Promoting Positive Behavior with Dialogue Circles

A few days ago I came across this great video and idea about using Dialogue Circles to promote positive behavior. I was truly impressed when I watched it and wanted to share it with all of you. I have blogged about Class Meetings with Talking Chips which you can read all about by clicking HERE. I love the idea of having class meetings as part of your daily or weekly routine to create a caring classroom. When I watched the video on Dialogue circles I thought about my Title I school and the students in grades 3-6. Dialogue Circles are gatherings where all the students or participants sit in a circle and face each other. This facilitates open and direct communication. They promote a safe and supportive space where sensitive topics can be talked about, differences can be worked out, and consensus can be reached.

Working with students who are from lower socioeconomic families, I found that there were always behavior issues resulting from things that had happened at home or in the neighborhood the night before that affected the classroom climate as they entered school each day. It affected their learning and attention and many times the learning of others. I learned that the one thing that these students could count on was school, the teachers, and staff. It was the one constant in their lives. Class meetings at the beginning of the day can give students a chance to share their feelings and discuss ways to work through them so that learning can take place the rest of the day. I hope you will watch this 4 minute video about one school in Glenview, California. I would love to know what you think about them in the comments below.

       
If you would like to learn about more about Responsive Classroom, which is a research and evidence-based to elementary education associated with greater teacher effectiveness, higher student achievement, and improved school climate, click HERE.
If you haven't gotten your free copy of my Bee-Having is Cool Raps just click on the image below.

I also wrote a new free poem called "Getting Along at School" for the primary grades with 2 differentiated writing activities that you can download by clicking on the image below. Great for the first weeks of school.

You may also want to check out my new boards to follow by clicking HERE. Here are a few you may be interested in.

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Thanks for all you do to make a difference for your students.