assignments for students in detention

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Teaching with Detention

Introduction

Far too often, students and educators struggle to see eye to eye. Teachers regularly disagree on methods of disciplining their students. Controversy arises, even, with the question of whether or not teachers should apply any discipline to their students, or leave it up to the parents. One of the most common practices in dealing with misbehaving students is holding after school detention. But by keeping students after school hours, are teachers exercising their rights, or going too far? Is detention an effective solution to class disruptions, or would it spur future problems?

Free resources across the internet allow for teachers to weigh detention and all of its possible alternatives.

• Lesson Plan
•   Behavior Worksheets : Here, Worksheet Place provides dozens of worksheets for students that assist them in assessing their behavior and emotions. The worksheets include behavior contracts, bullying analyses, conflict resolutions, goal setting, and more. The page also includes resources for teachers, including classroom management checklists, and class rules that teachers can display on their walls. These tasks can be used as opportunities for reflection in place of punishment or can serve as activities to be completed during detention. These worksheets are mostly intended for younger students and can be completed inside or outside of regular class time.
• Reflection Document : Pivotal Education provides this reflection worksheet to give to detention-serving students. The document is meant to outline an activity more productive than what is normally presented for students, and to prevent further behavior issues in the future. The questions on the worksheet force the student to identify and reflect on the people affected by their actions and ideas for preventing future issues. The open-ended questions within the document allow for flexibility for the worksheet to be used with virtually any age range.
• Discipline Packet : This online packet from Teacher Beacon provides worksheets and for responding to misbehavior. The packet includes printable warning slips, a behavior contract, and a sample letter to parents. Also included are writing assignments to be completed by students who break classroom ground rules. Most of these assignments serve as consequences for minor infringements such as gum-chewing, tardiness, and disruptive behavior. The writing assignments can serve as lesser consequences to stop the behavior before further action becomes necessary. Teachers can utilize items within this packet to establish ground rules and to keep track of recurring offenses.
• Do Detentions and Suspensions Work? : Here. Education World interviewed Annemarie Hillman, a policy fellow at Connecticut Voices for Children, to analyze whether detentions and suspensions prove themselves effective in schools. She classifies suspensions as ineffective since students tend to view them like vacations. Detentions, however, can work “if done right.” They can serve as an incentive to keep students from repeating misbehavior. When students serve detention during lunch, they miss out on a social opportunity and in turn will be less likely to act up in the future. 
• New Direction : James Paterson from District Administration Media examines ways that adults are trying to implement disciplinary action into their schools. The article establishes that African American and special needs students face disproportionate rates of exclusionary punishment. According to a number of cited studies, students who receive detentions are more likely to drop out of school altogether. This article highlights alternatives that teachers have found to the standard sit-silently style of confinement. Allowing students to reflect on their actions and for teachers to coach struggling students proves much more productive. Teachers can read this article to determine improvements for the established practice.
• Student-Run Courts : This article from The Guardian acknowledges the disproportionality of detentions in school systems and outlines a recent alternative to the custom: mock court systems. Rather than serve detention for certain offenses, students are to stand before a committee of their peers, make their case, and ultimately face fair consequences for their actions. The article praises this new approach, arguing that it prevents student-teacher discrimination in disciplinary systems and consequently fights the impelling school-to-prison pipeline.
• Informational Sites
• Defining Detention : Queensland Government provides a foundational understanding of detention and the common practices associated with it. The site outlines parameters for responsible behavior in a linked study, titled “Safe, Supportive and Disciplined School Environment Procedure.” This page can serve helpful for those who may desire a better understanding of what detention is, or for educators unfamiliar with how to lead a session.
• Responding to Bad Behavior : University of Florida’s College of Education lists possible ways in which educators can respond to bad behavior. The items on this list can serve as alternatives to detention, a practice which may be the first thing that comes to mind. The actions can be applied to students of most ages. The approaches range from keeping a behavior log, to requiring a writing assignment, to revoking parking privileges for older students. While detention is one of the listed consequences, teachers can choose from any item on the list to enforce in their own classrooms.
• Task Ideas : Study.com provides this list of tips and ideas for teachers choosing to hold students after school. The goal of the article and the tradition is to provide students with tasks that will prevent future mishaps and improve classroom behavior. The site lists tactics that teachers can employ, such as dialogue journals and reflection sheets, and links supporting articles for each strategy. The site lists four strategies for teachers, all of which can be stretched to fit students of almost any age range.

Young people often rave about how educational institutions take up so much of their time and teach them no real-life skills. They are, after all, full-time students by the age of six. Perhaps by making the time spent with students, detention included, more productive, teachers can allow students to further appreciate their education and apply themselves more in the future. Educators should make sure that any disciplinary measures they take have the students’ best interests in mind. Schools should weigh circumstances to decide what method of discipline would be most fair for the students’ and teacher’s time.

Additional Resources

• Middle-School : This neaToday article criticizes forms of discipline for middle-school-aged children. Author Sabrina Holcomb references the school-to-prison pipeline, a theory that correlates higher rates of suspensions and expulsions with a higher likelihood of those same students becoming unemployed and going to prison. When a student’s learning is interrupted by such punitive measures, they are more likely to drop out of school and rely mainly on government-provided welfare programs. Holcomb acknowledges that the issue is not the fault of the teachers, but rather that of the broader school disciplinary system.
•   Detention Is Not The Answer : This literature review by Stephanie McCann from Northwestern College examines practices of institutional discipline, especially detention, and attempts to determine the most productive method for everyone involved. In the past, the practice has discriminated harshly against certain students. The author gathers that students for whom detention becomes a pattern experience major social and emotional consequences that affect them “for the rest of their life.” She acknowledges alternatives for the penalty and suggests that schools find a consensus for what works for their students. 

Example Guidelines : This site lists the guidelines for after-school detention at Lakewood Junior High School in California. The page delineates the school’s specific regulations, including commonly broken rules, expectations for those serving detention, and principles of conduct for future reference. Teachers can utilize this site to gain a better understanding of how one school approaches its academic disciplinary system. Should they choose to administer detentions, educators can look to these clear-cut guidelines when crafting their own system.

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Detention Activities For Middle School: Exercises, Games, And Discussions

October 11, 2023 //  by  Michelle Mandel

Teachers do not like being the bad cop!  Detention is one punitive measure to take in response to negative behavior. Time to reflect on what you have done.  This is counterproductive, children are acting out because they are in need of attention and guidance.  So with these alternatives to detention, educators can connect, and boost students' confidence. gain trust and respect, and soon the detention room will be empty.

1. What's my purpose?

We are all special and have our own unique traits. As children get older they are told more often than not the negative feedback and not the positive behavior they demonstrate. Life is stressful and with the world changing around us, sometimes we forget why we are here, and why we all have a purpose.

Learn More: Prince Ea

2. Blackout poetry. Great instructional time 

This activity is so much fun and really it does inspire anyone to be a "poet" or at least try and give it a go. Children who have never been exposed to creative poetry will love this because there is no right or wrong. This is cool and interesting.

Learn More: The Daring English Teacher

3. You just got school detention!

This is a funny sketch video about how playing a trick on someone can backfire and have consequences! Students in detention can talk about how sometimes playing tricks is all in fun and other times not worth the risk and could have serious consequences for misbehavior.

Learn More: Youtube

4. Laughter = positive school culture

These games are meant specifically to make kids feel safe and relaxed, so they can release some stress. Harsh punishments don't work. Get kids talking to help reduce disruptive behavior!  For a middle school play Mad Dragon, The art of conversation, Totika, and more!

Learn More: Education And Behavior

5. Great assignment for detention-reflection 

This is a great way to get kids to do something with their hands while they are working on their self-portraits they can have guidance and assistance from the teacher.  This activity will relax them and put them at ease so they can reflect on any bad behavior.

6. Express yourself through a rap!

Rap music is loved by middle school children and creating your own rap about how things make us feel. "How we don't like school but being rude in class is not cool! " This exercise will give the children a chance to vent and de-stress while in detention. Great video and educational too!

7. Think Sheet

These are great reflection worksheets for students and can be adapted by grade level.  to fill out. easily and it can lead to some open conversation with the teacher or monitor. Children will learn what they can do better next time and how to avoid conflict.

Learn More: Art Teachers Help Al

8. Make Jails for phones- an original detention idea

Mobile phones in the classroom disaster!  Classroom expectations must be known, and it is imperative that we have some creative ways to get kids to give up their phones. These are easy to make and make class rule posters about why phones are so distracting.

Learn More: Pinterest

9. Lunch detention

Lunchtime is a break but others might be going to lunch detention, where they will eat in silence, not look at anyone and reflect. Well, this is the best opportunity to teach nutrition and have a talk about eating healthy and being responsible for our actions.

Learn More: 20 Teacher-Approved Nutrition Activities For Middle School

10. Punch Ball

Teachers think that if they use punch balls in the dentition room it will cause more aggressive behavior. On the contrary, children need to vent because sometimes life isn't fair. We have needed to change the old measure for decades and think creatively about time-outs.

Learn More: Therapy Sensory

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How to Reduce After-School Detentions and Make Them Meaningful

Detention has been around for as long as I can remember, and some of us—myself included—have served a detention or two when we were students. When I became principal of Wilson West Middle School, I thought deeply about detention as part of our discipline practice. Do detention policies that have been around for decades work for today’s students? If the same students keep finding themselves in detention, what good do they serve? Are detentions effective and helping students learn from their mistakes or do schools keep them simply because they are so ingrained in our tradition?

What if there was a way to stop the same students from receiving detentions or not give them any at all? You can, by replacing it with more constructive ways for students to learn from their mistakes.

Here’s what we did at Wilson West Middle School to reduce detentions and make them more meaningful:

Create a Staff Committee to Review Discipline

Like so much of our work as school leaders, we are better when we work together. We formed a committee of administrators, teachers, and counselors to review our current approaches to discipline and detention policies and looked closely at what infractions students were committing to gain an understanding of what was really happening with detention. What we saw was the same students receiving repeated detentions and not all of our teachers assigning detentions; only a few teachers gave detentions, so some students had higher detention numbers only because they had a particular teacher. And when we asked these teachers why they assigned detentions, it wasn’t because they thought them particularly effective at curbing the behavior, but rather they did it because that is what the student handbook required and there was no other way to address the behavior.

Update Outdated Detention Policies

These observations led us to review our detention policies. Our committee realized quickly how outdated some of the rules were, and we needed to make changes. For example, we dropped the no gum or food policies schoolwide and turned that responsibility over to the individual classroom teacher. Each teacher decides if they want to make that a classroom rule/policy. In real life everyone can eat and drink anywhere they want unless it is posted. Are we not getting our children ready for the next level? Teachers and staff have that morning cup of coffee or tea. Why can’t students? Do we practice what we preach?

Another big issue for which students were getting detentions involved being late to class. To address this issue, we got rid of our bell schedule. This required a major climate shift in the building, and there was immediate pushback from the staff. I created a schedule that had one-minute passing times between classes and explained to the teachers that they should be the ones starting and dismissing the classes, not the bell. Next time you are in the hallway, take a look at the number of students that stand in the hallway speaking with friends, waiting for the bell to ring before darting into class. To avoid the sporadic and inconsistent nature of late markings, there are no bells. In addition, it more closely resembles the nature of the likely next leg of their journey—college.

Creating New Detention Criteria

Just by making these two changes, we saw an overall decrease in detentions by 75 percent. The detentions that are assigned are addressed by the teacher or administrator with a call home and engagement with a parent/guardian. Getting the parents/guardians involved is the first step in making detentions more meaningful for students. After all, if the infraction is bad enough to warrant a detention, then parents need to be called.

We also track the students who are getting detentions. If a student gets four or more detentions in a quarter, we set up a conference with the parent/guardian. The staff that are invited usually consist of grade-level team members, a counselor, an administrator, and other interested parties. These meetings help to address the problem behaviors in a more direct way by discussing the underlying issues that led to the infraction in the first place.

Making Time in Detention More Meaningful

• Write a reflection as to why they got detention in the first place and what they could have done differently.
• Have a one-on-one conference with the monitor who asks the student a variety of questions for personal reflection. We developed questions for various situations to guide these conferences.
• Read an article about their offense and then report out to the counselor.
• Set goals. One of those goals should be not to get detention ever again.
• Write an apology letter to their parents for being assigned the detention. In the letter they should explain why they got the detention and thank them for picking them up after detention.

We also use lunch detentions. When serving a lunch detention, the student needs to do schoolwork as they are eating. This is also a good time to have teachers conference with students to discuss why they received the lunch detention. (Check with the building union representative prior to asking a teacher to do this during their lunch.)

Changing our detention policies have shifted our culture from a punitive one where students’ every move is monitored to a restorative one where students have more autonomy and choice. I encourage all of you to review your school’s approach to discipline and its detention policies. Making a few adjustments can definitely change the climate of your building for the better.

What is your school’s approach to detention? What strategies help make detention more meaningful and effective?

Kyle Wetherhold is the Principal at Wilson West Middle School, a state and national School to Watch. He is the 2018 Pennsylvania Principal of the Year. Follow him on Twitter @ wetkyl .

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Richard James Rogers

Educational articles and advice for teachers. www.amazon.com/author/rogersrichard

The Effective Use of Detentions

An article by   Richard James Rogers   (Author of  The Quick Guide to Classroom Management )

Illustrated by   Pop Sutthiya Lertyongphati  

The events in this article are based on actual occurrences. The names and, in some instances, the genders of individuals have been changed to protect the individuals’ privacy.

He opened his laptop and started playing around, again. I hadn’t quite noticed until I’d gotten the rest of this Year 7 class to get their books open and start completing the questions that were on the whiteboard.

It took a good five minutes for them all to settle down.

They’d just been learning about the human body in the best way I could think of: They took apart a life-sized model of a human female (filled with plastic, life-sized organs) and completely rebuilt it.

It had gotten them quite excited; especially the boys, who thought that the mammary glands inside a female breast were completely hilarious!

The class then had to cut and stick a paper human body together – organs included. But he was taking too long.

Christopher  was a happy and talkative kid, but his work-rate was slow. On two occasions that lesson I walked over to his desk to help out and remind him to speed up, as everyone else was ahead of where he was. He should have been able to get that work done quickly. He had no Special Educational Needs and his English proficiency had increased so much in three months that he had graduated from the E.L.D. programme.

The only thing slowing him down was his chattiness.

I should have moved him sooner in the lesson – my mistake. 15  minutes before the end of the class I moved him to the front to sit next to me, where he couldn’t chat with friends and be distracted.

It wasn’t enough time.

I pondered the idea of giving him a detention. Break-time was straight after this lesson, so it would be easy for me to keep him behind for ten minutes to get that work done. 

The concept and purpose of detentions

Before we can fully understand how to use detentions effectively, we must first remind ourselves of what detentions are and, therefore, what their purpose should be. 

A detention is a period of time that is purposefully taken away from a student’s extra-curricular or non-curricular time. It may involve a teacher-supervised activity during a morning break, lunch or after school. 

Detentions are given to students for a wide-variety of reasons; some of which are more logical than others. Reasons for detentions (starting with the most logical and useful) can include:

• Failure to complete homework or classwork
• Poor attendance
• Persistent lateness/lack of punctuality
• Disruption to class activities through poor behaviour
• Receiving a certain, set number of ‘warnings’ or ‘demerits’

Christopher’s case as an example to follow

The most logical and useful way to use detentions is time-for-time:  time not spent completing homework or classwork should be compensated by time spent on detention.

In Christopher’s case I decided to give the break-time detention. Here are the reasons for my choice:

• The Science lesson ended at break-time, so it was convenient for me to keep him behind in my class (I didn’t have the problem of, say, giving him a lunchtime detention for the next day and then having to remember that he is coming and maybe chase him up if he doesn’t come along). 
• Christopher would be exchanging his breaktime for time spent completing his classwork. He must do this, as he will fall behind if he doesn’t.
• The detention serves as a reinforcement of the teacher’s authority, and a stern reminder that a poor work-ethic just won’t be tolerated. It turns out that after only two such break-time detentions, Christopher pulled up his socks and began working at a reasonable pace during lessons. 

General tips for detentions that will save you many problems

Every detention must attempt to address or solve the problem that it was given for .

Consider the following:

• Detentions eat up the teacher’s time as well as the students, so we really should only be giving out detentions when it is absolutely necessary (as in Christopher’s case above)
• For homework that’s not done on time: call the perpetrating student or students to your desk for a quick one-to-one discussion at the end of class, or during a class activity. Express your disappointment, and why meeting deadlines is important. Relate it to the world of work, for example “If I didn’t write your reports on time, what would happen to me? That’s right, I’d be in big trouble” . Allow the students an extra day or so to get the work done. No need for conflict, no need to spend your precious lunch time giving a detention.
• If students still don’t hand in the homework even after extending a deadline, then it is necessary to give a detention. CRUCIALLY, however, the purpose of the detention MUST be to complete that homework. Print the sheet again if necessary, provide the necessary resources and get the student to complete the work. This makes the detention less confrontational and reinforces the reason why it was given in the first place. 
• The same goes for classwork: give students the chance to take their books home and complete classwork if it isn’t done on-time in class. Persistent slow work-rates in class, if not caused by reasonable circumstances (such as Special Educational Needs), should be met with detentions that allow the student to catch up. In almost every case you’ll find that the students will cotton-on to the fact that they can’t get away with distraction and laziness in class, and they’ll soon improve. For those that don’t improve even after focused detentions, further action will be needed and may involve parents and senior/middle management. 
• For poor behaviour, detentions need to be planned and crafted really well. Remember: the detention should attempt to address or solve the problem that it was given for . I remember a couple of years back when two boys got involved in a bit of a scuffle in the science lab. It wasn’t anything major, but one kid said a nasty word to the other and that kid decided to punch his mate in the arm quite hard. As a Science Teacher, this is something I must absolutely nip-in-the-bud because safety in the lab is paramount, and kids just can’t scuffle or fight in there: period. I gave them both a detention for the next day at 1pm. They came, and I spent the time explaining to them why their behavior was unacceptable. They wrote letters of apology to me and each other, and left the detention understanding exactly why I had taken their time away from them. I didn’t have a problem with them again.
• Lessons that end at break times work well for giving detentions if necessary, as you can easily retain the students when the bell rings. If you do assign detentions for the next day or at a later time, then pencil those into your diary – this will serve both as a useful reminder and as a record of who’ve you’ve given detentions to and how often. 

Recurring work 

I’m a massive believer in the power of recurring work and journaling, and have written about it in detail here and here . 

Learning journals are just great for giving regular recurring feedback and for consolidating and reviewing cumulative knowledge gained throughout an academic year. But did you know that Learning Journals save you many a supervised detention too?

Many schools provide homework timetables for students and teachers to follow. With the very best of intentions, these timetables aim to distribute student and teacher workload evenly and fairly. However, they can prove difficult to follow when units include different intensities of work, and when school events get in the way.

Set Learning Journals as homework each week. The basic idea is that students buy their own notebook and fill it with colorful revision notes on a weekly basis (although they can be done online too: through Google Sites, for example). Perhaps your Year 10 class could hand-in their learning journals in every Wednesday, and collect them from you (with feedback written inside, see the articles cited above) every Friday. By setting up a register of collection that the students sign, you can easily see who hasn’t handed in their journal that week.

Then……follow the guidelines given above for dealing with late or un-submitted homework. You’ll find that after a few weeks of initiating Learning Journals you’ll get a near 100% hand-in rate, because the students are really clear about what is expected each week, because it is a recurring homework. 

Whole school  considerations

Many schools adopt a popular (but massively problematic) ‘mass-detention’ system of some sort, which works something like this:

• The student receives the requisite number of ‘warnings’ in a particular lesson which lead to a break or lunch time detention being given
• The student is sent to a room with other students from the school who’ve also received detentions
• Teachers supervise the ‘detention room’ on a rotating basis, thereby (in theory), sharing the workload across the staff body
• The students are given generic tasks to do during the detention time, which may include filling in a form, completing homework or in the very worst cases just sitting still and being quiet for twenty minutes or so.

The problem with systems like this is that they are not personal to the students receiving the detentions. They do not follow the ‘golden rule’: that detentions should address or solve the problem that they were given for .

What’s much more effective in the long-term is to trust individual teachers to administer their own detentions. Perhaps provide a quick training session based on good practice (feel free to use this article if you wish), and allow the teachers to then use their judgement to decide when and how detentions should be given.

Student detentions are only effective when they have the ‘ personal touch’ . When detentions address the original issue by allowing more time to complete homework or classwork, or allow for a one-on-one discussion about behaviour, the following magical things happen:

• The detention is given from a standpoint of care and concern, not confrontation and aggression
• Students realise the reason why the detention was given as this reason is reinforced by the activities given during the time of the detention
• Students improve. It’s that simple. Mass detention systems rarely work because they don’t pinpoint the personal reasons behind why the student is under-performing. Detentions with the ‘ personal touch’ cause students to realise their errors and most, if not all, will improve in a short space of time. 

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Author: richardjamesrogers

High School Science and Mathematics Teacher, Author and Blogger. Graduated from Bangor University with a BSc (Hons) degree in Molecular Biology and a PGCE in Secondary Science Education. Richard also holds the coveted Certificate in Mathematics from the Open University (UK). Richard is the award-winning author of The Quick Guide to Classroom Management: 45 Secrets That All High School Teachers Need to Know View All Posts

2 thoughts on “ The Effective Use of Detentions ”

• Pingback: When Kids Don’t Return Homework – What can we do?

Is it acceptable and legal to make students clean the school windows as a detention task ? It happened in my child’s school and parents did not complain but I am concerned this is abuse of power

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3 Alternatives to Assigning Detention

Developing relationships with students to help them make positive choices requires planning and patience, but the work pays off.

There may be times when you have reached the end of your patience with a student’s behavior. They may disrupt learning or repeat a negative behavior too many times. What do we do as teachers in these scenarios? Sometimes the simple answer is assigning detention.

Yet detention is not an effective discipline tool for some students , and in fact it might increase the recurrence of negative behavior. Detention and other punitive measures, like suspensions and expulsions, can contribute to other issues , such as recidivism among students, despite harsher or longer punishments. These measures have the potential to increase apathy and defiance. They can jeopardize teachers’ and staff’s efforts to build relationships and trust. Finally, they can have a negative effect on a student’s academic performance.

There is evidence of racial and ethnic disparities among students assigned to detention. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights sent a letter to educators outlining the disparities and offering alternatives to detention and suspension. Instead of detention, the DOE recommends restorative practices and positive interventions, such as counseling.

There may be severe circumstances that require removing a student from the school environment and placing them on off-campus suspension, such as hitting, fighting, threatening, or verbal assault. But before submitting a detention referral form for minor, day-to-day offenses, consider these three alternatives.

One suggestion is to create a reflection room in place of one for detention. In it, teachers, administrators, caregivers, and the student go through a reflective process to understand the root cause of a conflict and assist the student in understanding and identifying better options. Reflective practices teach students what actions they can take in the future when confronted with difficult situations.

As a middle school assistant principal, I recently had two students referred to me for pushing each other during recess. As I spoke with each of the students individually, I realized they had very different perspectives on what had occurred. “I tripped and landed on him. Really!” versus “He deliberately ran into me!”

These two students needed to learn how to see a situation from another person’s point of view. They each wrote a narrative description of the scuffle as if they were the other person. I followed up with each student separately, and both realized that perhaps they had misinterpreted the other person’s intentions. After writing a reflection, there’s no guarantee that they will never push each other again. But maybe they’ll take a moment to consider what the other person is thinking before they react physically.

Logical Consequences

If you are familiar with the concept of the Responsive Classroom , you might have heard about logical consequences . Instead of harsh punishment, the teacher gently instructs the student on how to correct their errors.

At the end of the discussion, students become empowered because the teacher assists them in reaching epiphanies like “When I knock things down, I have to help build them back up,” “I can fix things when I mess up,” or “My teacher helps me solve problems.” If a student leaves a mess at the lunch table, the obvious next step is to clean it up. Please keep in mind that this is not a suggestion to assign illogical chores, such as “You forgot your homework, now scrape gum off the sidewalk.”

The tone of the teacher is critical when using logical consequences. It should convey problem-solving and learning rather than anger or frustration. Maintaining students’ dignity is essential for assisting them in learning from an experience.

Logical consequences do not always have to be negative. When students make thoughtful decisions that result in good outcomes, note it. Ask your school administration if they will accept “positive office referrals” in which a teacher refers a student for helpful behaviors. How cool would it be if your students routinely wondered, “Is she there for a positive referral?” whenever the principal called a student out of class.

Restorative Practices

Restorative practices, in a nutshell, teach students how to right the wrongs they have caused. They provide alternatives to using punishment and build healthier learning communities. To quote Arkansas principal Chelsea Jennings , “Kids who are frequently in trouble are often testing a system that has repeatedly failed them, but a restorative approach says ‘we are not giving up on you.’”

If a student disrespects another student or staff member in words or actions, how can that student attempt to repair the harm done? A science teacher at our school implemented this approach when a student disrupted her class. The teacher informed the student that her disruptive behavior had taken away instructional time, and as a result, the student would have to help the teacher recoup some of the lost time by assisting with the prep for the next lab before school. Even if the student thought that prepping for a lab was enjoyable or fun, that student was fulfilling the spirit of the consequence: making up for the lost time.

Peer conflict resolution assists students in working to repair the harm done to another student. Students can be taught conflict resolution with the help of a faculty member or counselor. If a student uses a slur or disrespectful language, that student should investigate why that language is harmful. By conducting research first, the offending student can craft a more sympathetic and informed apology to the victim.

An example of this is a middle school student who made a racially insensitive joke. From speaking with the student, it was clear that he did not know the joke was offensive. He was repeating what he had read on the internet. After doing some research on the origins of the joke, the student realized why it was hurtful and sincerely apologized.

There would be no growth, no new understanding, no repairing of harm, if I simply assigned him detention.

The alternatives suggested above are not quick and easy. Some people will object, fearing that restorative practices are letting students off easy or with just a slap on the wrist. These are valid concerns, but one important point to remember is that restorative practices are preventive actions based on relationships.

Building the relationships necessary to guide students toward positive choices requires creativity, planning, and a lot of patience. So why do it? It pays off when students’ behavior improves and the community becomes a more positive environment.

Group Activities For Incarcerated Youth – From Isolation To Connection

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Group activities for incarcerated youth can be a great way to keep them engaged and learning while they are in custody. As an experienced Group activities organizer, I know that engaging in activities can help young people develop important skills and create meaningful connections with each other.

It’s my mission to provide fun ways for these teens to interact and learn, no matter their circumstances.

In this article, I’ll offer three ideas for effective group activities that have been successful with incarcerated youth all over the world.

These activities will promote positive social development and teach valuable life skills like communication, cooperation, problem-solving, trust-building, and teamwork. Plus, they’re flexible enough to work with different groups of kids regardless of age or gender composition.

I’m passionate about using creative activities as a tool to foster growth among young people who are struggling with tough circumstances outside their control. Read on to discover more about how you can use these enjoyable yet educational group activity ideas in your own setting!

Also Read – Group Activities For Values Learning – Ideas For All Ages .

Definition Of Incarcerated Youth

Incarcerated youth are those who have been arrested, detained in a juvenile detention center or prison, and/or convicted of criminal offenses. These young offenders may be between the ages of 8-17 years old, depending on their state’s laws.

Generally, they live in secure facilities with limited access to family members and other adults outside the institution. They also receive specialized education and social services from staff within the facility.

The term “youth incarceration” is used to refer specifically to institutionalized settings for these incarcerated minors. Youth prisons provide them with supervision, security, medical care, mental health treatment, and educational opportunities during their stay there.

It can often involve some form of court-ordered restriction such as probation or parole that juveniles must adhere to when released back into society.

Imprisoned youth face greater challenges compared to adults due to their age and developmental stage; thus requiring special activities tailored towards helping them reintegrate back into society after serving their sentence.

With this in mind, it is important that group activities be provided by professionals trained in working with this population so they can benefit from engaging in positive interactions while learning the life skills needed upon release. Moving forward then, let us explore the benefits of group activities for incarcerated youth…

Benefits Of Group Activities

Now that we understand the definition of incarcerated youth, let’s explore the benefits of group activities for them. Group activities can have a powerful social impact on young people who are facing incarceration. By engaging in collaborative activities with other individuals, they can foster positive relationships and learn how to interact more effectively with others.

These types of experiences also offer an opportunity for emotional development. Incarcerated youth may benefit from developing trust between one another as well as better problem-solving skills through working together to complete projects or tasks. In addition, participating in groups often encourages increased self-awareness and greater levels of personal responsibility by learning to accept feedback from peers and adults.

Group activities can also help improve mental health among incarcerated youth by giving them the chance to express their feelings in a safe environment. Participating in this type of activity is believed to reduce stress while providing opportunities to practice new behaviors and coping strategies. Experiencing success in these activities, it may boost self-esteem and confidence which can lead to improved behavior overall.

Engaging in organized recreational activities offers numerous benefits for incarcerated youth whether it be physical fitness, intellectual stimulation, team building, or communication skills; all essential components for leading successful lives after release from their sentences.

Types Of Recreational Activities

The types of recreational activities available to incarcerated youth are vast and varied. An example is the case study of the program at San Quentin State Prison in California which offers a variety of leisure activities for inmates, including outdoor sports such as basketball, volleyball, and soccer; music activities like band practice or karaoke; craft projects such as woodworking or painting canvases; and food-related activities like cooking classes or baking competitions.

These recreational activities can help incarcerated youth develop social skills by teaching them how to work together with their peers in a productive way. They also offer an opportunity for learning new hobbies, building self-confidence, and developing a sense of pride in achieving something positive.

Here’s a list of some activity ideas that could be included in any group session:

• Outdoor Activities – Hiking, camping trips, team sports
• Leisure Activities – Puzzles & board games, movie nights
• Music Activities – Choir practices, guitar lessons
• Craft Projects – Woodworking & crafts workshops
• Food Activities – Baking contests & cooking classes

These activities provide not only physical stimulation but mental engagement as well. By participating in these different types of recreational programs, young adults in detention centers have access to meaningful experiences they otherwise might not have had while locked away from society.

Through these activities, they learn valuable life skills that will ultimately serve them better when it’s time to reenter the community upon release from prison. Moving on to providing social and emotional support…

Social And Emotional Support

The social and emotional support of incarcerated youth is a crucial part of creating a successful environment for healing. Mental health interventions, such as psychological counseling, can help young people work through the trauma they experienced leading up to their incarceration and during it.

Additionally, programs that focus on the promotion of positive emotions and behavioral management strategies are important components in fostering an emotionally supportive group atmosphere.

Activities like role-playing scenarios or journal writing can be used in sessions with inmates to practice these skills. Group activities should also involve discussions about mental health topics, including self-care and strategies for managing stress.

Participation in art projects which allow individuals to express themselves creatively can also increase feelings of self-worth and encourage open communication between peers.

Overall, providing social and emotional support within a correctional setting helps create safe spaces for learning new coping mechanisms and building life skills necessary for success outside of prison walls.

Education And Learning Opportunities

Having a good education is like having wings to soar. It provides youth with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed for success in life. Incarcerated young people often don’t have access to quality educational programming, learning resources, or academic support – but there are many ways we as group activities specialists can help them unlock their potential.

We should provide opportunities that focus on developing the necessary skills they’ll need to succeed both inside and outside of prison walls. Here are some ideas:

• Educational Materials: Provide incarcerated youth with age-appropriate textbooks, worksheets, activities, and exercises so they can continue their studies while incarcerated.
• Study Groups: Create study groups amongst peers who share similar interests and goals; this helps build confidence, fosters relationships among participants, and encourages critical thinking.
• Academic Support: Offer tutoring services from professionals who specialize in teaching at-risk students; these services could include one-on-one sessions or group workshops focusing on specific topics such as mathematics or English literature.

By providing these types of educational programs, we’re helping empower our incarcerated youths to become successful learners who can take charge of their lives when released back into society. We must equip them with the tools that will enable them to reach their fullest potential no matter what obstacles stand in their way!

With increased access to educational materials, study groups, and academic support, we can make an impact on the next generation’s future by instilling strong values that promote self-sufficiency and resilience within our youth population.

From here we move on to Life Skills Development which further builds upon our efforts towards giving every young person a better chance at success!

Life Skills Development

Moving from education and learning opportunities to life skills development, we can provide incarcerated youth with a variety of activities that help develop their self-sufficiency. Through these activities, they will gain confidence while also developing important coping strategies, decision-making abilities, problem-solving techniques, and communication skills.

One such activity could be having the group create a ‘Life Skills Toolbox’ through which different topics related to successful personal management can be discussed in depth. This could include setting goals, time management, managing stress levels, or financial literacy. Each topic should emphasize practical solutions for real-life scenarios – enabling young people to feel empowered when facing difficulties outside of incarceration.

Other great activities include creating an action plan on how each individual can become more independent once released. This would involve goal mapping; helping them figure out what steps need to be taken toward achieving their aspirations.

It is not enough to just list down ambitions, it’s equally important to explore ways in which those dreams can be achieved within certain boundaries – whether that’s limited resources or legal restrictions. With this type of activity, youths learn how to navigate obstacles and build assertiveness as well as resilience in order to reach success both during and after incarceration.

These activities are designed so that participants have fun while gaining life lessons they may otherwise lack access to due to their circumstances – allowing them greater control over their lives regardless of any limitations imposed upon them by the criminal justice system.

As we move forward into discussing mentoring programs, these valuable skills developed here will prove even more beneficial for our juveniles going forward.

Mentoring Programs

Mentoring programs are the silver lining that can light up incarcerated youth’s lives, offering them a path to self-growth and development. These programs provide invaluable access for mentors and mentees to create meaningful connections with each other in order to foster trust and teach important life skills.

By providing unique opportunities like these, incarcerated youths receive a valuable source of support as they work on their rehabilitation journey.

Through developing strong interpersonal bonds between mentors and mentees, individuals emerge from prison better equipped to face the challenges ahead while being able to take greater ownership of their lives. Moreover, it is also an opportunity for prisoners to learn from one another and acquire new tools for problem-solving outside the walls of the correctional institution.

Read Also – 23 Group Activities Ideas For Problem-Solving .

With such initiatives in place, we have seen remarkable changes among inmates who engage in this type of program – may feel more connected with society instead of isolated and disconnected as before.

The impact goes beyond just personal transformation; by allowing formerly incarcerated people to make these kinds of contributions back into their communities, everyone benefits from increased safety, stability, and economic well-being.

Arts And Cultural Participation

For incarcerated youth, involvement in the arts and culture can be a great way to stay connected to their communities. It allows them to express themselves creatively, find novel views, and grow in their appreciation of the arts.

The activities should foster inclusivity and emphasize creativity as opposed to technique or technical skill. Arts-based initiatives could include pottery classes, music production workshops, theater performances, mural painting sessions, photography projects, and more.

Many art forms are accessible even within prison environments; however, there may be restrictions on what materials inmates have access to. Fortunately, there are many creative solutions that can help bring artistic expression into confined settings such as using paper cutouts instead of paints or creating instruments out of recycled materials like tin cans or plastic bottles.

Additionally, digital tools such as iPads allow for easy recording capabilities so prisoners can make use of technology when available. With thoughtful planning by activity coordinators and support from local organizations, these efforts can lead not only to personal growth but also build community connections and relationships between inmates and the outside world.

These activities provide an invaluable opportunity for learning about different cultures while allowing young people who are often isolated from their peers the chance to connect with each other through shared experiences.

By encouraging participation in cultural programming opportunities, we can open up channels of communication between those inside correctional facilities and others on the outside helping bridge gaps caused by incarceration as well as create meaningful dialogue around issues related to criminal justice reform.

As we move forward towards sports and exercise initiatives for incarcerated youth, it is important to remember that providing safe spaces where young people feel heard can have lasting positive impacts far beyond any given project or program’s time frame.

Sports And Exercise Initiatives

Sports and exercise initiatives can be incredibly beneficial for incarcerated youth. Physical activity has been found to help improve not just physical health, but also mental well-being and social development.

Group activities that involve sports and exercises are therefore an important part of any group initiative with the goal of providing positive experiences for young people in detention centers.

Below is a list of possible sport-based activities:

• Outdoor team games such as volleyball or soccer
• Individual fitness challenges like running or jump rope competitions
• A variety of traditional sports such as basketball or badminton
• Yoga classes as well as meditation practices

In order to keep everyone motivated, it’s important to provide incentives and rewards for participation. Prizes could include special snacks, new books or magazines, extra phone call time with family members, etc. It will also be necessary to monitor detained youth’s performance levels so they do not overexert themselves while engaging in physical activity.

The benefits of incorporating sports into group activities for incarcerated youth go beyond just physical fitness; it helps build confidence, increases self-esteem, provides a sense of purpose, creates bonds between participants, and encourages leadership skills.

With these advantages in mind, transitioning into technology-based activities may prove even more effective in fostering meaningful relationships among the detainees.

Technology-Based Activities

Technology-based activities provide an exciting opportunity for incarcerated youth to explore their interests and discover new talents. With the right guidance, these youths can use technology as a tool to develop skills that will benefit them both now and in the future.

The possibilities are virtually limitless with virtual reality, gaming consoles, online classes, video production, and robotics programs all accessible within correctional facilities.

First off is virtual reality; this technology offers a truly immersive experience where inmates can learn about different cultures or even take up a career path like carpentry or engineering.

This type of activity provides an escape from the daily routine of prison life while also helping to stimulate critical thinking skills and creativity. Additionally, it gives inmates access to information that could otherwise be difficult to gather inside prison walls.

Gaming consoles offer another form of group activity by allowing multiple participants simultaneously engage in various types of games — sports titles, puzzle games such as Tetris, fighting games, and more.

These activities help foster team building amongst inmates while providing entertainment during free time hours. Moreover, playing console games helps sharpen cognitive abilities since they often require mental agility and strategy development when overcoming obstacles throughout gameplay sessions.

Finally, there are plenty of options available when it comes to teaching inmates how computers work through hands-on learning experiences via tutorials on coding languages or web design projects using HTML & CSS programming techniques.

Inmates can also participate in online courses related to specific topics they’re interested in exploring further such as music theory or graphic design software applications like Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator.

Video production classes give individuals the chance to express themselves creatively by producing short films with equipment provided by correctional institutions – perfect for those who want to showcase artistic talent! Robotics clubs complete this list of tech-engaging activities giving members the opportunity to develop problem-solving strategies through interactive simulations involving robots programmed for certain tasks set by facilitators.

In summary: Technology-based activities have much potential for incarcerated youth – from immersing them into other worlds via virtual reality headsets all the way down to honing technical skills with robotics clubs – all designed so that each participant has something fun but meaningful to do every day

Frequently Asked Questions [FAQs]

What is the average age range of incarcerated youth.

The age range is one of the most crucial factors to take into account when talking about juvenile offenders. In order to properly organize activities and programs suited to the requirements of imprisoned youth, a youth group activity expert must be aware of the typical age range of the population. We’ll talk about the usual age range of youth incarceration in this piece.

The typical age of prisoners differs from nation to nation, but research has shown that most nations follow similar patterns when it comes to locking up minors under the age of 18.

In terms of U.S specific figures, research indicates that approximately half (50%) of individuals jailed in America are below 25 years old, while two out of five (40%) are younger than 21 years old – meaning they were too young at the time they committed their crime and sentenced accordingly as minors. Additionally, statistics show that African American males comprise a disproportionate number within this demographic – making up only 8% percent of the US population but 33% percent of those under correctional control or supervision.

These numbers demonstrate just how critical it is for us as youth group activity specialists to be aware about who we’re working with so that our programming can match these demographics effectively – ensuring each participant has access to meaningful opportunities and experiences regardless of their background or circumstance.

What Safety Measures Are Taken To Ensure The Safety Of The Incarcerated Youth During Group Activities?

When it comes to group activities for incarcerated youth, safety measures are of utmost importance. The average age range of those involved is typically between 12 and 24 years old, so extra caution must be taken when organizing activities that involve this vulnerable population.

Group activities provide an opportunity for rehabilitation and development outside of the prison setting. To make sure that all participants are safe during any initiative, organizations need to thoroughly plan out each event before implementation.

This includes ensuring adequate supervision from trained professionals or volunteers, as well as providing appropriate medical help if needed. All associated costs should also be considered ahead of time, such as transportation needs or supplies required for a particular activity.

I have worked with many different institutions throughout my career who prioritize safety above all else when planning activities for their incarcerated youth populations.

They understand that without proper risk assessment and safety protocols in place, there can be serious consequences both to the individual at hand and society overall. It is essential that we create a secure environment where young people have the chance to take part in meaningful experiences while still under the care and guidance of responsible adults.

Are There Any Restrictions On The Types Of Activities Incarcerated Youth Can Participate In?

When it comes to group activities for incarcerated youth, one of the most important questions that needs to be asked is: are there any restrictions on the types of activities these youths can participate in? It’s crucial that activity specialists and facilitators consider all safety requirements as well as potential costs associated with any proposed initiatives.

The safety of incarcerated youth must always remain a top priority when planning group activities. Activity specialists need to carefully evaluate each activity before allowing incarcerated youth to take part. Guidelines should be established regarding what kinds of activities are suitable, and all participants should abide by those rules.

Furthermore, successful initiatives should include oversight from supervisors or staff members who will help ensure the safety of everyone involved.

In addition to safety concerns, it’s also necessary to look at cost-related factors when designing activities for incarcerated youth groups. Depending on the size and scope of the project, specialized equipment may need to be purchased or rented; moreover, if an outside location is chosen for an activity, transport may have to be arranged. All of this requires careful planning and budgeting so that appropriate resources are allocated for safe, enjoyable experiences for the group.

At the end of the day, providing meaningful group activities for incarcerated youth means taking into account not only their safety but also financial constraints and other relevant considerations too! By ensuring a balance between these different elements, youth groups will benefit from engaging in positive recreational opportunities while still receiving adequate supervision during their time together.

Are There Any Successful Group Activity Initiatives That Have Been Implemented In Other States?

When considering group activities for incarcerated youth, it is important to explore successful initiatives implemented in other states. As a youth group activity organizer, I am committed to ensuring safety and providing meaningful experiences for all participants.

It is essential to evaluate the various group activity initiatives used by correctional facilities across different states when coming up with ideas. It can be helpful to research what has been working well in other locations and adapt those measures to your own program design.

For example, some states have developed unique programs that provide educational opportunities such as tutoring or writing workshops while others may focus more on physical activities like yoga or sports leagues. Regardless of the type of initiative chosen, it should always include clear parameters around safety measures and expectations for the participants.

In addition to researching best practices from other states, there are also resources available online where you can look at examples of effective strategies that have proven successful with incarcerated youth.

These samples can serve as templates which you can modify based on the needs of your specific facility. By utilizing these resources, you will gain valuable insight into how to create an engaging experience with appropriate safety protocols in place for everyone involved.

Creating a fun and safe environment for incarcerated youth requires thoughtful planning and exploring successful group activity initiatives from other states is essential for designing an impactful program that meets their needs.

With careful consideration given to both existing regulations and recommended guidelines, any initiative can be tailored to ensure security and enriching outcomes for all participants alike.

Are There Any Costs Associated With Participating In Group Activities For Incarcerated Youth?

When considering group activities for incarcerated youth, one of the most important factors to consider is the costs associated with participating. Depending on the activity and its scope, there can be a wide range of cost considerations that must be taken into account:

• Material expenses such as supplies or equipment needed
• Transportation costs if trips are involved
• Costs related to hiring facilitators or volunteers
• Administrative overhead like printing costs or online tools

As a group activity organizer, it’s my job to ensure these financial concerns don’t prevent detained youths from accessing meaningful experiences through structured activities. That means making sure all stakeholders have access to accurate information about what funds are available and how those resources should best be allocated. I take great care in analyzing each individual situation so that we can maximize our impact without going over budget.

To do this effectively, I work closely with correctional facility staff members who understand their local context, whether it’s limited resources or specific regulations that need to be taken into consideration. By partnering up in this way, we can create effective strategies for covering any associated costs while providing quality activities for classrooms and other groups of detained youths.

It’s not always an easy task but when done right, everyone benefits – both financially and otherwise –from well-planned group activities tailored specifically to meet the needs of the incarcerated youth population.

The typical age of detained juveniles must be taken into account, as well as any necessary safety precautions. In order for these young people to engage in meaningful activities, it is also essential to guarantee that there are no restrictions on those activities.

Finally, it’s essential to keep costs low so more incarcerated youth can participate and benefit from group activities.

Ultimately, I believe providing effective group activities is one of the most powerful tools available when working with incarcerated youth. Through engagement with peers and supportive adults, these young individuals will gain valuable skills such as communication, problem-solving, teamwork, resilience, and empathy. As a result of participation in organized activities, hopefully, we’ll see improved behavior within correctional facilities across the country.

In conclusion, by giving incarcerated youth access to appropriate group activities we’re offering them a chance to grow emotionally and build relationships outside of their current circumstances. This type of support has invaluable potential—not just while they’re in prison but even after they’ve been released into society.

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Along with instruction and assessment, assignments form the foundation of the teaching and learning process. They provide opportunities for students to practice the skills and apply the knowledge that they have been taught in a supportive environment. It also helps the teacher gauge how well students are learning the material and how close they are to mastery.

Because of the nature of assignments, managing them can get hectic. That’s why its best to use a platform like Google Classroom to help you manage assignments digitally. In today’s tip, we will discuss 48 ways that you can use Classroom to manage student assignments.

• Assignment Status – Easily check how many students turned in an assignment as well as how many assignments have been graded by going to the Classwork tab and clicking on the title of the assignment.
• Assign to Multiple Classes – Post an assignment to multiple classes by using the “for” drop-down menu when creating an assignment.
• Brainstorm – Use Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, or Drawings to brainstorm for class assignments.
• Calendar of Due Dates – Link a Google Calendar with due dates for assignments, tests, and other important dates into Classroom.
• Check Homework – Classroom makes checking homework easy with a quick glance at the assignment page. If more detailed grading is needed, just access the grading interface for the assignment.
• Choice Boards – Give students a choice in how they demonstrate what they know by creating a choice board and uploading it as an assignment. Choice boards allow students to choose between several assignments and can be created directly in Classroom, using Google Docs, or with third-party apps.
• Co-Teach Classes – Invite others to co-teach in your Classroom. Each teacher is able to create assignments and post announcements for students.
• Create Questions Before a Socratic Seminar – Create an assignment for students to develop questions before a Socratic seminar. During the collaborative process, students can eliminate duplicate questions.
• Detention Assignment Sheet – Create a detention assignment sheet using Google Docs. The assignment sheet can then be shared with the detention teacher and individual students privately through Classroom.
• Differentiate Assignments – Assign work to individual students or groups of students in Classroom.
• Differentiate by Product – Differentiate by product in Classroom by providing a challenge, variety, or choice or by using a continuum with assignments.
• Digital Portfolios – Students can create digital portfolios of their work by uploading documents, pictures, artifacts, etc. to Classroom assignments.
• Directions Document – Use Google Docs to create instruction documents for assignments in Classroom.
• Distribute Student Work/Homework – Use Classroom to distribute student assignments or homework to all students, groups of students, or individual students.
• Diversify Student Submissions – Create alternative submission options for students through the assignment tool. For example, one group of students may be required to submit a Google Doc while another group is required to submit a Slides presentation.
• Do-Now Activities – Use Classroom to post Do-Now Activities.
• Draft Assignments – Save posts as drafts until they are ready for publishing.
• Feedback Before Student Submits – Provide feedback to students while their assignment is still a work in progress instead of waiting until submission. This will help the student better understand assignment expectations.
• Get Notified of Late Assignments – Select notification settings to get notified each time an assignment is turned in late.
• Global Classroom – Partner with international teachers to create a co-teaching classroom without borders where students can work on collaborative assignments.
• Graphic Organizers – Upload graphic organizers for students to collaborate on assignments and projects.
• Group Collaboration – Assign multiple students to an assignment to create a collaborative group. Give students editing rights to allow them access to the same document.
• HyperDocs – Create and upload a hyperdoc as an assignment.
• Link to Assignments – Create links to assignments not created in Classroom.
• Link to Class Blog – Provide the link to a class blog in Classroom.
• Link to Next Activity – Provide a link to the next activity students must complete after finishing an assignment.
• Make a Copy for Each Student – Chose “make a copy for each student” when uploading assignment documents to avoid students having to share one copy of the document. When a copy for each student is made, Classroom automatically adds each student’s name to the document and saves it to the Classroom folder in Google Drive.
• Move to Top/Bottom – Move recent assignments to the top of the Classwork feed so students can find new tasks more quickly.
• Multiple File Upload – Upload multiple files for an assignment in one post.
• Naming Conventions for Assignments – Create a unique naming system for assignments so they can be easily found in the Classroom folder in Google Drive.
• Offline Mode – Change settings to allow students to work in offline mode if internet connections are weak. Once an internet connection is established, students can upload assignments to Classroom.
• One Student One Sheet – In Google Sheets, assign one tab (sheet) per student for the student to complete the assignment.
• One Student One Slide – In Google Slides, assign one slide to each student to present findings on a topic or to complete an assignment.
• Organize Student Work – Google Classroom automatically creates calendars and folders in Drive to keep assignments organized.
• Peer Tutors – Assign peer tutors to help struggling students with assignments.
• Protect Privacy – Google Classroom only allows class members to access assignments. Also, it eliminates the need to use email, which may be less private than Classroom.
• Provide Accommodations – Provide accommodations to students with disabilities in Google Classroom by allowing extra time to turn in assignments, using text to speech functions, and third-party extensions for colored overlays.
• Reorder Assignments by Status – Instead of organizing assignments by student first or last name, organize them by status to see which students have or have not turned in work.
• Reuse Posts – Reuse post from prior assignments or from other Classrooms.
• See the Process – Students don’t have to submit their assignments for you to see their work. When you chose “make a copy for each student” for assignments, each student’s work can be seen in the grading tool, even if it’s not submitted. Teachers can make comments and suggestions along the way.
• Share Materials – Upload required materials such as the class syllabus, rules, procedures, etc. to a Class Resources Module, or upload assignment materials within the assignment.
• Share Resources – Create a resource list or a resource module for students.
• Share Solutions to an Assignment – Share solutions to an assignment with a collaborator or students after all assignments have been turned in.
• Stop Repeating Directions – By posting a directions document to assignments, the need to continually repeat directions is lessened, if not eliminated altogether. Keep in mind that some students will still need directions to read orally or clarified.
• Student Work Collection – Use Classroom to collect student work from assignments.
• Summer Assignments – Create summer assignments for students through Classroom.
• Templates – Create templates for projects, essays, and other student assignments.
• Track Assignments Turned In – Keep track of which students turned in assignments by going to the grading tool.

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Why I Want My Students to Get Detention

It’s their job to screw up. It’s my job to help them learn from mistakes.

Every year, I have my students write about their goals for the year during the first couple of weeks of school. And every year I have a few kids who make it their primary goal in life never to get in trouble.

“I won’t get detention all year.” “I will never miss a homework assignment.”

It’s a conversation-starter every year, because I think it’s a terrible goal, both in school and in life. I believe it’s crucial to learn from mistakes.

So here’s what I tell my students about getting in trouble:

“Some of you guys wrote that you want to make it through the whole year without getting detention. I totally get that, because detention is boring and miserable. It’s supposed to be. But I think you might want to give that goal a little more thought.

You see, if your number one goal is to avoid getting in trouble, you’re going to miss out on a lot of life experiences. I’m not talking about smoking in the bathroom—that’s an experience you can definitely afford to skip. And I’m definitely not talking about bullying or being stupid on the internet because that stuff can follow you forever.

I’m talking about laughing too loudly with your friends at the lunch table or getting so engrossed in a project that you get caught working on it in your next period class. I’m talking about feeling so strongly about what you want to say that you forget to raise your hand before you say it. Having so much fun with your friends that you slip up and forget your homework one night because you’re outside playing until it’s dark.

“If you’re focused on never getting in trouble, you’re limiting your opportunities to learn from mistakes.”

You guys are kids. Making mistakes and getting in trouble is basically your primary function during this part of your lives.

There are so many things you have to learn as a middle schooler—how to help your friend through a bad breakup. How to defend somebody who’s being picked on. How to defend yourself against rumors and gossip. And nobody, nobody gets it right the first time. You’ve got to do these things the wrong way and get in trouble and figure out better ways to cope next time, or you’ve learned nothing.

And here’s the other reason it’s important. At some point in your life, you’ll be faced with a situation where doing the right thing will get you in trouble. Maybe it’ll be at work, where your boss wants you to do something slightly unethical to make a profit. Maybe it’ll be in a relationship, where being honest with someone you love results in anger and resentment. Or maybe it’ll be here in school, when you see someone with power—student or faculty—misusing it against someone without.

“If you don’t know how to get in trouble, then you’re going to have a much harder time doing the right thing when that crisis arises.”

I never want you to get in trouble for being mean to somebody. I never want you to take the kind of risks that end in tragedy, like experimenting with drugs or gang activity. And I don’t want you to get in trouble because you just decide that homework isn’t really your thing this year.

But I do want you to get in trouble. I want you to make mistakes and drive me crazy and make my life more difficult. You’re my students; it’s not your job to make sure my day goes smoothly. It’s your job to screw up and let me help you learn.

So instead of focusing on never doing anything wrong, how about you focus on doing what’s right? Even when you’re not quite sure how, even when you go about it the wrong way, even when it gets you in trouble? A kid who never gets detention may be an excellent student. But we don’t want you to grow up to be star students. We want you to grow up to be fulfilled, engaged, compassionate, wise adults.  And making mistakes is the only way to get there.”

It’s a dangerous message to send because the kids misunderstand.

They’ll expect me not to hold them accountable when they screw up, “because I told them to.” And it’s often not a message their parents will agree with. I understand and respect that—and God knows, I appreciate it—but I also have to help these kids become good citizens the best way I know how. And one of the ways I do that is by encouraging them to make mistakes.

I’m not sure the message gets through to most of my sweet perfectionists. I still have kids who make it through the year without ever doing anything wrong. I really don’t think they’re just slick, either; they really put that much pressure on themselves to do everything absolutely perfectly. But when a kid comes to me complaining about her first detention in eight years of public school, I don’t tell her I’m disappointed or commiserate with her about how much it sucks. I congratulate her and tell her that she’s gained a new life experience because that’s what I truly believe.

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Lunch detentions: reflection prompts for your students to complete during a 20-minute lunch.

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Detention Teachers’ Resources

The teachers’ resources for my new novel Detention   are now available here . And there are three 2-minute videos to support the teaching of Detention and give insight into the writing process, as well as a video book trailer here .

We’ve worked hard on the teaching materials to create a comprehensive resource that covers the key themes of refugee experiences and statelessness as well as class, privilege, empathy, compassion, family relationships and human rights.

The book is being picked up for stage four study (years 7 & 8) but it’s suitable for readers 10+. Here’s what teacher-librarian and blogger Megan Daley (Children’s Books Daily) said about the book. Her year 7 students are studying it in term 4 this year. My intention was to write a page-turning novel that readers will devour simply as a suspenseful novel, but one that will also prompt questions and allow more in-depth study as the layers are peeled.

Detention Teachers’ Resources Contents

I worked with my publisher Zoe Walton , Shaun Nemorin and Jasmina Bajraktarevic from STARTTS (Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors) and English teacher, writer and editor Siboney Duff to build a resource that includes:

• a Q&A with me on how the story developed
• discussion questions and activities around ethical dilemmas, opportunity and whether what’s right and what is legal are always the same thing
• creative writing exercises around point-of-view, building tension, ‘show don’t tell’ and more
• the books, videos, articles and websites that I found most useful when researching refugee experiences, children in detention and Australia’s policies on asylum seekers
• a ‘Top 5 Things You Could Do’ to help and understand more about refugees
• information on Afghan Hazara people
• tips for studying these ideas in the classroom
• and lots more

The two-minute education videos to accompany the notes in which I talk about researching the novel, how a Vision Board helped me to visualise different aspects of the story and how to create a book soundtrack are here .

Good luck with the book and I hope you find the teachers’ resources useful!

Teachers’ Resources link: https://www.penguin.com.au/content/resources/TR_Detention.pdf

You can link to various stores to buy the book here or contact your local bookshop or supplier.

The main page for the book with other posts about Detention  is here .

And the teachers’ resources for my other books including  Two Wolves, The Fall  and  Tom Weekly  is here .

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New Data Reveal How Many Students Are Using AI to Cheat

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AI-fueled cheating—and how to stop students from doing it—has become a major concern for educators.

But how prevalent is it? Newly released data from a popular plagiarism-detection company is shedding some light on the problem.

And it may not be as bad as educators think it is.

Of the more than 200 million writing assignments reviewed by Turnitin’s AI detection tool over the past year, some AI use was detected in about 1 out of 10 assignments, while only 3 out of every 100 assignments were generated mostly by AI.

These numbers have not changed much from when Turnitin released data in August of 2023 about the first three months of the use of its detection tool, said the company’s chief product officer, Annie Chechitelli.

“We hit a steady state, and it hasn’t changed dramatically since then,” she said. “There are students who are leaning on AI too much. But it’s not pervasive. It wasn’t this, ‘the sky is falling.’”

The fact that the number of students using AI to complete their schoolwork hasn’t skyrocketed in the past year dovetails with survey findings from Stanford University that were released in December. Researchers there polled students in 40 different high schools and found that the percentage of students who admitted to cheating has remained flat since the advent of ChatGPT and other readily available generative AI tools. For years before the release of ChatGPT, between 60 and 70 percent of students admitted to cheating, and that remained the same in the 2023 surveys, the researchers said.

Turnitin’s latest data release shows that in 11 percent of assignments run through its AI detection tool that at least 20 percent of each assignment had evidence of AI use in the writing. In 3 percent of the assignments, each assignment was made up of 80 percent or more of AI writing, which tracks closely with what the company was seeing just 3 months after it launched its AI detection tool .

Experts warn against fixating on cheating and plagiarism

However, a separate survey of educators has found that AI detection tools are becoming more popular with teachers, a trend that worries some experts.

The survey of middle and high school teachers by the Center for Democracy and Technology, a nonprofit focused on technology policy and consumer rights, found that 68 percent have used an AI detection tool, up substantially from the previous year. Teachers also reported in the same survey that students are increasingly getting in trouble for using AI to complete assignments. In the 2023-24 school year, 63 percent of teachers said students had gotten in trouble for being accused of using generative AI in their schoolwork, up from 48 percent last school year.

Despite scant evidence that AI is fueling a wave in cheating, half of teachers reported in the Center for Democracy and Technology survey that generative AI has made them more distrustful that their students are turning in original work.

Some experts warn that fixating on plagiarism and cheating is the wrong focus.

This creates an environment where students are afraid to talk with their teachers about AI tools because they might get in trouble, said Tara Nattrass, the managing director of innovation and strategy at ISTE+ASCD, a nonprofit that offers content and professional development on educational technology and curriculum.

“We need to reframe the conversation and engage with students around the ways in which AI can support them in their learning and the ways in which it may be detrimental to their learning,” she said in an email to Education Week. “We want students to know that activities like using AI to write essays and pass them off as their own is harmful to their learning while using AI to break down difficult topics to strengthen understanding can help them in their learning.”

Shift the focus to teaching AI literacy, crafting better policies

Students said in the Stanford survey that is generally how they think AI should be used: as an aid to understanding concepts rather than a fancy plagiarism tool.

Nattrass said schools should be teaching AI literacy while including students in drafting clear AI guidelines.

Nattrass also recommends against schools using AI detection tools. They are too unreliable to authenticate students’ work, she said, and false positives can be devastating to individual students and breed a larger environment of mistrust. Some research has found that AI detection tools are especially weak at identifying the original writing of English learners from AI-driven prose.

“Students are using AI and will continue to do so with or without educator guidance,” Nattrass said. “Teaching students about safe and ethical AI use is a part of our responsibility to help them become contributing digital citizens.”

AI detection software actually uses AI to function: these tools are trained on large amounts of machine- and human-created writing so that the software can ideally recognize differences between the two.

Turnitin claims that its AI detector is 99 percent accurate at determining whether a document was written with AI, specifically ChatGPT, as long as the document was composed with at least 20 percent of AI writing, according to the company’s website.

Chechitelli pointed out that no detector or test—whether it’s a fire alarm or medical test—is 100 percent accurate.

While she said teachers should not rely solely on AI detectors to determine if a student is using AI to cheat, she makes the case that detection tools can provide teachers with valuable data.

“It is not definitive proof,” she said. “It’s a signal that taken with other signals can be used to start a conversation with a student.”

As educators become more comfortable with generative AI, Chechitelli said she predicts the focus will shift from detection to transparency: how should students cite or communicate the ways they’ve used AI? When should educators encourage students to use AI in assignments? And do schools have clear policies around AI use and what, exactly, constitutes plagiarism or cheating?

“What the feedback we’re hearing now from students is: ‘I’m gonna use it. I would love a little bit more guidance on how and when so I don’t get in trouble,” but still use it to learn, Chechitelli said.

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Father of former youth detention center resident testifies against him in New Hampshire trial

B RENTWOOD, N.H. (AP) — The father of a man who says he was regularly raped and beaten as a teen at New Hampshire’s youth detention center briefly testified Tuesday, saying his son had a reputation for dishonesty.

Daniel Meehan was the first witness called by the state, which is defending itself against allegations that its negligence allowed his son David to be abused at the Youth Development Center. Since David Meehan went to police in 2017, 11 former state workers have been arrested , and more than 1,100 former residents of the Manchester facility have filed lawsuits airing allegations of abuse that spanned six decades.

David Meehan’s lawsui t was the first to be filed and the first to go to trial earlier this month. During his three days on the witness stand, lawyers for the state questioned Meehan in detail about his childhood and suggested he was a violent boy who falsely accused his parents of physical abuse when they tried to impose rules. In contrast, the state's lawyers spent little time on that Tuesday, questioning for Meehan’s father for little more than five minutes.

The elder Meehan described enrolling his son as a youth in Cub Scouts and other activities and seeking help for him when he complained about trouble sleeping. He also contradicted his son’s claim that his then-wife burned their son with cigarettes. Daniel Meehan said that as a firefighter whose relatives had emphysema, he did not smoke and did not allow cigarettes in the home.

“Based on all your experiences before he went to YDC and since he went to YDC, does he have a reputation for untruthfulness?” asked Assistant Attorney General Brandon Chase. “Yes,” Meehan answered.

Under questioning from his son’s attorney, Daniel Meehan acknowledged that some of that dishonesty occurred when his son was struggling with a drug addiction. David Meehan testified earlier that he had used heroin to combat post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the alleged abuse.

Attorney David Vicinanzo also questioned Daniel Meehan about his career as a firefighter, suggesting it kept him away from home so much he didn’t know much about his children or his ex-wife, who spent years being unfaithful to him before he found out. Neither side asked him about David Meehan’s time at the detention center, where according to the lawsuit, he endured near-daily beatings, rapes and long stints in solitary confinement.

Over three weeks, jurors heard Meehan and more than a dozen witnesses called by his attorneys. They included former staffers who said they faced resistance and even threats when they raised or investigated concerns, a former resident who described being gang raped in a stairwell and several psychological experts. Aside from Meehan’s father, the first witnesses for the defense included a woman who spent nearly 40 years at YDC as a youth counselor, teacher and principal and a child psychologist who criticized the previous experts.

Psychologist Eric Mart said Meehan’s experts assumed he was telling the truth without performing any tests to assess whether he was exaggerating. Mart, who had evaluated Meehan when he was 13, said it was fair to say he had significant mental health issues before he was sent to the youth center. He also said he never saw anything amiss when he met with teens at the facility in the 1990s.

Though one former teacher testified Monday that she saw suspicious bruises on Meehan and half a dozen other teens in the 1990s, former principal Marie Sullivan said she never saw signs of abuse, nor did any students tell her they were being abused.

Sullivan, who retired in 2021, was asked whether staff and teachers cared about the teens.

“I believe they did because it’s a very hard job, and you don’t stay unless you like what you do,” she said.

Father of former youth detention center resident testifies against him in New Hampshire trial

The father of a man who says he was raped and beaten as a teen at New Hampshire’s youth detention center has testified that his son had a reputation for dishonesty

BRENTWOOD, N.H. -- The father of a man who says he was regularly raped and beaten as a teen at New Hampshire’s youth detention center briefly testified Tuesday, saying his son had a reputation for dishonesty.

Daniel Meehan was the first witness called by the state, which is defending itself against allegations that its negligence allowed his son David to be abused at the Youth Development Center. Since David Meehan went to police in 2017, 11 former state workers have been arrested, and more than 1,100 former residents of the Manchester facility have filed lawsuits airing allegations of abuse that spanned six decades.

David Meehan’s lawsui t was the first to be filed and the first to go to trial earlier this month. During his three days on the witness stand, lawyers for the state questioned Meehan in detail about his childhood and suggested he was a violent boy who falsely accused his parents of physical abuse when they tried to impose rules. In contrast, the state's lawyers spent little time on that Tuesday, questioning for Meehan’s father for little more than five minutes.

The elder Meehan described enrolling his son as a youth in Cub Scouts and other activities and seeking help for him when he complained about trouble sleeping. He also contradicted his son’s claim that his then-wife burned their son with cigarettes. Daniel Meehan said that as a firefighter whose relatives had emphysema, he did not smoke and did not allow cigarettes in the home.

“Based on all your experiences before he went to YDC and since he went to YDC, does he have a reputation for untruthfulness?” asked Assistant Attorney General Brandon Chase. “Yes,” Meehan answered.

Under questioning from his son’s attorney, Daniel Meehan acknowledged that some of that dishonesty occurred when his son was struggling with a drug addiction . David Meehan testified earlier that he had used heroin to combat post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from the alleged abuse.

Attorney David Vicinanzo also questioned Daniel Meehan about his career as a firefighter, suggesting it kept him away from home so much he didn’t know much about his children or his ex-wife, who spent years being unfaithful to him before he found out. Neither side asked him about David Meehan’s time at the detention center, where according to the lawsuit, he endured near-daily beatings, rapes and long stints in solitary confinement.

Over three weeks, jurors heard Meehan and more than a dozen witnesses called by his attorneys. They included former staffers who said they faced resistance and even threats when they raised or investigated concerns, a former resident who described being gang raped in a stairwell and several psychological experts. Aside from Meehan’s father, the first witnesses for the defense included a woman who spent nearly 40 years at YDC as a youth counselor, teacher and principal and a child psychologist who criticized the previous experts.

Psychologist Eric Mart said Meehan’s experts assumed he was telling the truth without performing any tests to assess whether he was exaggerating. Mart, who had evaluated Meehan when he was 13, said it was fair to say he had significant mental health issues before he was sent to the youth center. He also said he never saw anything amiss when he met with teens at the facility in the 1990s.

Though one former teacher testified Monday that she saw suspicious bruises on Meehan and half a dozen other teens in the 1990s, former principal Marie Sullivan said she never saw signs of abuse, nor did any students tell her they were being abused.

Sullivan, who retired in 2021, was asked whether staff and teachers cared about the teens.

“I believe they did because it’s a very hard job, and you don’t stay unless you like what you do,” she said.

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A protest 56 years ago became an important part of Columbia’s culture.

During the Vietnam War, students seized campus buildings for a week until university officials and the police cracked down.

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By Vimal Patel

• April 18, 2024

Columbia University is no stranger to major student protests, and the uproar that unfolded at the institution on Thursday had echoes of a much bigger revolt in 1968 — another time of upheaval over a war many students deeply believed was immoral.

That year, in April, in the throes of the Vietnam War, Columbia and Barnard students seized five campus buildings, took a dean hostage and shut down the university.

By April 30, a week after the protest started, university officials cracked down.

At about 2 a.m., police began clearing students from Hamilton Hall “after entering the building through underground tunnels,” according to the student newspaper , The Columbia Daily Spectator. Minutes later, police entered Low Library, again through tunnels, removing occupying students by force.

By 4 a.m., they had cleared all buildings, resulting in more than 700 arrests — one of the largest mass detentions in New York City history — and 148 reports of injuries, the student newspaper reported. Officers trampled protesters, hit them with nightsticks, punched and kicked them and dragged them down stairs, according to a New York Times report .

Most of the injuries were cuts and bruises, relatively minor as compared to some of the brutal arrests of protesters at the height of antiwar and civil rights demonstrations at the time. The university also sustained some property damage, including smashed furniture, toppled shelves and broken windows.

In the end, the protesters won their goals of stopping the construction of a gym on public land in Morningside Park, cutting ties with a Pentagon institute doing research for the Vietnam War and gaining amnesty for demonstrators.

The protests would also lead to the early resignations of Columbia’s president, Grayson L. Kirk, and its provost, David B. Truman.

The fallout from the violence hurt the university’s reputation and led to reforms favoring student activism. Today the university touts its tradition of protest as part of its brand.

On Thursday, another Columbia president, Nemat Shafik, took what she called an “extraordinary step” and authorized the New York Police Department to clear out a student encampment on campus.

Vimal Patel writes about higher education with a focus on speech and campus culture. More about Vimal Patel

Our Coverage of the U.S. Campus Protests

News and Analysis

The nation’s most entrenched protest is at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, where pro-Palestinian protesters have occupied  the administration building and forced a campus closure until May 10.

Some colleges that initiated police crackdowns  on pro-Palestinian protests have since taken a different tack . Others have defended the move.

Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota has plunged into Democrats’ political storm  over the war in Gaza, further polarizing an already tense debate, after she suggested  that some Jewish students are “pro-genocide.”

Denied a Second Chance: After Covid ruined high school graduation for the class of 2020, the response to campus protests might upend their college commencements .

Deepening Democratic Rifts: Scenes of chaos unfolding on campuses across the country  are stoking internal divisions within the Democratic Party and carry political risk as a major election year unfolds.

What Makes a Protest Antisemitic?: Pro-Palestinian student activists say their movement  is anti-Zionist but not antisemitic. It is not a distinction  that everyone accepts.

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Father pays tribute to ‘daddy’s girl’ found dead at school before detention

Caitlyn Scott-Lee, 16, is thought to have taken her own life the day before she was due to have her first ever detention

The father of an autistic schoolgirl who is believed to have taken her own life the day before she was due to have her first ever detention has paid tribute to his “daddy’s girl” at the inquest into her death.

Caitlyn Scott-Lee, 16, was found dead at Wycombe Abbey, a private school in Buckinghamshire where she boarded, on 21 April last year.

The inquest at Buckinghamshire coroner’s court heard she received the detention after alcohol was found in her locker. Painting a portrait of his talented daughter in an emotional statement, her father, Jonathan Scott-Lee, described how she was a “daddy’s girl”.

“I took care of her, dressed her, cuddled her, fed her and soothed her,” he said. “As she grew as a toddler, there would be bitter-sweet moments where she would stand by the window of our home and cry as I left for my daily commute. Little did she know I would return each evening.

“It is a myth that people with autism don’t have much emotion.”

He said their feelings were “amplified” as they were “internal”, adding: “Caitlyn was so much more than autism, Wycombe Abbey and detention.”

Scott-Lee, who is a banker, said he had looked through a photo album after her death. “I saw photos of Caitlyn obtaining her scuba diving licence at age 10 in the Philippines, playing tennis in Scotland, modelling in Singapore, camping in Wales, riding helicopters in New Zealand, skiing across Japan, honing rifle marksmanship in Birmingham, driving at age 13 at Mercedes Brooklands, and hiking the Great Wall of China.”

He told the inquest: “It would be foolish to speculate whether she would have done things differently, had she known the impact of her death. Most people don’t want to end their lives; they just want the pain to stop.

“Whatever she may have felt in the moments leading up to her death, I respect her agency whilst disliking her decision.”

The inquest heard how Caitlyn had gone missing during a concert at Eton college weeks before she is believed to have killed herself.

Asked if staff made a connection between the incident and alcohol being found in Caitlyn’s possession, the Wycombe Abbey headteacher, Jo Duncan, said: “From my perspective, we saw them as different incidents.”

She said staff believed Caitlyn had run away from the concert as she did not want her mother to see her perform.

Caitlyn had previously had issues with her parents watching her play music, and had emailed her mother asking her not to come to the concert, Duncan said.

The inquest also heard that staff began to search for Caitlyn after she failed to return in time for curfew at her boarding school accommodation on 21 April last year.

In a statement read by the coroner, a friend who shared Caitlyn’s dorm said the schoolgirl had said in messages how anxious she was about a detention, and that she would rather have been suspended than have a detention.

There was also a reference in the messages to killing herself because of the detention.

Scott-Lee previously told the Sunday Times his daughter was “hyper-fixated” on the punishment.

He also shared with the newspaper her final diary entry of Thursday 20 April 2023, which reportedly read: “I hope this is my last diary entry. I want to kill myself tomorrow.”

He told the newspaper: “She was mortified to receive a detention. To some of us, it is a badge of honour, sitting in a room for two hours to work.

“But Caitlyn seemed hyper-fixated on the concept of a detention, and it seems she was determined to do anything she could to avoid it.”

The inquest continues.

In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [email protected] or [email protected] . In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org , or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

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University protests

Trump's hush money trial

April 25, 2024 - US university protests

By Elise Hammond, Chandelis Duster, Kathleen Magramo, Elizabeth Wolfe, Aya Elamroussi, Lauren Mascarenhas and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Our live coverage of the pro-Palestinian protests on US campuses has moved here .

Progress in negotiations between Columbia protesters and administrators, university says

From CNN’s Paradise Afshar

Negotiations between Columbia University administrators and pro-Palestinian protesters who've been occupying a campus lawn with a sprawling encampment "have shown progress and are continuing as planned," the school said in a statement late Thursday.

"For several days, a small group of faculty, administrators, and University Senators have been in dialogue with student organizers to discuss the basis for dismantling the encampment, dispersing, and following University policies going forward," the university said.

"We have our demands; they have theirs."

The university also denied rumors that the NYPD had been called to campus, calling them "false."

Some context: Columbia announced late Tuesday that it had given protesters a midnight deadline to agree to dismantle their encampment. But the university then said early Wednesday that it had extended the talks for another 48 hours . If no agreement is reached, the school has said it will consider "alternative options," which many protesters have interpreted to mean calling in police to clear the site.

Protests continue at campuses across the US as more arrests are announced. Here’s the latest

A wave of pro-Palestinian campus protests is rippling across the US, with hundreds of people arrested at universities throughout the country this week.

At New York's Columbia University,  the epicenter of the demonstrations,  protesting students said they won’t disperse until the school agrees to cut ties with Israeli academic institutions and disinvest its funds from entities connected to Israel, among other demands. Protesters at other campuses have similar demands .

The campus encampments spreading across the nation have brought together students from a variety of backgrounds — including Palestinians, Arabs, Jews and Muslims — to decry Israel's bombardment of Gaza .

Here are the latest developments:

Columbia University : The faculty senate is expected to vote on a resolution admonishing the school’s president, Minouche Shafik, on Friday over several of her decisions, according to The New York Times. Shafik has faced criticism for authorizing police to shut down student protests on campus.

Brown University: The university identified about 130 students who it alleges violated a school conduct code that forbids encampments on campus. Students found responsible will be disciplined depending on their behavior and other factors, including any prior conduct violations, the university said.

Emory University : 28 people were arrested , including 20 Emory community members, during a protest at the school, Vice President for Public Safety Cheryl Elliott said. Troopers deployed pepper balls “to control the unruly crowd” during the protest, Georgie State Patrol said. A group of Democratic Georgia state lawmakers condemned the “ excessive force used by Georgia State Patrol” during arrests at Emory.

Emerson College: More than 100 people were arrested and four police officers injured during an encampment clearing at the Boston liberal arts college, according to the Boston Police Department. President Jay Bernhardt said he recognized and respected "the civic activism and passion that sparked the protest" after dozens of arrests.

Indiana University : At least 33 people were detained on campus Thursday following encampment protests.

George Washington University : DC Metropolitan Police were asked to assist in relocating an “unauthorized protest encampment” on campus, university president Ellen M. Granberg said. The decision came "after multiple instructions made by GWPD to relocate to an alternative demonstration site on campus went unheeded by encampment participants," she said.

University of Southern California : The university canceled its main commencement ceremony  next month, citing "new safety measures in place.” Nearly  100 people have been arrested  on the campus.

University of California, Los Angeles : A "demonstration with encampments" formed at UCLA on Thursday.

Northeastern University: An encampment formed at Northeastern University in Boston, where dozens of protesters were seen forming a human chain around several tents. 

Other campuses: Since last Thursday, several campuses have been protest sites, including the  Massachusetts Institute of Technology , University of Texas at Austin, University of Michigan,  University of New Mexico , University of California, Berkeley, Yale University , and Harvard University.

Protesters at the University of Texas at Austin asked to disperse at 10 p.m.

Protesters at the University of Texas at Austin were asked to leave the campus's South Mall at 10 p.m. local time, university spokesperson Brian Davis told CNN.

No arrests have been made as of 10 p.m., Davis said.

"There is no curfew on campus. Leadership asked that students clear the South Mall at 10 p.m."

Just last night, more than 30 demonstrators were arrested after UT Austin police issued a dispersal at the school.

Protesters at Ohio State University arrested after refusing to disperse, university says

From CNN’s Joe Sutton and Jamiel Lynch

Demonstrators at Ohio State University were arrested on Thursday night after refusing to disperse, according to university spokesperson Benjamin Johnson.

Johnson did not know how many arrests were made.

“Well established university rules prohibit camping and overnight events. Demonstrators exercised their first amendment rights for several hours and were then instructed to disperse. Individuals who refused to leave after multiple warnings were arrested and charged with criminal trespass,” he said.

Columbia University senate is redrafting resolution to admonish school's president, New York Times reports

From CNN's Rob Frehse

Columbia University’s faculty senate is expected to vote Friday on a resolution admonishing embattled school president Minouche Shafik over several of her recent decisions, including calling in police to clear a student encampment last week, the New York Times reports .

The resolution would allow the school senate to avoid a censure vote during a critical time for the school, the Times reports, citing several unnamed senators who attended a closed-door meeting Wednesday. Some feared a censure vote would be perceived as giving in to Republican lawmakers, according to the paper.

A Columbia University spokesperson confirmed Shafik’s closed-door meeting with the senate on Wednesday but would not comment on the resolution to CNN.

 “The President met with the Senate plenary in a closed-door session for close to an hour, giving remarks and taking questions. She reiterated the shared goal of restoring calm to campus so everyone can pursue their educational activities.” 

Some context: Shafik has faced immense criticism from some students, faculty and Democratic lawmakers for her decision to authorize police to break up pro-Palestinian student protests last week— a move that resulted in more than 100 arrests .

Other students, Jewish advocacy groups and Republican lawmakers are slamming Shafik for not cracking down on protests — which they say have included antisemitic rhetoric — both on campus and outside its gates.

Several Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, have called for Shafik to resign.

CNN’s Maria Sole Campinoti contributed to this report.

What to know about the protests erupting on college campuses across the US

From CNN's Jordan Valinsky

Colleges across the country have erupted with pro-Palestinian protests, and school administrators are trying — and largely failing — to defuse the situation.

Several schools have called the police on protesters, leading to the arrests of hundreds across US campuses.

The recent surge in protests have inflamed tensions among students, forcing leadership to decide when free speech on campus crosses a line. The atmosphere was so charged that officials at Columbia – the epicenter of the protests that began last week – announced students can attend classes virtually starting Monday.

Passover, a major Jewish holiday, began this week, heightening fears among a number of Jewish students who have reported hearing antisemitic comments at some of the protests. The anxiety comes as reports of  antisemitic acts have surged  across America since October 7.

When did the protests start?

The situation  escalated last week  at Columbia University, where encampments were organized by  Columbia University Apartheid Divest , a student-led coalition of more than 100 organizations, including Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, to protest what they describe as the university’s “continued financial investment in corporations that profit from Israeli apartheid, genocide, and military occupation of Palestine,” according to its news release.

What are they asking for?

Columbia protesters say they won’t disperse until the school commits to a “complete divestment” of its funds from entities connected to Israel.

Other protesters are similarly calling on their campuses to divest from companies that sell weapons, construction equipment, technology services and other items to Israel.

Where else are protests happening?

Since last Thursday, a slew of campuses have had protests and encampments, as well as arrests. That includes the  Massachusetts Institute of Technology , University of Texas at Austin, University of Michigan, University of New Mexico and University of California, Berkeley.

Police   arrested nearly 100 protesters at the University of Southern California Wednesday after a dispersal order.

At Emerson College, more than 100 people were arrested Wednesday during a pro-Palestinian protest, according to the Boston Police Department.

Yale University police  arrested at least 45 protesters Monday  on suspicion of criminal trespassing, though dozens remained Tuesday.

Harvard University officials suspended a pro-Palestinian student organization for allegedly violating school policies.

Read more  here .

Brown University says about 130 students violated school policy banning encampments

From CNN’s Isabel Rosales and Devon Sayers

Brown University has identified about 130 students who it alleges violated a school conduct code that forbids encampments on campus, a university spokesperson said.

The university's Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards has notified the students, who were identified through ID checks, spokesperson Brian Clark said in a release.

An encampment of about 90 people had formed on the school's Providence, Rhode Island campus Wednesday morning, according to Brown.

"Encampment on Brown University’s historic and residential greens is a violation of University policy, and participants in the encampment have been verbally informed of this fact and that they will face conduct proceedings,” the school's release said.

Students found responsible will be disciplined depending on their behavior and other factors, including any prior conduct violations, the university said, noting students could face probation or separation from the school.

“The University continues to ask individuals in or in immediate proximity to the encampment to present their Brown IDs for two reasons: to verify association with Brown for safety and security reasons, and to appropriately address potential violations of policy."

Protesters at Emory University briefly clash with police

From CNN's Elizabeth Wolfe

Protesters briefly clashed with police at Emory University in Georgia on Thursday, the university told CNN.

A confrontation between protesters and police outside the school's Candler School of Theology prompted an "increased law enforcement presence" on campus, according to the university.

"A group of about 100 people left the Quad and marched to the Candler School of Theology, where some protesters pinned police officers against building doors and attempted to access the building," the university said.

"The crowd ultimately returned to the Quad before dispersing."

Video from CNN affiliate WSB shows some protesters using large posters to push into a line of police officers whose backs are against the doors of the building. As officers push back against the posters, one demonstrator chucks their sign at the row of officers.

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