Guide to Tripod’s 7Cs™ Framework
Care
Teachers who care show concern for students’ emotional and academic well-being. They develop supportive, personalized relationships with students, cultivate an emotionally safe environment, and respond consistently to students’ social, emotional, and academic learning needs.
Message to Students:
“Your success and well-being matter to me in a serious way.”
Sample Student Survey Items
(for different grade levels)
- I like the way my teacher treats me when I need help.
- My teacher in this class makes me feel that he/she really cares about me.
- My teacher seems to know if something is bothering me.
Indicators of an Exemplary Classroom
Teachers effectively demonstrate care through practices like these:
Building relationships
The teacher actively develops positive relationships with all students.
- The teacher is courteous, respectful, and fair with all students.
- The teacher shows sincere interest in students’ lives.
- The teacher pays attention to students as individuals.
Addressing learning needs
The teacher commits to monitoring and responding to students learning needs.
- The teacher maintains an intellectually and emotionally safe environment.
- The teacher consistently provides assistance as needed.
- The teacher fosters a culture that encourages students to seek and accept help.
Reflection Questions
Consider these questions as you reflect on your classroom practice:
- What expectations and routines do you establish to create an intellectually and emotionally safe environment?
- What type of language and tone do you use when…
- Offering students encouragement?
- Trying to help students improve their behavior?
- Commenting on students’ work?
- How often do you show interest in students’ extracurricular activities and lives outside school?
- How do you incorporate opportunities for students to share their personal experiences, interests, and concerns?
- How do you respond when students seem sad or upset?
- How do you respond when students want to talk about issues they are facing unrelated to your class?
- How do you customize support based on students’ specific learning needs?
- How do you show sensitivity and express encouragement when a student seems frustrated or ready to give up?
Sample Strategies
Try implementing teaching strategies like these in your classroom:
- Check in with students privately if they seem upset and kindly ask if something is bothering them.
- Ask students to write you a “Dear Teacher” letter in which they share suggestions for helping them learn better.
- Greet students personally when they walk into the classroom.
- Test your assumptions about students’ motivations, especially when you perceive that a student is not trying or has intentionally done something wrong. Be careful not to assume that your critical perceptions of students are correct.
TEACHING RESOURCES
We’ve curated a set of teaching resources for Care. As you set goals and pursue professional learning opportunities, use these resource collections to access additional strategies, tools, and examples of effective practices in action.
Care: Building Relationships
Teachers who care show concern for students’ emotional and academic well-being. They develop supportive, personalized relationships with students, cultivate an emotionally safe environment, and respond consistently to students’ social, emotional, and academic learning needs. Find resources offering classroom strategies that support the practice of actively developing positive relationships with all students.
Acknowledgments / Cheers / Closings
Read More
Educational Leadership: Relationships First: What to Do in Week One?
Read More
Responding to Defiance in the Moment | Responsive Classroom
Read More
Talking Circles: For Restorative Justice and Beyond | Teaching Tolerance – Diversity, Equity and Justice
Read More
The Power of Positive Relationships
Read More
Critical Practices for Anti-Bias Education: Classroom Culture
Read More
7 Tips for Building Positive Relationships with English-Language Learners
Read More
Social Contract, Proactive Discipline Help Science Students and their Teacher
Read More
Building a Positive, Trusting Classroom Environment
Read More
Tricks of the Trade: Classroom Management Tips for Teachers (Video Playlist)
Read More
Using Dialogue Circles to Support Classroom Management
Read More
Helping Troubled Students, One Relationship at a Time
Read More
Morning Meetings: Creating a Safe Space for Learning
Read More
Why Restorative Practices Benefit All Students
Read More
Creating Community All Day Long
Read More
Building a Classroom Culture of Trust and Collaboration
Read More
Challenge at the Heart of Deeper Learning: Teaching Channel Deeper Learning Series
Read More
Educational Leadership: Getting Personalization Right: Student Engagement: Key to Personalized Learning
Read More
Care: Addressing Learning Needs
Teachers who care show concern for students’ emotional and academic well-being. They develop supportive, personalized relationships with students, cultivate an emotionally safe environment, and respond consistently to students’ social, emotional, and academic learning needs. Find resources offering classroom strategies that support the practice of committing to monitoring and responding to students’ learning needs.
Emotions, Social Relationships, and the Brain: Implications for the Classroom
Read More
Dialogue Defibrillators: Jump-Start Classroom Discussions!
Read More
Learn to Listen/Listen to Learn – Developing Deeper Conversations
Read More
Acknowledgments / Cheers / Closings
Read More
Educational Leadership: Relationships First: What to Do in Week One?
Read More
Responding to Defiance in the Moment | Responsive Classroom
Read More
Talking Circles: For Restorative Justice and Beyond | Teaching Tolerance – Diversity, Equity and Justice
Read More
Contracting
Read More
Critical Practices for Anti-Bias Education: Classroom Culture
Read More
Social Contract, Proactive Discipline Help Science Students and their Teacher
Read More
Building a Positive, Trusting Classroom Environment
Read More
Using Dialogue Circles to Support Classroom Management
Read More
The Science of Effective Learning Spaces
Read More
Making Sure They Are Learning
Read More
UDL Guideline 2: Provide options for language, mathematical expressions, and symbols
Read More
Morning Meetings: Creating a Safe Space for Learning
Read More
The Optimal Seating Plan? Letting Your Students Choose
Read More
Why Restorative Practices Benefit All Students
Read More
Is Your Classroom Organized for Learning? | Responsive Classroom
Read More
Procedures for Classroom Talk
Read More
Adapting Curriculum to Learners’ Needs
Read More
UDL Guideline 7: Provide options for recruiting interest
Read More
Cracking the Behavior Code
Read More
How to help every child fulfil their potential – RSA
Read More
The Biggest Lie Students Tell Me (and How to Turn It Around)
Read More
Building a Classroom Culture of Trust and Collaboration
Read More
Challenge at the Heart of Deeper Learning: Teaching Channel Deeper Learning Series
Read More
Personalized Learning: Enabling Student Voice and Choice Through Projects
Read More
Educational Leadership: Instruction That Sticks: Making Cooperative Learning Powerful
Read More
5 Ways to Help Your Students Become Better Questioners
Read More
Educational Leadership: Getting Personalization Right: Student Engagement: Key to Personalized Learning
Read More