Community Service Menu

So this community service menu is something new I've been playing around with as a response to smaller disciplinary incidents.  It is something that I heard about used at the middle and high school level and I wondered if it could be translated to an elementary school setting.  I've used it only on rare occasion in all honesty, but it has really brought out the creativity of students who have offered to give back to the school by blowing up recess balls, helping re-teach younger students school rules, etc.  Definitely something that I am looking forward to adjusting and making more meaningful as time goes on.  

Don't Suspend Me! An Alternative Discipline Toolkit

Over the Winter break I took the time to order and read through a book that had been recommended to me called, Don't Suspend Me! An Alternative Discipline Toolkit.  This is one that I would definitely recommend as well.  It is a short read, but is filled with some great tools and templates for addressing discipline matters.  The tools focus on three key areas: Restorative, Reflective, and Instructional practices to support students in learning from their behaviors.  These practices, paired with proactive, PBIS-aligned classroom management strategies can be incredibly supportive of students and I am so excited to try some of them out!

Planning with Gradual Release of Responsibility (GRR) in Mind

When introducing GRR to new to the profession teachers it is important to help them to make connections to the content and lessons that they will be teaching.  This GRR lesson planning template is one way that I have coached new teachers through lesson planning with GRR in mind.  The template was created by me, but obviously based on the GRR work of Fisher and Frey.  In my experience this tool is best used after direct teaching of the GRR framework and used collaboratively in partners or small groups of teachers to work through a lesson together before moving into independent use.

Investigative Protocols

When investigating a moderate or significant behavior concern that may warrant more in-depth action, it is important to have a clear protocol that all staff involved in the investigation follow.  This ensures that all are on the same page and if questions arise about the integrity of the investigation it provides clear and consistent information on investigative measures.  Below I would like to share two resources I developed (with input from some fabulous colleagues!) that I have found particularly useful when delving into investigations.  First, a investigation protocol checklist that I used with my Dean of Students a couple of years ago to help us ensure we were approaching investigations similarly.  Second, a investigation and interview template that I use with any investigation that I do.  I keep a stack in my office and use these often when interviewing potential aggressors, witnesses, or victims.

Family-Teacher Conferences

Conferences between families and the teachers can be an incredibly powerful experience, building authentic partnership with two-way communication between home and school that carries through the entire school year.  A plethora of research suggests that strong connections such as these greatly benefit students and learning.  This Harvard Family Research Project conference resource is one tool to help guide all stakeholders as conferences approach.  Having a clear purpose for conferences and setting expectations for interactions can ensure that all voices are heard as goals and next steps for student achievement are determined.

The Three Big Ideas and Four Essential Questions

Richard DuFour's work around effective PLCs has identified three big ideas and four essential questions to help guide professional learning discussions to keep students, student needs, and student success at the forefront of PLC work.  As teams delve into refining their collaboration, keeping these principles at the heart of the work ensures that students stay in the forefront.  You can learn more about the three big ideas and the four essential questions of PLC work from this All Things PLC resource from Solution-Tree.

Creating Norms

Whether working with an established team of colleagues or just starting out as a PLC, it is crucial to establish clear norms for your time together.  Patterns of behavior can quickly form and habits that derail or sabotage the work of your team (i.e. bird walks, complaining, discussion about nuts and bolts type items, etc.)  can inadvertently come to the surface without thoughtful norms to hold each other accountable in place.  As you create your norms as a team, consider utilizing a tool such as this Learning Forward Creating Norms protocol to help guide your decisions.

The Seven Stages of Professional Learning Teams

A first step in creating an effective PLC is taking time as a team to reflect on where your strengths and areas of growth around effective collaboration.  A resource for this work is The Seven Stages of Professional Learning Teams rubric which outlines practices and potential next steps for teams as they dig into their work together.  Periodically taking time throughout a school year to assess and reflect using this tool can help to ensure that your PLC members have a common vision and goals for their work together.