Build School Communities: Brain Smart Classroom Management
Introduction This course helps teachers build genuine bonds between themselves and their students
and between students and their classmates, to create kindred classhomes with a foundation
of acceptance, respect, and shared purpose. For many of our students, our classrooms
may be a safe, nurturing refuge the eye of the hurricane they experience as life.
This course will help you develop strategies, rituals, and environmental design skills
to create these safe havens of learning: kindred classhomes where students and teachers
work together in synergistic ways that benefit all members of the school family. Students
will learn how to differentiate for classroom management and discipline similarly
to differentiating for students diverse academic needs. One size does not fit all,
but all sizes can fit together.
This computer-based instruction course is a self-supporting program that provides instruction, structured practice, and evaluation all on your home or school computer. Technical support information can be found in the Help section of your course.
Course Description Traditional models of classroom discipline and management are grounded on punitive consequences in top-down authoritarian systems. Teachers make rules and enforce them, often without any discussion with students. This results in disequilibrium in the classroom, some students receiving praise and tangible rewards while others suffer the consequences of noncompliance.
Most educators are familiar by this time with Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences, but the concept is limited to academics. Behavior management must be differentiated in the same way that instruction and learning experiences are differentiated. Academically, students have diverse learning styles and preferences that must be addressed if they are to reach their full potential. Why would we expect students to be any less diverse psychologically than they are academically? Some of our students have physiological or psychological disabilities that affect their behavior, such as ADHD, fetal alcohol syndrome, Asperger's syndrome, autism, etc. Other students behaviors may be affected by environmental factors: divorce; incarcerated parents; foster care; physical, sexual, or emotional abuse; domestic violence; drug or alcohol abuse; poverty; gang influence; poor nutrition; transience; homelessness; negligence; etc. One set of rules, rewards, and consequences cannot possibly be expected to work with the diverse groups of students we have in our classrooms today.
Course Objectives: You will have knowledge and thorough understanding of the following content: Traditional school relationships versus kindred school relationships Introduction and discussion of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Model Introduction and discussion of Senge's Theory of Learning Organizations Introduction and discussion of Gardner's A-Typical Intelligence Types: Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalistic, and Existential Introduction and discussion of Reverman's Synergy Types Think, Look, Talk, Feel Introduction and discussion of Myers Briggs 16 Personality Types Brain-based behavior models How bullies are created, and how bullies can be healed Comparison/Contrast of Fred Jones Positive Discipline model with other classroom management systems How to create a nurturing, safe classhome Literature and lessons that reinforce positive relationship-building Songs and activities that reinforce positive relationship-building Cooperative games that reinforce positive relationship-building How to develop empathy in students How to help students self-regulate.