Workshops

The Developmental Designs for Middle School (DDMS) approach (formerly known as Responsive Designs, or RD) to teaching promotes academic and social excellence. Developed by classroom teachers, this approach consists of highly practical strategies for integrating the teaching of social and academic skills throughout the school day. When fully implemented, these strategies help create inclusive classroom communities in which each member is engaged in learning and has a sense of belonging and safety. Students develop their social skills, take responsibility for their environment, and learn to solve both social and academic problems. Adults work together to create a climate of civility and teamwork within which everyone can be successful.

Origins offers the following Developmental Designs for Middle School workshops for teachers and administrators. Training is available in various locations throughout the year, including on a school site.

Developmental Designs Overviews
90-minute Overview, on school site
One-day Overview, full-day presentation offered on or off school site

Developmental Designs Weeklong Workshops
Origins-hosted summer Institutes or contracted workshops at a school site
Developmental Designs 1
Developmental Designs 2

Leadership Institute

Workshop tuition

See Workshop Dates and Locations

Developmental Designs Overviews

90-minute Overview

A 90-minute, on-site presentation can be scheduled at your school. This Overview will give the school a glimpse of the philosophy and practices of the approach, providing enough information to begin the conversation of whether or not DDMS is a good fit for the school. If the school location requires an overnight stay for the Origins consultant, we recommend scheduling a One-day Overview.

One-day Overview

The One-day Overview can be scheduled on a school site, or educators may attend an Origins-hosted off-site training. Participants learn the basic principles upon which the approach is built and the practices through which they are implemented. Participants are introduced to some practical structures for integrating social-emotional learning with academics.

The One-day Overview provides participants:
An experience of community-building through the Circle of Power and Respect
An introduction to the Six Principles that guide the work of Developmental Designs for Middle School
Insight into the developmental needs of young adolescents and practices designed to meet those needs, both socially and academically
Demonstrations and a chance to try out several of the practices: the signal for silence; modeling; cooperative game-playing; the Reflective Loop; Engaged Learning Strategies; and a closing meeting

Others of the 10 classroom practices (for example, working with repeated rule-breakers) are introduced in the weeklong workshops DDMS1 and DDMS2.

Workshop facilitators

All our facilitators are experienced practitioners who know the middle school classroom. All have gone through an extensive and rigorous multi-year certification process. This process ensures that they are well practiced in using the Developmental Designs approach and skillful in teaching it to others.

Some facilitators work full-time for Origins, doing professional development work year-round; others are middle school classroom teachers who use the Developmental Designs approach in their own classrooms. All share with you a commitment to fostering the well-being and academic growth of young adolescents.

To learn more about or to schedule a Developmental Designs 90-minute or One-day Overview at your school see School Services or contact the Administrator for School Services.

Register for a Developmental Designs One-day Overview

Developmental Designs for Middle School Weeklong Workshops

Developmental Designs 1 and 2 weeklong workshops are for grades 5-8 educators who work in a middle school setting. Both workshops present an approach to building community, classroom management, and instruction designed to strengthen teaching practice with a sound, integrated social and academic curriculum.

What the week will be like

For experienced and new teachers alike, this will be a week of professional and personal growth.

Throughout the week, you’ll find:

Affirmation of the good practices you’re already using

Solutions for turning past classroom problems into future successes

Camaraderie with fellow educators as you share ideas, get support for your challenges, and feel the power of community membership

An immersion experience—our presenters won’t just talk about positive strategies; they'll model them. After you see the modeling, you'll have chances during the week to practice the strategies yourself.

You’ll be in a group of 20 to 30 middle school educators. Your presenter will be highly trained and experienced. The classroom situations you discuss and the sample strategies you learn will all be geared for the level you teach.

Key topics, DDMS 1

During the weeklong DDMS1 workshop, you'll learn how to implement needs-based, developmentally appropriate social, academic, and behavior management practices that include:

• Developing classroom and school-wide cultures that honor cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-control as the context for the development of independent, competent learners
• Meeting young adolescents’ social needs by starting each day with a Circle of Power and Respect or related advisory activity
• Starting the year off right by creating goals (Hopes and Dreams) and rules (Social Contract) together with your students
• Showing specific examples of the social contract in action through modeling routines, creating “look-sound-feel” charts, using social action theater (Role Play), and other strategies
• Introducing and using behavior-management strategies (Pathways to Self-Control) that help students to act responsibly and with self-control
• Understanding many ways to problem-solve when faced with more challenging behavior issues

You’ll find yourself immersed in constructivist, engaged learning all week.

Key topics, DDMS2

The DDMS2 weeklong workshop reinforces and builds on DDMS1 practices while focusing on how to improve engagement in academics in middle school classrooms. You’ll develop a set of practices that will allow you to:

• Provide appropriate opportunities to meet the developmental needs of middle school students, especially the need for autonomy and competence
• Deepen understanding of Pathways to Self-control, with emphasis on problem-solving behaviors of especially challenging students
• Use POWER Learning, a strategy to maximize student engagement, cognitive growth and achievement. POWER Learning ensures active engagement in every phase of learning: Planning, generating Options, Work, Exhibits, and Reflection. POWER Learning works because it meets adolescent needs for competence and autonomy.
• Choose from many other Engaged Learning Strategies to enhance student engagement in both individual and group learning situations
• Play academic-centered games and activities that build community

Choosing the right level for you

DDMS1 is for educators new to the Developmental Designs approach or who are using some of the strategies but have not participated in a weeklong workshop. Educators who have attended a Developmental Designs One-day Overview are welcome, but the One-day is NOT a prerequisite for enrollment in DDMS1.

DDMS2 is for educators who attended and have begun to implement DDMS1 (or the old RD1) and wish to continue building their skills using the Developmental Designs approach.

Workshop facilitators

All our facilitators are experienced practitioners who know the middle school classroom. All have gone through an extensive and rigorous multi-year certification process. This process ensures that they are well practiced in using the Developmental Designs approach and are skillful in teaching it to others.

Some facilitators work full-time for Origins, doing professional development work year-round; others are middle school classroom teachers who use the Developmental Designs approach in their own classrooms. All share with you a commitment to fostering the well-being and academic growth of young adolescents.

To learn more about or to schedule a Developmental Designs weeklong workshop at your school see School Services or contact the Administrator for School Services.

Register for a Developmental Designs weeklong workshop