Capturing Kids’ Hearts

Julie Hawkins, Carissa Jackson, Trina Nguyen, Hannah Tubbs

 What is it? ---Video---
This video is straight from the flippen group
that shows how to create high-achieving
centers of learning. The teachers and
administrators learn and practice skills they
will use and model in the classrooms,
schools, and districts. Educators learn the
process of connecting with kids by
consistently treating each one as valuable.
Educators learn the process that creates
connectedness in the classroom.
 ---Medium Control---
● Control of student behavior is a joint responsibility
○ Students initially given ownership in controlling their behavior
● Teacher focuses primarily on the collective needs of the whole group
● Rules and procedures developed together (teacher + students)
○ Social contract
○ Teacher role: reinforcer of rules, guide students’ behavior, assists students in
acknowledging consequences of their actions
● Logical consequences, cooperative discipline, non coercive approaches, discipline with
dignity
● Discipline is interactive; acknowledges students’ contributions
 ---Approach/Focus---
● Building meaningful and
productive relationships with
students and colleagues.
● Create safe and effective
learning environment.
● Create self-managing, high
performing classrooms
through team-building.
Goal: “turn problem classrooms
into problem solving centers of
learning” through relationship
building
 “The invisible Backpack”
● Students carry with them unrealistic
expectations, stressful home situations,
hunger, abuse, and loneliness. These
aspects negatively affect students
educational experiences
● Barriers that must be broken/addressed
to ensure productive learning
● “Will you see me, will you know me, will
you help me”
Building relationships >
Fostering Connectedness
● “Tends to the
social/emotional needs of
students/educators”
● When you show students that
you care and respect them as
individuals, they “buy in”
 ---Student/Teacher Relationships ---
● “Students connect positive impressions of school with positive images
of teachers” (Yeager, 2004)
○ Empathize, actively listen, understand
○ Favorite teacher > teacher who invests
○ Emotional needs matter too
○ Developing rapport + building trust
○ Learn about your students
 ---Excel---
● A Scorecard for feedback
● Web-based and confidential
● Allows people to provide qualitative and
quantitative feedback on behavior
● Takes less than 5 minutes to complete
● The questions are chosen according to where
you work (values chosen...etc.)
---Outcomes---
● You are able to get Confidential
feedback
● You are able to track students’ behavior
● You are able to distribute scorecards
easily
● You are able to have students become
aware of their behavior
 --- Practical Strategies---
● Greet your students at the door everyday, listening and understanding to what they say.
● Begin class everyday with “Good things” (2 minutes asking students to share good things
that happened since the last time they met.)
● Demonstrate SOLER listening skills:
○ S- Square up to the person you are listening to
○ O-Open posture
○ L-Lean in
○ E-Eye-contact
○ R-Relax and Respond
 ---Cont. Practical Strategies---
● Learn about your student’s lives through
informal actions and asking questions.
● Use positive human relations skills when
working with your students
● Provide students with opportunities for
real success and to see their improvements
● Model your expectations and good behavior
● Give high expectations and clear feedback
● Be fair and consistent in your treatment
● Be sensitive to student’s differences
● Promote personal discussions and
interactions
● Utilize more positive statements instead
of negatives
● Listen to your students
● Show your students that you care for and
respect them
 ---Outcomes---
● Strengthened student connectedness - healthy student/teacher relationships
● Higher Student Attendance - students want to be there!
● Consistent rules = Decrease in Discipline Referrals
○ When students feel respected, they respect others.
● Increase in Graduation Rates
● Improved test scores
● High Teacher Retention -Less conflict
● foster Student Academic Achievement/ Performance
○ Ultimate goal!
---Activity---
 ---References---
Burden, P. (2010/2013). Classroom management: Creating a successful K-12 learning community (6th
Edition,Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)
Flippen Group. (n.d.). Capturing Kids' Hearts. Retrieved from
https://flippengroup.com/education-solutions/capturing-kids-hearts/
Flippen Group. (n.d.). Solutions for Educators: Capturing Kids' Hearts 1. Retrieved from
https://flippengroup.com/education/capturing-kids-hearts-1/
Yeager, Walter Lee, Jr. (2006). The effect of the Capturing Kids' Hearts staff development program in fostering
positive teacher-student relationships at Jane Long Middle School in Bryan ISD. Doctoral dissertation, Texas
A&M University. Texas A&M University. Available electronically from http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/403.
1.