Behavior reflection sheets are a great tool for behavior improvement. This is how to use them in your own class.
Regardless of geographic location, socioeconomic status, grade level, academic level, or any other number of factors, classrooms will always be a place where disagreements occur.
Our students' lives are filled with various demands on their time, the stress and strain of establishing and maintaining relationships, managing personal and familial expectations, and everything else that comes with maturing into adulthood.
They have all of the stressors but are without the capacity and coping mechanisms with which most adults are equipped. Schools tend to be the place where all of these factors come to a head.
Conflict is bound to happen.
But once it does occur there are a few things we can do to ensure students learn and grow from those experiences.
Behavior reflection sheets are a great tool to encourage introspection and spark change. Developing empathy and understanding the effects of our behavior on ourselves as well as others can be accomplished through genuine and thoughtful reflection.
Simply put, a behavior reflection sheet is a series of questions. These questions are designed to walk the student through the event from the literal and physical levels of what happened. By doing so they hope to address how best to repair the harm caused.
The International Institute for Restorative Practices suggests a series of affective questions for the student or students who caused harm in the situation and another set of affective questions for students who have been harmed in a situation.
Taking the time to work through the questions with students can lead to more effective classroom management. Helping students to build emotional intelligence and further their appropriate social skills is time well spent in the classroom!
The key component to using a behavior reflection sheet is timing. Students who have been involved in an incident will need the opportunity to de-escalate before reflection can be brought into the equation.
This can be done in a space designated for calming or just in an area that is not currently in use like an empty classroom or office. Intense emotions can make communication exceedingly difficult, so we need to give students time and space to regulate them.
Next, students can work through the reflection questions in the sheet. Aligning these questions with restorative practices makes for a simple scenario that students can consider:
When going through this process, restorative practices also include opportunities for the students who have been harmed to go through the reflective process with a different set of questions in a separate template. This step in the process gives all parties the chance to communicate and expand their emotional capacity.
After students complete the reflection questions, the adult can review their answers with them.
Some students will be more open and honest than others, making it vital that the adult understands the situation before walking the students through their responses.
Once trust has been established, the conversations can reach greater depth and will have greater efficacy.
During this process, students can begin identifying their triggers and the functions of their behaviors; recognizing these patterns will decrease the likelihood of similar occurrences in the future.
Teachers and students working together through this process will enhance the relationships between them, serving as an important cornerstone of the restorative process.
Bringing other parties into the conversation when appropriate will also repair harm and give students positive examples of how to handle both personal and interpersonal conflicts.
When performed with fidelity and consistency within the PBIS framework that your school has established, the reflection sheet is a vital tool for reducing instances of escalation and building the emotional intelligence of your students.
→ Download Your Free Behavior Reflection Sheet Template
As with any other classroom management technique, the behavior reflection sheet requires practice and patience. The sheets cannot be used in isolation but rather in conjunction with other relationship-building and communication-enhancing techniques that are implemented in the classroom consistently throughout the year.
The restorative questions can potentially be difficult for students who otherwise struggle to express their emotions honestly and openly, and the process itself can take time to implement with each student and incident.
However, the transformation that you will see in your students is well worth the investments you will make in both time and effort. The most valuable aspects of the process will be the trust that you will build with your students and the new avenues of communication that the process will open up.
Regardless of geographic location, socioeconomic status, grade level, academic level, or any other number of factors, classrooms will always be a place where disagreements occur.
Our students' lives are filled with various demands on their time, the stress and strain of establishing and maintaining relationships, managing personal and familial expectations, and everything else that comes with maturing into adulthood.
They have all of the stressors but are without the capacity and coping mechanisms with which most adults are equipped. Schools tend to be the place where all of these factors come to a head.
Conflict is bound to happen.
But once it does occur there are a few things we can do to ensure students learn and grow from those experiences.
Behavior reflection sheets are a great tool to encourage introspection and spark change. Developing empathy and understanding the effects of our behavior on ourselves as well as others can be accomplished through genuine and thoughtful reflection.
Simply put, a behavior reflection sheet is a series of questions. These questions are designed to walk the student through the event from the literal and physical levels of what happened. By doing so they hope to address how best to repair the harm caused.
The International Institute for Restorative Practices suggests a series of affective questions for the student or students who caused harm in the situation and another set of affective questions for students who have been harmed in a situation.
Taking the time to work through the questions with students can lead to more effective classroom management. Helping students to build emotional intelligence and further their appropriate social skills is time well spent in the classroom!
The key component to using a behavior reflection sheet is timing. Students who have been involved in an incident will need the opportunity to de-escalate before reflection can be brought into the equation.
This can be done in a space designated for calming or just in an area that is not currently in use like an empty classroom or office. Intense emotions can make communication exceedingly difficult, so we need to give students time and space to regulate them.
Next, students can work through the reflection questions in the sheet. Aligning these questions with restorative practices makes for a simple scenario that students can consider:
When going through this process, restorative practices also include opportunities for the students who have been harmed to go through the reflective process with a different set of questions in a separate template. This step in the process gives all parties the chance to communicate and expand their emotional capacity.
After students complete the reflection questions, the adult can review their answers with them.
Some students will be more open and honest than others, making it vital that the adult understands the situation before walking the students through their responses.
Once trust has been established, the conversations can reach greater depth and will have greater efficacy.
During this process, students can begin identifying their triggers and the functions of their behaviors; recognizing these patterns will decrease the likelihood of similar occurrences in the future.
Teachers and students working together through this process will enhance the relationships between them, serving as an important cornerstone of the restorative process.
Bringing other parties into the conversation when appropriate will also repair harm and give students positive examples of how to handle both personal and interpersonal conflicts.
When performed with fidelity and consistency within the PBIS framework that your school has established, the reflection sheet is a vital tool for reducing instances of escalation and building the emotional intelligence of your students.
→ Download Your Free Behavior Reflection Sheet Template
As with any other classroom management technique, the behavior reflection sheet requires practice and patience. The sheets cannot be used in isolation but rather in conjunction with other relationship-building and communication-enhancing techniques that are implemented in the classroom consistently throughout the year.
The restorative questions can potentially be difficult for students who otherwise struggle to express their emotions honestly and openly, and the process itself can take time to implement with each student and incident.
However, the transformation that you will see in your students is well worth the investments you will make in both time and effort. The most valuable aspects of the process will be the trust that you will build with your students and the new avenues of communication that the process will open up.
Trent currently lives in Lexington, KY and works as a high school English teacher. During his
eleven years in education, he has served as a teacher, department head, mentor, and coach; his
experience includes work with PBIS, Special Education, MTSS, SEL, Restorative Practices, PLC
and SLC Frameworks, Academic Interventions, Curriculum Development, New Teacher
Induction, College and Career Readiness, and Summer Program Coordination.
Regardless of geographic location, socioeconomic status, grade level, academic level, or any other number of factors, classrooms will always be a place where disagreements occur.
Our students' lives are filled with various demands on their time, the stress and strain of establishing and maintaining relationships, managing personal and familial expectations, and everything else that comes with maturing into adulthood.
They have all of the stressors but are without the capacity and coping mechanisms with which most adults are equipped. Schools tend to be the place where all of these factors come to a head.
Conflict is bound to happen.
But once it does occur there are a few things we can do to ensure students learn and grow from those experiences.
Behavior reflection sheets are a great tool to encourage introspection and spark change. Developing empathy and understanding the effects of our behavior on ourselves as well as others can be accomplished through genuine and thoughtful reflection.
Simply put, a behavior reflection sheet is a series of questions. These questions are designed to walk the student through the event from the literal and physical levels of what happened. By doing so they hope to address how best to repair the harm caused.
The International Institute for Restorative Practices suggests a series of affective questions for the student or students who caused harm in the situation and another set of affective questions for students who have been harmed in a situation.
Taking the time to work through the questions with students can lead to more effective classroom management. Helping students to build emotional intelligence and further their appropriate social skills is time well spent in the classroom!
The key component to using a behavior reflection sheet is timing. Students who have been involved in an incident will need the opportunity to de-escalate before reflection can be brought into the equation.
This can be done in a space designated for calming or just in an area that is not currently in use like an empty classroom or office. Intense emotions can make communication exceedingly difficult, so we need to give students time and space to regulate them.
Next, students can work through the reflection questions in the sheet. Aligning these questions with restorative practices makes for a simple scenario that students can consider:
When going through this process, restorative practices also include opportunities for the students who have been harmed to go through the reflective process with a different set of questions in a separate template. This step in the process gives all parties the chance to communicate and expand their emotional capacity.
After students complete the reflection questions, the adult can review their answers with them.
Some students will be more open and honest than others, making it vital that the adult understands the situation before walking the students through their responses.
Once trust has been established, the conversations can reach greater depth and will have greater efficacy.
During this process, students can begin identifying their triggers and the functions of their behaviors; recognizing these patterns will decrease the likelihood of similar occurrences in the future.
Teachers and students working together through this process will enhance the relationships between them, serving as an important cornerstone of the restorative process.
Bringing other parties into the conversation when appropriate will also repair harm and give students positive examples of how to handle both personal and interpersonal conflicts.
When performed with fidelity and consistency within the PBIS framework that your school has established, the reflection sheet is a vital tool for reducing instances of escalation and building the emotional intelligence of your students.
→ Download Your Free Behavior Reflection Sheet Template
As with any other classroom management technique, the behavior reflection sheet requires practice and patience. The sheets cannot be used in isolation but rather in conjunction with other relationship-building and communication-enhancing techniques that are implemented in the classroom consistently throughout the year.
The restorative questions can potentially be difficult for students who otherwise struggle to express their emotions honestly and openly, and the process itself can take time to implement with each student and incident.
However, the transformation that you will see in your students is well worth the investments you will make in both time and effort. The most valuable aspects of the process will be the trust that you will build with your students and the new avenues of communication that the process will open up.
Regardless of geographic location, socioeconomic status, grade level, academic level, or any other number of factors, classrooms will always be a place where disagreements occur.
Our students' lives are filled with various demands on their time, the stress and strain of establishing and maintaining relationships, managing personal and familial expectations, and everything else that comes with maturing into adulthood.
They have all of the stressors but are without the capacity and coping mechanisms with which most adults are equipped. Schools tend to be the place where all of these factors come to a head.
Conflict is bound to happen.
But once it does occur there are a few things we can do to ensure students learn and grow from those experiences.
Behavior reflection sheets are a great tool to encourage introspection and spark change. Developing empathy and understanding the effects of our behavior on ourselves as well as others can be accomplished through genuine and thoughtful reflection.
Simply put, a behavior reflection sheet is a series of questions. These questions are designed to walk the student through the event from the literal and physical levels of what happened. By doing so they hope to address how best to repair the harm caused.
The International Institute for Restorative Practices suggests a series of affective questions for the student or students who caused harm in the situation and another set of affective questions for students who have been harmed in a situation.
Taking the time to work through the questions with students can lead to more effective classroom management. Helping students to build emotional intelligence and further their appropriate social skills is time well spent in the classroom!
The key component to using a behavior reflection sheet is timing. Students who have been involved in an incident will need the opportunity to de-escalate before reflection can be brought into the equation.
This can be done in a space designated for calming or just in an area that is not currently in use like an empty classroom or office. Intense emotions can make communication exceedingly difficult, so we need to give students time and space to regulate them.
Next, students can work through the reflection questions in the sheet. Aligning these questions with restorative practices makes for a simple scenario that students can consider:
When going through this process, restorative practices also include opportunities for the students who have been harmed to go through the reflective process with a different set of questions in a separate template. This step in the process gives all parties the chance to communicate and expand their emotional capacity.
After students complete the reflection questions, the adult can review their answers with them.
Some students will be more open and honest than others, making it vital that the adult understands the situation before walking the students through their responses.
Once trust has been established, the conversations can reach greater depth and will have greater efficacy.
During this process, students can begin identifying their triggers and the functions of their behaviors; recognizing these patterns will decrease the likelihood of similar occurrences in the future.
Teachers and students working together through this process will enhance the relationships between them, serving as an important cornerstone of the restorative process.
Bringing other parties into the conversation when appropriate will also repair harm and give students positive examples of how to handle both personal and interpersonal conflicts.
When performed with fidelity and consistency within the PBIS framework that your school has established, the reflection sheet is a vital tool for reducing instances of escalation and building the emotional intelligence of your students.
→ Download Your Free Behavior Reflection Sheet Template
As with any other classroom management technique, the behavior reflection sheet requires practice and patience. The sheets cannot be used in isolation but rather in conjunction with other relationship-building and communication-enhancing techniques that are implemented in the classroom consistently throughout the year.
The restorative questions can potentially be difficult for students who otherwise struggle to express their emotions honestly and openly, and the process itself can take time to implement with each student and incident.
However, the transformation that you will see in your students is well worth the investments you will make in both time and effort. The most valuable aspects of the process will be the trust that you will build with your students and the new avenues of communication that the process will open up.
Unfortunately, as long as classrooms are filled with young growing minds, they will be ripe for conflict.
Regardless of geographic location, socioeconomic status, grade level, academic level, or any other number of factors, classrooms will always be a place where disagreements occur.
Our students' lives are filled with various demands on their time, the stress and strain of establishing and maintaining relationships, managing personal and familial expectations, and everything else that comes with maturing into adulthood.
They have all of the stressors but are without the capacity and coping mechanisms with which most adults are equipped. Schools tend to be the place where all of these factors come to a head.
Conflict is bound to happen.
But once it does occur there are a few things we can do to ensure students learn and grow from those experiences.
Behavior reflection sheets are a great tool to encourage introspection and spark change. Developing empathy and understanding the effects of our behavior on ourselves as well as others can be accomplished through genuine and thoughtful reflection.
Simply put, a behavior reflection sheet is a series of questions. These questions are designed to walk the student through the event from the literal and physical levels of what happened. By doing so they hope to address how best to repair the harm caused.
The International Institute for Restorative Practices suggests a series of affective questions for the student or students who caused harm in the situation and another set of affective questions for students who have been harmed in a situation.
Taking the time to work through the questions with students can lead to more effective classroom management. Helping students to build emotional intelligence and further their appropriate social skills is time well spent in the classroom!
The key component to using a behavior reflection sheet is timing. Students who have been involved in an incident will need the opportunity to de-escalate before reflection can be brought into the equation.
This can be done in a space designated for calming or just in an area that is not currently in use like an empty classroom or office. Intense emotions can make communication exceedingly difficult, so we need to give students time and space to regulate them.
Next, students can work through the reflection questions in the sheet. Aligning these questions with restorative practices makes for a simple scenario that students can consider:
When going through this process, restorative practices also include opportunities for the students who have been harmed to go through the reflective process with a different set of questions in a separate template. This step in the process gives all parties the chance to communicate and expand their emotional capacity.
After students complete the reflection questions, the adult can review their answers with them.
Some students will be more open and honest than others, making it vital that the adult understands the situation before walking the students through their responses.
Once trust has been established, the conversations can reach greater depth and will have greater efficacy.
During this process, students can begin identifying their triggers and the functions of their behaviors; recognizing these patterns will decrease the likelihood of similar occurrences in the future.
Teachers and students working together through this process will enhance the relationships between them, serving as an important cornerstone of the restorative process.
Bringing other parties into the conversation when appropriate will also repair harm and give students positive examples of how to handle both personal and interpersonal conflicts.
When performed with fidelity and consistency within the PBIS framework that your school has established, the reflection sheet is a vital tool for reducing instances of escalation and building the emotional intelligence of your students.
→ Download Your Free Behavior Reflection Sheet Template
As with any other classroom management technique, the behavior reflection sheet requires practice and patience. The sheets cannot be used in isolation but rather in conjunction with other relationship-building and communication-enhancing techniques that are implemented in the classroom consistently throughout the year.
The restorative questions can potentially be difficult for students who otherwise struggle to express their emotions honestly and openly, and the process itself can take time to implement with each student and incident.
However, the transformation that you will see in your students is well worth the investments you will make in both time and effort. The most valuable aspects of the process will be the trust that you will build with your students and the new avenues of communication that the process will open up.
Unfortunately, as long as classrooms are filled with young growing minds, they will be ripe for conflict.
Regardless of geographic location, socioeconomic status, grade level, academic level, or any other number of factors, classrooms will always be a place where disagreements occur.
Our students' lives are filled with various demands on their time, the stress and strain of establishing and maintaining relationships, managing personal and familial expectations, and everything else that comes with maturing into adulthood.
They have all of the stressors but are without the capacity and coping mechanisms with which most adults are equipped. Schools tend to be the place where all of these factors come to a head.
Conflict is bound to happen.
But once it does occur there are a few things we can do to ensure students learn and grow from those experiences.
Behavior reflection sheets are a great tool to encourage introspection and spark change. Developing empathy and understanding the effects of our behavior on ourselves as well as others can be accomplished through genuine and thoughtful reflection.
Simply put, a behavior reflection sheet is a series of questions. These questions are designed to walk the student through the event from the literal and physical levels of what happened. By doing so they hope to address how best to repair the harm caused.
The International Institute for Restorative Practices suggests a series of affective questions for the student or students who caused harm in the situation and another set of affective questions for students who have been harmed in a situation.
Taking the time to work through the questions with students can lead to more effective classroom management. Helping students to build emotional intelligence and further their appropriate social skills is time well spent in the classroom!
The key component to using a behavior reflection sheet is timing. Students who have been involved in an incident will need the opportunity to de-escalate before reflection can be brought into the equation.
This can be done in a space designated for calming or just in an area that is not currently in use like an empty classroom or office. Intense emotions can make communication exceedingly difficult, so we need to give students time and space to regulate them.
Next, students can work through the reflection questions in the sheet. Aligning these questions with restorative practices makes for a simple scenario that students can consider:
When going through this process, restorative practices also include opportunities for the students who have been harmed to go through the reflective process with a different set of questions in a separate template. This step in the process gives all parties the chance to communicate and expand their emotional capacity.
After students complete the reflection questions, the adult can review their answers with them.
Some students will be more open and honest than others, making it vital that the adult understands the situation before walking the students through their responses.
Once trust has been established, the conversations can reach greater depth and will have greater efficacy.
During this process, students can begin identifying their triggers and the functions of their behaviors; recognizing these patterns will decrease the likelihood of similar occurrences in the future.
Teachers and students working together through this process will enhance the relationships between them, serving as an important cornerstone of the restorative process.
Bringing other parties into the conversation when appropriate will also repair harm and give students positive examples of how to handle both personal and interpersonal conflicts.
When performed with fidelity and consistency within the PBIS framework that your school has established, the reflection sheet is a vital tool for reducing instances of escalation and building the emotional intelligence of your students.
→ Download Your Free Behavior Reflection Sheet Template
As with any other classroom management technique, the behavior reflection sheet requires practice and patience. The sheets cannot be used in isolation but rather in conjunction with other relationship-building and communication-enhancing techniques that are implemented in the classroom consistently throughout the year.
The restorative questions can potentially be difficult for students who otherwise struggle to express their emotions honestly and openly, and the process itself can take time to implement with each student and incident.
However, the transformation that you will see in your students is well worth the investments you will make in both time and effort. The most valuable aspects of the process will be the trust that you will build with your students and the new avenues of communication that the process will open up.
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