ClassMaps and Resilient Classrooms: Making Classrooms Great Places to Learn

1. 1/29/2012 1 ClassMaps and Resilient Classrooms: Making Classrooms Great Places to Learn Beth Doll, Chieh Li, & Katherine Brehm bdoll2@unl.edu c.li@neu.edu kaimonos@aol.com 50 years ago, psychology began paying serious attention to children: their developing competence, the sources and nature of psychological dysfunction in childhood, the conditions under which children would grow up healthy, and the sources of healing when children grew up without appropriate care. The resulting psychological science of the child grew to be more than a downward extension of adult psychology. It becameinstead a child-driven model of psychological development that was sensitive to categorical differences between adults and children, unique challenges faced by children and their caretakers, and alternative experiences of children growing up under different conditions50 years ago, psychology began paying serious attention to children: their developing competence, the sources and nature of psychological dysfunction in childhood, the conditions under which children would grow up healthy, and the sources of healing when children grew up without appropriate care. The resulting psychological science of the child grew to be more than a downward extension of adult psychology. It becameinstead a child-driven model of psychological development that was sensitive to categorical differences between adults and children, unique challenges faced by children and their caretakers, and alternative experiences of children growing up under different conditions

2. 1/29/2012 2 Legacy of Longitudinal Studies of Developmental Risk Kauai Longitudinal Study Newcastle Thousand Family Study Boston Underclass Study Oakland Growth Study Rochester Longitudinal Study Isle of Wight study In the study of the child, the epitome of excellent science was recognized to be the longitudinal study that followed a cohort of children through time and watched their development unfold. Today I would like to call your attention to a set of longitudinal studies that examined risk and resilience in children between the years of 1940 and 1990. It is only within the past decade that we have come to appreciate the implications of these studies for the practice of child psychology and particularly for the practice of psychology with children in schools. Kauai Longitudinal Study: Begun by Werner and her colleagues in 1955, this study was initially designed to isolate factors that would predict developmental disabilities among that year�s entire birth cohort on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The study was extended to predict adolescent and then adult maladjustment, including mental illness, educational disabilities, and delinquency. Newcastle Thousand Family Survey: investigated the emergence of criminality among the entire birth cohort of the city of Newcastle in May and June, 1947. Risk was evaluated by pasting small red seals on a family�s file if they met criteria for any of six risk factors: marital instability, parental illness, poor care of the children and home, social dependency, overcrowding, and poor mothering ability. Over the next fifteen years, families were visited annually to track anomalies in the cohort�s physical growth, school behavior and achievement, employment, and contact with law enforcement agencies. In the study of the child, the epitome of excellent science was recognized to be the longitudinal study that followed a cohort of children through time and watched their development unfold. Today I would like to call your attention to a set of longitudinal studies that examined risk and resilience in children between the years of 1940 and 1990. It is only within the past decade that we have come to appreciate the implications of these studies for the practice of child psychology and particularly for the practice of psychology with children in schools. Kauai Longitudinal Study: Begun by Werner and her colleagues in 1955, this study was initially designed to isolate factors that would predict developmental disabilities among that year�s entire birth cohort on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The study was extended to predict adolescent and then adult maladjustment, including mental illness, educational disabilities, and delinquency. Newcastle Thousand Family Survey: investigated the emergence of criminality among the entire birth cohort of the city of Newcastle in May and June, 1947. Risk was evaluated by pasting small red seals on a family�s file if they met criteria for any of six risk factors: marital instability, parental illness, poor care of the children and home, social dependency, overcrowding, and poor mothering ability. Over the next fifteen years, families were visited annually to track anomalies in the cohort�s physical growth, school behavior and achievement, employment, and contact with law enforcement agencies.

3. 1/29/2012 3 Risk = Children Are More Likely To Be Unsuccessful Adults Risk Poverty Low parent education Marital/family dysfunction Poor parenting Child maltreatment Poor health Parental illness Large family Adult outcomes Mental illness Physical illness Educational disability Delinquency/ criminality Teen parenthood Financial dependence Unemployment Low social competence Low adult intelligence Doll & Lyon, 1998

4. 1/29/2012 4 Resilience = Vulnerable Children Who Become Successful Adults Individual Positive social orientation Friendships Internal locus of control Positive self-concept Achievement orientation Community engagement Family & community Close bond with one caretaker Effective parenting Nurturing from other adults Access to positive adult models Connections with pro-social organizations Effective schools Let me return once again to the longitudinal studies of risk and resilience. In the longitudinal studies of development, protection against later dysfunction was elicited by an interplay among characteristics of the child (e.g., easy temperament, achievement oriented), the caregivers (e.g., warm, secure and effective relationships between caregivers and the child), and the social context. Our concept of therapy ought to incorporate those features of children that reduced their vulnerability to risk and those features of the caretaking community that supported resilience. Because schools are a critical piece of the caretaking community, school mental health services should reduce schools� �social and emotional pollution� and increase the contextual mental health. Therapeutic services that target specific children will still be necessary, and should target those characteristics of the child that appear to support health and resilience. These should be needed in lower numbers than was otherwise the case. As an added benefit, contextualized therapies are an inclusive model of school mental health services since they can frequently be provided without singling children out from their mainstream peers. Let me return once again to the longitudinal studies of risk and resilience. In the longitudinal studies of development, protection against later dysfunction was elicited by an interplay among characteristics of the child (e.g., easy temperament, achievement oriented), the caregivers (e.g., warm, secure and effective relationships between caregivers and the child), and the social context. Our concept of therapy ought to incorporate those features of children that reduced their vulnerability to risk and those features of the caretaking community that supported resilience. Because schools are a critical piece of the caretaking community, school mental health services should reduce schools� �social and emotional pollution� and increase the contextual mental health. Therapeutic services that target specific children will still be necessary, and should target those characteristics of the child that appear to support health and resilience. These should be needed in lower numbers than was otherwise the case. As an added benefit, contextualized therapies are an inclusive model of school mental health services since they can frequently be provided without singling children out from their mainstream peers.

5. 1/29/2012 5 What we learned Community and caretaker characteristics are powerful predictors of children�s ultimate success or failure. Conditions of risk are imposed upon children by an adult world that fails to protect them from harm. The same risk factors can result in multiple poor outcomes, and the same outcomes can be due to multiple risk factors. The rate and intensity of poor outcomes increases geometrically with each additional risk factor. Constellations of risk are interconnected and many children grow up within a �systemic niche� of multiple life hazards. Risk and resilience can be collective characteristics of communities.

6. 1/29/2012 6 Contexts for DevelopmentPianta & Walsh, 1996

7. 1/29/2012 7 The 15,000 Hours Study In a high-risk community, only 20% of the variance in children�s school success was attributable to school characteristics. BUT School factors were the most mutable characteristics that predicted child success. Rutter, Maughan, Mortimore & Ouston, 1979

8. 1/29/2012 8 Resilient classrooms Students expect to be successful academically and act as if they do Students are goal-directed and self-sufficient in learning Students behave appropriately with a minimum of adult supervision Effective child-adult relationships that are warm, caring and supportive Effective peer relationships that are stable, enjoyable, validating Strong school-home relationships characterized by frequent, collaborative communication Students expect to be successful academically and act as if they do Students are goal-directed and self-sufficient in learning Students behave appropriately with a minimum of adult supervision Effective child-adult relationships that are warm, caring and supportive Effective peer relationships that are stable, enjoyable, validating Strong school-home relationships characterized by frequent, collaborative communication

9. 1/29/2012 9 Teacher Student Relationships Provide warm and caring adult support Employ adults who care deeply about students Allow time for adults and children to interact authentically and regularly Set high expectations for students and don�t waver when students struggle a bit to meet them Provide the structure, assistance and instruction that makes it possible for students to be successful Set standards for conduct, model those standards, monitor student behavior, and enforce limits with firm and consistent but mild consequences.

10. 1/29/2012 10 Important things to know about Teacher Student Relationships The relationships are defined by both positive (warmth & caring) and negative (conflict, criticism) characteristics The presence of negativity has more impact on students� learning than the lack of warmth These relationships are reciprocal And relationships with every student in a class are interdependent Teacher-Student relationships are almost always the strongest characteristic of the learning environment And, Teacher-Student relationships have powerful impact on student engagement

11. 1/29/2012 11 Academic Efficacy Sustain high academic and personal efficacy. Provide mastery experiences Provide models who exemplify coping models Minimize competitive goals and substitute mastery goals in the classroom Constantly comment on children�s successes Celebrate and document children�s successes.

12. 1/29/2012 12 Important things to know about Academic Efficacy Efficacy = expectations of success If you know you can or you know you can�t, you�re right Efficacy is only partly determined by prior learning history � it is also determined by relationships with and expectations of others Hi-efficacy and lo-efficacy are contagious within a community Efficacy is modeled Like Teacher-Student relationships, efficacy has a powerful impact on learning and engagement

13. 1/29/2012 13 Peer Relationships Promote satisfying peer relationships Minimize the large & impersonal groups that foster anonymity Minimize the boredom of unstructured times � fighting is fun Help students talk through the misunderstandings that occur Embed activities that build perspective taking into curriculum Create rules and boundaries that prevent some malicious behaviors from happening Teach students to play �Anyone can join� games Establish �You can�t say you can�t play� rules Hold class meetings to debrief problems

14. 1/29/2012 14 Important things to know about Peer Relationships Two aspects: Inclusion and Conflict Inclusion is almost always stronger in classrooms Conflict is frequently a problematic feature of the learning environment It is not the occurrence of conflict but failure to resolve it that�s problematic Most conflict occurs among friends And occurs when kids can�t tell the difference between actual aggression and �rough and tumble play.� Problems with inclusion are less frequent but more painful

15. 1/29/2012 15 More important things to know about Peer Relationships Classrooms develop a peer �climate� that helps or harms peer relationship The peer climate improves under conditions of cooperative learning Friends improve learning by: informal tutoring, modeling good learning behaviors, supporting shared values for academic success, or simply strengthening students� bond to school Peer relationships have a moderate impact on learning but a powerful impact on school bonding and school completion

16. 1/29/2012 16 Behavioral Self-Control Promote student�s self-control Keep students actively engaged in productive tasks Teach and practice conduct routines explicitly and early in the year Integrate expectations into the routine of the classroom and building Identify and use natural consequences for good conduct Teach students strategies for solving difficult problems that arise Adults model the conduct they want students to imitate Consequences for behavior problems, when necessary, are automatic, consistent, firm and fair.

17. 1/29/2012 17 Important things to know about Behavioral Self Control The ultimate goal is for behavior to be appropriate even if the teacher is outside the door It is strongly related to Teacher-Student relationships [two-stranded tether] It is a shared responsibility of students and teachers And it emerges out of routines and practices that students have learned It is not entirely teacher-controlled: a few very tough kids can disrupt a class It is contagious Students value it It is frequently a weak feature of classroom learning environments

18. 1/29/2012 18 Academic Determination Promote goal setting and decision-making Provide frequent opportunities for students to make authentic and relevant decisions Help students set goals so specific that they know immediately whether or not they have been met And so manageable that they are likely to succeed Help students set goals that are somewhat more challenging than you expect them to achieve. And allow them to make some mistakes Help students monitor their goals and adjust their activities to meet them.

19. 1/29/2012 19 Important things to know about Academic Self Determination Also called �goal setting and decision-making� Mastery Goals are more effective than Competitive Goals Ultimately, self-determined learners have internalized goals for learning It is strengthened by frequent opportunities for students to make authentic choices about their learning And by discussions and prompts that point out the relevance of learning to students� daily lives And by encouraging independent thinking from students It is weakened by forcing meaningless, rote, uninteresting learning activities And by suppressing independent opinions And by disrupting students� natural rhythm of learning

20. 1/29/2012 20 Home-School Involvement Families and classrooms hold high and shared expectations Families talk with students about their support for learning There is a regular system of communication between the classroom and family Home school contacts provide parents with specific hints about what they can do to help There are clear indications that parents are welcome in the classroom When parents visit the classroom, they are engaged in tasks central to the students� learning

21. 1/29/2012 21 Important things to know about Home-School Involvement Educators and researchers have not clearly decided how families ought to be involved And research has not clearly established that more parental involvement is better But we all believe that schools and families ought to be communicating better so that they --- Hold high and shared expectations; Help students learn Give consistent messages to students about schooling There need to be clear indications that parents are welcome in the classroom And when parents visit the classroom, they should be engaged in tasks central to the students� learning

22. 1/29/2012 22 The central premise: Developmental competence of children will be more evident and the impact of emotional distress lessened when their classrooms support strong interpersonal relationships and foster self-regulated learning

23. 1/29/2012 23 Cross-cultural studies Relationship between risk status, reading achievement, and self-efficacy beliefs (the Believing in Me survey) 266 5th grade students in El Paso, TX In monolingual classrooms, but Spanish spoken in the homes Sample:44% male, 56% female 45% classified as At Risk (41% of female sample; 50% of male sample) 82% Hispanic, reflecting the 80% Hispanic composition of the district as a whole; city located on US-Mexico border Students classified by risk status according to state criteria: (1) not promoted from one grade level to the next for one or more school years, (2) expelled, (3) homeless, (4) having limited English proficiency, (5) or having failed to perform satisfactorily on a readiness test or assessment instrument administered during the current school year. Reading achievement measured using state-developed reading comprehension test administered to all 5th graders not exempted by specific special education criteria (some special education students would have taken the TAKS and, therefore, have been included in the sample) The knowledge and skills incorporated in the TAKS reading assessment are grouped into four objectives: (1) basic understanding, (2) applying knowledge of literary elements, (3) using strategies to analyze and (4) applying critical-thinking skills. 82% Hispanic, reflecting the 80% Hispanic composition of the district as a whole; city located on US-Mexico border Students classified by risk status according to state criteria: (1) not promoted from one grade level to the next for one or more school years, (2) expelled, (3) homeless, (4) having limited English proficiency, (5) or having failed to perform satisfactorily on a readiness test or assessment instrument administered during the current school year. Reading achievement measured using state-developed reading comprehension test administered to all 5th graders not exempted by specific special education criteria (some special education students would have taken the TAKS and, therefore, have been included in the sample) The knowledge and skills incorporated in the TAKS reading assessment are grouped into four objectives: (1) basic understanding, (2) applying knowledge of literary elements, (3) using strategies to analyze and (4) applying critical-thinking skills.

24. 1/29/2012 24 Results At-risk students� reading achievement scores were significantly lower than not at-risk students� scores (t (264) = 6.485, p = .001). At-risk students reported significantly lower self-efficacy than not at-risk students (t (261) = 2.376, p = .018) Logistic regression analysis found Not at Risk status was better predicted by efficacy scores (83%) and reading achievement plus efficacy (74%) than was At Risk status. Underscores the value of efficacy beliefs in mitigating risk and enhancing reading achievement in Hispanic students.Logistic regression analysis found Not at Risk status was better predicted by efficacy scores (83%) and reading achievement plus efficacy (74%) than was At Risk status. Underscores the value of efficacy beliefs in mitigating risk and enhancing reading achievement in Hispanic students.

25. 1/29/2012 25 Results Logistic regression analysis revealed that higher efficacy scores (83%), or a combination of higher efficacy and higher reading achievement (74%) scores, are better predictors of students who are not at risk than at risk students All of the surveys together predicted reading achievement for both At Risk (F 2.180, df6, p< .051) and Not at Risk students (F 2.280, df6, p< .040) Efficacy scores significantly predict reading achievement scores for both risk groups (F 5.977, df1, p< .016 for Not at Risk; F 4.923, df1, p<.029 for At Risk) Efficacy scores significantly predict reading achievement scores for both risk groups (F 5.977, df1, p< .016 for Not at Risk; F 4.923, df1, p<.029 for At Risk)

26. 1/29/2012 26 Kids� Report Card 83 classrooms 1,623 kids 2nd through 6th grades Town and rural schools Middle class to working poor families

27. 1/29/2012 27 Top twelve

28. 1/29/2012 28 Top twelve

29. 1/29/2012 29 Dirty dozen

30. 1/29/2012 30 Dirty Dozen

31. 1/29/2012 31 Across all 8 characteristics

32. 1/29/2012 32 ClassMaps consultation Plan for ClassMaps with teacher Collect brief anonymous student surveys of 6 characteristics Analyze and graph survey data Set a ClassMap goal Hold a class meeting about survey results and the goal Make a plan for change Implement the plan Monitor and revise the plan as needed

33. 1/29/2012 33 Pragmatic Assessment Requirements Brief, so as not to intrude on class time With good face validity, so that teachers and students understand the importance of results Easy and quick to analyze Graph-able Reliable Linked to academic and social success

34. 1/29/2012 34 ClassMaps Surveys Anonymous student surveys Collected in 15 (4th 5th grades) to 25 (2nd grade) minutes 6-8 item surveys of each of the six characteristics Uniform response format Content derived from related individual measures and classroom research on each characteristic

35. 1/29/2012 35 ClassMaps Survey Reliabilities � Middle School Sample

36. 1/29/2012 36 Correlations with Academic Indices: Middle School sample

37. 1/29/2012 37 ClassMaps Reliabilities � Elementary

38. 1/29/2012 38 Analyzing and graphing survey data Count number of �yes�, �sometimes� and �no� responses for each item Represent in simple bar graphs with a separate graph for each characteristic Use �number of students� along the Y axis 1 bar per item Label each bar with a brief phrase describing the item Don�t label the graph with class identity Weaknesses are identified if (1) Yes < 50%; or (2) Yes + Sometimes < 75%

39. 1/29/2012 39 Exercises in Class Data

40. 1/29/2012 40 Believing in Me; N =20

41. 1/29/2012 41 Taking Charge

42. 1/29/2012 42 Following Class Rules

43. 1/29/2012 43 My Teacher

44. 1/29/2012 44 My Classmates

45. 1/29/2012 45 Talking With My Parents

46. 1/29/2012 46 Setting a class goal Review the classroom data and identify weaknesses and strengths Select one weakness as a target for change Further analyze the weakness Set the goal for the class and state it in clear, precise terms Plan to collect classroom data on progress towards the goal To have an adequate baseline, begin collecting the data immediately

47. 1/29/2012 47 Meeting with the Class Pre-plan questions with the teacher Limit discussion to 1-2 graphs Ask about the accuracy of information Ask what causes the problem Ask what the teacher could do differently to fix it Ask what the students can do differently to fix it

48. 1/29/2012 48 Making a plan for change Pull interventions out of the hypothesized reasons for the problem Draw from research recommendations, teacher experience, or evidence-based interventions Assign specific tasks, timelines and responsible persons Write it down Go for power over convenience Continue to collect classroom data to track progress towards the goal

49. 1/29/2012 49 Informal interventions for behavioral self control Involve students in a classroom meeting to set classroom rules Practice routines for following the rules Set classroom goals and monitor progress towards the goals Involve families in setting standards for behavior Use pictures, gestures or other cues to prompt behavior

50. 1/29/2012 50 Post Following Class Rules

51. 1/29/2012 51 Implementing and Tracking the Plan Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up Collect continuous data towards goal Re-collect the 6-8 item survey that�s most relevant to the intervention Make sure the intervention is being implemented as planned Strengthen the plan if changes aren�t occurring within 2-3 weeks

52. 1/29/2012 52 PIPPS Performance Goal Violations

53. 1/29/2012 53 Off Task Behavior

54. 1/29/2012 54 ClassMaps from a Multicultural perspective

55. 1/29/2012 55 Doll, B., Zucker, S., & Brehm, K. (2004). Resilient classrooms: Creating healthy environments for learning. New York: Guilford Press.

56. 1/29/2012 56 Ban the bootstrap myth 50 years ago, psychology began paying serious attention to children: their developing competence, the sources and nature of psychological dysfunction in childhood, the conditions under which children would grow up healthy, and the sources of healing when children grew up without appropriate care. The resulting psychological science of the child grew to be more than a downward extension of adult psychology. It becameinstead a child-driven model of psychological development that was sensitive to categorical differences between adults and children, unique challenges faced by children and their caretakers, and alternative experiences of children growing up under different conditions50 years ago, psychology began paying serious attention to children: their developing competence, the sources and nature of psychological dysfunction in childhood, the conditions under which children would grow up healthy, and the sources of healing when children grew up without appropriate care. The resulting psychological science of the child grew to be more than a downward extension of adult psychology. It becameinstead a child-driven model of psychological development that was sensitive to categorical differences between adults and children, unique challenges faced by children and their caretakers, and alternative experiences of children growing up under different conditions

57. 1/29/2012 57 Many students are situationally handicapped by a poor teacher-student match rather than chronically disabled by an enduring disability.Deno, S. L. (2002). Problem solving as �best practice�. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology IV (pp. 37-55). Bethesda, MD: NASP.

58. 1/29/2012 58 Behavior and socialization problems frequently reflect normal responses to irritating factors in the environment rather than emotional conflicts within the child. Dwyer, K.P. (2002). Mental health in the schools. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 11, 101-111.

59. 1/29/2012 59 It�s like goldfish. You can�t fix the fish until you clean the watermiddle school principal

60. 1/29/2012 60 CONTACT INFORMATION Beth Doll, PhD. , University of Nebraska Lincoln, Bdoll2@unl.edu Chieh Li, PhD., Northeastern University c.li@neu.edu Katherine Brehm, PhD., Ysleta Independent School District, Kaimonos@aol.com 50 years ago, psychology began paying serious attention to children: their developing competence, the sources and nature of psychological dysfunction in childhood, the conditions under which children would grow up healthy, and the sources of healing when children grew up without appropriate care. The resulting psychological science of the child grew to be more than a downward extension of adult psychology. It became instead a child-driven model of psychological development that was sensitive to categorical differences between adults and children, unique challenges faced by children and their caretakers, and alternative experiences of children growing up under different conditions50 years ago, psychology began paying serious attention to children: their developing competence, the sources and nature of psychological dysfunction in childhood, the conditions under which children would grow up healthy, and the sources of healing when children grew up without appropriate care. The resulting psychological science of the child grew to be more than a downward extension of adult psychology. It became instead a child-driven model of psychological development that was sensitive to categorical differences between adults and children, unique challenges faced by children and their caretakers, and alternative experiences of children growing up under different conditions