Responsive Classroom® Workshops

Origins offers the following Responsive Classroom institutes and workshops for K-6 teachers and administrators. Training is available in various locations throughout the year.

Responsive Classroom Overviews
90-minute Overview at a school
One-day Overview, a full-day presentation offered on or off school site

Responsive Classroom Weeklong Workshops
Origins-hosted summer Institutes or contracted workshops at a school site
Responsive Classroom 1
Responsive Classroom 2
Responsive Classroom 3
Literacy in a Responsive Classroom

Leadership Institute

Workshop tuition

See Workshop Dates and Locations

A 90-minute Overview of the Responsive Classroom approach can be scheduled at your school. To learn more about 90-minute Overviews see School Services or contact the Administrator for School Services.

Responsive Classroom Overviews

90-minute Overview
A 90-minute presentation at your school can be scheduled. The Overview gives educators a glimpse of the philosophy and practices of the approach, providing enough information to begin the conversation of whether or not RC is a good fit for the school. If the school location requires an overnight stay for our consultant, we recommend scheduling a One-day Overview.

One-day Overview
During this overview, educators gain an initial awareness of Responsive Classroom practices. They participate in an adult Morning Meeting, explore the foundational ideas behind the Responsive Classroom approach, and see a video showing the practices in action. They also hear about the Responsive Classroom approach to discipline and learn practical strategies, such as signals, modeling, energizers, closing circles, and greetings, to use in the classroom. Workshops are offered for K-6 educators year-round, hosted by Origins or by schools at their own sites. Middle school educators should see Developmental Designs One-day Overview.

Workshop facilitators

All our facilitators are experienced practitioners who know classroom life. All have gone through an extensive and rigorous multi-year certification process. This process ensures that they are well practiced in using the Responsive Classroom approach and skillful in teaching it to others. Many facilitators work full-time for Origins, doing professional development work year-round. Others are classroom teachers who use the Responsive Classroom approach in their own classrooms. All share love of learning, laughter, and children.

To learn more about or to schedule a Responsive Classroom One-day Overview at your school, see School Services or contact the Administrator for School Services.

Register for a One-day Overview

Responsive Classroom Weeklong Workshops

We offer 4 different weeklong workshops. At the Level 1 workshop (RC1), you'll get a complete overview of all Responsive Classroom practices. You're welcome to take a One-day Overview before attending a weeklong workshop, but it is not a requirement.

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—facilitators don't just talk about positive strategies; they model them. After you see the modeling, you'll have chances during the week to practice the strategies yourself.

A group of up to 25 teachers who teach approximately the same grade as you. If you are a specialist, you will be placed at the grade level you choose, and you will be invited to a special session for specialists. The classroom situations you discuss and the strategies you learn will all be geared for the grade you teach.

Key practices for RC1 RC2 and RC3

Morning Meeting—gathering as a whole class each morning to greet one another, share news, and warm up for the day ahead

Rule Creation—helping students create classroom rules to ensure an environment that allows all class members to meet their learning goals

Interactive Modeling—teaching children to notice and internalize expected behaviors through a unique modeling technique

Positive Teacher Language—using words and tone as tools to promote children's active learning, sense of community, and self-discipline

Logical Consequences—responding to misbehavior in a way that allows children to fix and learn from their mistakes while preserving their dignity

Guided Discovery—introducing classroom materials using a format that encourages independence, creativity, and responsibility (introduced in RC2)

Academic Choice—increasing student motivation by differentiating instruction and regularly allowing students teacher-structured choices in their work (introduced in RC2)

Classroom Organization—setting up the room to encourage students' independence, cooperation, and productivity (introduced in RC2)

Working with Families—creating avenues for hearing parents' insights and helping them understand the school's teaching approaches

Collaborative Problem Solving—using conferencing, role playing, and other strategies to resolve problems with students (introduced in RC2)

Choosing the right level for you

Responsive Classroom 1 (RC1)
For K-6 educators new to the Responsive Classroom approach (or who are using some of the strategies) and have not participated in extensive training at their school. You'll learn about the key practices. This workshop is a prerequisite for RC2, RC3, and Literacy in a Responsive Classroom.

Responsive Classroom 2 (RC2)
For K-6 educators who have participated in RC1. You'll further your understanding of how to use the basic Responsive Classroom practices to connect social and academic learning. You'll also learn new strategies for implementing academic choice and helping children solve common classroom problems.

Responsive Classroom 3 (RC3) 
For K-6 educators who have participated in RC1 and RC2. As a way of exploring Responsive Classroom practices in depth, you'll be asked to bring an issue that challenges you in your classroom or school. Working with colleagues in a seminar format, you'll use Responsive Classroom strategies to address your issue.

Literacy in a Responsive Classroom (LIT)
For K-6 educators who have participated in RC1. The Literacy in a Responsive Classroom weeklong workshop applies the instructional approaches of the Responsive Classroom to the language arts curriculum, grades K-6. Participants will discover ways to engage children with a broad range of learning styles and histories in active literacy experiences with high levels of accountability. They will discuss and practice techniques, prepare materials, and plan curriculum and individual lessons in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. See Key Topics below.

Key Topics for Literacy in a Responsive Classroom

Participants in Literacy in a Responsive Classroom will

Learn how to teach decoding and comprehension skills and strategies in Morning Meeting through sharing, activities, and the morning message chart

Apply the following Responsive Classroom Academic Choice elements to reading, writing, mixed literacy work blocks, and learning centers:
Differentiation
Planning
Choice
Active Exploration
Independent work
Partner and small-group work
Accountability
Reflection and representing

Apply the Responsive Classroom modeling, practicing, and guided discovery approaches to literacy materials such as stamps, magnetic and other letters, kits for active-literacy activities, genre books, personal dictionaries and word banks, thesauruses, correction strips, highlighters, etc.

Apply the Responsive Classroom modeling, practicing, and Guided Discovery approaches to the routines of reading, writing, and mixed literacy blocks

Organize classroom environment and instructions to maximize student independence and responsibility in literacy learning

Learn ways to use children's literature for teaching social skills

Adapt basal workbook exercises to active literacy-learning experiences that fully engage learners

Discuss research results and articles on literacy.

Workshop facilitators

All our facilitators are experienced practitioners who know the classroom. All have gone through an extensive and rigorous multi-year certification process. This process ensures that they are well practiced in using the Responsive Classroom approach and skillful in teaching it to others. Some facilitators work full-time for Origins, doing professional development work year-round; others are classroom teachers who provide Responsive Classroom training in their own school or district while using the approach in their own classrooms. All share with you a love of learning, laughter, and children.

To learn more about or to schedule a Responsive Classroom weeklong workshops at your school, see School Services or contact the Administrator for School Services.

Register for a Responsive Classroom weeklong workshop