As we have worked very diligently this week to begin our move to the CHAMPS management system, I have intentionally focused our work, as a school wide team, on our tansition from negative vocabulary to positive vocabulary. This is not an easy task and will take a lot of time and practice, but with hard work and dedication, we can do it! I wanted to share with you the research behind the CHAMPS positive behavior intervention system from Safe and Civil Schools. This is going to be a huge part of our upcoming success as we journey toward a school of proficiency and then a school of distinction in the state of Kentucky. Take a look at the information below and submit your response to the blog and our efforts as a team.
I also wanted to give you some resources for ways to post the CHAMPs acronym in your classrooms. Of course, the beauty of CHAMPs is that its not a canned program and allows for great flexibility from room to room. The important part is the structure and consistency with which we supervise and support students to make positive behavior decisions.
Finally tonight, I want us to continue thinking about how our choice of words carries such a powerful affect for students, parents, and our team. Attitude and mindset are a huge part of what we do. If we do not think we can accomplish something, we can't. If we indicate to students that we do not believe in a strategy we are using or more importantly that they can be successful, they won't. We are on a mission to make sure ALL of our students are successful, and we must do whatever that takes. Do you have a growth or fixed intelligence mindset? You will be seeing more information about fixed vs. growth intelligence mindsets around the building this week. I believe we may have an elf on the shelf visiting us. ;)
Have a wonderful week and remember YOU make a difference in the lives of EVERYONE with whom you come in contact each and every day!
GO TIGERS!!!
The quote from Henry Ford, reminded me of something my Dad always said,"how do you know you can't do it? Have you tried?" It is that mind set that was instilled in me as a child, I always tried new things, and didn't quit. I now realize that not everyone is as fortunate as myself to have someone truly believe that I could do anything. When I succeeded, my Mother and father never acted shocked, they simply said,"well, I knew you could do it!" So I owe a big thanks to them. With that said, I try every day to be a positive, encouraging, influence to my students. They may not have that person in their lives who truly believes they can do anything , Champs.... I think it is crucial to have a school wide set of expectations, as a teacher it is confusing going into other classrooms witha different set of rules. Students seem less confused when we all share the same rules and things just go smoother. I think I am a growing mind, I still feel like I learn something new everyday!
ReplyDeleteI feel there is a lot about this program to learn but ultimately it is the teaching of desired behaviors that we often assume students know. It takes a child several times to see a word and master it and appropriate behavior is the same. As a team, we must focus on the positive and encourage behaviors that we want to improve. Everyone needs to remember to be ready with a high five and positive words of encouragement.
ReplyDeleteThinking about fixed vs growth mindset the word "attitude" kept jumping out at me. We all know from experience if we go into a new experience thinking we can't do it, we probably won't or at least not to the extent or level we need to achieve success. With a growth mindset, we attempt new tasks with an attitude of willingness to learn. The growth mindset might see failure as a need to try harder. The chances of success increase greatly with a positive "I can" attitude.
ReplyDeleteA wise teacher once told me you can't keep teaching the same thing the same way over and over. Children today are very different from children even 5 years ago. As educators we must constantly learn new methods and approaches and adjust our teaching. I will admit I griped and complained about our instruction change to a more small group approach. It's all about change and comfort. Whole group instruction is my comfort zone. Teachers are creatures of comfort - I did not want to leave my comfort zone. I was resistant to change. However, I have learned I can incorporate small group in several ways into my class time successfully. My griping and complaining held me back (fixed mindset) and once I got on board with a growth mindset the whole process seemed to fall in place.
You do have to be careful showing your positive or negative emotions in the classroom. That same wise teacher mentioned previously also wisely said to me, "You, as the teacher set the tone for the day." No truer words have been spoken. If I have a negative attitude about an approach to a specific concept - lattice method for multiplication, for example . As I am demonstrating I say I don't like it and it doesn't work, etc. my students are going to follow my lead and become negative. They really value our opinion and will mirror our attitude every single time --trust me.
CHAMPS will work for us and is very necessary as we become a new and much bigger school. The consistency of the program should be enough for buy in from all teachers. Carol Dweck says in her book Mindset - "First, while enforcing consistent discipline, he doesn’t judge the bully as a person. No criticism is directed at traits. Instead, he makes them feel liked and welcome at school every day. Then he praises every step in the right direction. But again, he does not praise the person; he praises their effort." Focus on the positive. In today's world we cannot assume as educators our students understand what appropriate or acceptable behavior (even those with "excellent" parents) looks like. It has to be discussed, modeled, modeled, modeled. Always, always focus on the positive and most importantly set a positive tone and choose your battles!
I've had ALOT to say tonight. Let me leave you with this - "Children need teachers who are emotionally grounded and intellectually challenged: who teach like nobody's watching and they don't need the money." - Maurice Sykes
@WeAreTeachers: Always good to remember: "The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice." - Peggy O'Mara
Sent from my iPhone
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI once took a quiz on, "What type of Mindset Do You Have?" I was pleased to say my quiz turned out to be a growth mindset. If we are not open to trying new things to help our students we will never grow. I am not saying we should jump on the bandwagon for every new thing, but be willing to try things that have proven to be effective for others. CHAMPS is something new for us but, it is something very much needed. I saw immediate results with the CHAMPS. I think the visual reminder as well as the physical reminders of correct and incorrect behaviors are the keys to the program. I also believe that the whole school using the program is going to be a great benefit.
ReplyDeleteI really want to have a growth mindset and feel that I am closer than ever, it's just soooooo easy to be fixed in your ways. As for Champs, I'm "All Aboard", I have already saw changes in behavior in my classroom and these changes were much needed. I need to improve the ease of presentation, which I plan to do by the end of the week using some ideas from Ms. Dehart as well as ideas from above. As I grow toward that more positive, growth mind set I can see the improvements in my students. My current students want to do well and know that they can. As Ryan Dungey, motocross champ, says "Believe, or it won't happen!"
ReplyDeleteI think I may have a fixed mind set about A FEW THINGS BUT MOSTLY HAVE a growth mind set. CHAMPS appears to be a move in the right direction but it will take time to see the full effect and get all the wrinkles ironed out. I think it is good that the entire school will have the same expectations and the same card system. Mrs. Brown said it was confusing to her going into different classrooms, if it is difficult for a teacher, it has to be difficult for the students and we do not want to add any more stress to our lives or their lives!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was researching a little on the Champs program I came across and article about the Mindset of A Champion. Some of the points of interest were to believe in yourself, unlock your potential, set personal goals, embrace all challenges and obstacles as opportunities, control what you can and let everything else go and learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable. I think with all the new changes we go through it is hard to not get overwhelmed. When ask to do something new, my first thought is what did I do wrong, or was I not doing it correct when it simply might just be a better way. We need to believe in us before we can teach our students to believe in themselves.
ReplyDeleteAs a team I feel we are headed in the right direction. Third grade started incorporating CHAMPS into our cafeteria expectations last week. We added CHAMPS to our Math Centers today. So far, I have found this strategy to be extremely successful. It has been my experience that if I have a positive attitude then most of my students will also. I realize that I set the tone in my room. Every day I strive to be positive and encouraging for myself, as well as my students. They value our opinions and listen for reassurance. It is all in the attitude like the quote by Henry Ford “If you think you can do a thing or you think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” I believe that it is of great impact to my students if I think they can or they can’t also. I found another Champ quote I like. “Absorb what is useful, discard what is not, add what is uniquely your own.” Bruce Lee
ReplyDeleteWe have also started the CHAMPS expectations and are finding it more convenient to just refer to the letters and voice levels in everything we do...all students understand exactly what we mean, and it's a quick and easy way to explain what you need from your students.
ReplyDeleteWe've noticed that in the lunchroom (with our group), Ms. Denise has really been awesome with taking charge and using the new vocabulary and procedures that go with CHAMPS. Go Denise!
Currently we're working to develop and display our CHAMPS expectations for different focus areas. We like the simple idea of either using a flip chart, or creating one chart (like the picture on the blog) to display different CHAMPS expectations. This would be a great space saver that is still very effective.
Keri and Cym
We believe that we have a growth mindset. We are willing to change our behaviors to best benifit our students. The CHAMP model has been implimented in our classrooms and the students behaviors are changing to meet the expectations of the the model.
ReplyDeleteMarta and Karen
I have started using the CHAMPS in my office and I am observing positive results. Using classroom layouts to evaluate and locate troubles spots was new strategy that I grasped and began to impliment immediately. I am working on developing a chart simular to the one displayed on the blog-I feel this will work best for my groups.
ReplyDelete