CHAMPs is a modular series of material designed to help you, as a classroom teacher, develop (or fine tune) an effective classroom management plan that is proactive and positive. In the last twenty years, a large and varied body of research literature has identified consistent and reliable findings concerning how effective teachers manage student behavior and enhance student motivation. The techniques included in this program have been derived from that literature and are based on the following principles or beliefs:
- Classroom organization has a huge impact on the student behavior; therefore, teachers should carefully structure their classroom in ways that prompts responsible student behavior.
- Teachers should overtly teach students how to behave responsibly (i.e., be successful) in every classroom situation.
- Teachers should focus more time, attention, and energy on acknowledging responsible behavior than on responding to misbehavior.
- Teachers should preplan their responses to misbehavior to ensure that they will respond in a brief, calm, and consistent manner.
H = Help (How can students get questions answered during this activity/transition? How do they get your attention?)
A = Activity (What is the task/objective of this activity/transition? What is the expected end product?)
M = Movement (Can students move about during this activity/transition? e.g., Are they allowed to get up to sharpen a pencil?)
P = Participation (What does appropriate student behavior for this activity/transition look/sound like? How do students show that they are fully participating?)
How to Use CHAMPs
This program can be used anytime during the year to evaluate and improve your classroom management and discipline plan. However, the most effective way to use this program is to work through all of the modules before the school year begins. Module 1, 2, 3, and 4 will help you develop a detailed classroom management plan that focuses on directly teaching students how to behave responsibly from the very first day of school. Modules 5, 6, 7, and 8 can be skimmed before the school year begins, but are really designed to be implemented during the school year. These modules will help you develop and implement essential behavior management strategies for motivating students to behave responsibly throughout the year.
CHAMPs ModulesModule 1: Vision
When you know where you are headed, you can guide students toward their own success.
Module 2: Organization
When you have well-organized routines and procedures for your classroom, you model and prompt organized behavior from your students.
Module 3: Expectation (CHAMPs)
When your expectations are clear, students never have to guess how you expect them to behave.
Module 4: The First Month
When you teach students how to behave responsibly during the first month of school, you dramatically increase their chances of having a productive year.
Module 5: Motivation
When you implement effective instruction and positive feedback, you motivate students to demonstrate their best behavior.
Module 6: Monitor and Revise
When you monitor what is actually going on in your classroom, you are able to make adjustments to your Classroom Management Plan that will increase student success.
Module 7: Correction Procedures
When you treat student misbehavior as an instructional opportunity, you give students the chance to learn from their mistakes.
Module 8: Classwide Motivation System
When you implement classwide systems appropriate to the collective needs of your students, you can enhance student motivation to behave responsibility and strive for success.
