THE
CLASSROOM PURPOSE -DRIVEN
SEVEN PRODUCTIVE BEHAVIORS for STUDENT SUCCESS
Daniel L. VOLLRATH
THE CLASSROOM PURPOSE -DRIVEN
SEVEN PRODUCTIVE BEHAVIORS
for STUDENT SUCCESS
Copyright © 2025 by Solution Tree Press
Materials appearing here are copyrighted. With one exception, all rights are reserved. Readers may reproduce only those pages marked “Reproducible.” Otherwise, no part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without prior written permission of the publisher.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Vollrath, Daniel L., author.
Title: The purpose-driven classroom : seven productive behaviors for student success / Daniel L. Vollrath.
Description: Bloomington, IN : Solution Tree Press, [2025] | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2024041399 (print) | LCCN 2024041400 (ebook) | ISBN 9781954631038 (paperback) | ISBN 9781954631045 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Behavior modification. | Classroom management. | Classroom environment. | Academic achievement.
Classification: LCC LB1060.2 .V63 2025 (print) | LCC LB1060.2 (ebook) | DDC 372.139/3--dc23/eng/20241024
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2024041399
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2024041400
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To James Vollrath, who embodied the true essence of productivity and persistence in his life. James was my inspiration and motivation behind the journey of writing this book.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Iam deeply grateful to everyone who helped bring this book to life. First and foremost, I would like to thank my family: my wife, Linda, whose encouragement, patience, and support made this endeavor possible; my mother, Pamela, who always instilled the importance of work ethic, setting goals, and accomplishing your dreams; my father, Lou, who always showed interest and positivity toward my writing; and my sister, Holly, and her family for all your support throughout this journey.
I would like to express gratitude to Gary Fuller, an administrator, teacher, and my coach, who inspired my passion for education and opened my eyes toward making a difference in the lives of students, and to Dr. Peggy Hickman, an associate professor, who believed in me and my ability to make an impact in education and who always saw my potential.
I also thank Dr. Art Costa and Dr. Bena Kallick; my creativity, strategies, and writing are truly inspired by the Habits of Mind. I am forever grateful for your commitment, kindness, and loyalty.
A special thank-you goes to my editors, Miranda Addonizio and Amy Rubenstein, for your invaluable insights and support, and to Claudia Wheatley, who provided me with this amazing writing opportunity with Solution Tree.
Last, and certainly not least, to my daughter, Cassidy, and my son, Caden: I hope one day you will read this book and recognize the significance of being productive in all aspects of life.
Solution Tree Press would like to thank the following reviewers:
Tonya Alexander
English Teacher (NBCT)
Owego Free Academy
Owego, New York
Larissa Bailey
Second-Grade Teacher
Pleasant Valley School District
Bettendorf, Iowa
John D. Ewald
Education Consultant
Frederick, Maryland
Kelly Hilliard
GATE Mathematics Instructor
NBCT
Darrell C. Swope Middle School
Reno, Nevada
Louis Lim
Vice Principal
Bayview Secondary School
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Sean Maloney
Fourth-Grade Teacher
Brooklyn Elementary School
Brooklyn, Connecticut
Nicole McRee
Science Instructional Coach
Kildeer Countryside District #96
Buffalo Grove, Illinois
Justin Schafer
Teacher on Special Assignment
Benton Elementary School
Goshen, Indiana
Elyse Webb
Instructional Coach
Dallas Center-Grimes Community School District
Grimes, Iowa
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/behavior to download the free reproducibles in this book.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Reproducibles are in italics.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Daniel L. Vollrath, EdD, is a special education teacher at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in New Jersey. Serving in various teaching roles extending over twenty years, Daniel has worked within the general, inclusive, and resource room settings. Productive behaviors are a focal point in his curriculum and instruction. In addition, Daniel works as a consultant for the Institute for Habits of Mind. Together with school districts around the nation, Daniel instructs and supports administrators and staff on implementing Habits of Mind into curriculum and daily instruction.
Daniel is a recipient of Who’s Who in America for his postpandemic work in the field of building habits and productive behaviors within schools. As a consulting author, Daniel published multiple articles with Edutopia, Teacher Matter Magazine, and other education blogs. He collaborated with Habits of Mind practitioners from around the world to write a book titled Mindfulness and Thoughtfulness: Leading and Teaching With Habits of Mind in Research and Practice.
Daniel received a bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education from Temple University, a master’s degree in educational leadership from Delaware Valley University, and a doctorate in special education leadership from Arcadia University. His dissertation focused on integrating Habits of Mind into the special education curriculum.
To learn more about Daniel’s work, visit www.habitsofmindinstitute.org to view his blogs, articles, and videos. In addition, follow him on LinkedIn and X @HabitsofMindInc.
To book Daniel L. Vollrath for professional development, contact pd@ SolutionTree.com.
INTRODUCTION
Picture this: A month into a new school year, you begin to observe concerning behaviors among your students. Behaviors that, if not addressed now, could have negative outcomes down the road—for you, your students, and the whole class. After school on a day when nothing seemed to go right, you sit back and reflect on your class. Here are some discomforting observations.
• Two students were unable to notice their disruptive behaviors during a class discussion.
• One student couldn’t control her anxiety while taking a quiz and began crying and punching her desk.
• Four students exhibited poor decision making by taking out their phones and watching TikTok videos instead of working on an assignment.
• Three students became frustrated and gave up on a quiz. Instead of persisting through the quiz, they handed it in early, leaving the open-ended questions blank.
• Two students failed to complete a section of the quiz correctly because they did not listen to directions.
• During a group activity, three out of five groups did not finish the assignment due to uncooperative use of time.
• Five students at the start of class were unorganized—physically and mentally—and did not set themselves up for success.
You have most likely experienced a day like this one—or at least observed students in your classroom who exhibited challenging behaviors. Or maybe you have reflected on a day in your classroom when many of your students modeled successful behaviors. The classroom on that day was perfect in your eyes. In either scenario, you may have asked yourself a question such as, “What is it that students need to manage themselves and their behaviors and be productive within the classroom?”
I was that teacher in the preceding scenario, and those were my students. I asked myself that exact question; doing so marked a turning point in my teaching career. Here are my realizations.
• Many students lacked self-awareness.
• Students’ inability to control their thoughts and emotions was affecting their decision making.
• When students felt defeated or struggled with class material, giving up was easier than persevering.
• Listening was an underrated skill.
• The ability to maintain group productivity was a struggle.
• Assuming all my students knew the behaviors to be productive within the classroom was depriving them of success.
This same group of students made remarkable gains in their behaviors throughout the rest of the school year. Reflecting at the end of that year, I realized their success was a result of changes I had made. I implemented strategies, modeled behaviors, and reinforced habits that supported their ability to succeed. Although I helped them improve their behaviors, I was unsure what exact design or structure I had used. Whatever I was doing, I needed to figure it out. I knew one thing: I had to create a plan that increased conscious, purpose-driven behaviors within the classroom.
I was on a journey to dig deeper into the reality of how best to support each student in building successful behaviors within my classroom. Clearly, some students were able to identify healthy ways to control their emotional, academic, and cognitive behaviors. These students were able to stay organized, keep themselves calm in frustrating situations, and make responsible decisions. Conversely, many students struggled with some or all these behaviors. These students showed signs of impulsiveness, lack of control over their behaviors, and an inability to maintain a collaborative working relationship with peers. I noticed disorganization, rising levels of anxiety and stress, and a lack of readiness to learn. It was obvious that, when confronted with obstacles that negatively affected their ability to succeed in the classroom, certain students
could not demonstrate productive behaviors, or actions they took to be successful in the face of obstacles or temptations that would prevent them from being successful.
The neuroscience behind why students struggle to control their emotions and behaviors offers valuable insight into the need for regulation strategies. Knowing that emotional and behavioral struggles are part of the developmental process in students, it is well established that the most significant developmental change occurs in the human brain during adolescence (Arain et al., 2013). During this time in a student’s life, changes in the brain mean students think, behave, and perceive emotions—their own and others’—differently. One reason why students struggle so much has to do with the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex of the brain is responsible for impulse control and regulation and continues to develop throughout adolescence and early adulthood (Arain et al., 2013).
Explicit teaching strategies can help increase regulation. Regulation, maintaining or changing emotions in response to experiences, is an important skill and a major factor that measures how students feel about themselves while increasing their belief that they can succeed in their learning (Martin & Ochsner, 2016). Often, for students to gain an understanding of and connection to regulation, they must be informed and enlightened about the topic of regulation. Researchers Rebecca E. Martin and Kevin N. Ochsner (2016) shed light on the importance of regulation: “The ability to regulate one’s emotions can serve many purposes: it can both increase emotional arousal or positive valence to enhance learning, and it can help to dampen emotional responses that might be blocking successful encoding of new information” (p. 142). Knowing the positive implications of regulation when it comes to influencing students’ brains can help teachers support their success in learning. Implementing regulation strategies and skills can increase students’ ability to learn and succeed in the future. Moreover, these strategies can elicit productive ways of thinking and behaving to mitigate situations that disrupt students’ lives.
The biggest example of such a disruption is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected many students in ways we could have never imagined, threatening both their academic success and their mental health as they manifest deeper levels of anxiety and stress (Camacho-Zuñiga, Pego, Escamilla, & Hosseini, 2021). According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2022), “Eighty-seven percent of public schools reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted student socio-emotional development during the 2021–22 school year.” One challenge has been the transition from remote learning to the classroom, where students have struggled with their emotions and school routines.
Teachers and districts do their best to help students with mental health, emotional stability, and regaining a sense of normalcy in the classroom. Whether the difficulty is with anxiety, focus, maintaining attention, staying organized, or navigating emotions, increasing students’ productive behaviors needs to be a priority within the classroom. The need for explicit strategies for building productive, purpose-driven behaviors within students is great. This need is even greater for marginalized communities; since many studies primarily document findings from White subjects of higher socioeconomic status, the effects of the pandemic could be even more serious among students of different racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds (MacKenzie, 2023).
Early in the pandemic, many teachers, staff, and school leaders went above and beyond their call of duty for their students to learn. Developing remote teaching plans to create concrete strategies for students to learn was a challenge. For many districts and schools, the economic means and ability to operate remotely were functional—to say the least. However, many rural and high-poverty school districts faced challenges early in the pandemic in terms of connecting with students, checking in, and running virtual learning sessions (Office for Civil Rights, 2021). The lack of resources for students who speak another language, students with learning disabilities, and other underprivileged demographics has put them years behind their developing peers. As teachers, our goal for all students should be to focus on increasing productivity and emotional and behavioral regulation through designing appropriate strategies.
As an educator, I have the amazing opportunity to build relationships with students and make an impact on them. Moreover, I get to empathize with all students who develop cognitively, emotionally, and academically in their own unique ways. It was not until I became comfortable in my teaching career that I realized the connection between students’ behaviors and emotions and their success in learning and that helping them acquire behaviors can truly make a difference. This is when I vowed to always give all students what they need— emotionally and behaviorally—and never leave a student behind.
An important role of educators is to make sure students receive all they need to reach their full potential. However, these needs differ from one student to the next. Some may need more time to themselves to mentally prepare and organize for an upcoming class. Others may thrive when they receive opportunities to settle their anxiety in certain classroom situations. And still others may glow with confidence when they get praise and recognition after pushing themselves to accomplish an overwhelming task.
Whether you teach high school, middle school, or elementary school, you know that each of your students has unique behavioral needs that are essential in their ability to overcome challenges and excel. Regardless of their abilities, it is important to treat each student’s needs in relation to their circumstances. While your classroom may consist of students with and without learning differences, providing a fair and individual-focused environment can lead students toward their full potential. Most important, students are best served in an environment where they feel supported and included, no matter what their circumstances may be. Therefore, creating a classroom where all students have opportunities to build their productive behaviors provides them with the necessary tools to achieve the success they deserve. In the following sections, I first explain what exactly productive behaviors are and detail seven productive behaviors that I have identified as essential to student success in the classroom and beyond. Then, I provide a preview of how this book is designed to give you strategies you can use right now to nurture these behaviors in your students.
The Seven Productive Behaviors
To best understand productive behaviors, it’s helpful to first define unproductive behaviors. Unproductive behaviors are actions people take that don’t move them forward. Examples of unproductive behaviors students commonly exhibit include losing their temper, being uncooperative, and giving up on a task that they could accomplish.
Productive behaviors, as discussed, are what people do consciously to overcome obstacles or temptations that would prevent them from succeeding at their goals. Note the word consciously: Productive behaviors don’t just happen; people must engage in them with purpose. Some examples of productive behaviors students might display are persisting in an assignment when they feel like quitting, managing impulsivity in situations where they would normally lose their temper, and thinking interdependently in groups to complete an assignment.
Some productive behaviors, such as persisting, can be clearly visible to others, while others, such as observation, are largely invisible. In this book, the seven productive behaviors I discuss are these.
1. Observation
3. Self-control
5. Responsible decision making
7. Persistence
2. Attentive listening
4. Cooperation
6. Organization
Since 2010, I have explicitly taught students these seven productive behaviors in the classroom. These behaviors offered students more than just success within my classroom; they carried over into their lives beyond high school. One former student expressed that all the productive behaviors have helped him in his job and ability to get things done in life. Another student shares, “If there was one thing I learned from your class, it was how to be successful in life. Each productive behavior has made a significant impact in all I do” (B. Leeds, personal communication, May 7, 2020). Essentially, it has become clear that building productivity is a key component that extends far beyond the four walls of the classroom. Incorporating the behaviors into the learning environment takes commitment and intentionality; yet, no matter the subject or grade level, these seven behaviors make a powerful impact.
Educators can teach the seven productive behaviors in a variety of ways across all content areas and grade levels. They can present them via strategies related to emotional, cognitive, and academic purposes. Furthermore, some behaviors are more interpersonal, while we might regard some as more intrapersonal. The following sections briefly describe each behavior. Each chapter of the book delves more deeply into one of these behaviors.
OBSERVATION
Observation is one of the most important skills to possess in the classroom. Closely related to metacognition, observing allows students to consciously recognize their thoughts and feelings in the classroom. Conversely, metacognition involves the act of students assessing and being in control of their personal thought processes. When in the process of metacognition, students become more aware of what they do and don’t understand while building more self-awareness about how they learn best. Metacognition supports students in becoming more independent learners and bolstering self-advocacy skills (Jacobson, 2024). One of the significant differences between metacognition and observation has to do with judgment. Amy Brann (2017), a leader in the teaching of neuroscience, describes observation as “the act of attending to present moment experiences and allowing any emotions and thoughts to pass without judgment” (p. 158). In the mathematics classroom, for example, observing may look and sound like students describing their thinking while solving a problem, keeping a record of their thought processes, and reexamining the process of their final answer. It is the ability to steer feelings, thinking, and behaviors in positive and productive directions (Wilson & Conyers, 2016). In your classroom, you most likely have modeled observing through your comments to students, such as, “I appreciate everyone getting into their seats and sitting quietly,” “That was a
very thoughtful and motivating speech,” and “You made a great choice to sit by yourself today where you could focus and get your work done.”
SELF-CONTROL
Self-control is the ability to control thoughts, actions, and impulses. One way of explaining self-control to students is by using the cookie example. Selfcontrol is like wanting the last cookie in the cookie jar, but you use your willpower to avoid eating it because you know it isn’t good for you (or you will get in trouble). Often when students exhibit self-control in the classroom, they display enhanced focus, nondisruptive behavior, and deep engagement in completing assignments. Furthermore, the act of self-control develops the habit of keeping track of one’s actions and performance. While this ability provides numerous benefits in learning, it extends far beyond the classroom; it has real implications for students’ lives after they finish school.
RESPONSIBLE DECISION MAKING
On average, a person makes about 35,000 decisions per day (Krockow, 2018). While that number may seem alarming, imagine the number of decisions your students must make in a day. From the time students enter school in the morning until they leave in the afternoon, their brains are continuously processing information and responding to their environment. Each day in the classroom, students distinguish between right and wrong, choose correct or incorrect answers, make impactful decisions, and problem solve to the best of their abilities. According to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL, n.d.), responsible decision making is the ability to “make caring and constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse situations.” Student decision making does not end in the classroom. At other times during the school day as well as outside of school hours, students make a significant number of decisions in their personal lives: what group of peers to hang out with, when and how to respond to phone notifications, and with whom to sit at lunch, all of which can be taxing and overwhelming.
The choices our students make are not always the best ones. Most likely in your classroom, you have witnessed students making poor decisions. This may be due to various lacks: choices, skills in making effective choices, critical thinking, and the tools required to make logical decisions.
PERSISTENCE
Persistence is working through challenges and overcoming frustration. Persisting is one of the biggest struggles for students when it comes to completing work. It is a battle between themselves and the task at hand. Yet, this indispensable behavior can have an amazing impact on student success. In your classroom, you may have recognized students who felt as though they were defeated. This may have sounded like students commenting to themselves, “I’ll never be able to do this,” “Forget it, I’m done,” or “I’m not smart enough.” As teachers, these statements should be a call to action. The action needs to focus on finding ways for your students to persist.
ATTENTIVE LISTENING
Listening is one of the most underrepresented skills in education. Educators take this skill for granted—considering it an expected skill—and often ignore it. This thinking leads students to be less mindful of the process it takes to be an effective listener. Additionally, the act of attentive listening is not about just hearing the words coming out of someone’s mouth; it is listening with the main purpose to understand. It is the understanding of what someone says, teaches, and communicates that is key.
COOPERATION
No matter how much the world changes, people will always need to collaborate with one another. It is a behavior that leads to new thinking, perspectives, insight, and success in completing projects and assignments. When students are cooperative, they listen to each other’s ideas, resolve problems, give advice, and support one another to collectively achieve a goal. Simply telling students to get into groups and complete an assignment will not guarantee their success. We must model and teach them how to cooperate. Cooperation has many benefits, including building rapport with peers, assertiveness, responsibility, and holding themselves and each other accountable.
ORGANIZATION
Organizing yourself, and your life, can be game-changing. In your classroom, most likely, you have a successful organizational system. You might have been taught how to organize at a young age, picked up this skill as you got older, or figured it out the hard way over time. When you explicitly teach students organization, you can help ensure they learn this behavior early in their lives. Organization is a skill that helps students use their time and energy most
effectively to achieve their goals and be successful in their learning (Revolution Prep, 2022). When organizing is done successfully, one can break down tasks into smaller steps to reach a goal. It is like organizing a filing cabinet; take the data, open a drawer, and file them away in a method that fits their organizational schema. This is demonstrated both physically and mentally within the learning environment.
About This Book
This book is for all general education teachers in grades K–12 and provides information and strategies to address students’ varied needs, struggles, and emotional concerns at an interpersonal and intrapersonal level. These strategies can also help support general education teachers’ work with students with learning disabilities, students from marginalized communities, and those with traumatic backgrounds.
You will learn about seven productive behaviors that, as a general education teacher, you can incorporate into your classroom practice for all students. These include strategies you can teach your students so they can use and practice them independently. You may be able to empathize with the quiet student in your classroom who struggles when first jumping into group work with peers. Or, you might have a struggling writer who hits a roadblock when writing and immediately throws in the towel. These are instances where incorporating productive behavior strategies can increase students’ academic achievement, prevent emotional breakdowns, and help develop their interpersonal and intrapersonal skills.
I hope that, over time, incorporating these productive behaviors into your practice will become part of your daily routine. This routine should offer all students the opportunity to practice with the strategies. Modeling, teaching, and practicing productive behaviors is not just another responsibility but an integral part of understanding your students and helping them become fulfilled adults.
Each chapter in this book provides strategies designed around a productive behavior. You can read them in any order depending on the needs of your students and the behaviors they exhibit. Keep in mind that some strategies are more related to emotional, academic, or cognitive behaviors. In addition, you will find a mix of interpersonal and intrapersonal connections throughout the chapters.
Chapter 1 covers the productive behavior of observation. The student strategies offer opportunities for students to learn how to attend to present-moment
experiences without judgment. The teacher strategies will provide you with techniques for increasing your students’ attention and connecting more intently to their present environment.
Chapter 2 explores self-control. Student strategies offer the opportunity to put actions into play. This can be done via countdowns, choices, and increasing self-control before moving forward in learning. Teacher modeling and using specific techniques offer everyone in the classroom an opportunity to take a minute and check in with themselves.
Chapter 3 looks at responsible decision making. Student strategies focus on thinking before acting and making beneficial choices. Teacher strategies include creating guided plans and incorporating situational storytelling to support students in making better decisions.
Chapter 4 explores persistence. Student strategies will offer insight into developing persistence in reading and comprehension in all content areas. In addition, students will realize that procrastination can actually be a strength— when used properly. Teacher strategies provide praising techniques and productivity slots for incorporating persistence into the classroom.
Chapter 5 discusses attentive listening. Student strategies include building ways to process thinking, increasing awareness in listening, and clearly communicating thoughts and ideas. Teacher strategies offer ways to support students in taking time to process and interpret information.
Chapter 6 examines cooperation. Student strategies involve finding ways to build trust and supporting one another through group work. Teacher strategies incorporate designing and collaborating ways for your students to succeed together.
Chapter 7 talks about organization. Student strategies focus on finding manageable ways to stay organized—mentally and physically—through selective styles and strengths. Teacher strategies review techniques for supporting students in timing, pacing, and incorporating supportive features for staying organized. Each chapter includes the following features.
• Classroom strategies: Each chapter includes four classroom strategies for both students and teachers. Some strategies in this book might not work for everyone; that is fine. The idea is to choose the ones that best fit you and your students. They should eventually become authentic and flow with purpose. When you recognize a situation or event in the classroom that could benefit from one of the strategies, go ahead and implement it. As students
get comfortable implementing these techniques when working on activities and assignments, they will begin to realize the power behind each one and, ultimately, carry the strategies over and use them “in real life” as well.
It is important that you monitor students when working with classroom strategies. By doing this you will be able to gain some perspective and understanding about who is benefiting and who is not. Over time, you will eventually find which strategies work best in certain situations and activities within the classroom.
One final note: Do not think of these student and teacher classroom strategies as exclusively student- or teacher-focused; instead, view them as strategies that support and impact everyone.
• Teacher tips and notes: You will find insights and perspectives from teachers. These are actual instances in which teachers have found success in using these strategies. These tips and notes cover a variety of notions: ideas to try out, unexpected benefits, unforeseen challenges, and additional insights that might work.
• Quick strategies: These work well for spontaneous use, such as when unplanned events occur in the classroom, during ineffective transitioning from one activity to another, or when students struggle to focus. For instance, you might find on test days that certain students enter the classroom feeling highly anxious. Using the bird’seye-view quick strategy, which consists of taking a couple of minutes to preview all your students—facial expressions, organization, breathing, fidgety body parts, and so on—can offer insight into how you can support your students’ mental and emotional states.
• End-of-chapter chart: While strategies are detailed and explained throughout, it is still important to dig deeper. By deeper, I mean applying it to your own practice. Each chapter offers a reproducible chart at the end that you can use to begin planning how you will implement the chapter’s strategies.
The first column provides a simple overview and recap of each strategy. The second column provides an activity you can do in the classroom that uses the strategy. The third column is a place for you to create your own activity connected to the strategy. Figure I.1 (page 12) provides an example.
Strategy Recap
Note Card Vocabulary Builder
Students engage for a selected amount of time in working with a partner to memorize definitions. One partner will show the vocabulary word on a note card while the other student tries to give the definition.
Suggested Activity
White Board Vocabulary
The teacher will have several students go to the white board with a dry erase marker. Next, the teacher will call out a definition. When the students at the white board hear the definition they will write the vocabulary word associated with the definition. This strategy could be formatted into a game or just fun review.
FIGURE I.1: End-of-chapter chart example.
The You Factor
Create Your Own Activity
The impact of a teacher begins on day one. It is the moment where everything becomes real. At first sight, all students within those four walls seem more similar than different. Sure, the conversations and interests may evoke similarities that bring most students together. Eventually, though, teachers will recognize the true differences that separate students’ emotions and behaviors in relation to their productivity.
As educators, we realize that the classroom is where success can shine. However, we also know that no day in the classroom is perfect. Encourage yourself to take risks and try a new strategy. Just as students learn, so do teachers.
You, the teacher, can create a structure designed to help students understand the relationship between their emotions and behaviors. Moreover, you can build a productive classroom where every student shines.
CHAPTER 1
OBSERVATION
I’m feeling . . .
I’m seeing . . .
I’m thinking . . .
I’m wondering . . .
I’m noticing . . .
Whether you are a new or veteran teacher, you have most likely engaged with one or more of these thinking stems when observing your classroom. It may look like you standing in front of your students observing what is taking place. Depending on what you observe, you might be trying to understand what is taking place within your body—thoughts, feelings, and sensations. If you are observing a chaotic and unfocused classroom, most likely your inner observer is signaling that a change is needed in that moment. Getting that classroom to a calm and focused learning environment should be the goal. As an educator, how you get there is based on your observation. You might be able to identify with the following statements based on these stems from your experience as a teacher.
• “I’m feeling that the students in the back of the classroom are not listening. What can I do now to change that?”
• “I’m seeing that there are a couple of students who are not always organized and ready to learn when class begins. What are some ideas I can try to get those students mentally and physically focused?”
• “I’m thinking there are a few students who could benefit from having the directions written on the board. This is something I should try out tomorrow.”
• “I’m wondering if there is a more effective way to explain this assignment. So many students are giving me that look of confusion. Should I write it on the board, speak to each student individually, or repeat the instructions again?”
• “I’m noticing that certain students struggle when working in groups. I also notice that there are specific students who are outgoing, kind, and have a positive attitude.”
The preceding statements are associated with the process of being observant. Each statement recognizes self-awareness about what is taking place in the classroom along with a possible related idea, questions, or strategy. The purpose here is not to immediately solve a problem within the classroom; instead, it is the observant brain intentionally tracking possible considerations for improving the learning environment. This conscious recognition offers an opportunity to increase attention and connect to the present moment.
To provide perspective about the importance of being observant, I interviewed an energetic and reflective educator. Rachel Moyer, a sixth-grade teacher at an elementary school in Pennsylvania, explains how important being observant is for her each day in the classroom:
Being observant of everything that takes place in the classroom is my number one responsibility as a teacher. When my students enter the room until the time they exit, I am constantly observing their behaviors, actions, and emotions as they take place throughout class. By taking time to observe my students I am able to gain an understanding of how to approach certain situations, who needs extra attention, and what I can change to create a more successful experience for all students. Noticing what is taking place around me offers an opportunity to be within my own thoughts in the present moment. I also observe myself—feelings, emotions, and thoughts— which helps me tremendously in getting started with class each day. (R. Moyer, personal communication, September 22, 2022)
While this type of thinking may be nothing new within your daily work as an educator, it is a critical piece to teach within the learning environment, a piece that is at the heart of being knowledgeable and in control of one’s cognitive abilities. As a teacher, you might display observation daily—in front of students or when you are alone—on a conscious or unconscious level. Due to your busy and chaotic teaching schedule, you might take your ability to observe for granted. Observation could just be what you do day after day without realizing you are doing it. If you are more intentional about it, you no doubt recognize the importance of monitoring your behaviors, feelings, and thoughts within the classroom. If observation is important for teachers, then it should be equally, if not more, important for your students.
Teachers have the opportunity to teach students how to learn. Using tools and strategies, educators can show students how to use their inner voice in a proactive way (Jacobson, 2024). This may look like students directing themselves to better self-monitor, observe, and drive their own brains. Whenever you model, teach, discuss, or practice the process of observation, all students can benefit from strategies that help them do so. Let’s first dig a little deeper into the behavior of observation before moving on to the strategies.
About Observation
The act of observation—in its simplest form—is the process of monitoring something or someone carefully. One way to understand observation is by recognizing what you hear and see your students doing in the classroom. You might see certain students who are able to step back and observe their thinking when they feel overwhelmed. Although these students might not be able solve the problem of feeling overwhelmed immediately, they are able to notice and monitor their present moment. This understanding often leads students to figure out a plan for resolving the problem. The ability to identify one’s own emotions, thoughts, and feelings is a part of self-awareness, one of CASEL’s (n.d.) five competencies.
For students, observation is about monitoring their thinking to perform with success. As one high school teacher puts it:
When I implement strategies where students observe themselves— how they feel, think, and act—it’s obvious they are identifying more about what works best for them in certain situations within the learning environment. I always compare observation to driving a car. They are the ones driving their attention. (S. Saks, personal communication, September 12, 2021)
Donna Wilson and Marcus Conyers (2016), authors of the book Teaching Students to Drive Their Brains, provide a deeper connection: “The ‘driving your brain’ metaphor is a concrete and engaging way to introduce students to the concept of taking charge of their learning” (p. 19). As an example, consider a student who—from observation—can recognize what she needs to do to prepare for a test. She observes that her teacher provides a lengthy review a few days before the test; however, she has noticed that her teacher is not always as thorough as she would like her to be in explaining some content. To get the most out of the review session, she steers in the direction of taking notes. When the teacher goes too fast, she realizes that her brain needs to stop or she will lose track of the information. One action that always works for this student is to signal to the teacher that she needs to slow down. In addition, when the teacher mentions some confusing information, she speeds up her questioning mindset. This is where she writes out questions to ask after the review session while still listening to the teacher. You might have some students in your classroom who display these observant techniques in similar or different ways.
One way to think of this behavior is to personify it as an inner observer, which can be described as a nonjudgmental aspect of ourselves (Enneagram Center of the Ohio Valley, n.d.). This eyewitness of oneself allows us to pay attention to what is happening—a thought, memory, idea, or plan—in the present moment. An inner observer is like the lens of a movie camera; it only watches and does not make judgments or interpretations (Enneagram Center of the Ohio Valley, n.d.).
When students perceive their inner observers, they become more in touch with their ability to observe themselves in the classroom. Students begin to notice patterns in how they think, feel, and behave in certain situations connected to their learning. However, to get students to observe, educators must guide them in the right direction. Implementing observational practices within the classroom serves to increase students’ awareness of their strengths and challenges (Chick, 2013). Over time, with consistency and focus, observation builds long-lasting benefits that learners can take with them beyond the classroom environment.
The habit of using observation early on within a classroom supports students in becoming more independent learners and bolstering self-advocacy skills (Jacobson, 2024). As an example, consider a student who doesn’t ask for clarification on assignments because they don’t realize that they don’t understand it. When this student receives opportunities to practice observation, they will become more aware of what they do and don’t understand, and they will begin to advocate for themselves when needed.
Not only does observation enhance students’ thinking and learning skills but it also develops their emotional regulation, coping capabilities, resilience, and empathy (Eichbaum, 2014). Students who can find opportunities to use observation are
at an advantage when a particular situation gets emotional. For example, consider a student in a mathematics class who encounters a complicated word problem. His observational thinking might sound something like this:
I’m observing that I am having trouble with this math problem. To solve it, I need to go into the hallway to have peace and quiet. I’m struggling with anger over being unable to solve this problem. To manage this anger, I need a few minutes to myself to take some deep breaths and settle my anxious thinking. It is important that I apply the skill of observation, which should help in thinking about my emotions, and that will help me calm down and focus so I can solve this math problem.
The student has utilized his inner observer as an opportunity to notice his thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Moreover, this student was able to recover from anger and focus on how best to solve the word problem. Along with observational techniques, the student demonstrated a powerful social-emotional learning (SEL) skill: self-regulation (which I talk more about in connection to self-control in chapter 2, page 41).
Another long-lasting benefit of observation is that it can lead to a growth mindset. In a piece from the Harvard Business Review, Carol S. Dweck (2016), a renowned researcher in the field of motivation, defines those with a growth mindset as “individuals who believe their talents can be developed (through hard work, good strategies, and input from others).” In a classroom setting, students show a growth mindset when they face challenges with an optimistic attitude. These students use observation to understand where they failed and what they need to do to achieve the goal at hand.
To open a discussion on observation, begin by explaining to students that everyone engages in the act of observation every day. Next, you can ask students to identify and share times in school when they self-monitor their attention and connection to the present moment. Finally, discuss how observation can help them become more aware of their learning and the strategies that work best for them.
The process for how your students practice observation may vary. Like an inclusive learning environment where all students present differences in learning, being observant can look different depending on the student. Approaching how you implement observation has a lot to do with the learners in your classroom.
To illustrate how observation may differ between different students, let’s think about two hypothetical students, Jared and Aditi.
• Jared struggles with completing projects and long-term assignments in a timely manner. He often begins assignments with a focus on completing them by the due date. However, as time goes on, Jared loses stamina
and focus on the end goal. When the teacher checks in with Jared about his progress, he often has trouble explaining and recalling pertinent information required to complete the assignment.
• Aditi is an outgoing student with lots of friends in the classroom. She does well in group-work settings and often follows the lead of other group members. In addition, Aditi engages in class discussions and enjoys listening to her peers’ ideas and thoughts. However, when it comes to independent assignments, Aditi struggles with producing quality work. Most of the work she turns in does not meet the requirements. It is obvious that Aditi knows more than she shows due to her involvement in class discussions. When asked about her lack of success in completing individual assignments, Aditi states that she is not motivated or that the work is too complicated for her. She has a negative attitude toward schoolwork, which in turn is affecting her overall success in the class.
Jared and Aditi both struggle with observation, but for different reasons, so they would benefit from different strategies. Jared seems to struggle with staying goal-oriented on his assignments. It might help to identify how and when Jared works best. He could use reflective notes about his progress and identify how he operates when completing projects. In addition, Jared has trouble recalling information about classroom topics, directions for assignments, and readings. Making a connection to the part of the brain that helps store information might be an effective strategy for helping Jared remember information. Using the classroom strategy analogize the brain (page 29) could support Jared in recognizing the parts of the brain that have relationships to focusing, recalling, and staying goal-driven.
As for Aditi, it seems that she struggles from a lack of self-esteem when it comes to her work. While she participates and enjoys discussions in class, the completion of work seems to be unattainable in her eyes. Aditi could benefit from the barometer reading strategy, where she can rate herself on a scale to inform her teacher of how well she understands the assignment. Moreover, the scale can support Aditi in identifying her feelings and attitude about her readiness to learn. Additionally, the teacher can implement the motivational interviewing strategy (page 34) to support Aditi in building up her confidence and motivation when beginning assignments.
These strategies can support all students within the classroom. Every student can increase their ability to be observant.
Observation Strategies for the Classroom
As an educator, you likely spend a significant amount of time lesson planning for your classroom. However, what cannot be planned for or predicted are the students’ abilities to take charge of their thinking and feelings by way of observation. You may observe students who are eager to learn and absorb the content you have planned out for them. For other students, this may not be the case. In your classroom, each student comes with a set of thinking skills—some strong and some who need improvement—that we as teachers need to keep in mind. Having a toolbox of observant strategies that supports your classroom and your students’ rapidly developing brains is an important part of success. The classroom strategies in this chapter support and direct you and your students toward engaging their observational skills. Through observation, your students and you will enhance the ability to reach success within a learning environment.
The classroom strategies in this chapter include barometer reading, operator’s manual, analogize the brain, and motivational interviewing. Each strategy can be modified and adapted to fit your classroom and the needs of each student.
STRATEGY: BAROMETER READING
As educators, we gauge learning, skills, emotions, abilities, and many other attributes within our students. Once we evaluate these attributes, we make decisions. These decisions lead to what works and does not work with our students. Moreover, this type of information is important in recognizing who students are and how they learn. Yet, how often do teachers let their students gauge themselves?
Giving students control over gauging their learning and abilities in the classroom supports their development of voice. Student voice has become acknowledged as a powerful driver for learning outcomes and promoting more student engagement (Conner, 2015; Conner, Ebby-Rosin, & Brown, 2015). Having a voice in what is and is not working in the classroom guides students in understanding how their needs as learners can be better met (Conner, 2022). When students use their voices in a manner that supports their learning, they begin to recognize their ability to observe their thoughts and feelings about themselves. This thinking leads them to a better thought process about what it means to be an observant learner.
Just as weather may fluctuate, so do students’ feelings and emotions. It is safe to say that as teachers, we have all experienced our students entering class in a whirlwind of fury. Some students are like a tornado spiraling out of control with their emotional ups and downs. Getting into a groove and settling their emotions to succeed in their learning is a struggle. Other students are more like a steady breeze that brings calm and regulation. These students often find an ability to get going
on assignments and classroom routines with ease and focus. Just as a barometer measures air pressure—which predicts the weather—the emotions of our students often predict their ability to learn within the classroom (MacCann et al., 2020). The barometer serves as a great metaphor for students’ ability to notice and assess their feelings and emotions within the learning environment.
In the barometer reading strategy, the teacher provides students with a rating system to identify their feelings, thoughts, confusions, emotions, and attitudes. This universal rating system can be infused into many different settings and situations within the classroom. Using a scale from 0–10 (with 0 being the lowest and 10 being the highest), students can identify a number that matches their observations about how they feel or think about a particular question, topic, or situation. In the example shown in figure 1.1, the barometer provides students with a visual of a number line with emojis that represent how students are feeling. They can match their feelings to a number. This may work within your classroom as is, or you can modify it, such as removing the emojis for older students.
What is your barometer reading?
Circle the number that best represents how you are feeling today.
FIGURE 1.1: What is your barometer reading?
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/behavior for a free reproducible version of this figure.
In the classroom, this strategy offers a valuable investment into student well-being. The insight students offer provides them an opportunity for observation and connection to their thoughts, feelings, or understanding of a particular process. For example, students might identify a number that represents their understanding of a set of directions. The teacher of this classroom could ask, “Using the barometer scale, rate where you observe yourself in your understanding of this assignment and the set of directions provided.”
While some students may resist using this strategy, teachers can remind them about the advantages. First, everyone can participate and no one is singled out or judged. If students choose to share their number with the class, great. If not, no big deal. This may sound like the teacher asking the question, “If you are feeling up to it, rate yourself on how well you understand the assignment and directions.
After you rate your understanding, think about what you can do to raise that number.” Second, the process offers students the opportunity to share their observations of the assignment and directions with peers. This collaboration might provide better insight and clarity about the assignment. Students can find it therapeutic to be listened to while simultaneously drawing energy from one another’s observations (Costa & Kallick, 2014). The opportunity to share thinking about an assignment and its directions helps them see different perspectives.
Last, this strategy serves as an opportunity to observe, reflect, and plan. Offering follow-up questions to the rating scale can get students in a planning mindset. A teacher might pose such a question like this: “Observe and rate your feelings about this upcoming assignment. Next, write down your plans for how you will prepare yourself to succeed on this assignment. If you do not understand the assignment or the directions, what will you do?” Students who identify low numbers usually find their numbers rise due to the planning and preparation they jot down.
The barometer strategy can be used at all grade levels. The way the teacher explains it will, of course, vary based on students’ ages. The following examples provide ideas for elementary and secondary classrooms.
FIRST-GRADE EXAMPLE: CONFIDENCE WITH SIGHT WORDS
In a first-grade classroom, students begin a reading lesson with a discussion about their sight word list. Most importantly, the teacher wants to find out students’ levels of confidence with their list. Asking students how confident they feel about their ability to spell and use their words in a sentence is important before beginning to read a new book—which consists of sight words—as a class. As a way for students to express how confident they are with their sight word list, they will use the analogy of a ladder. The higher they go on the ladder, the more confident they are. The teacher might explain the strategy like this to her class:
Before we begin reading our new book as a class, I would like everyone to show me how confident they are about definitions and the spelling of their sight words list for this week. Using this ladder on the whiteboard, each student will walk up and put a checkmark on the step of the ladder they believe they are on. Since the sight word list consists of five words, the ladder has five steps—one step for each word. For example, if I felt I knew four of the five sight words, I would walk up to the whiteboard and put a checkmark on the fourth step. If I knew all the words I would put a checkmark on step 5. Does anyone have any questions?
Figure 1.2 (page 22) provides an example of what the teacher might draw on the board.
This strategy has two benefits for students. First, it allows students to share their confidence and knowledge of sight words. This informs the teacher about where students are as a whole group with their understanding of the words. Second, students can observe their confidence with the sight words. They self-assess their knowledge and ability to recognize their list.
NINTH-GRADE EXAMPLE: OVERSTIMULATION CHECK-IN
Since the beginning of the school year, the teacher of a ninth-grade Spanish class has noticed his students arriving to the classroom overstimulated. They have trouble focusing and getting started each day after they enter the classroom. Most likely, this overstimulation stems from the fact the class takes place after lunch, and students are still winding down from hanging out with friends and getting sidetracked from focusing on their learning. To encourage students to observe their stimulation levels and why they feel a certain way, the teacher offers a 1-2-3 barometer reading directly after the bell rings. The teacher directs students’ attention to the board to select a number that best represents their self-observation; students think about why they chose that number. The teacher of this classroom might explain the strategy like this:
Now that the bell has rung and class has started, I feel all of us should check in with ourselves and select a number that best fits how stimulated we feel. Are you overstimulated? Are you somewhat overstimulated? Are you not stimulated at all? Think about why you chose that number. Next, think about what you can do to get focused and relieve some of your overstimulation—if needed. Take one minute to select a number that best represents you now from the list on the board and observe those thoughts. Let me know if there is anything I can help you with or if I can do anything to support you in getting focused and ready to concentrate.
FIGURE 1.2: Barometer reading ladder example.
Figure 1.3 provides an example of what the teacher might place on the board.
1. I am ready to focus and concentrate.
2. I feel almost ready to focus and concentrate. I just need a moment to myself.
3. I am stressed and overwhelmed, and there is too much going on right now for me to focus and concentrate.
FIGURE 1.3: 1-2-3 barometer reading example.
This strategy supports the many students who need to take the time to understand their thinking about being overstimulated. Being overstimulated during class can negatively affect learning, emotions, and processing of information (Dunn, Little, Dean, Robertson, & Evans, 2016). While this strategy is individualized, it allows students to share their thoughts, ask for help, and support peers if needed.
Teacher Tip: Idea to Try Out With All Students
Provide opportunities for students in your classroom to create their own barometer reading scale. Creating their own scale with different colors and designs gives them more incentive to use it when needed. It also benefits students in developing their voice and agency.
STRATEGY: OPERATOR’S MANUAL
When something is not working, it needs to be fixed. For example, if a car engine is making an unusual noise, there might be an issue to resolve. In many cases, a dashboard light may flash as to indicate a possible issue in need of attention. That blinking light is the car saying to the driver, “Figure out the problem so I can drive with success.” Often, the driver can identify the problem by checking the operator’s manual.
As teachers, we can be the driving force behind motivating and supporting students in building their observant ability. One way to do this is by having students create their own operator’s manual to engage with when uncertainty arises about their abilities, thinking, and learning. Igniting this type of observant mindset guides students in taking control of their learning environment. To get them started, provide an operator’s manual template that prompts them to think about how they operate—both effectively and ineffectively—within the learning environment. List specific categories, such as limitations, strengths, challenges, stressors, recovery techniques, energizers, and so on. Under each category, students identify and take note of the features they present in relation to their learning and abilities. As time
goes on, students can re-engage with their manual by updating, reflecting on, and adding new realizations about themselves and their abilities. You can create a variety of operator’s manual templates depending on your needs and your students’ needs. You may choose to use just one template all year or provide several as different needs arise.
The operator’s manual serves as an ongoing observation tool. In situations when students encounter a problem or obstacle that negatively affects them, they should immediately check in with their operator’s manual. In figure 1.4, Jason revisits his operator’s manual after he observes that he did poorly on a test that involved recalling information from a history unit. The issue Jason reflects on is his struggle to memorize information. By engaging with his manual, Jason demonstrates his use of observation and figures out a strategy that could work for him in the future. In the last box of the manual, Jason makes an observational note of a strategy to try next time he takes a test that requires memorization.
My Operator’s Manual
Name: Jason
This is my operator’s manual that explains how I best operate in the classroom. Creating this manual will help me:
# Become aware of my thinking
# Realize areas where I can improve myself
# Learn more about how to deal with my feelings
This is what I enjoy in school.
# Math problems
# Talking with friends
# Getting good grades
These are my strengths.
# Math
# Writing stories
# Leadership in group work
These things stress me out.
# Tests and quizzes
# My grades
# Being the center of attention
These things energize me.
# Fun activities
# Watching YouTube videos related to content
# Taking breaks in class
This is what I get bothered by in school.
# Getting called on in class to answer questions
# Speaking in front of the class
# Feeling rushed to get work done in class
These are my challenges.
# Playing on my phone
# Memorizing information
# Spelling
These things help me recover from stress.
# Talking with a teacher
# Taking a few deep breaths
# Going for a short walk to clear my mind
These things drain me.
# Reading for a long time
# Listening to the teacher talk all the time
# Taking state tests
What are some actions I can do to take care of myself—mentally, emotionally, and physically—to be my best self each and every day? What are some things I can do to improve myself?
9/30: I should start trying to find the positive in everything I do in class. Sometimes it is hard to always find positive things, but it is important to try my best to do that.
10/14: I really hate speaking in front of the class. It would be helpful if I practiced with a partner or two before speaking to the whole class. This is something that I can ask the teacher to let us do.
11/3: Today, I received my history test back and did poorly. I had a lot of trouble memorizing the dates and facts that we learned about in the unit. Before the next test, I am going to make flashcards and begin studying 5 days before the test for 10 minutes a night. This should be very helpful.
FIGURE
1.4:
Student operator’s manual.
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/behavior for a free reproducible version of this figure.
When your students can identify certain behaviors that work best to help them succeed, they are more inclined to reproduce the same behaviors. You may be able to identify students who can recognize their strengths and challenges. For example, a student who does well in mathematics class realizes that when he comes across word problems that stump him, the best thing he can do is take a minute or two to carefully reread the problem. While rereading the problem, he finds that doodling and drawing out the problem enhances his ability to think more clearly. In this student’s operator’s manual, it would be important for him to update his strengths or strategies section with this information.
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/behavior for another variation of an operator’s manual that you can also use as a template. Each of the questions and prompts in the manual works in different classroom settings. The examples provided are just a start; they are simple for all teachers to use and put into play from day one, and the opportunities for variation and personalization are endless.
Over time, students may fill up their space rather quickly. When this happens, it means that students are reflecting, updating, and interacting with their manuals. One option is to allow students to use devices to update their manuals via a Google document or Word document. This would give students opportunities to visit their operator’s manual of their own volition. Or, if students prefer their operator’s manual in paper form, they might keep the pages in a binder or class notebook so they can reflect daily. The teacher could provide multiple copies of the template in a bin for students to grab when needed. At the discretion of the teacher, it might be beneficial to have students keep their manuals with them to update in their free time so they could write in them when they feel the need. One benefit of having students physically write in their manuals is the research that shows writing on paper helps with remembering information and leads to improved memory (Mueller & Oppenheimer, 2014; Umejima, Ibaraki, Yamazaki, & Sakai, 2021).
In addition to the operator’s manual helping students engage in their own thinking about themselves, it also provides their peers and teachers insight into them. The manual can serve as an observational, interactive artifact to help students initiate discussion, learn more about one another, and identify an appreciation for the differences that exist among them. As students engage with their own manual by creating, sharing, and altering it throughout the year, it becomes clear that everyone’s listed features are different. Students need to observe that differences are what make us unique and special. The manual can be a convincing piece of evidence to help students see that differences are OK.
When students engage in conversation, they increase their sense of belonging. This feeling of belonging within a learning environment carries over into students’ knowledge and skills in being able to apply, learn, and retain information (Chuter, 2020). This is especially important for students who come from marginalized cultural backgrounds, speak a different language than their peers, or experience disadvantages in their lives. As students enter the classroom with backgrounds dissimilar to the majority’s, teachers must work with them to identify their strengths and highlight their unique experiences and skills in the classroom (Fuhrman, 2020). Allowing students an opportunity to share experiences and strengths opens a door to a curriculum that is responsive to all learners’ needs.
Here are a few ways students can interact with their operator’s manual.
• Building opportunities to get to know one another: At the beginning of the school year, and throughout, students can use their manuals as a tool for building relationships, understanding more about their peers, and discovering how their classmates best operate. Offering information about strengths, challenges, likes, dislikes, and other personal attributes with peers can strengthen the characteristics of an inclusive learning environment (Sedova et al., 2019).
• Engaging in monthly meetings with teachers: During one-on-one conferences, both parties can share observable skill-building, insight, and growth in certain areas within the classroom. This collaborative meeting time is a great opportunity to update students’ operator’s manuals and suggest new strategies to try out.
• Forming groups where the work and responsibilities are divided evenly among all group members: Allowing all group members to bring their operator’s manuals to the initial meeting can invite discussion about who has strengths and challenges in certain areas. The idea is to share, use strengths, be mindful of challenges, and create an environment where all members can thrive.
• Tracking progress and goal setting with consistency: Each month, students can create a new goal within the manual. Often, this looks like students taking one of their challenges and trying to address it.
• Keeping track of instances where certain strengths or challenges affected an outcome: This is an opportunity to reflect by documenting or journaling. When considering the value of this reflection, it’s helpful to keep in mind this insight: “It’s the guided reflection on the meaning of the activity, not the activity itself, that causes the learning” (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005, p. 243). Through reflection, students engage in a powerful skill that can nurture their learning and self-awareness of the learning process (Millis, 2016).
• Highlighting instances of the positives and negatives within the learning environment: For example, if a student were to read ten pages in his independent reading book without any distraction, he could highlight that as a positive within his manual. Encourage the student to go the extra mile by reflecting on the positive action through journaling in his manual.
Following are examples of how to implement this strategy in an elementary and secondary setting.
THIRD-GRADE EXAMPLE: GROUP CREATION
To divide students into book report groups—based on their strengths and challenges—the teacher reviews and lists the specific jobs that will be necessary for each group: Read a short story aloud to the group, create two illustrations from the story, write a summary, and present the story to the whole class. To evenly match each group, the teacher states:
Take out your operator’s manual. If you do not have these four attributes in a strength or challenge category, please add them to where they belong: reading out loud, drawing, writing a summary, and public speaking. Once you have identified where each attribute belongs and written them in under strength or challenge, put your manual in the upper right-hand corner of your desk.
Once each student is finished completing the strengths and challenges section, the teacher collects all the manuals and groups them so that each group has some students with strengths and some with challenges for each attribute. Another way the teacher could split up groups is to allow students to go around the room and find peers who have strengths in their own areas of challenge (this might be tough, but it’s worth a try if you feel it would work in your class).
In the preceding example, the operator’s manual serves to create inclusive groups. Each student brings the strength to help, support, and fairly create a learning experience in which everyone has an opportunity to shine. Moreover, students can build on their self-esteem, confidence, and engagement with classmates who might find some new insight into the skills their peers have to offer. The focus of this example isn’t really the report; it’s the use of the manual to create groups with diverse strengths and challenges.
ELEVENTH-GRADE EXAMPLE: CONFERENCING
In an English language arts classroom, the teacher conferences with students biweekly. Each conference lasts no longer than two minutes. To keep the conference focused and goal oriented, the teacher has every student attend with their operator’s manual. The manual can either be printed out or shared with the teacher on the computer. Using another variation of the operator’s manual template called the best-self manual, available at go.SolutionTree.com/behavior, the teacher asks the following four questions.
1. “What strengths have you improved on in the past two weeks?”
2. “What challenges have you recognized in the past two weeks?”
3. “What metacognitive strategies can you implement to address these challenges?”
4. “What are some things you are doing to take care of yourself— mentally, emotionally, and physically—in order to be your best self each and every day?”
Each question offers students the opportunity to reflect, observe, and build on their thinking. By consistently meeting throughout the school year, students should begin to see patterns, behaviors, and actions that work toward their success in the learning environment. Over time, students may develop a deeper understanding of the importance of taking care of themselves through identifying strategies that support their health and well-being.
Teacher Note: Unexpected Benefits for Students With Learning Disabilities
You might find that your students with learning disabilities are mindful and bring into play their individualized education program (IEP) accommodations and modifications within their manuals. This shows their ability to connect and find true significance in their IEPs. If this is not something you are finding with your students with IEPs, encouraging this connection could be beneficial.
STRATEGY: ANALOGIZE THE BRAIN
As students matriculate though school, they will need to notice how they best manage and control their brains in the learning environment, through interactions with others, and in understanding their patterns of thinking. As teachers, we cannot afford not to educate students about the observant brain. By creating analogies between certain parts of the brain and familiar concepts, teachers can help students more intentionally manage their thinking.
In the analogize the brain strategy, students have opportunities to learn more about their behavior and where their feelings and thoughts come from in certain situations. Moreover, through making connections through analogies, students begin personalizing their development and taking care of their well-being.
In a blog post for the Centre for Educational Neuroscience, researcher Matt Slocombe (2018) remarks, “Using analogies can be a very powerful teaching and learning strategy in the classroom since analogies allow children to rapidly learn new knowledge by seeing how something new is similar to something they already know about.” When it comes to the brain and all the important information needed to make sense of it all, employing analogies facilitates students’ understanding and learning potential. This analogy strategy leads students to the process of making connections and being more observant of their own thinking about their brains.
Understanding the main areas of the brain is helpful for many students. It has the potential to encourage them to believe in their ability to improve skills and thinking. When students believe in themselves, they are more willing to use supportive strategies in their learning and to increase the capacity of their observant brains (Goldberg, 2022). For many students, the functions of the brain are very complex and can be difficult to understand. Analogies present difficult information in a way that they will more readily understand and be able to use.
The three areas of the brain that closely connect to the act of observation are the (1) amygdala, (2) hippocampus, and (3) prefrontal cortex (Daugherty, Bender, Raz, & Ofen, 2016; Tottenham & Gabard-Durnam, 2017). Each of these areas of the brain plays a significant role in students’ ability to observe their emotions, actions, and behaviors within the learning environment. Furthermore, all three parts play an interconnective role in how people respond and react to situations in life. Memory, self-regulation, decision making, and focusing are a few factors that can be affected by these parts of the brain. The more observant students are of these three parts of the brain, the more inclined they will be to refer to them when needed.
AMYGDALA
The amygdala controls anxious reactions and responses to stressful and arousing situations (Linsambarth, Moraga-Amaro, Quintana-Donoso, Rojas, & Stehberg, 2017). In the analogize the brain strategy, this part of the brain is known as the threat detection system with its focus on recognizing fear and danger. When the amygdala senses danger, it enters survival mode. This causes the body to react in one of three ways: (1) flight, (2) fight, or (3) freeze.
The flight, fight, or freeze responses cause physical and mental reactions in the body (Taylor, 2024). Some reactions may be faster breathing, rapid heartbeat, body dysregulation, tenseness, and a lack of focus. Anxiety and the flight, fight, or freeze responses are connected in many ways. Some instances in the classroom where students might show an anxiety response include an inability to speak in front of others (freeze), bursting out of the classroom in a frenzy (flight), and pushing another student in response to an overwhelming situation (fight).
PREFRONTAL CORTEX
The prefrontal cortex is involved in a whole range of high-level cognitive functions, including decision making, planning, inhibition of inappropriate behaviors, social interaction, social expression, and self-awareness (Grossman, 2013). In the analogize the brain strategy, the prefrontal cortex is the control tower of the brain. In a control tower, you use stored knowledge in situations where it is required and deemed important.
In the classroom, students may show their use of the prefrontal cortex by choosing to settle into their seats to get ready for class to begin. This demonstrates their understanding of self-awareness (getting themselves focused on learning) and decision making (recognizing being prepared and ready to learn), two actions that can support their success.
HIPPOCAMPUS
The hippocampus is the storage facility for the important pieces of information that human beings must remember (Adedayo et al., 2023). In the analogize the brain strategy, the hippocampus is a scrapbook. In this scrapbook of the brain, people can recall stories of their past with detail and context. In addition, the hippocampus is where people remember facts and information that eventually get stored in our long-term memory.
In the classroom, the hippocampus plays an integral role in learning and emotions. By associating emotions with memories, students can recall information and build upon their learning. An integral connection to the hippocampus is working memory. This is the ability to store information that is required to carry out
cognitive tasks such as learning, comprehension, and reasoning. One way to view working memory is by asking students to remember a certain number of words or recite a speech by memory. Often this process takes time, effort, and a strong hippocampus.
ANALOGY INTEGRATION
When students’ brains are not relaxed and regulated, their ability to be successful decreases. Since we know that the brain influences behaviors and emotions, it is important for students to be able to manage their brains in responding to situations through observation strategies. Figure 1.5 lists each area of the brain that I have discussed; it’s a useful visual aid to share with students. This is an opportunity for students to interact and form a connection to one or all parts of their brain. Once students make a connection, they begin to observe their thoughts via an analogy. For example, a student might observe that they interacted with their hippocampus (the scrapbook) by recalling information from a few classes ago. Another student could notice her ability to control her amygdala (the threat detection system) to calm herself before taking a big test. The focus of the strategy is to practice observation by connecting and identifying with a specific part of their brain.
There are several ways you can use the analogize the brain strategy with students. Once they are familiar with the three analogies, you can prompt them to prepare for upcoming lessons, tasks, or exams. For example, before an assessment, you might say, “Let’s turn off our threat detection systems so that we’re not on high alert during the test.” Or you might say, “Before the test, think back to what’s in your scrapbook from yesterday’s lesson.”
You can also prompt students several times a day to make their own connections with the analogies. For example, at the end of the day, a student might reflect, “Today we revisited a lesson from last week, and I had to pull that information out of my scrapbook and use it for today’s lesson.”
Prefrontal cortex Hippocampus Amygdala
FIGURE 1.5: Daily brain observation.
DAILY BRAIN OBSERVATION
As students become more familiar with the analogies, you can turn the strategy into a daily exercise. You might say, “Each day we will take a minute to reflect on our different control centers,” and then list each one.
• Prefrontal cortex (control tower)
• Hippocampus (scrapbook)
• Amygdala (threat detection system)
Then you can have students journal or say out loud responses to a prompt such as, “Today I connected with my tower control center, scrapbook, and threat detection system by . . . .”
Here are some more prompts you can use.
• “Can we use our scrapbook part of the brain to recall last week’s discussion?”
• “Before we begin class, it is important for all of us to visit and observe our control tower to make sure we are ready to focus, work, and participate without any interruptions.”
• “Turn off your threat detection system by taking some deep breaths before we take the test.”
• “Let’s dig into the scrapbook part of the brain—the hippocampus—and observe our thinking about some events in our lives that would be great topics for our narrative essay.”
Following are three examples of how to implement this strategy. One strategy is within an elementary school classroom using the control tower (prefrontal cortex), one strategy is within a middle school using the threat detection system (amygdala), and the other strategy is within a high school classroom using the scrapbook (hippocampus).
KINDERGARTEN EXAMPLE: SHOW AND TELL
In a kindergarten classroom, the teacher explains show and tell and why everyone needs to be involved. In particular, the teacher stresses the importance of show and tell being a great way to incorporate the prefrontal cortex. Instead of focusing on the term prefrontal cortex, the teacher uses the analogy of a control tower. This means her students are better able to comprehend the significance of decision making, self-expression, and planning. The teacher explains show and tell and the control tower like this to the class:
Each Friday, we will have three students bring in a meaningful item they feel shows who they are and explain why it is important to them. Everyone needs to speak for a minute about their item and answer questions from classmates. This is an opportunity to use your control tower. We discussed earlier that there is a part of your brain called the prefrontal cortex. This is the part of your brain that is like a control tower at an airport. A control tower makes decisions, guides, and helps airplanes land with success. You need to be in charge of your control tower and make a decision about the item you choose, figure out why you chose it, and plan out what you want to say about the item to your classmates. In your control tower, you must observe your thinking and planning for show and tell when it is your turn to present.
Explaining to kindergarten students about the role of their prefrontal cortex can be challenging. However, using the analogy of a control tower and providing a description of the use of the tower offers a clear visual that kindergarten students can relate to. This helps the students better understand and observe the functions of their prefrontal cortex.
FIFTH-GRADE EXAMPLE: ENVIRONMENTAL PRESENTATION
Students in a fifth-grade science class are preparing for a presentation. The presentation is about an environmental issue of their choice. All students have fifteen minutes at the end of each class during the week to practice and get themselves prepared. On the final day before their presentations, the teacher prepares students about the possibility of their amygdala taking over their body. Psychologist and author Daniel Goleman (1995) calls this amygdala hijacking. The teacher explains amygdala hijacking and strategies for calming and lowering the possible effects of this instance in this way:
Today is the last day to prepare for your presentations. Although many of you are done with your poster and presentation notes, it can’t hurt to practice more. In addition, it is important to think about your physical and mental reactions when presenting to the class. For some of you, this experience could lead to an amygdala hijacking. That happens when your body reacts to stress, fear, or danger. Your amygdala is your threat detection system that tells you something is stressful or scary, which in this case could be the presentation. In the next fifteen minutes, envision yourself getting up and presenting. However, think about what you will do to turn off your threat detection system. It could be taking deep breaths, slowing down your pace, or holding a stress ball while presenting.
The analogy of the threat detection system offers students awareness of what they might feel and why. If students begin to get anxious and fearful before their presentation, they will be able to identify with the part of the brain that causes
those feelings. The goal is for students to connect with a strategy that works to alleviate uneasy thoughts.
ELEVENTH-GRADE EXAMPLE: CHAPTER EVENT RECALL
An eleventh-grade English teacher begins class with the transition into a discussion of a novel. The teacher starts by asking students to recall what happened in the previous chapter. To initiate this thinking, the teacher explains to students about recalling and remembering information via the scrapbook of the brain—the hippocampus—like this:
Before we open our novels and read silently for fifteen minutes, I would love for everyone to observe the scrapbook part of the brain—the hippocampus—and think of two important scenes from the last two chapters, one scene from each chapter. Everyone will take one minute and silently try to identify two scenes from the last two chapters that are stuck in your brain’s scrapbook.
This strategy allows students to make a connection to the part of the brain that remembers information, details, and specific scenes in the novel. Using the scrapbook analogy provides imagery and deeper meaning about the importance of their hippocampus.
STRATEGY: MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING
Motivational interviewing builds motivation within students who lack it. This strategy can guide students to be more curious and observant about their choices. Authors William R. Miller and Stephen Rollnick (2013) define motivational interviewing as:
a collaborative, goal-oriented style of communication with particular attention to the language of change. It is designed to strengthen personal motivation for and commitment to a specific goal by eliciting and exploring the person’s own reasons for change within an atmosphere of acceptance and compassion. (p. 29)
Mostly recognized as a therapeutic technique, motivational interviewing has wide applications in many other areas of life, including the classroom. One goal of this technique is to empower people to change their behaviors by observing the meaning and importance of making a shift in their thinking toward a goal.
Many students struggle with a lack of motivation, which often presents itself as difficulty in beginning or completing work on time. When students are not motivated to complete an assignment, they may react in a noncompliant manner with statements like “I don’t want to do this” or “This is too hard.”
To demonstrate the strategy, let’s use the example of a geometry student named Joe. Joe is an unmotivated student who often pushes off studying for his weekly Friday quiz until the last minute. Every Thursday, the teacher provides the last fifteen minutes of class for studying and reviewing for the next day’s quiz. Often, the teacher observes Joe doodling in his notes or jumping back and forth to his school bag to check his phone. Instead of demanding compliance for Joe to study, the teacher begins by asking some questions to motivate Joe to get ready for the quiz. Following is a possible way to present the strategy:
Teacher: Joe, tomorrow we have a quiz. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, how motivated are you to start studying for your quiz?
Joe: I am a 3 out of 10.
Teacher: You are a 3. Why did you not rate yourself with a lower number, like a 2?
Joe: Well, if I don’t study, I won’t do well on the next quiz. Also, I won’t be able to understand, and it will be harder to move on next week. Plus, I know you will be disappointed if I don’t try.
In this example, the teacher uses questioning to guide Joe’s self-motivation to study. Furthermore, Joe begins to observe and articulate his own autonomous reasons for why he needs to study. In a research study, Stefano I. Di Domenico and Richard M. Ryan (2017) indicate that when people have their own reasons for doing something—intrinsic motivation—they are more likely to carry out that behavior. This strategy leads students to become more committed and focused on performing positive behaviors.
Asking Joe why he didn’t rate himself with a lower number prompts him to examine his level of motivation and makes him feel good that he’s not as low as a 2. This thinking begins to build Joe’s motivation to go even higher. Consider Joe’s internal dialogue, which might sound something like this:
I know I am not a 2 because I am somewhat motivated to get studying because I want to do well on the next quiz coming up. Plus, I know if I don’t study then I won’t understand the material enough to move on to the next section. I know from experience that when I take the time to sit down and study the material, it eventually clicks. This makes me feel like a 4 now. It might take some time to get focused and motivated, but I know once I get going, and into a focused mindset, I will feel good about myself and my ability—which makes me feel like a 5. I think I can do this. I am ready to study now and am somewhat excited to master this material. I am more confident now and feel like I am a 6.
Questioning students’ ratings—especially when asking why they did not rate themselves lower on the scale—prompts students to think even more deeply about their thinking (Millis, 2016). Instead of just observing where they are on the scale, they begin to think about the possibilities of how much higher they can go. This type of thinking builds their motivation and self-confidence in their ability to improve (Cavilla, 2017).
After repeated practice with this strategy, students can use it on their own, both in the classroom and outside the classroom. Consider another student, Seth, who is struggling at home one night with getting motivated to complete his science homework. Using the strategy on his own, Seth’s internal dialogue might sound like this:
I don’t feel like doing my science homework. Right now, my motivation level is at a 4. I just don’t have the energy, and I want to play some video games. It would not be a good idea to push it off until later tonight or tomorrow. If I go to the basement where I can concentrate and have no distractions, I can definitely get it done. Realizing I can go to the basement, I feel like I am at a 5 now. Plus, I can use all the notes I took today to help me do a great job on the assignment. I am definitely at a 6 now. I know what I need to do. The assignment is interesting, I have some great notes, and I am now more motivated to get this done. I now feel like I am at a 7. It is time to get working, and hopefully, my number will reach an 8 once I get set and ready to begin the assignment.
The element of reverse psychology—meaning advocating for a behavior that is different than the desired outcome—plays a role in this strategy (Cherry, 2023). It prompts students to observe their thinking and can help influence students’ behaviors and decisions. Potentially, this strategy can have a positive impact on motivation, offer internal and external incentives, and engage students in personal decision-making processes.
Quick Strategies
THE BALCONY VIEW
Before beginning class, take a minute or two to observe the classroom from the balcony view. When you attend a play in a theatre, the balcony view is often the best seat in the house. Like the balcony, the front of the classroom is normally the best spot to view what is taking place. When overlooking your students, be intentional with your observation. Here are a few points to consider when performing a balcony view.
• Am I observing any students who look upset?
• Am I observing any students who might not be prepared for class?
• Am I observing any students whose focus and attention might be limited?
You could also have students perform a balcony view on themselves. Simply instruct them to pretend they are on a balcony staring down at themselves.
FUTURE SUCCESSFUL SELF
At the start of an assignment, before class, or at the beginning of a new unit, ask students to observe themselves as they will be at the end. Ideally, their selfobservation should look and feel like success after completion of a task. Asking students to picture their success allows them the opportunity to create their journey of how they arrived there. For example, after explaining a weeklong project to students, ask them to picture their successful selves and any products they create. You can ask in a way that encourages students to use their imaginative observation about what they think could lead them to success. A teacher might explain this strategy in this way:
Now that we are finished explaining and reviewing this weeklong project, I would like everyone to think about their journey to success with this project. Picture your future successful self and think about how excited and proud you are of yourself. You received an amazing grade on this project! Now, observe how you arrived at this success. Think about the journey you took to get to that success. What did that journey look like? What are some steps you need to take throughout the journey?
This strategy works well with group work as well. Students benefit collectively as a group when they share their observations of what the journey to success might look like.
Summary
Despite its importance, observation often gets overlooked in the classroom for a multitude of reasons: curriculum restraints, time management, or the belief that observing is simply not worth the time and effort. But ignoring observation deprives students of a chance to practice one of the most critical skills they can use in their lives.
If you find yourself struggling to develop observation within your classroom, explore some ideas and take risks in trying out new strategies that might work with your students. Use the reproducible observation chart on page 38 to recap all the strategies within this chapter, identify some activities that are provided, and most important, create your own activities.
Strategy Recap
Barometer reading
Students engage in the action of observing their feelings, thoughts, and emotions through a number rating scale.
Observation Chart
Suggested Activity Create Your
Own Activities
Interval rating practice
Give each student a sticky note. On the board, identify four different times throughout the class period or day where students will rate their emotions from 1 to 10. Select a different leader each day to keep track of time and announce when to record their numbers. At the end of the first interval, have students record their number for the first time interval in the top left corner of their sticky note. Have them record their number for the second interval in the top right corner, the third interval in the bottom left corner, and the fourth in the bottom right corner. When class ends, students look at all four numbers and write the number for how they observe they’re feeling now in the center. Students may share how they’re feeling with the teacher or another student before they leave.
The Purpose-Driven Classroom © 2025 Solution Tree Press • SolutionTree.com Visit go.SolutionTree.com/behavior to download this free reproducible.
Operator’s manual
Students observe their strengths, challenges, and how they best operate within the learning environment.
Team accountability monitoring
At the beginning of each month, students will partner with a peer in the classroom. Both teammates will explain a challenge they’ve identified in their manual that provides an opportunity for improvement. Throughout the month, each team reconvenes to reflect, observe, and gather insight from one another.
Analogize the brain
Students use analogies to observe the functions of parts of the brain and how they use them daily.
The brain wall
Design a brain wall in the classroom where students can contribute information about the brain’s function, analogies, and amazing insights from research.
Motivational interviewing
Teachers guide students to become more observant and motivated with assignments, homework, and increasing behaviors through rating themselves and discussions with the teacher.
No 7s
Instead of interviewing students individually to increase motivation or to gain a sense of understanding, ask students to rate themselves on a 1–10 scale without the option of rating themselves a 7. Anything below a 7 should warrant some concern, whereas any number above a 7 offers confidence and higher motivation.
page 2 of 2
THE CLASSROOM PURPOSE -DRIVEN
SEVEN PRODUCTIVE BEHAVIORS for STUDENT SUCCESS
To fulfill their roles, teachers must meet students’ unique behavioral needs and develop their ability to self-regulate. In The Purpose-Driven Classroom: Seven Productive Behaviors for Student Success, author Daniel L. Vollrath showcases how he has addressed challenging conduct and advanced beneficial habits in his own classroom through explicit behavioral teaching. By nurturing students’ persistence, cooperation, responsible decision making, and more, teachers can help ensure that their students learn to their greatest potential.
K–12 teachers will:
• Explore seven productive behaviors they can teach across content areas to develop students’ interpersonal and intrapersonal skills
• Access a multitude of classroom strategies that they can choose from to best suit their students and themselves
• Consider insights from teachers who have used this book’s strategies and found success
• Utilize chapter-ending charts to plan how they will implement the strategies
• Gain quick strategies that work for spontaneous use
“This book clearly teams with the classroom teacher to provide opportunities for student success. Every chapter, with its tips and strategies, can be used with any student. Therefore, if a teacher implements the suggestions, every student benefits, especially those who may need a little more support.”
Tonya Alexander National Board Certified English Teacher, Owego Free Academy, Owego, New York
“Parents, after-school program leaders, community program managers, and others will find Vollrath’s practical tools useful for designing and implementing their own behavior system. These tools can be easily implemented and adapted for use by anyone who works with students and wants to help them develop the capacity to be responsible, organized, and contributing members of their community.”
Joellen Killion
Author; Senior Advisor, Learning Forward
Visit go.SolutionTree.com/behavior to download the free reproducibles in this book.