De-escalation & the relationship under pressure
Escalation is rarely about the surface incident. Students in distress are telling us a need isn’t met. De-escalation starts with our own regulation: slow your breathing, soften your voice and posture, give space, and respond with calm support instead of control. Calm is contagious; your tone, stance, and pace set the ceiling.
Try it tomorrow: Swap ‘Calm down now’ for ‘I want to help—take the time you need; I’m right here,’ and practice it out loud before class.
CPI® and Nonviolent Crisis Intervention® are registered programs of the Crisis Prevention Institute; formal certification comes only through them. Teach It Better shares general de-escalation practice in original wording and does not claim CPI certification.
Restorative relationships
Restorative practice is mostly proactive. Greet students by name, build connection, and share power before there’s harm. When conflict happens, use affective statements and restorative questions to name impact, explore who was affected, and decide what will make it right. Community circles and check-ins deposit into the trust account you’ll draw on later.
Try it tomorrow: Begin class with a 60-second round-robin: ‘One word for how you’re walking in today.’ Relationship is a deposit, not a withdrawal.
PBIS – teach behavior like you teach reading
Behavior is learned, so it can be taught. Define a few positively stated expectations, teach them explicitly, acknowledge them often, and use data to decide who needs more support. Aim for a 5:1 ratio of specific positives to corrections and build tiered supports: universal routines, targeted small-group help, and individualized plans.
Try it tomorrow: Tally your interactions for one period. For every redirect, add five specific positives (‘Thanks for getting started right away’). Notice how the room shifts.
Transferable skills & service-learning
The skills we coach during conflict—communication, self-direction, collaboration, and responsible decision-making—are the durable skills students need long after graduation. Service-learning connects those skills to real needs and gives students agency, reflection, and portfolio-ready evidence.
Try it tomorrow: After any group task, ask students to write three sentences about what skill they built and how they know. That’s the start of an evidence trail.
Student engagement through experiential learning
Experience comes first, not at the end of the unit. Use Kolb’s cycle: concrete experience → debrief → concept → application. Engagement rises when tasks offer relevance (authentic audience), agency (meaningful choice), and competence (hard but reachable challenges).
Try it tomorrow: Flip one lecture segment into a 10-minute hands-on challenge before you teach the concept.