to try to hide or conceal the area of concern.

Nicholas Carlisle, Executive Director of No Bully, works with parents of Alvarado Elementary School in San Francisco, California, to share information about bullying and to devise and practice strategies for bully-proofing their children.Mr. Carlisle begins by defining the repetitive nature of bullying and looks specifically at four different kinds of bullying: physical, verbal, social/relational, and cyberbullying. Identifies best practices and preventative measures to help prevent bullying.Mr. Broecker, principal, tells parents about a group at the school focused on addressing the subject of bullying at school. He urges parents to join teachers and staff at Alvarado Elementary working with a group called PEACE (Practicing Empathy and Caring with Everyone).Addressing the larger question of how parents might bully-proof their children is the focus of much of the discussion. Mr. Carlisle asks parents to become a solution-coach, balancing both the use of empathy and setting limits and establishing consequences so that students are better prepared to deal with bullying in their lives.In small groups, parents practice what they have heard by discussing bullying scenarios and how they would help their child in specific bullying situations. This is followed by group discussion where parents share ideas for certain scenarios.

Students can sometimes have emotional outbursts in school settings. This fact will not surprise many teachers, who have had repeated experience in responding to serious classroom episodes of student agitation. Such outbursts can be attributed in part to the relatively high incidence of mental health issues among children and youth. It is estimated, for example, that at least one in five students in American schools will experience a mental health disorder by adolescence (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999). But even students not identified as having behavioral or emotional disorders may occasionally have episodes of agitation triggered by situational factors such as peer bullying, frustration over poor academic performance, stressful family relationships, or perceived mistreatment by educators.

Third grade teacher, Lori Sinclair, seeks the advice of instructional expert, Jim Knight, in an effort to improve classroom management and maximize student engagement.Lori and Jim analyze her daily procedures and routines and uncover three important takeaways that contribute to the positive culture of her classroom. A morning meeting helps Lori gauge studentsŐ state of mind and gives students an opportunity to ÔdecompressŐ before they focus on learning. Additional opportunities for student self-reflection also provide Ms. Sinclair with important information before proceeding with the lesson.Specific procedures and clear expectations, practiced consistently, contribute to smooth transitions, high student engagement and allow Lori to maximize her instructional minutes. All of this is tied together by a high ratio of positive to negative interactions that Lori purposely creates throughout the day. This positive feedback helps to create a safe environment and communicates expectations to students consistently.

Over the course of four years, Longfellow Middle School has changed its message to students from ŇDont be a bully!Ó to ŇBe an ally!Ó in an effort to change student attitudes toward bullying. Activities during the month of October are aimed at changing the school climate incrementally, one student at a time.October kicks off an anti-bullying campaign that focuses on the positive behaviors exhibited by student allies in combating the difficult situation of bullying. An eighth grade leadership team conducts a workshop with classes throughout the school focusing on the different roles of bullies, allies and bystanders and how each contributes to a given situation. Using skits and small group discussions, students share experiences and brainstorm possible actions that will reduce or stop instances of bullying.When students are not comfortable intervening, they are encouraged to get help from an adult. In these instances, counselors conduct mediation with involved students and seek to define specific roles as allies instead of contributing to a given problem. Mediation is followed up by a written agreement and the counselor checks in with each student to monitor the situation.

Ryan Berger is in the middle of his first year as a new Kindergarten teacher. He asks Jim Knight to observe a lesson and share strategies to help him specifically with transitioning students between centers. Mr. Knight looks for classroom management strategies he can recommend to help Mr. Berger improve class structure.Mr. Berger shares that transitioning from working with 5th graders to kindergarteners has been stressful and some of the strategies he previously used do not work as well with kindergarteners.Time used during transitions is a major focus of the discussion. They discuss ways to address content during transitions in order to make effective use of time. Finally, they discuss the importance for taking a step back to observe what students are doing well and what needs to be clarified.

This Module—a revision of Who's In Charge? Developing a Comprehensive Behavior Management System—highlights the importance of establishing a comprehensive classroom behavior management system composed of a statement of purpose, rules, procedures, consequences, and an action plan. It also provides information about how culture, classroom factors, and teacher actions can influence student behavior (est. completion time: 1 hour).