Students Need Skills ft. Mindy Higginson
Welcome to a special recap and deep dive into the latest episode of the “Flip Side: Get Your Teach On” podcast, featuring Dr. Mindy Higginson, Director of Professional Development and Student Learning in Penn-Harris-Madison School District in South Bend, Indiana. With 14 years of experience as a building principal, Mindy shares practical strategies for understanding student behavior, teaching essential behavioral skills, and creating consistent schoolwide practices that help students succeed.
In this episode, Mindy challenges educators to rethink their approach to behavior management with one powerful reminder: Students don’t always need a consequence. Sometimes, they need a skill.
Let’s break down the main themes and expert tips Mindy shared so you can walk away with actionable strategies to support your students and create a more connected, effective classroom.
Students Don’t Always Need a Consequence: Teach the Skill First
Main Takeaway:
When students struggle with behavior, consequences alone may not address the underlying problem. Students often need explicit instruction and repeated practice to develop the skills necessary to manage challenging situations.
Mindy’s Story:
Mindy shared the story of a student who frequently ended up in the office because of test anxiety. When a test approached, the student might roll on the floor or knock over a desk. Instead of simply assigning consequences, the teacher needed to help the student learn strategies for managing anxiety, such as breathing techniques, calming strategies, and a healthier mindset about making mistakes.
Actionable Advice:
Identify the Missing Skill: Ask yourself what the student needs to learn to handle the situation differently. Do they need help managing frustration, coping with anxiety, or navigating a challenging task?
Teach Explicitly: Break the skill into manageable steps and model exactly what it looks like.
Practice Consistently: Don't expect students to master a new skill after one lesson. Reinforce it through repeated practice and support.
Evaluate What Works: Observe whether the student’s behavior changes as they develop the skill, and adjust your approach as needed.
Expert Insight:
Mindy emphasizes that behavior often improves when students learn how to handle situations that previously overwhelmed them. Consequences may sometimes be necessary, but teaching the missing skill should be part of the process.
Start with Tier One: Establish Consistent Classroom Expectations
Main Takeaway:
Effective behavior management begins with clear expectations and explicit instruction that every student receives. Students need to know what appropriate behavior looks like, not simply be told what they are doing wrong.
Mindy’s Approach:
Mindy’s school used CHAMPS classroom management practices to establish consistent expectations for conversation, movement, and classroom activities. Teachers taught students how to move between learning spaces, work with partners, and communicate during independent work.
These expectations weren't just rules. They were skills students practiced and learned to apply throughout the school day.
Actionable Advice:
Teach Expectations Directly: Explain and model what appropriate movement, conversation, and participation look like in your classroom.
Practice Transitions: Show students how to move from their desks to the carpet, transition between activities, and work collaboratively.
Be Consistent: Reinforce expectations regularly rather than waiting until behavior becomes disruptive.
Maintain Flexibility: Schoolwide expectations should be consistent, but teachers can adapt how they teach and implement them to fit their classrooms.
Expert Insight:
Consistency doesn't mean every classroom must look identical. It means students encounter predictable expectations and supportive practices across their school experience.
Tier Two Interventions: Teach Students to Recognize Their Needs
Main Takeaway:
Some students need additional support beyond universal classroom expectations. Tier Two interventions can help students develop individualized strategies for managing emotions, regulating behavior, and advocating for themselves.
Mindy’s Strategy:
One example Mindy highlights is teaching students how to take a break. Rather than waiting for a teacher to notice that a student is becoming restless, students can learn to recognize their own needs and independently use a designated break space.
The key is explicitly teaching students how and when to use the space.
Actionable Advice:
Create a Break Space: Designate an area in your classroom where students can take a brief, purposeful break without leaving the learning environment.
Teach the Routine: Model calming strategies, such as deep breathing or using fidgets, and explain how students can recognize when they need a break.
Set Clear Expectations: Establish a predictable routine, including how long the break lasts and what students should do when their break ends.
Build Independence: Help students develop the self-awareness to recognize when they need support and use the strategy appropriately.
Expert Insight:
A break space isn't meant to help students avoid learning. It's designed to help them regulate so they can return to learning. When students are taught how to use these supports, they can build independence while remaining connected to their classroom community.
Schoolwide Success: Consistency, Collaboration, and Data
Main Takeaway:
Lasting improvements in behavior require a schoolwide commitment. Teachers and administrators must work together to implement consistent practices, support students, and evaluate results.
Mindy’s Results:
At the school where Mindy served as principal, the team implemented consistent behavior expectations and additional interventions while maintaining a strong focus on instruction. The results were significant:
35% decrease in behavior referrals in one year.
122-place improvement in state standardized testing rankings.
Mindy credits this progress to consistent implementation, strong collaboration with teachers, supportive leadership, and high expectations for students.
Actionable Advice:
Work Alongside Teachers: Administrators should regularly visit classrooms, understand teachers’ challenges, and provide support rather than judging instruction based on a single observation.
Connect Behavior and Instruction: Academic learning and behavior support should work together, not operate as separate initiatives.
Use Data to Guide Decisions: Monitor behavior referrals and academic outcomes to determine whether interventions are making a difference.
Build a Behavior Intervention Team: Collaborate with colleagues to identify student needs, develop strategies, and maintain consistent support.
Stay the Course: Implement practices every day instead of waiting until behavior becomes overwhelming to make changes.
Expert Insight:
Mindy reminds educators that meaningful improvement takes daily effort. Consistency, teacher autonomy, supportive leadership, and high expectations work together to create better outcomes for students.
Look Beyond Students’ Reactions: Relationships Matter
Main Takeaway:
Students don't always express engagement or appreciation in ways teachers expect. Their outward reactions don't necessarily reflect what they're learning or how they feel about an experience.
The Lesson from the Classroom:
During a model lesson, the host noticed a student who appeared disengaged and didn't participate despite repeated invitations. However, after the lesson, the student expressed sadness about not being able to return the following day.
The experience was a reminder that a student's quiet demeanor or limited participation doesn't automatically mean the lesson failed.
Actionable Advice:
Avoid Quick Judgments: Don't assume a student isn't learning because they aren't visibly enthusiastic.
Recognize Individual Differences: Students have different personalities, communication styles, and experiences that influence how they respond.
Build Relationships: Take time to understand your students and learn what engagement looks like for each individual.
Look for Evidence of Learning: Evaluate student understanding and mastery rather than relying solely on outward reactions.
Expert Insight:
Assume positive intent and remain curious about your students. Building relationships helps teachers better understand student behavior and recognize progress that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Your Challenge This Week: Teach One Skill
If you find yourself repeatedly giving consequences to the same student, pause and ask yourself: What skill could I teach that might lead to a different outcome?
Choose one student who is struggling and identify a skill they may need. It could be managing frustration, taking a break, transitioning between activities, or coping with test anxiety.
Teach the skill explicitly, practice it consistently, and give the student time to develop it. Remember, the first attempt may not work. Meaningful change might take many repetitions.
As Mindy encourages educators, teachers do some of the hardest and most important work. You don't have to do it alone. Work together, stay consistent, and don't give up.
For more practical strategies and motivation, subscribe to “The Flip Side: Get Your Teach On” podcast for new episodes every Monday. Take one idea back to your classroom this week, put it into practice, and see what a difference it can make.
