Hack 6: Teach Mindfulness
1. Many students lack self-awareness and regulation. What have you done to help teach or model this?
2. How can we normalize emotions Why should we do this? 3. How might we connect mindfulness to restorative practices?
Hack 7: Cultivate Empathy
1. What are some symptoms of a lack of empathy? Provide some examples you have experienced.
2. What are some ways we can intentionally build empathy with students? Name some things that you have tried.
3. How can you be more intentional in teaching empathy with your curriculum or teaching?
Hack 8: Build Restorative Support
1. Why does a one-size-fits-all approach not work for all students?
2. What are the differences between tiers 1, 2 and 3? What supports might you or your school need to pull these off with fidelity?
3. Having a system isn’t good enough. What is the importance of progress monitoring?
Hack 6: Teach Mindfulness
ReplyDelete1. Many students lack self-awareness and regulation. What have you done to help teach or model this? I tried role playing situations it didn’t work, I tried lessons on how to check-in on oneself it didn’t work, when I tried modeling it worked for students who could use abstract thought to see past the moment at hand but for the majority it didn’t work. This is an area I’m lacking and I think is different child to child. So I scrapped everything I thought I knew and went with something I knew worked. We started setting short term and long term goals. The rule? They had to be obtainable. This at least started to work but it’s not the perfect solution either.
2. How can we normalize emotions Why should we do this? If people don’t think they’re emotions are normal they internalize them and have a meltdown. If they can’t put a name to the emotion they typically lie about how they are doing. Bottling up emotions doesn’t work to help the students be successful it just leads to downward spirals.
3. How might we connect mindfulness to restorative practices? I think part of what needs to happen is students need to be aware of how they were feeling and what they needed before they can really restore relationships. If they’re not able to regulate themselves and know what their needs are they’re not going to help themselves create a positive restoration.
Hack 7: Cultivate Empathy
ReplyDelete1. What are some symptoms of a lack of empathy? Provide some examples you have experienced. Lack of empathy happens when students can’t make the proper connections to situations and the emotions of others. I think one of the worst situations I ever ran into was with a little boy in my class last year. I hate to say it but he played the victim and grandma never thought he did anything wrong. I tried very hard to be sensitive to this students needs but it was never enough. Then towards the end of the year it came out he had been the student in my classroom bullying other students. The kindergarten teacher’s daughter was in my class and she would often be outside on the little kids playground after school. One day this student started yelling at her and telling her she was a baby and belonged in pre-k because she was playing with the baby toys. He continued to do this on multiple occasions. This student couldn’t relate the way he was feeling when people said something upsetting to him to the way he was treating this girl in my class.
2. What are some ways we can intentionally build empathy with students? Name some things that you have tried. With my students I always try and use real world situations that I know typically strike conversation. A lot of the time we would use things like news articles or situations “friends” had been in. We talked about what they made us feel and how we could be better friends. I tried to get my students to practice active listening and not reactive listening (I think the world needs more practice at this. I know I do) It’s not perfect nothing is but having these conversations seemed to as least help them understand a little.
3. How can you be more intentional in teaching empathy with your curriculum or teaching? Talk about feelings and situations. I also tried this with book situations. I think by helping students realize emotions starts the empathy conversation and continue to help them make connections.
Hack 8: Build Restorative Support
ReplyDelete1. Why does a one-size-fits-all approach not work for all students? Not all student shave the same experiences, beliefs, or understanding of situations.
2. What are the differences between tiers 1, 2 and 3? What supports might you or your school need to pull these off with fidelity? Tier 1 is for everyone. This tier is a general overlay for all people and would cover you basic situations. Tier 2 is for that smaller groups of kids who might need some additional help to move forward but with the right tools will be successful on their own. Tier 3 is for the smallest group and those select kids that won’t be successful without intervention. They need the most intensive care.
3. Having a system isn’t good enough. What is the importance of progress monitoring? If you have a system and nothing else that’s only half the job. Sure students can know the expectations and how to behave but they’re not going to if people don’t check in on how the system is working.