Moments of Connection
the What, Why, When, & How — explained by teachers
Tier 1
This is a prevention strategy.
They create conditions in which the behaviors we want to see are more likely to occur than the behaviors we don’t.
Slow and Fast
Triggers 🧨
AKA “Setting Events”
and “Antecedents”
Undesired
Behavior 💥
Pleasant
Consequence 🥳
that maintains the behavior and
keeps the pattern repeating
RESPONSE
strategies weaken the pattern
“Better” Behavior 👍
that achieves the same thing for the
student (ex. asking for a break instead
of running out of class)
PREVENTION
strategies put student in a position to succeed
Pleasant
Consequence 🥳
that maintains the behavior and
keeps the pattern repeating
REINFORCEMENT
strategies strengthen the pattern
TEACHING
behavior expectations and skills
“Best” Behavior 🙌
what is ultimately best for the student (ex. persisting with learning)
Competing Pathways Chart
What?
Deliberately initiating small interactions where a student feels valued, known, and/or respected.
These moments could relate to academic or personal topics (e.g., providing thoughtful feedback on their work, bringing up one of their personal interests during class discussion, etc.)
Why?
Students feeling valued, known, and respected is at the core of relationships building, community building, and a positive classroom/school climate
This prevents behavior issues and encourages engagement. Relationships are essential!
A teacher talks about what it means to build relationships via “moments” (2:33)
🤔 What did you notice or wonder while he was describing his epiphany that “moments” made the difference?
Where & When?
The teacher in the video (Dave Stuart Jr.) coined the term “Moments of Genuine Connection” because he wanted to weave these moments into his whole day vs. taking big chunks of lunch/after school time to build relationships.
Where do you see opportunities for these 30-60 second moments during your day?
Teachers talk about building relationships with students (3:41)
🤔 Why do the educators in the video prioritize creating strong relationships with students and invest work into it?
How?
An elementary teacher shares his top relationship building tips (3:35)
🤔 Which one of Mr. Rogers’ tips stood out to you the most? Why?
An high school ELA teacher shares his top relationship tips (13:17)
🤔 What was your favorite piece of advice that Mr. Reynolds shared?
Turn & talk