Inquiry Project

For my Inquiry Project I plan to explore the fundamentals of Responsive Classroom and the benefits it has in schools. Seeing how supportive Mrs. Sullivan, my cooperating teacher, was of the approach, Responsive Classroom has truly caught my interest. I am excited to learn more about the approach. 

The Six Key Components of the Responsive Classroom

The Responsive Classroom is based on sound principles of Child Development theory and on a commitment to teach the social skills of CARES: Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy, and Self-control.

The components of classroom practice that teach these skills are:

·         Morning Meeting which provides students daily opportunity to practice greetings, conversation, and activities and motivates them to meet the academic challenges of the day ahead

·         Rules and Logical Consequences, which are generated, modeled, and role-played with students, and become a cornerstone of classroom life

·         Guided Discovery of learning materials, areas of the room, and routines—this is a technique that moves students through a deliberate and careful introduction to new experiences; there is no assumption that students already know how to do something before they begin

·         Classroom Organization that provides active interest areas for students, space for student-created displays of work, and an appropriate mix of whole-class, group, and individual instruction

·         Academic Choice for all students every day, in which they must take control of their own learning in a meaningful way, both individually and cooperatively

·         Assessment and Reporting to parents, an evolving process of mutual communication and understanding

The largest component of Responsive Classroom is the importance of Morning Meetings each day. 

The goals of the Morning Meeting consist of:

1.     To help create the positive power of community in the classroom by fulfilling children’s need to belong, to feel significant, and to have fun.

2.     To teach the skills of friendliness and social interest through sharing, listening, inclusion, participation, and dialogue.

3.     To model and practice, through daily routine, the social skills children need to use all day long: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, self control (CARES).

4.     To merge social, emotional, and intellectual learning.

Questions to help with Inquiry Project:

-What attracted you to this approach? (this will be asked to individuals who implemented the program)

-How has your classroom management changed from implanting this approach? (this will be asked to individuals who implemented the program)

-Does Responsive Classroom suggest a specific classroom layout? What is the most effective layout for teaching third grade?

-How does Responsive Classroom tie into the theory of cooperative learning?

-Does Responsive Classroom correspond to standards created by ACEI or the state of Virginia?

I look forward to presenting my findings once my research is complete.