Mockingbird Education
Mockingbird Education

Strategy Examples from the Mockingbird Methodology

Professional Development that Meets the Moment. 

 

Real tools.Real impact. Right now.

Mockingbird strategies aren’t theory—they’re things you can do today that start making a difference tomorrow. Every strategy falls within a Playbook and is designed to be habit-forming, trauma-informed, and easy to model, teach, and repeat.

 

A Few Strategy Highlights

Hover over arrows to see description of example strategy. 

Note:  Each Playbook is designed upon a theoretical framework supported by research in cognition, neuroscience, and motivational psychology.

 

Trauma and Stress Response

Trauma and Stress Response

→ Understand how trauma and chronic stress impact learning and behavior → Respond to dysregulation with co-regulation, not control
From the Trauma and Stress Response Playbook

Example Strategies

  • 3 Step Sequence for Dysregulation

    • →A simple, repeatable approach to shift learners from reaction to regulation using co-regulation and clarity.

     
  • The Box Method

    • → A calming routine that uses patterned breathing to reset the nervous system and prepare for learning.

building Relational Trust

Relational Trust-Building

Help learners feel safe, seen, and significant in spaces where they’ve learned to expect the opposite. Develop the relational trust that turns resistance into engagement.
From the Trust-Building Playbook

Example Strategies

  • Reach Inside: Connect, Clarify, Coach

    • → A 3-step relational move—Connect, Clarify, Coach—that shifts learners from disconnection to participation using presence, emotional safety, and curiosity.
     
  • Pepper with Purpose

    • → A high-frequency visibility tactic that uses short, intentional explanations to minimize discomfort and make learning visible so learners participate without feeling overwhelmed

Productive Engagement

Engagement

Spark curiosity. Sustain participation. These strategies help practitioners move beyond compliance and into meaningful learning—by connecting content to relevance and building cognitive and relational hooks that pull learners in.
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From the Engagement Playbook

Example Strategies

  • Sprints

    • → Short mini-lessons that break long lessons into short activity bursts that create urgency, structure, and momentum—especially effective for learners who struggle with attention, motivation, or overwhelm.

     
  • Discovery

    • → A curiosity-driven learning approach that invites exploration before explanation—helping learners engage with content on their own terms and build personal investment.

Directing Attention

Directing Attention

Guide focus. Reduce chaos. Bring the mind back to learning while avoiding power struggles. These neuroscience-backed strategies help practitioners redirect behavior and sustain attention with clarity and calm.
From the Directing Attention Playbook

Example Strategies

  • Follow Me With Your Eyes

    • → A nonverbal attention cue that gently directs and redirect focus without confrontation.

     
  • Start and Stop Cues

    • → A clear and consistent signal system that helps learners know exactly when to begin and end a task, transition, or behavior—reducing confusion, chaos, and repeated redirection.

Practitioner Mindset

Practitioner Mindset

Lead with high standards and even higher support. These strategies help you set the bar, stay steady through the ups and downs, and show up as the kind of guide learners trust to push and support them.
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From the Practitioner Mindset Playbook

Example Strategies

  • High Standards| High Support Conversations

    • → A conversation framework for holding learners to clear expectations while offering the empathy and scaffolding they need to meet them—without lowering the bar.

     
  • Visible Learning Conversations

    • → A strategy that helps practitioners externalize thinking, progress, and growth—so learners can see their learning, reflect on how far they’ve come, and take ownership of the process.

Why It Matters...

Every Strategy is...

  • Trauma-informed and cognitive-aligned

  • Easy to model, teach, and scaffold

  • Designed for use with disconnected and vulnerable learners

  • Grounded in the relational and cultural realities of your setting

We don’t hand out binders to sit on shelves. We build daily habits that change what happens in the room.

Are You Ready?

Contact Mockingbird