Teacher Training
Each year, as the panel moved through the elementary grades, teachers in intervention classrooms received five days of in-service training in a package of instructional methods with three major components: proactive classroom management, interactive teaching, and cooperative learning.
Proactive Classroom Management
The Proactive Classroom Management component addressed healthy beliefs and clear standards and developing patterns of early behavior. The project included teacher training to minimize classroom disruptions and maximize the time students spend learning. Teachers learned how to give clear and explicit instructions for sudent behavior and to recognize and reward attempts to comply. When teachers used this approach in the classroom, students learned to manage thier own behavior. Teachers also learned how to keep minior discipline problems from interrupting the learning process by being proactive. Specific examples include:- Clear routines and tranisitions in the classroom
- Clear routines for work behaviors
- Use of a "signal" to gain student attention
- Clear expectations fro transitions that were explicitly taught to students
- Helping students internalize rules, routines and procedures
- Using school-wide routines and transitions
- Establishing school-wide playground expectations
Interactive Teaching
Interactive Teaching is a method for enhancing the teacher's ability to design lesson plans to motivate students and monitor their learning. This method addressed academic success and committment to school and is particularly effective with students who are at high risk for academic failure. Specific teaching methods are:- Using a mental set to motivate students to want to learn the material
- Breaking objectives inot small steps (task analysis)
- Modeling the use of skills being taught
- Use of group and individual practice
- Constant monitoring of the progress of all students to make the necessary adjustments to ensure that all students master the lession
Cooperative Learning
Cooperative Learning addressed committment to school, positive peer influences and recognition of student progress. This method involved teachers giving initial instruction to groups of students at the same skill level, or to the class as a whole. Students then worked in heterogeneous learning teams to help wach other learn and assess each other's progress. This strategy helped ensure that all students learned the material. Specific instructions include:- Teaching positive social skills, such as listening and sharing
- Creating heterogeneous learning teams in the classroom
- Providing incentives for effective teamwork
- Providing opportunities for both formal and informal teamwork
- Helping students work together toward mutual goals
- Rewarding group efforts, not just individual efforts
- Developing lesson plans that emphasise cooperation in student tams to master the material
