Responsive Classroom

Responsive classroom is the social curriculum used to introduce students to systems, materials or centers in the classroom. The first six weeeks are traditionally carved out to prepare students for the upcomming school year. A guided discovery is the name of the technique used in Responsive Classroom, to introduce the system, material or center to the class. A typical lesson would involve me hididng the item we are learning about, (let's say scissors) in box or bag. I would shake the box, have students guess what is inside, let the students shake the box, and make predictions about it's contents. Next I would show the scissors to the class and ask about thier prior experiences with scissors. I will model the expected use of the scissors and finally studetns get a chance to practice what they have just seen. Finally the material is placed in it's "home" in the classroom and it is now a material we are ready to have out on the shelves to use. This process can be frustraiting for some students who really want to use a particular item or learn about a specific center. I understand that  students have used many of the materials in other settings. Responsive Classroom supports us  in  learn how the item, system or center will be used in the context of our classroom.