More Time to Teach: Building Community in a Challenging Classroom

Educational coaches Jeff Fink and Jon Halpern share practical ideas in this program about building community in the classroom in order to proactively manage and avoid behavioral problems. Three vignettes here demonstrate how a teacher's reaction to various behaviors can make a dramatic difference in the instructional environment. Each scenario is first presented with an undesirable adult reaction to a student's action, after which viewers are encouraged to pause, evaluate what happened, and consider other methods of dealing with the situation. The scene is then repeated, with a more constructive educator response. The examples illustrate straightforward cause-and-effect methods that help build an atmosphere conducive to creating strong relationships between both teacher and students, and among the youngsters themselves. The film demonstrates how shaming and making judgments—whether good or bad—about individual kids can lead to peer isolation, suggesting instead that instructors stay focused on behavior. A simple but powerful presentation that could inspire meaningful change, this is recommended. Aud: E, I, J, H. (K. Cruver)