A Classroom  Management Professional Development Activity

Classroom Management Professional Development

Don’t waste your teachers’ precious time this summer! Have them take part in the Circle of Community™, a perfect activity for classroom management professional development.

Circle of Community™ is a team building / community building activity for groups working together in classrooms, teams, families, or on the job.

Cover for Circle of Community a classroom management activity

Works For Both Teens and Adults

In particular, the activity builds social emotional learning (SEL) not only for teens but also for adults. In prior presentations, staff found this professional development tool useful as well as entertaining. Participants receive both personal gain and the ability to practice with the resource before sharing with their students back in the classroom.

Improve Group Dynamics and Solve Misunderstandings Between Members

An illustration of a stalk of celery trying to mediate between two angry onions

At its core, Circle of Community™ works to resolve misunderstandings between group members. This improves group function, group member relationships, and the group’s success. Furthermore, the activity works to develop communication, problem solving, and goal attainment skills in a fun and engaging way.

How It Works

  • Using The “Identify your Gifts” handout, participants learn about their own and others’ personal strengths and challenges.
  • Then, in their respective “gift” groups, participants work together to solve a fictionalized real-life scenario related to a common critical issue or problem faced by the larger group.
  • Using the provided facilitation questions and learning about personal strengths and challenges, participants begin to see and understand how groups and their members often approach and solve problems differently. Often, staff receive insight into how “diverse” groups with a mix of strengths and challenges are best at solving problems.
  • In the end, all participants receive a “Reaching Our Potential Together” poster, the “Gifts and Challenges” and “Social Styles” handouts, and a special personal gift of a colorful “Totem Card” representing their own “gifts” / strengths.

In Short…

You can’t go wrong with the Circle of Community™ classroom management professional development. Don’t take my word for it – see a preview of the resource below.

Circle of community poster with gifts/strengths and corresponding totem animals

“Freshman Success:” Creating a supportive environment for 18-25 year olds

This image shows the cover of the Freshman Success Refresher resource for teachers, professors and parents

How “Freshman Success” Can Help You Succeed

Is your 18-year-old driving you crazy? Or maybe you’re new to working with freshmen and would like some direction. Or you’ve been teaching for a while and just need a boost to prepare for the new school year. The “Freshman Success…” resource has got you covered! This PowerPoint (ppt) presentation will get you and other teachers, professors and parents — even employers — going stronger into the new semester. With this resource, you can:

  • Learn or refresh your learning about the distinct differences between adolescence and young adulthood (18-25).
  • Build better relationships with young adults with these easy-to-use strategies.
  • Check your approach with the “Tiers of Influence,”
  • Discover the “factors of functioning” and
  • Find out how much you can influence and help during this developmental stage.

Download the resource and do it on your own time!

Though “Freshman Success” was originally developed for staff development, the resource can easily be reviewed by an individual on their own time, used for professional development or for departmental meetings.  And though information in the presentation is based on older research, even with the internet and social media, at their core, young people haven’t changed significantly in the last decade. Plus, you may think that now that your young person has reached the end of their teens, they shouldn’t need you anymore. “Freshman Success” will show you how they can still use your help and guidance.

Don’t Delay, Download the “Freshman Success” Resource Today

It’s the best way to support your older teen, freshman or college student. Plus, you’ll have fun creating the presentation’s “Recipe for Success” for them!

If you would like more information, check out the resource’s description here and don’t forget to tell your friends. They will need “Freshman Success” too!