5 Tech Tools to Promote Kindness in the Classroom

Outline

- 5-minute introduction/opener
- Research on why kindness in the classroom is crucial (5 minutes)
- Share and demonstrate each of the 5 tools & allow participants to collaborate and try them out (5 minutes each)
- Closer (5 minutes)

Supporting research

Bergin, Christi. (2018). Designing a prosocial classroom:Fostering collaboration in students from preK-12 with
the curriculum you already use.W.W. Norton & Company.Blad, E. (2018, September 5).
Blad, E. (2018, September 5). 1 in 7 StudentsFound to Be “Chronically Absent,” ReportFinds. Education Week.
https://www.edweek.org/leadership/1-in-7-students-found-to-be-chronically-absent-report-finds/2018/09
Blad, E. (2022, April 8). Chronic Absenteeism Spiked During COVID. Here’s What Schools Can Do About It.

Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/chronic-absenteeism-spiked-during-covid-heres-what-
schools-can-do-about-it/2022/04

Brophy,J. (1981).Teacher Praise: A Functional Analysis Author(s):Jere Brophy Published by: American
Educational Research Association Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1170249 Teacher Praise: A Functional
Analysis. 51(1), 5–32.
Desmon, S. (2021,February 17).“Social norms are the unwritten rules:” A Q&A with Lisa Cobb.Johns Hopkins

Center for Communication Programs;Johns Hopkins. https://ccp.jhu.edu/2021/02/17/social-norms-behavior-
change/

Ferlazzo,L. (2022,February 2).The past and future of education research. Education Week.
https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-the-past-and-future-of-education-research/2022/02
Foster,J. (2021, November 30).The power of praise [Google Slides].
Freeman, S., Eddy, S.L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N.,Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014). Active
learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410–8415.
Getting started with establishing ground rules. (2022). Center forTeaching Innovation; Cornell University.
https://teaching.cornell.edu/resource/getting-started-establishing-ground-rules
Jotkoff, E. (2022,February 1). NEA survey: Massive staff shortages in schools leading to educator burnout;
alarming number of educators indicating they plan to leave profession | NEA.Www.nea.org.

https://www.nea.org/about-nea/media-center/press-releases/nea-survey-massive-staff-shortages-schools-leading-
educator

Learning student names. (2021). Poorvucenter.yale.edu; Poorvu Center forTeaching and Learning.
https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/LearningStudentNames
Leckie, R. M. (2020, December 10). Use Active Learning. Introductory Courses;Teach the Earth.
https://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/intro/activelearning.html
Li, P. (2021). Inductive Discipline - Whyit is the Best. Parenting for Brain. Retrieved 15 November 2021, from
https://www.parentingforbrain.com/inductive-discipline/
Li, X., Bergin, C., & Olsen, A. A. (2022). Positive teacher-student relationships maylead to better teaching.Learning
and Instruction, 80, 101581. Science Direct. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2022.101581
Morin, A. (2021, April 6).The power of effective praise: A guide for teachers. Understood. Retrieved October 7,
2021, from https://www.understood.org/articles/en/the-power-of-effective-praise-a-guide-for-teachers.
Paul Caldarella, Ross A. A.Larsen,Leslie Williams, Kade R. Downs, Howard P.Wills & Joseph H.Wehby(2020).
Effects of teachers’ praise-to-reprimand ratios on elementarystudents’ on-task behaviour, Educational Psychology,
40:10, 1306-1322, DOI: 10.1080/01443410.2020.1711872
Ruell, P. (2019, September 4). Studyshows that students learn more when taking part in classrooms that employ
active-learning strategies. Harvard Gazette; Harvard Gazette.

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/09/study-shows-that-students-learn-more-when-taking-part-in-
classrooms-that-employ-active-learning-strategies/

Robertson, Glenda. (2018, August 28).The case for designing active learning activities to enhance information

recall. Online Design and Development Blog; University of Colorado. https://www.cu.edu/blog/online-teaching-
blog/case-designing-active-learning-activities-enhance-information-recall

Schwartz, N., & Caldwell, D. (2022, October 17). 5 ways to get students involved as a community of learners [In-
person]. MOREnet.

View/edit this section
Strauss, V. (2020, April 22). How relationships between teachers and students are being tested in covid-19 crisis.

Washington Post;The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/04/22/how-
relationships-between-teachers-students-are-being-tested-covid-19-crisis/

Tackie, H. N. (2022). (Dis)Connected: Establishing social presence and intimacyin teacher–student relationships
during emergencyremote learning. AERA Open, 8, 233285842110695. Sage Journals.
https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584211069525
Theobald, E.J., Hill, M.J.,Tran, E., Agrawal, S., Arroyo, E. N., Behling, S., Chambwe, N., Cintrón, D.L., Cooper,J. D.,
Dunster, G., Grummer,J. A., Hennessey, K., Hsiao,J., Iranon, N.,Jones,L.,Jordt, H., Keller, M.,Lacey, M. E.,
Littlefield, C. E., ... Freeman, S. (2020). Active learning narrows achievement gaps for underrepresented students
in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
117(12), 6476–6483.
Tips for learning students’ names. (2022).Www.cmu.edu; Eberly Center - Carnegie Mellon University.
https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/solveproblem/strat-cheating/tips-studentnames.html