Introduction

Build School Communities for Educators is about effective transformative actions. This course helps teachers build genuine bonds between themselves and their students and between students and their classmates, to create “kindred class homes” with a foundation of acceptance, respect, and shared purpose. For many of our students, our classrooms may be a safe, nurturing refuge they long for in otherwise tumultuous lives. This course will help you develop strategies and rituals, along with design and environmental skills, to create these safe havens of learning: kindred classrooms where students and teachers work together in synergistic ways that benefit all members of the school family. Students will learn how to differentiate for classroom management and discipline just as teachers do for students’ diverse academic needs. One size does not fit all, but all sizes create a good diversity fit together.

This computer-based instruction course is a self-supporting program that provides instruction, structured practice, and evaluation all on your home or school computer. Technical support information can be found in the Help section of your course.

Course Materials (Online)

Title: Build School Communities: Brain Smart Classroom Management

Author: Dr. Ardys Reverman PhD

Publisher: Virtual Education Software, inc. 2019, Revised 2021

Instructor: Dr. Ardys Reverman PhD

Academic Integrity Statement

The structure and format of most distance-learning courses presume a high level of personal and academic integrity in completion and submission of coursework. Individuals enrolled in a distance-learning course are expected to adhere to the following standards of academic conduct.

Academic Work

Academic work submitted by the individual (such as papers, assignments, reports, tests) shall be the student’s own work or appropriately attributed, in part or in whole, to its correct source. Submission of commercially prepared (or group prepared) materials as if they are one’s own work is unacceptable.

Aiding Honesty in Others

The individual will encourage honesty in others by refraining from providing materials or information to another person with knowledge that these materials or information will be used improperly.

Violations of these academic standards will result in the assignment of a failing grade and subsequent loss of credit for the course.

Level of Application

This course is designed to be an informational course with application to educational settings. The intervention strategies are appropriate for the remediation of challenging behavior in students ranging in age from approximately six years through adolescence.

Expected Learning Outcomes

As a result of this course, participants will demonstrate their ability to:

Articulate the differences between traditional school relationships versus kindred school relationships
Discuss Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Model and how it relates to classroom development
Describe Senge’s Theory of Learning Organizations and how it relates to classroom synergy
List and describe Gardner’s A-Typical Intelligence Types and how these affect behavior and learning
List and discuss Reverman’s Synergy Types and how these affect behavior and learning
Review brain-based behavior models and their effect on learning and social behavior
Understand and articulate how bullies are created and how bullies can be retrained
Understand the effects of trauma on students and develop strategies to help students heal, develop resilience and coping strategies, and build positive relationships using social emotional learning (SEL)
Understand culturally responsive pedagogy and develop skills to integrate it into curriculum and school environment
Compare and contrast Fred Jones’ Positive Discipline model with other classroom management systems
Review and discuss how to create a nurturing, safe classroom
Analyze literature and lessons that reinforce positive relationship building with students
Study and discuss songs and activities that reinforce positive relationship building with students
Review and list cooperative games that reinforce positive relationship building with students
Understand and describe how to develop empathy in students
Understand and describe how to help students self-regulate emotions, behavior, and social interactions
Understand Restorative Justice and develop skills to implement restorative practices at the classroom or school level

Course Description

Build Schools Communities for Educators is intended to bring about effective transformative actions, resulting in kindred class-homes where students and teachers in the school family will bond and work with acceptance, respect, and shared purpose to benefit all members. Students will develop strategies, rituals, and design and environmental skills to create safe havens of learning. For many of our students, our classrooms may be the only safe, nurturing refuge in their otherwise turbulent lives. In traditional “sage on the stage” models of classroom discipline and management, top-down authoritarian systems are grounded on punitive consequences. Teachers make rules and enforce them, often without any discussion with students. This approach results in disequilibrium in the classroom, with some students receiving praise and tangible rewards while others suffer the consequences of noncompliance. Most educators are familiar by this time with Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, but the concept is limited to academics. “Guide by your side” behavior management must be differentiated in the same way that instruction and learning experiences are differentiated. Academically, students have diverse learning styles and preferences that must be addressed if they are to reach their full potential. Why would we expect students to be any less diverse socially, developmentally, and psychologically than they are academically? One size does not fit all; but together, all sizes reveal a good synergy fit of differing gifts greater than the sum of their parts. Some of our students have physiological or psychological disabilities that affect their behavior, such as ADHD, fetal alcohol syndrome, and autism. Other students’ behaviors may be affected by environmental factors: divorce; incarcerated parents; foster care; physical, sexual, or emotional abuse; domestic violence; drug or alcohol abuse; poverty; gang influence; poor nutrition; transience; homelessness; negligence; etc. One set of rules, rewards, and consequences cannot be expected to work with the diverse groups of students we have in our classrooms today.

Student Expectations

As a student you will be expected to:

· Complete all four information sections showing a competent understanding of the material presented in each section.

· Complete all four section examinations, showing a competent understanding of the material presented. You must obtain an overall score of 70% or higher, with no individual exam score below 50%, and successfully complete ALL writing assignments to pass this course. *Please note: Minimum exam score requirements may vary by college or university; therefore, you should refer to your course addendum to determine what your minimum exam score requirements are.

· Complete a review of any section on which your examination score was below 50%.

· Retake any examination, after completing an information review, to increase that examination score to a minimum of 50%, making sure to also be achieving an overall exam score of a minimum 70% (maximum of three attempts). *Please note: Minimum exam score requirements may vary by college or university; therefore, you should refer to your course addendum to determine what your minimum exam requirements are.

· Complete all course journal article and essay writing assignments with the minimum word count shown for each writing assignment.

· Complete a course evaluation form at the end of the course.

Course Overview

Chapter 1: Traditional School Relationships Versus Kindred School Relationships

Traditional school structures of power and authority are examined and contrasted with a new paradigm of relationship, collaboration, and synergy. The role of teacher as a coach, guide, or facilitator as opposed to the omnipotent dispenser of knowledge has developed gradually over the past 30–40 years. Many educators have learned to not only accept, but also embrace, their role as “guide on the side” rather than the “sage on the stage.” Although most agree that this is a positive evolution in education, drawbacks accompany any change, and in this case the drawbacks may be time diverted from learning in the absence of sufficient discipline in the classroom. The key is helping students to develop self-discipline rather than continuing with the traditional model of authoritarian, top-down forms of discipline.

Banking Concept of Education
Constructionist Classrooms
Collaborative & Cooperative Learning

Chapter 2: Models of Social Learning & Differentiating for Diverse Needs

Several social learning models, personality types, and intelligence types are explored and discussed, with an emphasis on developing positive, synergistic relationships between diverse students and teachers. Learn about the many ways in which we differ, and how we can take advantage of those differences to be stronger, smarter, and more effective as teams working together than we could ever be on our own.

Introduction and discussion of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Model
Introduction and discussion of Senge’s Theory of Learning Organizations
Introduction and discussion of Gardner’s A-Typical Intelligence Types: Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalistic, and Existential
Introduction and discussion of Reverman’s Synergy Types – Think, Look, Talk, Feel
Examination of brain states and how they affect behavior and learning
Discussion of culturally responsive pedagogy

Chapter 3: Classroom Management Systems

Several well-known classroom discipline models are explored, compared, and contrasted. Current digital tools are demonstrated that make classroom management quick and easy for teachers and fun for students.

Fred Jones’ Positive Discipline in the Classroom
Fred Jones’ Positive Instruction
Jane Nelson’s Positive Discipline
Conscious Discipline
Love & Logic
Assertive Discipline
Digital Classroom Discipline Tools
Class Dojo
Classcraft
Trauma-Informed Practices

§ School shootings

§ Deportation of undocumented immigrants

§ Dreamers and DACA

§ Being female

§ LGBT students

Supporting Traumatized Students

§ School climate team

§ Social emotional learning (SEL)

§ Success Centers

Restorative Justice

Chapter 4: Designing the Classroom & Strengthening Family Bonds

Strategies are described for creating safe, nurturing classhomes where strong and positive relationships between students and between teachers and their students develop and thrive.

Creating safe, nurturing class-home environments
Using literature and lessons that reinforce positive relationship building
Engaging in songs and activities that reinforce positive relationship building
Playing cooperative games that reinforce positive relationship building
Developing empathy in students
Helping students self-regulate and de-escalate
Fostering service learning and self-esteem
Creating lasting bonds

Examinations

At the end of each course section, you will be expected to complete an examination designed to assess your knowledge. You may take these exams a total of three times. Your last score will save, not the highest score. After your third attempt, each examination will lock and not allow further access. The average from your exam scores will be printed on your certificate. However, this is not your final grade since your required writing assignments have not been reviewed. Exceptionally written or poorly written required writing assignments, or violation of the academic integrity policy in the course syllabus, will affect your grade. As this is a self-paced computerized instruction program, you may review course information as often as necessary. You will not be able to exit any examinations until you have answered all questions. If you try to exit the exam before you complete all questions, your information will be lost. You are expected to complete the entire exam in one sitting.

Writing Assignments

All assignments are reviewed and may impact your final grade. Exceptionally or poorly written assignments, or violation of the Academic Integrity Policy (see course syllabus for policy), will affect your grade. Fifty percent of your grade is determined by your writing assignments, and your overall exam score determines the other fifty percent. Refer to the Essay Grading Guidelines which were sent as an attachment with your original course link. You should also refer to the Course Syllabus Addendum which was sent as an attachment with your original course link, to determine if you have any writing assignments in addition to the Critical Thinking Questions (CTQ) and Journal Article Summations (JAS). If you do, the Essay Grading Guidelines will also apply.

Your writing assignments must meet the minimum word count and are not to include the question or your final citations as part of your word count. In other words, the question and citations are not to be used as a means to meet the minimum word count.

Critical Thinking Questions

There are four CTQs that you are required to complete. You will need to write a minimum of 500 words (maximum 1,000) per essay. You should explain how the information that you gained from the course will be applied and clearly convey a strong understanding of the course content as it relates to each CTQ. To view the questions, click on REQUIRED ESSAY and choose the CTQ that you are ready to complete; this will bring up a screen where you may enter your essay. Prior to course submission, you may go back at any point to edit your essay, but you must be certain to click SAVE once you are done with your edits.

You must click SAVE before you write another essay or move on to another part of the course.

Journal Article Summations

You are required to write, in your own words, a summary on a total of three peer-reviewed or scholarly journal articles (one article per JAS), written by an author with a Ph.D., Ed.D. or similar, on the topic outlined within each JAS section in the “Required Essays” portion of the course (blogs, abstracts, news articles or similar are not acceptable). Your article choice must relate specifically to the discussion topic listed in each individual JAS. You will choose a total of three relevant articles (one article per JAS) and write a thorough summary of the information presented in each article (you must write a minimum of 200 words with a 400 word maximum per JAS). Be sure to provide the URL or the journal name, volume, date, and any other critical information to allow the facilitator to access and review each article.

To write your summary, click on REQUIRED ESSAYS and choose the JAS that you would like to complete. A writing program will automatically launch where you can write your summary. When you are ready to stop, click SAVE. Prior to course submission you may go back at any point to edit your summaries but you must be certain to click SAVE once you are done with your edits. For more information on the features of this assignment, please consult the HELP menu.

You must click SAVE before you write another summary or move on to another part of the course.

Instructor Description

Ardys Reverman is called Dr. Ardy by her peers and associates. Dr. Ardy has a Ph.D. in the new field of psycho-neuro-immunology (PNI) and is internationally acclaimed as an innovative educator on the marvels and mysteries of the brain. Using her background as an educator, author, and speaker to influence audiences, Dr. Ardy presents a humorous message to nurture our differing gifts. BE-LOVE-DO: Be who you are… Love everything… Do what your talents dictate. In a cradle to grave collaboration, we connect our abilities to experiences from the “inside-out.” Dr. Ardy believes that responsiveness, the capacity to shift a person’s perceptions, emotions, and actions, is the single most important skill we can master to increase the quality of our lives and that of others. Dr. Ardy also believes that ordinary life produces extraordinary rewards for those who give their abilities in extraordinary ways. Before her work in PNI, Dr. Ardy was an NLP specialist, and before that a learning disability specialist helping marginalized students. Originally inspired by her own life as a mother, her quest to understand innate talents adds up to different ways of being smarter together. Love is appreciating differences. Dr. Ardy introduced the “Synergy Pals” to show how your child’s special gifts make a good fit with others’ natural talents.

Contacting the Instructor

You may contact the instructor by emailing ardys_reverman@virtualeduc.com or by calling 509-891-7219 Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. PST. Phone messages will be answered within 24 hours. Phone conferences will be limited to ten minutes per student, per day, given that this is a self-paced instructional program. Please do not contact the instructor about technical problems, course glitches, or other issues that involve the operation of the course.

Technical Questions

If you have questions or problems related to the operation of this course, please try everything twice. If the problem persists please check our support pages for FAQs and known issues at www.virtualeduc.com and also the Help section of your course.

If you need personal assistance, email support@virtualeduc.com or call 509-891-7219. When contacting technical support, please know your course version number (it is located at the bottom left side of the Welcome Screen) and your operating system, and be seated in front of the computer at the time of your call.

Minimum Computer Requirements

Please refer to VESi’s website: www.virtualeduc.com or contact VESi if you have further questions about the compatibility of your operating system.

Refer to the addendum regarding Grading Criteria, Course Completion Information, Items to be Submitted and how to submit your completed information. The addendum will also note any additional course assignments that you may be required to complete that are not listed in this syllabus.

Bibliography (Suggested Readings)

Bailey, B. (2011). Creating the school family: Bully-proofing classrooms through emotional intelligence. Conscious Discipline.

Berman, M. (2017, November). Hate crimes in the United States increased last year, the FBI says. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/11/13/hate-crimes-in-the-united-states-increased-last-year-the-fbi-says/?utm_term=.9144978ddaaa

Burgemeester, A. (2017). Jean Piaget’s theory of play. Psychologized. https://www.psychologized.org/jean-piagets-theory-of-play/

CASEL [Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning]. (2019). Retrieved from https://casel.org

Cho, V., Cumings Mansfield, K., & Claughton, J. (2020). The past and future technology in classroom management and school discipline: A systematic review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103037

Conscious Discipline. (2015, January 21). S.T.A.R. breathing tool [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDqOG0RIiSE&feature=youtube

Cronin, A. (2016, July 8). Student-led conferences: Resources for educators. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-led-conferences-resources-ashley-cronin

drmathkat. (2011, July 27). The hidden curriculum [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY2hpAOJTRQ

Chuang, C.-c., Reinke, W. M., & Herman, K. C. (2020). Effects of a universal classroom management teacher training program on elementary children with aggressive behaviors. School Psychology, 35(2), 128–136. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000351

Edutopia. (2016, August 25). New teachers: Classroom-Management fundamentals. https://www.edutopia.org/article/new-teachers-classroom-management-resources

Edutopia. (2015, August 24). Having students lead parent conferences. https://www.edutopia.org/practice/student-led-conferences-empowerment-and-ownership

Ergin, D. Y. (2019). Developing the scale of classroom management skills. Journal of Education and Training Studies, 7(4), 250–258. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1210758.pdf

Espelage, D. L., Aragon, S. R., Birkett, M., & Koenig, B. W. (2008). Homophobic teasing, psychological outcomes, and sexual orientation among high school students: What influence do parents and teachers have? School Psychology Review, 37(2), 202–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2008.12087894

Ferlazzo, L. (2016). Response: How to practice restorative justice in schools. Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2016/02/response_how_to_practice_restorative_justice_in_schools.html?cmp=cpc-goog-ew-ks+topics&ccid=ks+topics&ccag=restorative+justice&cckw=%2Brestorative%20%2Bjustice&cccv=content+specific+ad&gclid=Cj0KCQjwi7DtBRCLARIsAGCJWBoHAFiCahiYdIkbMv4KxF7CG12uW9_9krcestlVm9c8BLThSIjy81YaArRZEALw_wcB

Gardner, H. (2006). Multiple intelligences. Basic Books.

Galbut, J. (2016). Together we can make the world awesome. Medium. https://medium.com/@jennagalbut/never-dim-your-light-just-to-make-others-feel-comfortable-a9fa69be9587

Gist, C., Jackson, I., Nightengale-Lee, B., & Allen, K. (2019). Culturally responsive pedagogy in teacher education. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.013.266

Goalcast. (n.d.). George Lucas – Be compassionate [Video]. https://www.facebook.com/goalcast/videos/1243131765764011/

Goodenow, C., Szalacha, L., & Westheimer, K. (2006, April 10). School support groups, other school factors, and the safety of sexual minority adolescents. Psychology in the Schools, 43(5), 573–589

Gunn, J. (2018). The real and lasting impacts of social emotional learning with at-risk students. Retrieved from https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/sel-at-risk-students/.

ISTE. (2019). Standards for students. https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students

Kagan, S., & Kagan, M. (2015). Kagan cooperative learning. Kagan Cooperative Learning.

Knight, J. (2018). A coaching model for classroom management. Educational Leadership, 76(1), 50–51. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/A-Coaching-Model-for-Classroom-Management.-Knight/e466acfd7a458bb02ca07267ad3e55bbd5d08764

Lanier, J. T. (1997, July 1). Redefining the role of the teacher: It’s a multifaceted profession. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/redefining-role-teacher

Lentfer, V. (2019). Keep CALM and teach: Empowering K-12 learners with positive classroom management techniques. Sage.

Mascareñaz, L. (2017, January 30). What do I say to students about immigration orders? Learning for Justice. https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/what-do-i-say-to-students-about-immigration-orders

MBTI® basics. (2018). The Meyers-Briggs Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/

McCauley, J. M. (2016). For the love of the story: Edwidge Danticat [Interview]. Origins Journal. http://www.originsjournal.com/women-writers-caribbean/2016/5/18/edwidge-danticat

Meyers-Briggs Foundation. (2018). MBTI® basics. https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/

Mohamed, I. S. (2017). Dealing with exposure to community violence and student behavior: Positive classroom management practices and strategies for middle-school teachers. University of Toronto TSpace. https://hdl.handle.net/1807/77133

Mulvahill, E. (2017, June 20). 7 tips for creating a more gender-inclusive classroom. We Are Teachers. https://www.weareteachers.com/gender-inclusive-classroom/

PBS POV: American Promise. (n.d.). American Promise toolkits and workshops: For students. http://archive.pov.org/americanpromise/toolkits-workshops-students/

Sezer, S. (2018). The effects of teachers’ classroom management attitudes on students’ development: A phenomenological analysis. http://doi.org/10.16986/HUJE.2017031319

Trevor Project. (2018). Preventing suicide: Facts about suicide. https://www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/guide/preventing-suicide/

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights. (2014). Civil rights data collection. Retrieved from https://ocrdata.ed.gov/Downloads/CRDC-School-Discipline-Snapshot.pdf

We Are Teachers Staff. (2019). What teachers need to know about restorative justice. Retrieved from https://www.weareteachers.com/restorative-justice/

Yusem, D. (2019). Restorative justice in schools: SEL in action. Mindful Schools. Retrieved from https://www.mindfulschools.org/inspiration/restorative-justice-in-schools-sel-in-action/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwi7DtBRCLARIsAGCJWBq9DMYoZw76QHgK5Nz6_n0I3U4UbYrQAOKV8zBN9KQHq0wcgqjs57EaAnI1EALw_wcB

Ovia Health. (2019). Baby's personality: Chess and Thomas' baby temperaments. Retrieved from https://www.ovuline.com/guide/14076/baby-temperaments