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Dr. David A. PalmerRewire the Response™Educator tools ↗

REWIRE THE RESPONSE™ · FREE PRACTICE LAB

Six D’s Classroom
Scenario Lab

Practice reading what you see, considering what might be happening beneath the surface, and choosing an adult response that supports safety, regulation, connection, and learning.

Six realistic classroom scenarios. Practical educator responses. No login required.
NOTICE → CONSIDER → RESPONDDecode Before
You Decide.

Build more consistent adult responses across classrooms, schools, and districts.

I

INSPECT · I FIRST

Before evaluating or changing the student’s response, examine and regulate your own.

Notice urgency, tone, interpretation, and delivery. A deliberate adult response starts here.

YOUR PRACTICE

0 of 6 scenarios practicedThis is practice, not a test. Try different choices.

SCENARIO 1 OF 6 · GRADE 5 · Classroom simulation

Fictional case

The Math Standoff

You ask Jordan to begin independent math. Jordan folds their arms, pushes the worksheet away, and says loudly, “No. You can’t make me.” Several classmates look over.

½ + ¼

WHAT YOU CAN OBSERVE

  • 01Verbal pushback
  • 02Arms crossed
  • 03Work pushed away
01

Decode what you see.

Which of the Six D’s best describes the most prominent pattern?

Review the Six D’s descriptions
Defiance
A visible “no,” refusal, argument, or pushback.
Disruption
Interruptions or actions that interrupt shared activity.
Dodging
Delay, bargaining, or repeated movement away from starting a task.
Detonation
An outward eruption such as yelling or throwing.
Disconnection
Quiet withdrawal, stillness, or reduced response.
Distress
Visible upset such as crying, pleading, or saying “I can’t.”

These describe presentations, not identities. “Defiance” is not a conclusion about a student’s character or intent.

02

Choose your next response.

What would you do first? Choose any response, then compare the coaching.

Select a D above to open the response choices. You do not have to get it “right.”

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ONE CONNECTED LENS

The Rewire principles behind the lab

The lab’s central lesson is Decode Before You Decide. The Six D’s help educators identify visible patterns; they do not explain why the behavior is occurring. INSPECT and CALMER guide adult reflection and action rather than assigning blame to a child.

Six D’s

What am I seeing?

Describe observable presentations without turning them into identities.

Six S’s

What might be underneath?

Stay curious about contributing needs. Treat possibilities as hypotheses, not diagnoses.

CALMER

What do I do right now?

Choose a deliberate adult response that fits current capacity.

INSPECT

What conditions should we examine?

Review adult practice, the environment, access, and shared supports.

CALMER reference
  1. C — Center yourself
  2. A — Affirm safety and emotion
  3. L — Lead with less pressure
  4. M — Match the moment
  5. E — Ease the environment
  6. R — Reconnect and repair

Use the sequence flexibly. It is not a promise of a 90-second resolution or a requirement for the student to respond on a timetable.