Answer to Question 1
I-messages address a behavior and describe the effects on the sender and the feelings it generates in the sender. For example, if a student has his head down on his desk, an I-message might say, Putting heads down on the desk indicates that I'm not communicating adequately, and I'm bothered when I can't communicate clearly. Many other examples would be acceptable.
Answer to Question 2
Cognitive interventions are grounded in the idea that interventions, just as with rules and procedures, should make sense to students. The cognitive interventions include the following: 1) Withitness, a teacher's awareness of what is going on in all parts of the classroom at all times, and communicating this awareness to students. If teachers catch the right one, for example, the intervention makes sense to students. 2) Consistency and follow through. If one student is reprimanded for breaking a rule and another is not, for example, students are unable to make sense of the inconsistency. 3) Congruence between verbal and nonverbal behavior. For interventions to make sense to students, verbal and nonverbal behaviors must be congruent. If they are not congruent, students will view the nonverbal behavior as more credible. 4) The use of I-Messages. Interventions that make sense to students focus on the inappropriate behavior and help students understand the effects of their actions on others. 5) Logical consequences. Logical consequences are outcomes that are conceptually related to misbehavior; they help learners make sense of an intervention by creating a link between their actions and the consequences that follow.