Start the year with Tribes TLC – high school

Review/teach the agreements as you introduce directions, class procedures, and reflections behavior.  Strong attention to the relationship between behavior expectations/classroom management and agreements during the first two weeks of  school can really set the tone.  The more you model and gently insist…the better chance you have of opening minds and motivating autonomous behavior.

Your willingness to participate in sharing of personal information will have a direct effect on student’s participation and interest.

Trust the Process.

Remember the connection between the Tribes process and personalizing the high school:  voice-belonging-choice-freedom-imagination-success

Strategies from Engaging All in High School Learning Communities to use and/or adapt for building Inclusion and learning names:

·      Cares-Concerns-Compliments (p. 334):  Either in written form, and inviting oral statements, this is always a good “pulse-check”.  You don’t have to solve everything, just put it out there and then reflect…

·      Extended Nametags (p.268):  Incorporate contact information (parents phone numbers?!) and school/academic goals…one idea is to collect without sharing, (but still reflect!), then put away for 3-4 months and take out , pass back, and evaluate how things have changed?!

·      Interview Circle (p. 369):  YOU are the first to be interviewed…then use a little each day or each week…let student volunteer to be interviewed, or have them in partners to build inclusion.

·      Final Countdown (p. 270):  easy and effective way to close the day or class period.

·      Focusing on Our Strengths (p. 355):  Good for some pre-group-task energy

·      Multiple Intelligence Exploration (p. 380):  And then use the “circular curriculum” approach to learning experiences. 

·      Something Good (p. 438):  Another quick way to get a Tribes strategy into your class time.

·      Suggestion Circle (p. 445):  Always a good idea to get student input (voice-choice-imagination).

·      Teaching I-Messages (p. 361):  “pay me now, or pay me later”…teaching I-messages AND modeling and practicing and using them will pay off in the long run.

·      Three Ball Pass (p. 388):  Good for learning names, problems solving, focusing, reviewing, having fun.

·      What We Need from Each Other (p. 377):  what a great concept?!  Get more student buy-in to your expectations and their participation in learning and productive behavior.

Energizers:  Remember, an energizer is always more successful when there is a reason for doing  it, and reflection on the behavior that made it work…or not.

#4  Beep Beep                        #17 Count to ten                    #34 – Getting …You

#49 Invisible Tug of War        #97 – We’ve Got Rhythm        #99 – What’s…Name