From Acting Out to Stepping Up to Lead

Rebecca Studer
Fourth-grade teacher, Howe Elementary School, Des Moines, Iowa

One of my students—who comes from a low poverty, not very stable home was very disruptive and didn’t want to do anything when I had her in second grade. Now, having her in my fourth-grade class, she has taken on the leadership role I modeled. She is stepping up to organize her team and makes sure everybody understands their roles. Academic teaming has completely changed her learning in the classroom. Her scores have gone up, and she can communicate so much better. Now instead of acting out and being disruptive and not concentrating on her learning, she is a leader. She’s a student I can count on.

Source: Toth, M.D., & Sousa, D.A. (2019). The power of student teams: Achieving social, emotional, and cognitive learning in every classroom through academic teaming (p. 88). West Palm Beach, FL: Learning Sciences International.