Andrea Pattison

Summary of Theory

The model for classroom management that I have chosen to use in my classroom is Capturing

Kids Hearts (CKH). This behavior management plan has a foundation that goes off of the fact that

teachers build relationships with students and, consequently, helps students see that someone cares

about them (Controlling). Teachers from the very beginning of the school year are getting to know

their students. They arent just a teacher who is going to teach them about certain content areas, but

they are now someone who cares about what happens in their lives at home, on the weekends, and after

school. Students can notice a difference within their teachers and how much they care. Having a

teacher who invests time in their students can have such a powerful effect on students. Not all students

get attention, love, or time poured into them at home, so having an adult who does all that can make a

huge difference. When students build a positive relationship, they are more likely to respect that

teacher, see you as an authority figure, and want to do their best to please and impress you. Due to the

relationship that has been built, students dont want to fail you.

Building off of that idea, CKH can be considered to be both a character education and

violence preventions intervention because it is designed to strengthen students connectedness to

school through enhancing protective factors (i.e., strong bonds with teachers; clear rules of conduct

that are consistently enforced) and targeting modifiable risk factors(i.e., inappropriate behavior; poor

social coping skills) (Implementation). Once again this goes to prove that building relationships with

your students has such a huge effect of them. From the relationship that you form with them, you are

also modeling how to treat others and showing that you care and are invested.

From reading and research, Ive learned that CKH also uses the idea of social contracts. Here

students are making commitments to treat each other and those around them in a certain way. Students

are deciding upon these behaviors and signing them themselves, and they are also held responsible to
these standards. This not only keeps the kids accountable because this contract could be hanging up in

the classroom, but it is also a good reminder for the teacher to use when students are acting out of turn.

Another aspect of CKH is that students learn to be responsible for their own behavior, and also

can remind their friends and peers to make good choices as well. This makes it so the teacher has to

less disciplining, and can do more teaching. Kids want to be doing the right thing, especially since

they have built a positive relationship with their teacher and peers.

Within CKH, teachers can use the EXCEL model. EXCEL stands for engage, x-plore,

communicate, empower, and launch. Engage is part of the positive relationship part. You greet your

students at the door, you get to know them, and model good behavior for them. In x-plore, you as the

teacher get a glimpse of where the students are at and what they need to learn best. As teachers, we

ensure that students feel safe where they are at and develop listening skills. Next in communication,

meaning is placed behind learning. Students learn why they are learning what they are learning.

Teamwork and open dialogue happens. In the empower part of the model, students take action and feel

like they can due to the safe environment, the social contracts in place and the encouragement around

them. Lastly, in the launch section teachers prepare their students to go out and do it one their own.

There is summarizing or reviewing of what has been learned, but then the opportunity for students to

expand beyond that.

Overall, in the CKH model, students are given the opportunity to flourish, learn responsibility,

take action for their learning, build positive relationships with their teacher and peers, and be

motivated to be and do their very best. Moving forward I am excited to fully try this model within my

future classroom, learn and research more about it, and talk to others teachers who have more

experience using the model.

 Works Cited

Capturing Kids' Hearts Flippen Group. (n.d.). Retrieved April 15, 2016.

Controlling Their Own Destinies. (2007). Principal Leadership, 8(3), 40-43.

Holtzapple, C. K., Griswold, J. S., Cirillo, K., & Rosebrock, J. (2011). Implementation of a School-

Wide Adolescent Character Education and Prevention Program. Journal of Research in

Character Education, 9(1), 71-90.