Wednesday, September 17, 2025

The Importance of Modeling: Responsive Classroom Strategies

As seen in: educationworld.com/a_curr/columnists/charney/charney003.shtml

Responsive Classroom Strategies

The Importance of Modeling

We have generated our hopes and dreams. We have constructed our classroom rules, which are signed and beautifully and prominently displayed. We have shared our rules with parents. Now comes the interesting part, the part where we teach the rules.

We have generated our hopes and dreams. We have constructed our classroom rules, which now are signed and beautifully and prominently displayed. We have even shared our rules with parents. We are done now, right?

NO. We are not done. Now comes the interesting part, the part where we teach the rules. In the Responsive Classroom approach, we teach the rules through modeling and practice, as well as through the "Three R's" of teacher language. This article will focus on the critical strategy of modeling expectations.

It is important to keep in mind that, although all effective approaches to classroom management are both proactive and reactive, I believe that 80 percent of discipline should be proactive. The more we show (not just tell) children what we expect and then give them opportunities to practice getting on line, using their walking feet, demonstrating their "indoor voices," making eye contact as good listeners, or exhibiting friendly and respectful words with peers, the more we set them up for success.

Mostly, children want to do what we want them to do. Recently, I observed a group of sixth graders discussing their growing capacity to get through lessons with fewer and fewer interruptions. Noting the results of their own self-controls, one student said, "It's quieter now and we get more work done." That simple fact came from several weeks of intentional exertion. Sometimes, as teachers, we forget that in this time of fast paced, multi-tracked, high-pitched media, the effort just to not call out is huge. So we model and practice.

MODELING EXPECTATIONS

Modeling is a way to teach our rules. It involves demonstrating the specific behaviors and language patterns of an expectation in a way that grounds the rules in day-to-day experiences. When we model expectations, we translate and enliven more general expectations, such as respectful listening or orderly lines into accessible behaviors. We act out the desired behaviors, showing what it looks and sounds like to stop and freeze, listen to a classmate, or raise your hand and wait to be called on.

We then give students the opportunity to also model, naming as a group the desired behaviors we observed. Remember, words alone do not suffice. Often children know the right words to say, but struggle in the moment to actually follow through on the expectation. Saying that we need to be quiet is not the same thing as being quiet. The chance to show that one can be quiet is the beginning of internalized learning.

I have seen an incredible difference, for example, when teachers take time to model and practice walking in line. Even though it is a universal school requirement, one that children experience year after year, day after day, staying quiet and focused is not easy for anyone. For children, it is a lesson in using self-controls.

Given the chance for movement, natural childish exuberance will surface, turning steps into high jumps, quiet into chatter, and end of line students into dreamy dawdlers. Getting to and fro can become a protracted struggle. An orderly and safe line, therefore, requires significant work. Recently, for example, I watched Ms. Becky, a first grade teacher, working with her class.

"Who can tell me the three things we need to remember to have a beautiful and safe line?" Ms. Becky asks her first graders the third week of school, when walking on line is still a challenge. Many hands go up.

"Tell me one, D.J.," she asks an eager student. "We need to be quiet," he announces, while making a zipping motion with his hand and lips. "Show us," she says to him. "Go stand on line and show us what it looks like and sounds like to be quiet with your body and words." And he does. As if they are viewing a staged drama, the others watch and applaud their classmate's appropriate performance.

Turning to her class, Ms. Becky asks them what they notice about D.J. being quiet. "He didn't talk," someone notes with approval. Each of the components that make for an orderly and efficient line are modeled, even before they start off down the hall: quiet voices, eyes front, right hand on rails, and bodies at a proper spatial distance to insure the children don't crowd, bump, or lag.

As the first graders move from landing to landing, reinforcing and adjusting their line, they pass the sixth graders. "Are you practicing too?" one asks in a whisper. And yes, the older students are practicing too.

When the first graders reach the playground, the teacher turns and says, "I noticed that most people kept their lips zipped. I also noticed that everyone had his or her right hands on the rail. And no one bumped. What did you notice?"

"We did good," Stephanie says proudly.

See Modeling Procedures, Part 2 of Ruth Sidney Charney column on modeling, next week, to find step-by-step instructions for modeling specific expectations.

About Ruth Sidney Charney

Ruth Sidney Charney is a highly respected education consultant and author. She is a co-developer of Northeast Foundation for Children and a pioneer in the Responsive Classroom approach.

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How Substitute Teachers Can Connect With Their Students: Edutopi

From: https://www.edutopia.org/article/substitute-teachers-strategies-connect-students?utm_content=linkpos2&utm_campaign=weekly-2025-09-17&utm_medium=email&utm_source=edu-newsletter

Teaching Strategies

How Substitute Teachers Can Connect With Their Students

Five enriching strategies to help subs stay involved and make a difference in the classroom.

By Zachary Shell

September 16, 2025

FatCamera / iStock

When I first started substitute teaching, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had left something behind.

After a decade as a full-time language arts teacher, I struggled to adjust to my new role as a substitute. I bounced from room to room, executing other teachers’ plans, wondering if I’d made a mistake. I missed the rhythm of my own classroom. Some days, I wondered if I still counted as a “real” teacher.

Then Halloween arrived. I subbed for a seventh-grade language arts class in the middle of their unit on The Outsiders, a novel I had taught for years. I decided to throw on my old Johnny Cade costume: jeans, jean jacket, hair gel, and a swipe of eye black. As I moved through the day’s schedule, word of my costume seemed to spread—each group of students entering the classroom was more excited than the last. I felt grounded again.

That experience wasn’t just fun—it was also a wake-up call. I realized that I hadn’t been noticing the ways in which I was already connecting with students. The connections were small and easy to miss; one student greeted me for the second time in a week with, “Oh good, you’re back,” while another left me a thank-you note for helping with an essay.

I’ve since found enrichment in substitute teaching. Along the way, I’ve compiled a handful of strategies that have helped me stay involved and make a difference, one day at a time. Those strategies—which are useful for new substitutes still learning the ropes, as well as full-time teachers who are scaling back to substitute duties—are laid out below.

Connecting With Students as a Substitute

Start with names: It sounds basic, but learning student names is the most effective way for a substitute to build rapport. Each morning, I ask for two copies of the day’s rosters: one to send back to the office and one to keep. During independent work, I scan the roster as I circulate the room, testing myself on names and faces. Even learning just a handful of new names each day adds up over time, and it shows students that I’m paying attention, not just passing through.

Be visible beyond the classroom: Showing up at student games and events is another easy way to build connections. Whenever I see jerseys in class, I’ll ask what time that afternoon’s game begins, and then stop by for a few minutes on the way to my car. The first time I did this, I felt slightly awkward cheering for a school where I wasn’t a full-time employee, but none of my students found it weird—they were just thrilled to see me follow through.

Give students key roles: In every class, there are always some students who are quick to volunteer. Depending on grade levels, I like to assign a few of them “keep me on track” jobs for the day: one to remind me about passing periods, another to handle bathroom sign-outs, and another to give me a secret signal if the class needs a break. Assigning these small roles shifts the classroom dynamic; it loosens the tension that sometimes arises when a substitute steps into a room with a well-established culture shaped by strong personalities or a teacher’s distinctive vibe. Even as a one-day outsider, substitutes risk upending classroom norms, so this small gesture respects student expertise and establishes rapport and trust.

Carry a ‘sub kit’ with playlists and low-prep challenges: Most substitute plans include a clear assignment, but once students finish, the rest of the period can devolve into dead time. I want students to see me as more than a placeholder, so I carry a personal “sub kit”—a sectioned folder of graphic organizers, art supplies, and flexible ideas I can pull out anywhere, in any grade, to make those extra minutes count.

One such example is a curated playlist of short films from the website Short of the Week, which features a mix of animations, mini-documentaries, and mysteries that spark curiosity across grade levels. For each short film, I prepare a discussion or writing prompt, like rewriting the ending or narrating the story from a new perspective. These ready-to-go films give structure to moments that might otherwise just be filler.

I also like to incorporate a few interactive group activities that keep students engaged until the period ends. I draw inspiration from classic brainstorming games and icebreakers, then tweak them for specific age groups. A fifth-grade class once worked together to come up with 50 different uses for a paper clip; a ninth-grade group spent the end of the period debating a top-10 list of the best movies of the decade.

These activities take little preparation but encourage teamwork and creativity. Students get a low-stakes way to practice critical thinking skills while having fun, and I get to energize those final few minutes while bringing in a bit of my own personality.

Offer creative extensions for reading time: The sentence “Take out your independent reading book” is the usual fallback for substitute teachers when students finish work early. It’s not always easy to get buy-in at the end of class, though. Instead, I offer a low-tech storyboarding option: blank paper and colored pencils for students to turn a scene from their independent reading book into a comic strip. Many teachers already employ similar digital tools; this version is simpler but still familiar, adding a bit of variety to students’ routines.

When it’s framed as an alternative to silent reading, students are usually eager to give it a try. Some dash off stick figure comics, while others take time to add details and dialogue. I collect the storyboards at the end of class and leave them for the full-time teacher, who can use them as a quick check on reading goals or simply as evidence of engagement while they were away.

Whether it’s a short film, a challenge, or a twist on independent reading, I believe every class should include a moment of insight—something that makes the time feel worthwhile, not wasted. Even on days when plans are thin or classes are unpredictable, these activities show students that you care, that your contributions are meaningful, and that there are countless ways to show up and connect.

Lesley University New Teacher Community

Wednesday, September 17, 2025