Fair Haven schools’ Responsive Classroom workshops were presented to teachers district-wide recently as part of the Fair Haven school district’s professional development initiative.

The Oct. 11 workshops were conducted as part of a research-based approach to teaching and learning that focuses on the proven link between academic success and the development of social/emotional skills.

Responsive Classroom provides K-8 educators with practical training and resources to help create safe and joyful schools where children can thrive. Independent research has shown that the program initiative is associated with higher academic achievement in math and reading, improved school climate, and higher-quality instruction.

Cheryl Ollmann, consulting teacher at the Center for Responsive Schools, hosted a day-long workshop at Sickles School for kindergarten through third grade teachers. Her colleague, Edith (Edi) Polomba, presented a workshop at Knollwood for fourth- and fifth-grade teachers.

Responsive Classroom — with its key tenets of Positive Community, Engaging Academics, Effective Management, and Developmentally Responsive Teaching — was implemented at Sickles more than 15 years ago.

As part of ongoing professional development and collaborative planning, teachers at both schools will continue to work with one another to practice, model, and analyze components of the Responsive Classroom.

These components include:

• that the social and emotional curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum;
• how children learn is as important as what they learn;
• great cognitive growth occurs through social interaction;
• to be successful academically and socially, children need to learn a set of social and emotional skills, including cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility, empathy, and self-control;
• knowing the children we teach, individually, culturally, and developmentally, is as important as knowing the content we teach;
• lasting change begins with the adults in the school community, and more.

At the conclusion of the workshops, Ollmann and Polomba expressed appreciation for the attention and excitement shown by the Fair Haven teachers.

“My workshop included Sickles School teachers at all levels of experience with Responsive Classroom, so it was a great group to work with,” said Ollmann. “They were receptive and open and eager and very thoughtful, so this has been a great experience for me. It is wonderful that teachers district-wide are getting started on this journey using the same body of information.”

Polomba agreed.

“The workshop at Knollwood School was wonderful, and we all had a great day,” she said. “The teachers expressed a great deal of interest and really kept the momentum going.”

— Edited press release from the Fair Haven School District