Promoting Social Emotional Competence

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Promoting Social Emotional Competence Promoting
Childrens Success Building Relationships and
Creating Supportive Environments Module 1
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Agenda

• Introduction
• Examining attitudes
• Relationship between challenging behavior and
  social emotional development
• Creating environments
• Building relationships
• Designing the physical environment
• Schedules, routines, transitions
• Activities that promote engagement
• Giving directions
• Teaching classroom rules
• Ongoing monitoring and positive attention
• Using positive feedback encouragement
• Pulling it all together

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Learner Objectives

• Participants will be able to describe the
  importance of building relationships with
  children, families, and colleagues.
• Participants will be able to describe the
  relationship between childrens social emotional
  development and challenging behavior.
• Participants will be able to describe how
  challenging behavior serves a function for
  children.
• Participants will be able to describe the
  relationship between environmental variables,
  childrens challenging behaviors, and social
  emotional development
• Participants will be able to identify strategies
  that can be used to (1) build positive
  relationships with children, families and
  colleagues (2) design environments, schedules,
  and routines (3) structure transitions (4) help
  children learn rules and routines and (5) plan
  activities that promote engagement.
• Participants will be able to use descriptive
  acknowledgment and encouragement to support
  childrens positive social behaviors.
• Participants will evaluate their work with
  children related to building relationships and
  the structure and design of their environment.

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Examining Our Attitudes about Challenging
Behaviors

• What behaviors push your buttons?
• How do these behaviors make you feel?
• How does this impact your relationship with a
  child and his/her family?

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Managing Personal Stress Thought Control
Calming Thoughts This child is testing to see
where the limits are. My job is to stay calm
and help him learn better ways to behave. I
can handle this. I am in control. They have
just learned some powerful ways to get control.
I will teach them more appropriate ways to
behave.
Upsetting Thoughts That child is a monster.
This is getting ridiculous. Hell never
change. Im sick of putting out fires!


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Managing Personal Stress Thought Control
Upsetting Thought I wonder if the corner
grocery is hiring? He ruins
everything! This is going to be the worst
year of my career.
Calming Thoughts I feel undervalued right now
I need to seek support from my peers and
supervisor. Having her in my class is going to
be a wonderful Professional Development
experience.


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Reframing Activity

• In pairs or in small groups
• See Handout 1.3 (Reframing Activity)
• Read the four examples listed and generate two to
  three other challenging behaviors and how you
  might reframe each one.
• In reframing the challenging behaviors, do not
  come up with solutions but rather restate the
  behaviors to make them more manageable.
• Be prepared to share your ideas with the large
  group.

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Mean Age Expectation in Monthsfor Milestone
Attainment

• Caucasian Puerto Rican Filipino
• Eat Solid Food 8.2 10.1 6.7
• Training Cup 12.0 17.1 21.9
• Utensils 17.7 26.5 32.4
• Finger Food 8.9 9.4 9.5
• Wean 16.8 18.2 36.2
• Sleep by Self 13.8 14.6 38.8
• Sleep all Night 11.4 14.5 32.4
• Choose Clothes 31.1 44.2 33.1
• Dress Self 38.2 44.2 39.2
• Play Alone 25.0 24.8 12.3
• Toilet Trained-Day 31.6 29.0 20.4
• Toilet Trained-Night 33.2 31.8 34.2
• Carlson Harwood (2000)

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Behavioral Expectations of Two Groups of Mothers
(Farver Lee-Shin, 2000)
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Key Social Emotional Skills Children Need as They
Enter School

• Confidence
• Capacity to develop good relationships with peers
  and adults
• Concentration and persistence on challenging
  tasks
• Ability to effectively communicate emotions
• Ability to listen to instructions and be
  attentive
• Ability to solve social problems
• What do children do when they dont have each of
  these skills?

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• When children do not have these skills, they
  often exhibit challenging behaviors
• We must focus on TEACHING the skills!

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If a child doesnt know how to read, we
teach. If a child doesnt know how to swim,
we teach. If a child doesnt know how to
multiply, we teach. If a child doesnt know
how to drive, we teach. If a child doesnt
know how to behave, we.....
.teach? punish? Why cant we
finish the last sentence as automatically as we
do the others? Tom Herner (NASDE
President ) Counterpoint 1998, p.2)
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Some Basic Assumptions

• Challenging behavior usually has a message- I am
  bored, I am sad, you hurt my feelings, I need
  some attention.
• Children often use challenging behavior when they
  dont have the social or communication skills
  they need to engage in more appropriate
  interactions.
• Behavior that persists over time is usually
  working for the child.
• We need to focus on teaching children what to do
  in place of the challenging behavior.

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Promote Childrens Success

• Create an environment where EVERY child feels
  good about coming to school.
• Design an environment that promotes child
  engagement.
• Focus on teaching children what To Do!
• Teach expectations and routines.
• Teach skills that children can use in place of
  challenging behaviors.

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Individualized Intensive Interventions
Social Emotional Teaching Strategies
Designing Supportive Environments
Building Positive Relationships
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Building Relationships

• Helps each child feel accepted in the group
• Assists children in learning to communicate and
  get along with others
• Encourages feelings of empathy and mutual respect
  among children and adults
• Provides a supportive environment in which
  children can learn and practice appropriate and
  acceptable behaviors as individuals and as a group

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Building Relationships with Children

• Why is it important?
• The relationships that we build with children,
  families, and colleagues are at the foundation of
  everything we do. It is important to build these
  relationships early on rather than waiting until
  there is a problem.
• Children learn and develop in the context of
  relationships that are responsive, consistent,
  and nurturing.
• Children with the most challenging behaviors
  especially need these relationships, and yet
  their behaviors often prevent them from
  benefiting from those relationships.
• Adults time and attention are very important to
  children, and we need to be sure that we are
  giving them that time and attention at times
  other than when they are engaging in challenging
  behavior.
• Parents and other colleagues (such as mental
  health providers and therapists) are critical
  partners in building childrens social emotional
  competence. We should all work together to ensure
  childrens success and prevent challenging
  behavior.

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Video 1.1 Adult Child Conversations
What are some things that this teacher does to
build positive relationships with children?
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Every child needs one person who is crazy about
him.
Uri Bronfenbrenner
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ActivityConnections with Children
CONNECTED
DISCONNECTED
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ActivityConnections with Adults
CONNECTED
DISCONNECTED
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Building Positive Relationships with Children
Home visits
Happy Grams
Play
Share
Notes home
Empathy
Time Attention


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Building Relationships
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Building Relationships
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Activity- Building Relationships

• How do you build positive relationships with
• Children?
• Families?
• Colleagues?
• Brainstorm a list of things you could do to build
  or strengthen relationships with children,
  families, or other colleagues
• Share with the large group
• Identify 2-3 things you are going to do to build
  stronger relationships with children, families,
  and colleagues. Note these on The Inventory of
  Practices (p. 16, Action Plan)

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Ideas for Making Deposits

• Greet every child at the door by name.
• Post childrens work around the room.
• Have a star of the week who brings in special
  things from home and gets to share them during
  circle time.
• Call a childs parent in front of them to say
  what a great day she is having or send home
  positive notes.
• Call a child after a difficult day and say, Im
  sorry we had a tough day today. I know
  tomorrow is going to be better!
• Give hugs, high fives and thumbs up
  accomplishing tasks.

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• When a child misses school tell him how much he
  was missed.
• Write on a t-shirt all the special things about a
  given child and let him/her wear it.
• Find time to read to individual children or a few
  children at a time.
• Acknowledge childrens efforts.
• Find out what a childs favorite book is and read
  it to the whole class.
• Give compliments liberally.
• Play with children, follow their lead.
• Let children make All About Me books and share
  them at Circle Time.

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Building Relationships
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Individualized Intensive Interventions
Social Emotional Teaching Strategies
Designing Supportive Environments
Building Positive Relationships
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Classroom Arrangement and Design Traffic Patterns

• Minimize large open spaces
• Minimize obstacles and other hazards
• Consider the needs of children with physical and
  sensory disabilities

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(No Transcript)
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Classroom Arrangement and Design Learning Centers

• Physical Design
• Clear boundaries
• Visibility
• Visual prompts when centers are not an option
• Adequate number of centers
• Size and location of centers
• Number of children in centers
• Organization of materials
• Preparation of centers

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Classroom Arrangement and Design Learning Centers

• Create meaningful and engaging learning centers
• Relevant to childrens needs, interests, and
  lives
• Highly engaging and interesting
• Variety of materials in each center
• Changed and rotated on a regular
• basis

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Create Meaningful and Engaging Learning Areas

• Stand in center of the room
• Is there a clear entry to each center?
• Is each center inviting?
• Are there enough materials (3 units of play per
  child allowed in center)?
• Is there a system in place for entering and
  exiting centers?
• Are centers and materials/shelves labeled?
• Is there a rotation of materials?
• Are materials highly engaging?
• Are the activities relevant to
• childrens needs, interests and lives?

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Physical Environment
Discuss these two writing centers.
Strengths? Concerns?
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How Can This Circle AreaBe Improved?
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Circle Time
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Classroom Arrangement and Design Activity

• With a partner, sketch a classroom.
• Revise your sketch of the environment and then
  share major changes with other participants at
  the table.
• Ask participants to think of one child who has
  more significant challenging behavior. What might
  need to be done to the environment to support
  that child?
• For additional ideas, refer to the Inventory of
  Practices.

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Schedules and Routines

• Develop a schedule that promotes child engagement
  and success.
• Balance activities
• active and quiet
• small group and large group
• teacher-directed and child-directed
• Teach children the schedule.
• Establish a routine and follow it consistently.
• When changes are necessary, prepare children
  ahead of time.

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Teach with Visual Schedules
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Visual Object Schedule
Change Diaper Wash Breakfast Music
Use real objects.
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Photograph Visual Schedule
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Morning Meeting Mini-Schedule
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1. Turn on water.
2. Wet hands.
3. Get soap.
4. Rinse hands.
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5. Turn off water.
6. Dry hands.
7. Throw away towel.
8. Go play.
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Activity Turn-Taking Cue
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ActivityUsing Visual Schedules

• You say its time for circle. One little boy
  roams away from circle. When you try to guide
  him to circle, he drops to the ground and will
  not budge.
• How can you use your visual schedule to teach?

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ActivityUsing Visual Schedules

• You announce that its time for centers and a
  girl runs to go out the door yelling No! Play
  out!
• How can you use your visual schedule to teach?
• What else might you be able to use to teach?

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ActivityUsing Visual Schedules

• A child goes to play with her favorite train.
  When you go over to her and tell her its time
  for snack she starts screaming and throwing train
  pieces.
• How can you use your visual schedule to teach?
• What else might you be able to do/use to teach?

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ActivityUsing Visual Schedules

• A new little boy arrives in your classroom and he
  is very scared. When Mommy says bye, he screams,
  cries, pulls on her leg, and tries to climb up
  Mommys body.
• How can you use your visual schedule to teach?

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ActivityUsing Visual Schedules

• Today you have scheduled water play outside. All
  of the children are excited and have been
  anticipating the outside fun all week. But we
  have been given a tornado warning and its
  raining, so there will be no outside fun today.
• How will you teach using your visual schedule to
  prevent challenging behavior?

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Transitions

• Plan for transitions
• Minimize the number of transitions that children
  have during the day.
• Minimize the length of time children spend
  waiting with nothing to do.
• Prepare children for transitions by
• providing a warning.
• Structure the transitions so that children
• have something to do while they wait.
• Teach children the expectations related
  to transitions.
• Individualize supports and cues.

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Video 1.2 Transitions to Centers
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Video 1.3 Providing Individualized Transition
Cues to Gabby
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Transition with Visual and Timer
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Transition with Visual
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Transition with Choice
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Transition with Visual Choice
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Transition with Center Necklaces
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Teaching Children Expectations
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Activity Analysis Using Clip Art
Washing Hands
1
2
3
4
5
Get soap.
Wet hands.
Wash hands.
Dry hands.
Throw away.
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Individual Schedule
First
Then
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Large Group Activities

• Planning the activity
• Consider the length
• Be clear about the purpose and goals of the
• activities
• Use circle time to teach new things
• Implementing the activity
• Provide opportunities for all children to be
  actively involved
• Assign jobs to children
• Vary your speech and intonation patterns
• Have children lead activities
• Pay attention to childrens behavior

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Video 1.4 Circle Activity
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Guiding Questions for Videoof Circle Activity

• Are the children engaged in these two clips?
• What tells you that the children are or are not
  engaged?
• Describe the teachers behavior in these clips.
• What is the teacher doing that engages the
  children?
• What strategies can you suggest that would help
  the teacher engage the children even more?

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Small Group Activities

• Importance of small group activities
• Skill building
• Individualized attention
• Planning and implementing
• Be clear about the goal
• Use peers as models
• Ensure participation by all children
• Make them fun
• Provide feedback throughout

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Schedule/Routine/Transition Activity

• Divide into groups of people who currently
• work together.
• Write down a schedule from one of the
• participants classrooms.
• Consider the things we have just talked
• about. What changes could you make in what you
  are currently doing that might increase
  engagement and prevent challenging behaviors?
• Share your major changes with others at
• your table and brainstorm possible solutions.

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Giving Directions

• Make sure you have the childrens attention
  before you give the direction.
• Minimize the number of directions given to
  children.
• Individualize the way directions are given.
• Give clear directions.

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Giving Directions

• Give directions that are positive.
• Give children the opportunity to respond to a
  direction.
• When appropriate, give the child choices and
  options for following directions.
• Follow through with positive acknowledgment of
  childrens behavior.

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General Guidelinesabout Rules

• Have a few simple classroom rules.
• Involve the children in developing the rules.
• Post the rules visually.
• Teach the rules systematically.
• Reinforce the rules at high rates initially and
  at lower rates throughout the year.

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Involving Children in Developing the Rules

• Have children help generate the rules.
• Name the rule and have a child
• demonstrate the rule.
• Name the rule and have the children
• identify the visuals that might go on a
• poster.
• Have children help decorate a rules
• poster.

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Circle Time Rules
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Program-wide Rules
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Rules

• Should Address
• Noise level
• Movement inside
• Interactions with property
• Interactions with adults
• Interactions with peers

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Video 1.5 Stop/Go Teaching Rules
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Rules Activity

• Develop a list of 3-5 rules you use or would use
  in a classroom.
• Discuss these rules with others at the table.
• Brainstorm fun and creative ways for teaching the
  rules.

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Fun Ways to Reinforce the Rules

• Rules Bingo!
• Make a big book about school rules
• Homework what are your rules at home?
• Play rule charades

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Video 1.6 Children Demonstrating Classroom Rules
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Ongoing Monitoring and Positive Attention

• Give children attention when they
• are engaging in appropriate behaviors.
• Monitor our behavior to ensure that
  we are spending more time using positive
  descriptive language and less time giving
  directions or correcting inappropriate behavior.

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Positive Attention Activity

• Count the number of positive comments the teacher
  makes (and positive nonverbals).
• Have a large group discussion about what types of
  comments and nonverbal behaviors the teacher
  exhibited.
• Generate some ideas to help adults remain focused
  on the positive throughout the day.
• Encourage participants to include some of these
  ideas on their Action Planning Form.

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Video 1.7 Positive Attention
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Using Positive Feedback and Encouragement

• Contingent on appropriate behavior
• Descriptive
• Conveyed with enthusiasm
• Contingent on effort

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Using Positive Feedbackand Encouragement

• Remember to use nonverbal forms of positive
  feedback and encouragement.
• Individualize use of positive feedback and
  encouragement based on childrens needs and
  preferences.
• Encourage other adults and peers to use positive
  feedback and encouragement.

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Increasing Positive Behaviors Activity

• What are 3-5 behaviors you would like to see
  increase in your setting?
• Review item 8 on the Inventory.
• What changes might you make in your use of
  positive feedback and encouragement in order to
  increase the behaviors you just identified.
• Add this to your Action Plan.

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Sample Certificate

• SUPER FRIEND AWARD!!!
• This certificate is to certify that Marleco
  is a SUPER FRIEND!!
• Today, Marleco used his words to ask Malen nicely
  for a turn on the swing. When he was done
  swinging, he asked Malen if she wanted another
  turn and then helped to push her. At circle
  time, he gave his friend Cesar a compliment!
  YAY Marleco!! What a Super Friend you are!!
• Give yourself a pat on the back!!
• Signed by Miss Gail Mr. Jim
• Date January 7, 2006

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• If there is anything that we wish to change in
  the child, we should first examine it and see
  whether it is not something that could better be
  changed in ourselves.
• Carl Jung psychiatrist

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Major Messages

• The first and most important thing that we can do
  is to build positive relationships with every
  child and family.
• Focus on prevention and teaching appropriate
  skills.
• Promoting social emotional development is not
  easy. There are no quick fixes to challenging
  behavior.
• It requires a comprehensive approach that
  includes building relationships, evaluating our
  own classrooms and behaviors, and TEACHING.