Teachers find a little choice and discovery can get a great response
Teachers from around the nation and world took on the roles of students for a week this summer and got a lesson in the classrooms at Manoa Elementary School.
The Responsive Classroom training session attracted about 100 elementary school teachers and taught the method of classroom instruction developed by the Northeast Foundation for Children, a nonprofit organization founded by teachers. The session was held in the first week of August and was available to the educators as Act 48 professional development credits.
Teachers traveled to Haverford from across the United States and as far as the Netherlands and Hong Kong to learn about Responsive Classroom.
Nancy Donahue, who has been the School District of Haverford Township’s assistant superintendent since 2006, calls the Responsive Classroom an instructional strategy approach to teaching that puts emphasis on social, emotional and academic growth of students.
After using the strategy at a previous district, Donahue initiated the Responsive Classroom method as principal of Manoa Elementary School and had all teachers trained in the system after her first year in the late 1990s.
Through this method, teachers hold a daily morning meeting where students greet each other, go over an agenda, share news and play an academic game.
Through Responsive Classroom, students are provided with academic choice that allows them to investigate educational topics of their interest, as well as give them the opportunity at guided discovery, such as promoting the care and proper use of school materials.
Students are also governed by a logical consequence system that requires students to receive a punishment that fits the misbehavior.
For example, rather than keeping a student from recess for not completing a homework assignment, a student would be required to complete the assignment and bring it in the next day. Also, through Responsive Classroom, teachers are in constant communication with the elementary students’ parents.
Ultimately, the method intends to set a nurturing classroom environment for students. “Teachers use positive language and tone of voice to promote active learning and self discipline,” Donahue said.
After implementing Responsive Classroom at Manoa Elementary, Donahue noticed students treated each other with more respect and greeted their classmates and teachers.
“I think it’s a wonderful approach to teaching. I think that children feel more positive about school, their social skills improve and it can really be a fun part of every school day,” she said.
Principal of Chestnutwold Elementary School Tim Bickhart coordinated the training session at Manoa Elementary School and representatives from the Northeast Foundation taught the course to teachers.
Bickhart thinks the approach to teaching gives students equal footing and provides a framework for social and academic understanding. About 70 percent of Chestnutwold’s teaching staff is trained in Responsive Classroom.
“It’s about setting up your classroom in such a way that optimal learning can take place. If you don’t take time to set up a caring and nurturing atmosphere, some students may not feel welcome or cared for,” he said. “Responsive Classroom provides the basic needs that help kids get ready to learn.”
Bickhart has noticed that substitute teachers, guests and field trip guides who come in contact with his students learning through the Responsive Classroom method are pleased with the behavior of students.
Currently, teachers in most of Haverford’s elementary schools have been trained in Responsive Classroom or teach in a similar style. The district has hosted training opportunities in Responsive Classroom through the Northeast Foundation for three summers with Haverford staff, as well as teachers across the country.
Lynn Majewski, a consulting teacher for the Northeast Foundation for Children trained teachers at the Manoa session. Majewski, a resident of Newtown, is a retired teacher at the Pennsbury School District where she taught special education.
Prior to her retirement, she helped initiate the Responsive Classroom approach in her classroom at Penn Valley Elementary School.
Through her training sessions, Majewski has noticed that elementary schools that have taken a school-wide approach to Responsive Classroom have had the most success.
“Teachers find it to be especially effective when they have the same structure and consistency across the board,” she said.
Majewski said the method of teaching blends the teaching of social skills with academics, and specifically helps students work together more effectively on educational projects.
“There is a need for both academic and social learning in the classroom. The two go hand in hand,” Majewski said.
The Responsive Classroom training session attracted about 100 elementary school teachers and taught the method of classroom instruction developed by the Northeast Foundation for Children, a nonprofit organization founded by teachers. The session was held in the first week of August and was available to the educators as Act 48 professional development credits.
Teachers traveled to Haverford from across the United States and as far as the Netherlands and Hong Kong to learn about Responsive Classroom.
Nancy Donahue, who has been the School District of Haverford Township’s assistant superintendent since 2006, calls the Responsive Classroom an instructional strategy approach to teaching that puts emphasis on social, emotional and academic growth of students.
After using the strategy at a previous district, Donahue initiated the Responsive Classroom method as principal of Manoa Elementary School and had all teachers trained in the system after her first year in the late 1990s.
Through this method, teachers hold a daily morning meeting where students greet each other, go over an agenda, share news and play an academic game.
Through Responsive Classroom, students are provided with academic choice that allows them to investigate educational topics of their interest, as well as give them the opportunity at guided discovery, such as promoting the care and proper use of school materials.
Students are also governed by a logical consequence system that requires students to receive a punishment that fits the misbehavior.
For example, rather than keeping a student from recess for not completing a homework assignment, a student would be required to complete the assignment and bring it in the next day. Also, through Responsive Classroom, teachers are in constant communication with the elementary students’ parents.
Ultimately, the method intends to set a nurturing classroom environment for students. “Teachers use positive language and tone of voice to promote active learning and self discipline,” Donahue said.
After implementing Responsive Classroom at Manoa Elementary, Donahue noticed students treated each other with more respect and greeted their classmates and teachers.
“I think it’s a wonderful approach to teaching. I think that children feel more positive about school, their social skills improve and it can really be a fun part of every school day,” she said.
Principal of Chestnutwold Elementary School Tim Bickhart coordinated the training session at Manoa Elementary School and representatives from the Northeast Foundation taught the course to teachers.
Bickhart thinks the approach to teaching gives students equal footing and provides a framework for social and academic understanding. About 70 percent of Chestnutwold’s teaching staff is trained in Responsive Classroom.
“It’s about setting up your classroom in such a way that optimal learning can take place. If you don’t take time to set up a caring and nurturing atmosphere, some students may not feel welcome or cared for,” he said. “Responsive Classroom provides the basic needs that help kids get ready to learn.”
Bickhart has noticed that substitute teachers, guests and field trip guides who come in contact with his students learning through the Responsive Classroom method are pleased with the behavior of students.
Currently, teachers in most of Haverford’s elementary schools have been trained in Responsive Classroom or teach in a similar style. The district has hosted training opportunities in Responsive Classroom through the Northeast Foundation for three summers with Haverford staff, as well as teachers across the country.
Lynn Majewski, a consulting teacher for the Northeast Foundation for Children trained teachers at the Manoa session. Majewski, a resident of Newtown, is a retired teacher at the Pennsbury School District where she taught special education.
Prior to her retirement, she helped initiate the Responsive Classroom approach in her classroom at Penn Valley Elementary School.
Through her training sessions, Majewski has noticed that elementary schools that have taken a school-wide approach to Responsive Classroom have had the most success.
“Teachers find it to be especially effective when they have the same structure and consistency across the board,” she said.
Majewski said the method of teaching blends the teaching of social skills with academics, and specifically helps students work together more effectively on educational projects.
“There is a need for both academic and social learning in the classroom. The two go hand in hand,” Majewski said.
