Classroom Strategies
Kagan has developed many different intervention strategies ("structures") that teachers can use in the classroom. Kagan has developed over 200 such structures that deal with students’ misbehaving in the classroom and how a teacher should respond to it. His book, Win-Win Discipline, goes more in-depth on these specific structures and how to implement them into the classroom.
He suggests that when teachers are witnesses to a student’s misbehavior, they need to realize what "position" the student is coming from and apply a moment-of-disruption structure that helps redirect the behavior. These types of structures (such as "Picture It Right," "Make a Better Choice," and "To You... To Me") are designed to redirect student behavior to a responsible behavior that is appropriate for the classroom.
If moment-of-disruption structures are not producing desirable results in student behavior, Kagan suggests using follow-up structures as needed for additional assistance in behaving responsibly. These can range from trying a new moment-of-disruption structure, directly practicing appropriate behavior, or specific structures such as "Same-Side Chat," where a teacher and student talk together in a friendly manner to get to know each other better. This allows a student-teacher relationship to form where they both see themselves as working on the same side to reach the same goal. Another example is "Reestablishing Expectations," which is where a teacher discusses with a student the expectations concerning rules, procedures, and routines in the classroom.
Long-term structures are used after moment-of-disruption structures produce desirable results; these are more self-reflective and help students develop life skills such as getting along with others, being self-directing, and controlling volatile emotions. The whole purpose of this structure is for students to learn to control themselves responsibly in a variety of situations.
He suggests that when teachers are witnesses to a student’s misbehavior, they need to realize what "position" the student is coming from and apply a moment-of-disruption structure that helps redirect the behavior. These types of structures (such as "Picture It Right," "Make a Better Choice," and "To You... To Me") are designed to redirect student behavior to a responsible behavior that is appropriate for the classroom.
If moment-of-disruption structures are not producing desirable results in student behavior, Kagan suggests using follow-up structures as needed for additional assistance in behaving responsibly. These can range from trying a new moment-of-disruption structure, directly practicing appropriate behavior, or specific structures such as "Same-Side Chat," where a teacher and student talk together in a friendly manner to get to know each other better. This allows a student-teacher relationship to form where they both see themselves as working on the same side to reach the same goal. Another example is "Reestablishing Expectations," which is where a teacher discusses with a student the expectations concerning rules, procedures, and routines in the classroom.
Long-term structures are used after moment-of-disruption structures produce desirable results; these are more self-reflective and help students develop life skills such as getting along with others, being self-directing, and controlling volatile emotions. The whole purpose of this structure is for students to learn to control themselves responsibly in a variety of situations.