Can RTI actually improve learning?
I like concrete examples. Having abstract concepts thrown at me is great and all, but I have a hard time visualizing what that concept could look like in my classroom…especially when it comes to figuring out how RTI can improve learning in my classroom.
So, it just seems right to give you a couple examples of how I have use RTI in my classroom.
I’m going to start with the area I usually don’t discuss a lot…behavior….
Can RTI improve behaviors in my classroom????
It seems like, this year especially, teachers are having to deal with more anxiety…in themselves and their students….and this, with the stresses of living through a pandemic and very contentious presidential election, everything just feels so much heavier than in years past….and kids are communicating their discomfort, anxiety, stress, and fears through unexpected behaviors in the classroom. This is increasing teacher stress, so let’s work on one way you can help your students, through the RTI principles, move forward in identifying and dealing with their emotions in positive ways.
So, as I stated before, students are really struggling with their emotions right now, including just identifying their feelings and what may have triggered them. One really good Tier 2 intervention that I’ve used in the past for students who were struggling to do this is a feelings journal. For my students who were just having a hard time figuring out how to identify their emotions, I would start the day with a quick feelings check in. The students would complete a feelings journal prompt based on their reading level, or skill level in identifying their feelings, whichever the case may have been. This prompt took the place of the morning work which the majority of my students completed. This allowed me to differentiate even my morning work based on the needs of my students.
Over time, I found that having the students come in and identify their feelings and why they felt that way helped to ground them and get them set up to start the day. Also, it was a fantastic heads-up for me…when I looked over their responses, I had a good idea for what to expect behaviorally from these students. I used this at the elementary and high school levels by the way, and it was helpful in both areas. In this instance, RTI really did improve behavior in my classroom.
Click on the picture for a closer look at the feelings journal I’ve been using.
What if that isn’t enough for my students?
Well, I have to admit, I love the Zones of Regulation to help students identify their feelings and deal with them in productive ways. If you don’t know about the Zones, I want to really encourage you to check them out! The Zones are a great program, so I’m going to suggest them to whoever I can because I have seen such great results over the years.
By the way, if you are thinking about fitting these two ideas into your tiers of support, my Feelings Journal is a really good tier 2 intervention, but I suggest you use the Zones as more of a Tier 3 intervention. The Zones can be taught whole group, but I’ve found that the students who need it the most get much more out of it if you do the lessons in a really small group. If you would like more information about how I specifically use this journal in my classroom, please check out my post: How 5 Minutes a Day Saved My Sanity.
Ok, so what about academics? Can RTI improve learning there?
Yes, I do believe that RTI can improve learning. I’d like to give you a real-world example of how you can use RTI to work on a reading skill that many kids struggle with….being able to identify the lowercase letters BDP and Q. Yup, I’m going there. I know that teachers are ripping their hair out trying to get their students to remember the differences between these letters, so let’s go ahead and talk about how I worked through this problem in my Tier 2 groups.
I have written out some lesson plans that I’ve used for years to help with this skill. The unit lasts 1 week, though I use some of the materials for at least 2 weeks to allow for more practice and to make sure that the skills have stuck. I use the basic practice sheets and letter cards to practice the skill in small group, but encourage students to practice this skill at least weekly in centers or stations.
The first day I introduce the lowercase b and d, with the associated sound. I then play games like letter slap. If you haven’t played letter slap, it’s super easy. The students have their own copy of the letter cards in front of them, and when I say a letter sound, they slap the letter. This helps the students practice identifying the correct letter in a fun, stress-free way. Once I feel like the students are starting to understand the concept, I ask the students to complete a practice sheet with the letters we practiced that day.
On day 2, we practice the letters from the day before in the same way we did the day before, then complete a different practice sheet. For the third day, I introduce the lowercase p and q with the sound, play letter slap, then complete a practice sheet. This may sound a little repetitive, but I’ve found that the students really respond to the simple lesson plan format, and simple practice. Throughout the week, the students review and practice the skills they are taught. By the end of the week, the students have gained confidence and skills in identifying the 4 most commonly confused letters.
How can this fit into my classroom?
In terms of how this lesson plan format could fit in your classroom, I like to teach these lessons in small group setting, while my other students are participating in centers. When the group working on this skill is complete, they move to a center where they can either practice the skill using the practice sheet, or one of several practice materials that work well in centers. I really like when the students get to learn and practice a skill in small group with me, then get additional practice in centers. This helps to really solidify the learning, and help the students to retain this learning moving forward.
Click on the picture for a closer look at the materials I use to teach BDP and Q.
I hope that this blog post has given you some ideas on different ways you can incorporate RTI into your classroom. One of the best ways to do this is to think of ways that you are already supporting your students and find a way to make this support even more effective.