Juan Guzmán was my Spanish teacher in high school. He also taught history, but as a heritage Spanish speaker, he taught a couple of Spanish classes too. He wanted us wrestling with the language out loud. Our first oral presentation happened in the first week of class. He knew we were nervous, embarrassed, and scared of what our friends would think of us tripping over our words. He was always direct in the way he spoke to us and he rarely smiled, but his classroom became a safe space for us to learn and encourage each other. We started trying new things in our conversations and we asked questions out loud when we didn’t understand. His class was loud, dynamic, and a little chaotic, but we were so engaged!
Students want to hear what you think, especially when it’s positive.
I’ve been thinking about what it means to create classrooms like Señor Guzmán’s, where everyone feels welcome, safe, and ready to learn. Something I keep hearing over and over is: “It starts by building positive relationships.” On the surface, it seems so simple, but as soon as someone asks, “How?” the answer feels more complicated. The truth is, there are endless ways to build relationships. Maybe that’s why this simple concept feels so complicated in practice. If you’re feeling stuck or looking for a new way to connect with your schoolwide community, you can leverage your PBIS framework to help you in the effort.
The PBIS practices you implement in the classroom have a huge impact on student outcomes. When researchers looked at the practices contributing to fewer referrals and more equitable discipline rates, there was one practice that stood out the most: Expected student behaviors were acknowledged regularly.1 In their findings, researchers stated, “Although more research is needed on culturally responsive use of praise and positive reinforcement, it seems logical that a classroom atmosphere where teachers express appreciation to students would help build trust.”
Guess what? Students agree. When students were asked what they thought impacted their achievement most, teacher feedback came up time after time.2 Students want to hear what you think, especially when it’s positive.
In spite of its effectiveness, sometimes an acknowledgement system struggles to gain traction long enough to produce the outcomes we want. If this is the boat you’re in, you aren’t alone. It’s always the right time for a refresh. When I’m thinking about how to implement foundational PBIS systems, data, and practices in new, authentic ways, I turn to high schools for inspiration. Teenagers can smell an inauthentic practice a mile away. In turn, high school PBIS teams have figured out how to make PBIS fit their context naturally. Here are some tips we can learn from our high school colleagues on how to build acknowledgement systems that foster relationships and thrive in any setting.3
Get the Adults on Board
Most adults in younger grade levels accept their responsibility to teach and acknowledge the student behaviors they want to see. They get it: Elementary schoolers are learning how to do school as much as they’re learning how to read. As we move up and into high school, that understanding fades and we start to think, “Students should know what to do by now.”
Getting buy-in from educators on the importance of acknowledging student behavior, even in elementary schools, isn’t always easy. If there are adults in your building skeptical about acknowledgements, here are some tips:
- Keep acknowledgements tied together with instruction and corrections. Focus on how the three things work together as a package for improving student behavior.
- Talk about acknowledgements as part of your school’s larger recognition system. There are lots of ways you already recognize student academic or athletic achievements. If a positive social culture is a priority, why wouldn’t you add social behaviors to the list of things you recognize?
- Share what you know about how acknowledgements work to improve not just behavioral development, but academics too!
Spread the Praise Around
In a recent webinar, Drs. María Reina-Santiago and Kent McIntosh shared a quick activity and reflection you can do right now.4 Grab a piece of paper and write two lists:
- Five students with whom you have great/easy relationships
- Five students with whom you have challenging relationships
Now, ask yourself what you notice about the similarities and the differences between those two lists. Often, it’s easier to build relationships with people who share a similar background, common interest, or opinions to our own. Our praise and acknowledgements flow more freely in those relationships and our patience for unwanted behaviors lasts a little longer. For acknowledgements to feel authentic, they need to happen naturally and equitably for all students…on both lists. How do you remember to seek out opportunities to include everyone? Well…
Carry Pocket Reminders
Is it time to talk about tickets? Let’s talk about PBIS tickets.
Formal PBIS acknowledgement systems typically come with a tangible token handed out to students who can turn them in for other rewards like popcorn parties, student store items, or a longer lunch break. Students get tickets when an adult catches them doing something that aligns with the schoolwide expectations. Because the ticket is the thing we see, it’s easy to think the acknowledgement system is the tickets. The secret is: The ticket is really a reminder. It’s a reminder to us adults to pursue positive interactions wherever they happen.
Take a peek at that list of five student names where your relationship is challenging. Write each of those names on a ticket and put those tickets in your pocket. Every time you put your hand in your pocket it’s a reminder to seek out these students and connect with them in a positive way. This strategy doesn’t prevent you from acknowledging other students around you; it’s a way to purposefully foster relationships with students you’ve struggled to connect with in the past.
Add Some Peer-to-Peer Praise
In a formal PBIS acknowledgement system, it’s easy to lose sight of our most impactful allies in improving school culture: our students! We want to strengthen our relationships with them, but let’s be honest, students are more interested in strengthening their relationships with each other.
You’re cool. Their friends are cooler.
Take advantage of that dynamic and build in ways for students to acknowledge each other. One example is a strategy called Shout-outs. A shoutout is a quick, positive comment shouted out in class from one student to another. The focus is always on something that’s going well. Shoutouts take you out of the equation and let students take part in lifting up their peers.
Personally, when someone recognizes my effort or tells me regularly and specifically they like my work, it feels great. It lets me know I’m on the right track and pushes me to keep going. The more I hear it from you, the more likely I am to seek you out as a resource and trust your feedback when you have it. You and your students are no different. Acknowledging effort with a ticket, or praise, or a combination of the two is a proven way to continuously strengthen relationships within your schoolwide community. Make sure to address any staff-level hesitation for the practice up front, then take action. Spread the praise around so it reaches everyone in the ways they find encouraging. Find a way to remind yourself to do it, even when it’s challenging.