1. Restorative Practices: Affective Statements and Classroom Circles
Stephanie Martinez & Lauren Evanovich
USF FL-PBIS Project
Set the room up as a circle. If there are too many participants for one circle then do a circle inside of a circle.

2. Objectives
Define the term “social emotional learning” and “restorative practices”
Define the elements of affective statements and classroom circles.
Practice affective statements and classroom circles.
Develop a plan for implementing affective statements and classroom circles.
Rationale: These are the objectives guiding this training. By the end these are the things we would like for you to know and have strategies to help schools develop their RP practices.

3. Agenda
Restorative Practices (RP) and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Overview
Affective Statements
Classroom Circles
Action Planning
Rationale: Participants always like to know the content/topics that will be covered during the training.

4. The Buzz on Restorative Practices
What is Social Emotional Learning (SEL)?
What is all the buzz around restorative practices?

5. Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Restorative Practices (RP) Overview
Rationale: This section provides an overview of the philosophy of RP and SEL and the elements that are critical in a RP system. The content is meant to make sure all participants have the same understanding of RP. We’ll go into more detail on two proactive practices a little later.

6. What is Social Emotional Learning (SEL)?
“Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.”
Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

7. Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) http://www.casel.org/what-is-sel/

8. What is Restorative Practices?
"The emerging field of restorative practices is the study of restoring and developing social capital, social discipline, emotional well-being, and civic participation through participatory learning and decision making.“
International Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP)

9. A restorative approach aims to…
Repair HARM
To a relationship
To the community
To the offender, that created the conditions for his/her actions
Rationale: If you had to summarize RD practices in the fewest words possible, here you go.
People respond best when you do things with them, not to or for them.

10. Guiding Principles of RP
Relationships
Central to building an inclusive community
Build systems that develop & strengthen healthy relationships
Respect
Provide a voice for the victim
Improve social behavior of staff & students
Responsibility
Emphasis placed on the harm rather than the offense
Understand the impact of the harm
Restoration
Collaborative problem solving
Empowers change & growth
Reintegration
Offender is welcomed back into the environment
Guiding Principles of RP
5 R’s
Rationale: This slide helps to identify and explain the five guiding principles/areas of focus that guide the implementation of Restorative Practices in schools.
Trainer Notes:
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These are sometimes referred to as “The 5 R’s,” which stands for “Relationships,” “Respect,” “Responsibility,” “Restoration,” and “Reintegration.” Each of these principles are central to the philosophy of restorative practices and critical to the way in which restorative practices are delivered.
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“Relationships” are the cornerstone of Restorative Pracitices, as many of the practices within the RP continuum are most effective when authentic relationships between students, and between teachers and students, are in place. A comprehensive approach to RP includes a deliberate focus on building relationships throughout the school, and creating systems to help establish and strengthen healthy relationships.
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“Respect” is a critical feature inherent in every aspect of restorative practice, and a defining aspect of interactions between individuals. Offenders are treated with the same degree of respect as their victims, while maintaining respect for the experience of the person (or persons) experiencing harm. Maintaining respect for all parties allows the victim to have a voice in the disciplinary process, and helps to improve the behavior of the students and staff members involved.
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With restorative discipline, “Responsibility” is learned by understanding the impact one’s actions have on others, and agreeing to be accountable for engaging in those actions.
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“Restoration” is the process through which the offender demonstrates accountability for their actions. The victim is an active participant in identifying how this will take place, using a collaborative problem-solving process with the assistance of a mediator. Retribution is not the end-result of this process; instead, the goal to identify strategies to alleviate the harm caused by the offender’s actions. Many times this can be achieved through careful discussion and out-of-the-box thinking, empowering all of the parties involved and encouraging personal growth.
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“Reintegration” is the final guiding principle of restorative discipline, which refers to the steps taken to ensure the offender is welcomed back into his or her community following their offense. It is meant to restore the positive relationship between the offender and their community, setting the stage for renewed engagement and positive interactions.
Eber, 2015; SFUSD; Gonsoulin, Schiff, and Hatheway 2013; IIRP, 2012; Restorative Practices Workgroup, 2014

11. Goals of RP Positive relationships are shared by all stakeholders
Reduction in number of offenses may be a by-product of positive relationships, strong community
Inclusive school community
Less reliance on exclusionary discipline practices
RP is incompatible with an approach that focuses on punitive, exclusionary consequences
Needs of community members, including the offender, are addressed
Stakeholder voice & collaboration is evident in practices
Rationale: This slide provides the participants the goals/outcomes of having RD practices in place at a schools.
Trainer Notes:
The goals and likely outcomes of RP include positive relationships between students, teachers, and families. These positive relationships are believed to be a preventative factor for problem behaviors, which can lead to a lower rate of office referrals and suspensions.
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In addition to improved relationships, the philosophy of restorative discipline includes a strong emphasis on community, which includes a greater emphasis on inclusion for students who might otherwise be removed from the classroom because of their behavior.
This emphasis on inclusion would likewise support a reduction in exclusionary discipline practices, as exclusion would be the opposite of an approach that advocates for positive relationships and community.
A school that implements RP with fidelity is a school that provides a range of supports to its students, many of which are at least partially determined by students and their families. These supports may be offered to offenders as a way of addressing the conditions that led the offender to bring harm to a victim or the community.
Restorative approaches share a common goal of giving the victims of harm a voice in the resolution of the incident. Because of this, students, families and community stakeholders are seen as partners in the educational process, rather than just recipients of services provided by the school.
People may disagree with some of these goals. For example, the student does need exclusionary practices. Think of 1-2 ways to address any disagreements participants may have with each bullet point. For example, for the student who needs exclusionary practices-ask them if the exclusionary practice teachers the replacement behavior, the answer is “No”. The student may do the same behavior again if no reintegration takes place, the students does not have the skills to handle a similar situation again the in future. Key here is the reintegration piece. Think about similar response for the other bullet points.

12. Categories of Practices
Proactive
Responsive Practices
Prevention & Skill building
Affective statements
Circles (variety of circles may be included)
Informal conferences
Disciplinary actions
Restorative chat
Restorative meeting/conference
Restorative circle
Mediation (and shuttle mediation)
Peer juries
Alternatives to suspension/expulsion
Family Group conferences
Community restorative conferencing
Rationale: This slide explains that RP practices could be divided into two categories – practices that take place before a misbehavior, and practices that take place after a misbehavior.
Trainer Notes:
RP practices can be used both as a proactive, preventative measure as well as a reactive measure. Most people only think of RP practices as reactive measures. For a school to be considered fully implementing RP practices they need to be implementing practices on both sides-proactive and responsive. At first it may seem like a lot more work to have both practices in place. However, the ultimate goal is that by having the proactive and responsive strategies in place, students will be building the relationships necessary for the responsive practices to be most effective. However, even when the school has the proactive measures in place there will still be incidents that require the responsive measures, thus the reason for needing both in place. For the purposes of this training the focus will solely be in the proactive RP practices and specifically affective statements and circles within the classroom. In order for students to participate in the responsive practices the students must have the skills learned during the proactive practices (empathy, problem solving, taking responsibility, participation in circles, etc.)

13. Preventative strategies
RP Across the Tiers
Community Restorative Conferencing
Family Group Conferencing (FGC)
Family Group Decision Making (FGDM)
Peer juries
Peer mediation
Shuttle mediation
Mediation
Restorative meetings
Restorative conversations
Informal conferences
Problem-solving circles
Restorative questioning
Affective statements & scripts
“Checking-In” circles
Using social/emotional curriculum
RP has the strongest impact when implemented as a whole-school, preventative approach to discipline
McCluskey et al., 2011
Structure
Reactive strategies
Rationale: This slide highlights that there are a continuum of RP practices that may be used school-wide with all students, with small groups of students, and with individual students for intense incidents.
Trainer Notes:
Noting the limitations of RP when implemented in a piecemeal fashion, it is still possible to conceive of a continuum of RP practices that could be used in combination, or individually as needed, within a multi-tiered system of support, or MTSS.
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For example, some schools or classrooms have utilized social/emotional curricula that reflect restorative principles, such as the Responsive Classroom or the Caring School Community. The structure of the circle process has been utilized by some as a way to organize morning meetings, while others have taught the value of using affective statements within their conflict resolution programs. Moving into strategies that reflect more of a reactive approach to RP, many school administrators naturally use informal “restorative chats” as a way of conferencing with students sent to their office for misbehavior, while other schools have included strategies such as peer mediation or peer juries to address more serious misbehaviors. The types of practices that are used, as well as the structure of the practices, may vary depending on a school capacity for implementing the different strategies, as well as the school’s overall philosophy regarding discipline.
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Similarly, the formality (or degree of structure) of different restorative practices can vary, with some strategies being used in a very casual manner, while others are more reflective of a formal disciplinary hearing.
Typically, informal interventions tend to be more preventative in nature, as they are intended to improve relationships and social development between students or staff, and occur prior to the infliction of any harm. Meanwhile, many of the more formal restorative practices are those that are utilized after some harm has occurred. These are used with the intent of trying to repair the harm and relationship between the individuals involved. However, do not let the terms “informal” and “formal” make you believe that the informal strategies do not require structure and planning, because the structure of each restorative practice needs to be planned in advance in order for the time to be effective.
Preventative strategies

14. Restorative Practices for Addressing SEL
Affective Statements
Teaching Empathy
Classroom Circles
Understand and manage emotions
Set and achieve positive goals
Feel and show empathy for others
Establish and maintain positive relationships
Making responsible decisions
Restorative Questioning
Informal Conferences

15. Common Restorative Practices
Rationale: This next section will provide an explanation of what the common practices that a school may utilize when implementing RP practices. The participants will gain a better understanding of what these practices are and how they may “look” when implemented at a school. There is a continuum from proactive to reactive. This training will only focus on two of the proactive practices.
Trainer Notes:
Suggestion: To quickly get a feel for the audience knowledge on these practices you may want to do a quick poll. Ask the larger group with a show of hands—
a. Have you facilitated a social skills group?
b. Have you ever mediated conversations between peers?
c. Have you ever had a group discussion around a class problem? If audience seems confused reference that this is similar to a morning meeting.
These questions are meant to see if schools are doing some features of RP practices. Sometimes schools have practices in place that share features with RP practices. If they do have practices in place that have some key features of RP this may be the place for them to start with the implementation. It may be easier for them to tweak something they are already doing, and it may be a way to get staff buy-in, when they think it is something similar to something already being done at the school instead of putting something new into practice.
Affective statements, circles, conferences, & reintegration procedures

16. Types of Restorative Practices
Affective Statements
Everyday usage
“I” statements
Describes how something made you feel
Circles
Morning meetings
Social/emotional instruction (e.g. empathy)
Problem-solving class-wide issues
Restorative Conferences
Informal conference
Restorative meeting and chats
Restorative conferences
Reintegration Procedures
Restore relationship between offender & victim
Classroom and/ or office-managed offenses
Match to severity of incident
Rationale: This slide provides a definition of the RP practices. Some of these are proactive and preventative practices (i.e. affective statements, and some of the circles), some can be utilized as both proactive and responsive practices (i.e. circles and chats), and as responses practices (i.e. conferences and reintegration)
Trainer Notes:
Each of these sections are explained in greater detail in the following slides. This is just a brief overview of three main categories we will cover.
Prevention and skill building RP practices are intended to build a common language, teach empathy, and develop positive relationships between students and students as well as students to staff. These strategies are put into place proactively as an attempt to prevent problem behaviors from occurring, and to help students build the relationships for reactive RP practices to have the most effect.
Staff and students are taught to use affective or “I” statements to describe how they feel and should be used on a daily basis.
Class circles may be used for different purposes, including teaching social emotional skills or addressing a minor problem that has commonly been occurring (i.e. trash being left on the floor of the classroom daily). Circles could also be used to establish team norms, review academic concepts, or just give students and staff members an opportunity to connect with one another. Circles sometimes include a talking piece, which helps the participants take turns talking during the process. Morning meetings are typically done class-wide.
Restorative conferences can range from informal conferences for minor behaviors to restorative meetings and chats for persistent problem behaviors to formal restorative conferencing for the most intense behavioral incidents.
Reintegration procedures aren’t unique to restorative practices; we’ve discussed them as part of our discipline process for school-wide PBIS, too. However, RP places more of an emphasis on the procedures, as they are seen as an important to restoring the relationship between the offender, victim & community.

17. Affective Statements

18. Teaching Empathy
What do you need to teach empathy to students?

19. I feel frustrated when you don’t address my questions during training.
Affective Statements
“Personal expressions of feeling in response to specific positive or negative behaviors of others.”
‘I statements’
Makes ‘offender’ aware of the impact of their actions; refers to the behavior not the person
Changes the dynamic between individuals
Teaches the empathy-skill necessary for all other RP practices
Rationale: This slide explains “Affective Statements”.
Trainer Notes:
This is the building block for teaching empathy to students. Typically these are “I statement” sharing with the students how something made you feel. Encourage your students to use these statements with you when they are happy, frustrated, upset, angry. Also, encourage them to use them to express how they are feeling with their peers.
Ask the participants if they notice anything similar or different in three examples provided? The similarities include that they all start with “I” followed by a feeling statement (i.e. “feel frustrated”, “ feel angry”, “feel happy”). See if they can identify that 2 of the 3 responses are negative emotions (i.e. frustrated, angry) one in regards to a student misbehavior. The third response convey a positive emotion (i.e. happy) in response to a behavior that demonstrates a pro-social behavior.
Stress that affective statements should be used for all types of emotions as a way of building emotional awareness and skill with expressing emotions. This may feel weird, uncomfortable or awkward at first doing this but after practice but over time it may become more natural and how we talk in our classroom/school. As students get older, then they may be a need to identify a rationale for “why” they are being taught to use affective statements. Make these statements age appropriate, i.e. for high school students letting them know that they is providing them a way to have a voice in what is going on.
Suggestions: To assist staff with implementing affective statements, you could have a word wall of emotions, emotional wheel, sentence stems (see samples ones on the activity), etc. This may be helpful for staff to get over the uncomfortable and awkward feeling of putting affective statements in place.
I feel frustrated when you don’t address my questions during training.
I feel angry when you disrupt the class because it makes it harder for other students to learn.
I feel happy when you complete your homework because it shows me how well you understand the topic.
International Institute for Restorative Practices:

20. “I” Statement Format: Step 1
Step 1: Refer to the Behavior
When I’m shouted at I ……
When I’m sworn at I ……
When I hear please and thank you I ……
When I see you following directions the first time ……
When I hear you talking while I am talking ……
When I see you come in late ……
When I see you raise your hand ……
Number participants off (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,) and ask them to fill in the blank for the number they were assigned

21. “I” Statement Format: Step 2
Step 2: State how the Behavior Affects You
I feel unappreciated because ...
I feel hurt because…
I feel appreciate because…
I am concerned that…
I get scared that…
I feel respected by…
I feel disrespected by …
Number participants off (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,) and ask them to fill in the blank for the number they were assigned

22. “I” Statement Format I feel ______ when you ______ because ______
First, ask participants to think of a time recently with a family member that they got upset by their actions and turn it into an “I” statement. Ask for a few people to share.
Second, ask participants to think of a time recently that a student did something wonderful/fabulous and ask them to use an “I” statement that they could share back with the student. Ask for a few people to share.

23. Affective Statements: Practice Time
Find a partner and identify two “I” Statements
Positive Emotion
Negative Emotion

24. Additional Examples
A father wants his young child to stop calling him rude names during playtime.
Common response: “Hey! If you call me a rude name one more time, I’m going to send you straight to bed!”
“I” statement response: “I feel very sad when I hear rude words because they hurt my feelings. I like playing with people who use nice words.”
A woman becomes angry when her sister borrows her favorite coat and returns it with stains and a tear.
Common response: “You ruined my jacket! Are you ever going to grow up?!”
“I” statement response: “I am upset that my coat was damaged because I can’t afford to replace it. I really appreciate it when the things I loan out are taken care of.”
 A teenage boy is annoyed with his parents, who ask him several times each night if he has completed his homework.
Common response: “Lay off me!”
“I” statement response: “I feel frustrated and annoyed when I am reminded over and over to do my homework. I am old enough now to complete my homework without reminders.”

25. Affective Statements: Practice Time
School-Wide Expectation
Sample Scenario
Affective Statement 1
Affective Statement 2
Be Respectful
Gary helps Fred by holding the door for him while he walks into the classroom
I am happy to see holding the door for Fred because it shows respect.
I am so touched to see that you held the door open for Fred because it shows you saw he may have difficulty with his hands full.
 Be Safe
Johnny is running in the hall and bumps into Jose
 Be Responsible
Sariah has her backpack and is ready to leave when her mom calls her.
Show Self-Control
Lawrence is having a hard time with his math homework. When his dad asks if he needs help yells at him to leave him alone.
Ask a participants to read the first sample scenario (i.e. Be Respectful) and the two affective statements, Linked to their school specific SW-PBIS, and share those out.
Ask a participant to read the second scenario (i.e. Be Safe). Tell participants to turn to a partner and share a response. Ask participants to share back some examples. Repeat for Be Responsible and Show Self-Control.

26. 10 8 6 3 2 5 9 7 4 1 Action Planning Time – Affective Statements
10 min. 10 8 6 3 2 5 9 7 4 1
Time to Share! 26

27. Additional Resources Sample Lesson Plans:

28. Circles

29. Circles A structured process for bringing people together to:
Understand one another
Strengthen bonds
Share & understand feelings
Solve problems
Problem Solving
Sentencing
Reintegration
Checking- In
Peace- making
Rationale: This slide provide a definition of the term “circles”. Circles are one of the key practices for RP. The term “circle” is used frequently in RP.
Trainer Notes:
Animation starts automatically.
Circles may be used as a preventative, proactive practices (those circles in green) as well as a reactive practice to address a situation where a person was harmed (those circles in blue).
No matter the reason for the use of the circle, they all share common characteristics and practices. These common characteristics and practices will be covered in the next two slides.
Question: What is a sentencing circle? Answer: folks gather together after a harm has occurred to decide what will be done about it. Focus on the overall purpose of circles at your schools; there are many different terms in RD that refer to very similar practices.
Suggestion: refer to “sharing feelings” to “understanding feelings”
Community Building
Morning Meetings
Celebration
Healing
Restorative
Kay Pranis (2005): The Little Book of Circle Processes. Good Books Publishing, PA.

30. Topography of a Circle Participants sit in circle
All members have equal status
Designated facilitator
Identify expectations:
Be Honest
Speak with respect
Follow structure
Everyone has the opportunity to participate
Participation is encouraged but optional
Rationale: This slide describes the characteristics that define what makes “a circle” a circle.
Trainer Notes:
These are the foundations to conducting circles. Each bullet needs to be addressed prior to conducting a circle. It is important for all members to understand that they have equal status in the circle and participation is optional.
Sitting in a circle facilitates eye contact & communication, reinforces the idea that all members are equal.
Equal status applies to the classroom teacher, too. Circles are an opportunity to build relationships with their teachers as well as other students; in order for that to happen their teacher must be willing to participate as an equal human being.
More on the facilitator’s role on the next slide.
The identified behavioral expectations are just examples. The facilitator of the circle would want to set the expectations that work for his or her group, and they could be the same as the school-wide expectations. However, respect is non-negotiable – it is the heart of restorative procedures.
While everyone has the opportunity and is encouraged to participate, they are not required to. If a student is consistently reluctant to participate, it should be an issue to follow up on individually (in private).

31. Components of a Class Circle
Greeting/ Focusing Moment
Connection/ Feelings Check-In
Activity
Closing
Rationale: Each Class Circle must include these four components: Greeting/Focus Moment, Feeling Check-in, Activity, & Closing
Trainer Notes:
These four parts of necessary to run a class circle. Each part will be explained in greater detail on the following slides. Facilitators of circles should not skip any of these parts in order to maintain fidelity to the process of running a circle. Each part is integral to have an effective circle.

32. Greeting/Focus Moment
Greeting/Focusing moment
Happens first to set positive tone
Everyone in circle is included
Their name is said once
Respectful and friendly
Short time frame (between two to five minutes)
Examples of Greetings:
Group greeting
Match card greeting
Spider web greeting
I wonder…
Rationale: This slide reviews the purpose of the greeting/focusing moment and provides examples of what that might look like.
Trainer Notes:
Emphasize that the greeting and focusing moment need to happen first to set a positive tone, get all the participants ready to participate (e.g., behavioral momentum). This should be a quick part of the circle but every person in the circle should be acknowledged.
Explanation of examples on slide:
Group greeting is when a person says their name and everyone greets them at once
Match card greeting– one student gets a math problem 3 X 2 and another person gets 6 and they have to find their match
Spider web greeting- using a ball of yarn, one student starts and rolls ball to person on another side of circle and greets them. The student greets them back and rolls it to another student continuing until all students are greeted and then go backwards to roll ball of yarn back up.
I wonder…..Have index cards with lots of different questions for example—If you could be any superhero, who would be? Why? If you could have one wish come true, what would it be? Why?
Focusing moment
Example: Close eyes/look down take a deep breath & count to 5. Take another deep breath & count backwards from 5. Feel free to add a couple of cycles to this to help the group calm down & focus.
Greeting –Explain how participants will greet one another. Be sure to describe & model the necessary steps. Social skills (like eye contact, quality hand shake, clear & audible voice) count.
Source:
Examples adapted from

33. Examples of Greetings
Group greeting is when a person says their name and everyone greets them at once
Match card greeting– one student gets a math problem 3 X 2 and another person gets 6 and they have to find their match
Spider web greeting- using a ball of yarn, one student starts and rolls ball to person on another side of circle and greets them. The student greets them back and rolls it to another student continuing until all students are greeted and then go backwards to roll ball of yarn back up.
I wonder…..Have index cards with lots of different questions for example—If you could be any superhero, who would be? Why? If you could have one wish come true, what would it be? Why?
Other Ideas??
Examples adapted from
Pick one and practice

34. Examples of Focus Moment
Focusing moment
Close eyes/look down take a deep breath & count to 5. Take another deep breath & count backwards from 5. Feel free to add a couple of cycles to this to help the group calm down & focus.
Close your eyes and visual your happy place (i.e. beach, mountains, lake, snow, etc.)
Develop a chant the students can say (i.e. Never Give Up: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible)
Other Ideas??
Examples adapted from
Pick one and practice

35. Connection/Feelings Check-in
Keep it fresh – use a variety of greetings
Connection/Feelings Check-in
Builds relationships among students
Creates connections among teachers and students and school and home
Encourages multiple perspectives
All have a chance to share
Rationale: The purpose of this slide is to expand on what a connection/feelings check-in is and the ways to facilitate this part of the circle
Trainer notes:
Emphasize that the purpose of the connection is to help build relationships among students. Everyone has the chance to share but it is not mandatory if someone does not feel like sharing. Respect where everyone is that day.
Feelings Check in: “Whose a five today?”
This is a very brief way of checking in with your participants/students, seeing how they feel today. Here’s a sample scale:
5 = Couldn’t be better, feeling energized and happy, excited for the day to begin
4 = Feeling pretty happy, relaxed, feeling relatively optimistic about the day
3 = So-So, relaxed, not particularly excited or happy but still alert & engaged
2 = Not terrible, a little low energy, not particularly motivated to be here
1 = Feeling really bad, really low energy, pull the covers up over they’re head.
Note: If a participants report that they are a “1,” the facilitator should prompt the group to address this in a positive way. For example: facilitator says “I’m sorry to hear that! I’m glad you made it in today even if you’re not feeling very good. Hopefully we can help you feel a little better as the day goes on. Can someone in our group offer [participant’s name] a little encouragement to get [him/her] going?” Praise the student who provides encouragement

36. Examples: Connection/Feelings Check-in
“Whose a five today?”
This is a very brief way of checking in with your participants/students, seeing how they feel today. Here’s a sample scale:
5 = Couldn’t be better, feeling energized and happy, excited for the day to begin
4 = Feeling pretty happy, relaxed, feeling relatively optimistic about the day
3 = So-So, relaxed, not particularly excited or happy but still alert & engaged
2 = Not terrible, a little low energy, not particularly motivated to be here
1 = Feeling really bad, really low energy, I would rather be somewhere else
Practice this with the audience

37. Circle Activity Makes up the bulk of the circle
Can have many different purposes:
To discuss a classroom issue
Example: Issue with name-calling
To review school-wide expectations
Example: review what ‘be respectful’ looks like in the classroom
To review procedures
Example: Review the process for getting ready for lunch
To teach social/emotional skills
Example: How to handle disappointment
Rationale: Provide ideas of the many ways the activity section of the circle can be used.
Trainer Notes:
Circles can be used for a variety of issues. Determine the purpose of the circle prior to deciding on the activity, and make sure students have the skills necessary to participate. Start with simple and fun activities early in the year, increase the complexity as students demonstrate greater fluency with circle procedures and activities.
Examples:
To discuss a classroom issue: If name-calling has been an issue with several students in the class, the activity can center on this issue with students brainstorming why this might be happening, how it feels when someone calls you a name and alternative behaviors to name calling.
To review school-wide expectations: If one of your school-wide expectations is “be respectful’, the activity during circle can focus on aspects of what being respectful looks like. Students can give examples of when they saw other classmates being respectful and complimenting each other when they are demonstrating respect.
To review procedures: If there have been issues with students following the procedure for lining up for lunch, use activity time to review what the procedure is and give students the opportunity to brainstorm why the procedure isn’t being followed and ways the class can improve on getting ready for lunch
To teacher social/emotional skills: The activity could focus on a social/emotional skill that the facilitator (teacher) has determined many students in the class need to learn and or practice.
Activities can focus on community-building:
The purpose of the activity building circle activity is to help participants/students get to know each other, establish a positive atmosphere and begin to build trust. The activity should be fun and something everyone can take part in.
Some ideas for a circle activity:
“When the cold wind blows, it blows for anyone who _______.” The trainer gets up and removes his/her chair from the circle. He/She gets this activity started by finishing the sentence with a characteristic reflecting an interest, hobby, or family (e.g., “has more than two siblings;” “owns a dog;” “has a hard time getting up in the morning;” “is left-handed.”). Everyone in the circle who shares that characteristic stands up, and tries to grab one of the remaining seats (not their own!). If they are left standing, they are the next one to finish the “cold wind blows” sentence.
Name race. Seated or standing in a circle, participants see how quickly they can say their names one time around the circle. The trainer times the rounds to compare results. Variations: Go faster and faster. You can try to set your best time for first names only and then try with first and last names or first, middle and last names. You can go the opposite direction around the circle and use nicknames. (A stopwatch is useful!) As you have fun with the Name Race, the participants’ names become more familiar and the community more connected.
Talking cards: Trainer distributes 2 note cards to each participant, asks them “What would help students make friends more easily at school and do well academically?” The question can be adapted to fit your audience (e.g., “What would help PBIS coaches feel supported and do well professionally?”). One answer per card (“feel supported” goes on one card, “do well professionally” goes on the second card). Participants/students write one idea on each note card, and the trainer collects & shuffles the cards. Volunteers read the answers to the group & another records the ideas, grouping similar ideas together. The group discusses the answers.

38. Using Circles to Teach Necessary Skills
Why use circles in addition to existing teaching methods?
Additional tool for teaching and/or re-teaching
Existing lesson plans do not address social/ emotional learning
Circle structure offers benefits beyond traditional classroom arrangements.
Reactive circles support problem-solving skills for addressing problem behavior
Rationale: Teams may be asking or thinking, Why use circles for teaching? Why not continue with their school-wide assemblies, video lessons, worksheets, etc. that we have already been using within PBIS? They certainly have that option. This slide provides an explanation of using circles as a tool to teach the SW expectations
Trainer Notes:
There are multiple ways to teach the pro-social behaviors we want to see in our students. If teaching is already taking place through lesson plans for expectations and rules, schools can continue to utilize these methods, and potentially add in more social/emotional skills to support RD practices. Alternatively, schools could add-in circles as an additional method for teaching and re-teaching expectations and giving students the opportunity to discuss why a certain expectation isn’t being met.
The structure of the circle with emphasis on equal status and opportunity to speak to everyone can be a more effective arrangement than than traditional settings.
Circles can be used to problem-solve problem behavior and practice social skills.

39. Examples of Circles at a School
Introduce and re-teach expectations and rules to students
Provide lesson on social-emotional learning
Address a class-wide behavior issue (i.e. disruption, name calling)
Address a schoolwide issue (i.e. hallway issues, event on campus that impacted all students)
Address an issue with a group of students (i.e. 6th grade in the cafeteria, behavior on bus route 202)
Provide Tier 2 supports (i.e social skills training)
Staff are in disagreement about “gum” chewing on campus
Staff are inconsistent with performing hallway duty
Can also be used to teach academic skills (i.e. math facts, states & capitals, words and definitions)
Other:
Practice one of these.
Here is a good suggestion: To review school-wide expectations: If one of your school-wide expectations is “be respectful’, the activity during circle can focus on aspects of what being respectful looks like. Students can give examples of when they saw other classmates being respectful and complimenting each other when they are demonstrating respect.

40. Closing Use a signal that indicates the circle is closing Reflections
What went well
What did they learn
What do they need to do as a result of activity or discussion
“Daily News” – Review the schedule for the day
Rationale: This slide breaks down the purpose of the ‘closing’ and examples of what to do during closing.
Trainer Notes:
It is important that there is a way of bringing the circle to a close. Depending on the purpose of the circle, the closing should reflect what went well, what they learned and what any follow-up activities might be, if any were identified in the course of the circle.
Morning advisories, which are another kind of circle, add on a component called “Daily News,” which reviews the schedule for the day so everyone knows what to expect.
Two-word checkout--- each student picks two words to describe their thoughts of circle that day
Reflective questioning- Facilitator asks specific questions related to the activity of the circle to have students reflect on the the topic. Based on the topic discussed student could share back one take-away from the circle (i.e., one thing they learned, one thing they will do differently).
You could also develop a class chant/ saying/ pledge for the circle close; involve your students in the development of this, and have fun with it.

41. Examples: Closing Two-word check out Reflective questioning
Student-developed closing
Song
Chant
Pledge
Rationale: This slide breaks down the purpose of the ‘closing’ and examples of what to do during closing.
Trainer Notes:
It is important that there is a way of bringing the circle to a close. Depending on the purpose of the circle, the closing should reflect what went well, what they learned and what any follow-up activities might be, if any were identified in the course of the circle.
Morning advisories, which are another kind of circle, add on a component called “Daily News,” which reviews the schedule for the day so everyone knows what to expect.
Two-word checkout--- each student picks two words to describe their thoughts of circle that day
Reflective questioning- Facilitator asks specific questions related to the activity of the circle to have students reflect on the the topic. Based on the topic discussed student could share back one take-away from the circle (i.e., one thing they learned, one thing they will do differently).
You could also develop a class chant/ saying/ pledge for the circle close; involve your students in the development of this, and have fun with it.
Practice with this with a two-word check out

42. Putting it All Together: Circles Practice
Greeting/ Focusing Moment
Connection/ Feelings Check-In
Activity
Closing
Practice a circle of your choice, here is a suggestion. You can either facilitate the circle or ask someone who feels comfortable to lead the circle. I suggest using a Round Robin format.
Greeting/Focusing Moment: Everyone will say there name, they will state the one superpower they wish they had, when finished everyone will repeat their name back to them.
Connection/Feelings Check-in: Go in a circle and ask everyone to say one word to describe how they are felling
Activity: Ask the participants to state one way they think they can see their school either implementing affective statements or circles at their school
Closing: Ask everyone to close their eyes. Ask them to visualize their happy place. Tell them to focus on the sights, sounds, smells of their happy place. Give them 30 seconds to visualize. After 30 seconds countdown backwards from 10 and then ask them to open their eyes.

43. Fidelity Check: Components of a Class Circle
Greeting/Focusing Moment
Connections/Feelings Check-In
Activity
Closing
Ask for participants for feedback about the fidelity of the 4 parts of the circle

45. Action Planning Time - Circles
10 min. 10 8 6 3 2 5 9 7 4 1
Time to Share! 45

46. Data Action Planning

47. The Buzz on RP Practices
How are you going to go back and implement effective statements and classroom circles at your school?

48. Define & Teach School-Wide Expectations
Sample Timeline
Define & Teach School-Wide Expectations
Establish buy-in for restorative practices
PD on restorative practices
Role play circles
Feedback on circles
Teach & Acknowledge Affective Statements
Teach & Acknowledge Social Skills for Circles
Introduce “Advisories” or circle procedures
Scale up “Advisories” or circle procedures
Rationale: This is just a sample of what a timeline would look like, providing them a concrete example. Just a demonstration of something they should develop for their school. This is not intended for a school to pick up and try to use for their implementation.
Trainer Notes: Visual – introduce aspects of RD into disciplinary process.
[CLICK TO START ANIMATION – DEFINE & TEACH SWE]
For example, you could start by defining & teaching your school-wide expectations like you normally would.
[CLICK FOR ANIMATION]
As you do this, you could use some restorative practices to begin building buy-in for the practices.
As you share more information on RD and model some of the practices, you may build enough interest to offer some training on one of the components.
The training is a huge hit, and your teachers start to include affective statements in their daily interactions with students, slowly building students’ emotional awareness.
As this is taking place, your dean is introducing restorative chats as the consequence for some office-managed incidents, providing lots of support to the students to help them through the restorative script.
He or she may also start to engage in some restorative questioning with students, or teach some of the staff to do the same.
Interest in restorative principles may start to build (because you’re still actively working to build buy-in and share knowledge of the practices), and so your staff begins to include social skills that are needed for circles into their regular lessons on the school-wide expectations. Students start to learn and practice “making eye contact,” “speaking in a respectful tone of voice,” and other skills that go into the most basic circle procedures, like greetings.
This might be a good time to start modeling circles with your staff, perhaps working up to a full-blown training on a preventative circle procedure that focuses on community building.
This is about the same time that students have built up enough of the pre-requisite emotional and social skills to be able to share their perspectives in situations where they’ve experienced harm, so your principal or dean may begin to consult with them and see how their voice may be included in disciplinary decisions.
At least a couple of your teachers have started using circles by this point, so you can share their progress and design incentives to get more folks implementing, eventually scaling up across your school.
By this time, your students are much more familiar with restorative procedures, and have had exposure to a number of the skills necessary to participate. Your administrators use this to their advantage, and begin using restorative conferences as an alternative to suspension for serious incidents.
AlL the while, your team will be collecting & sharing data on how the new practices are working, which keeps you motivated, builds buy-in, and helps you to make pre-emptive changes to your practices when it’s needed.
Of course this is just one example of how a slow roll-out could be accomplished – your team may have other ideas that will work better in your school.
Restorative Chats
Restorative Questioning
Include Victim Voice in Consequences
Restorative Conference
Examine & share data on fidelity & effectiveness

49. Fidelity Checks Survey Monkey Link
Submit 10 Fidelity Checks per school from now until the end of the year

50. Monthly Data Recording
Survey Monkey Link
Submit school name, and total number of circles completed each month

51. 10 8 6 3 2 5 9 7 4 1 Data - Action Planning Time Time to Share!
10 min. 10 8 6 3 2 5 9 7 4 1
Time to Share! 51

52. Resources for RP http://www.iirp.edu/
International Institute for Restorative Practices:
Safer, Saner Schools:
Illinois Balanced & Restorative Justice:
RTIPS Circle templates:
San Francisco Unified School District:
National Opportunity to Learn Campaign – Restorative Practices Guide (
Rationale: : Even after this training, participants may still have questions and want to see more information. This is a list of some good resources we can direct them to for more information.
These are also good resources to increase your knowledge about RP. There is one (the RTIPS bullet) that provides templates for classroom circles.
Trainer Notes:
If there is something you really like and have internet access, it may be helpful to pull up the website where you found the resource and show it to participants and where to find it.

53. Questions

54. Contact Information and Resources
FLPBIS:MTSS Project
Phone: (813)
Fax: (813)
Website:
Facebook:
FLPBIS on Twitter:
YouTube:
OSEP TA Center on PBIS
Website:
Association on PBIS
Website: