preview

The Importance Of Responsive Classroom

Decent Essays

Responsive Classroom is a social competency program that is developed by the Northeast Foundation for Children (NEFC). The NEFC was founded in 1981 by six public school teachers who created Responsive Classroom approach as a way to impart the knowledge, skills, and beliefs that they had developed throughout their careers (Principles & Practices, n.d.). The Responsive Classroom approach to teaching and learning focuses on creating a safe, rigorous, and joyful classroom environment that promotes academic, emotional, and social growth. This is done by subscribing to its six guiding principles, which emphasize that social-emotional growth is just as imperative as academic growth. This is because students learn best when they are taught social and emotional skills together with academics (Principles & Practices, n.d.). Therefore, these social-emotional competencies -- such as cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control (CARES)-- are taught both directly and indirectly through core classroom practices. These practices include morning meetings and closing circle, prescribed rules with logical consequences, organized play, guided discovery as a means of engaging students; academic choice to develop self-motivated learners; and family communication (Principles & Practices, n.d.). The overall structure of the elementary Responsive Classroom is made up of many practices and strategies that build academic and social-emotional competencies that are gradually

Get Access