Promoting Children’s Success: An Introduction to the Pyramid Model and Challenging Behavior

1. Promoting Social Emotional Competence Promoting Children’s Success: An Introduction to the Pyramid Model and Challenging Behavior Adapted for Kindergarten-Grade 1 from the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning by Genetta Gross, Margret Thorstenson, Melissa Binkley & Elizabeth Vorhaus

3. It’s a Teaching Pyramid!

4. TEACHER “I HAVE COME TO A FRIGHTENING CONCLUSION. I AM THE DECISIVE ELEMENT IN THE CLASSROOM. IT IS MY PERSONAL APPROACH THAT CREATES THE CLIMATE. IT IS MY DAILY MOOD THAT MAKES THE WEATHER. AS A TEACHER, I POSSESS TREMENDOUS POWER TO MAKE A CHILD’S LIFE MISERABLE OR JOYOUS. I CAN BE A TOOL OF TORTURE OR AN INSTRUMENT OF INSPIRATION. I CAN HUMILIATE OR HUMOR, HURT OR HEAL. IN ALL SITUATIONS IT IS MY RESPONSE THAT DECIDES WHETHER A CRISIS WILL BE ESCALATED OR DE-ESCALATED AND A CHILD HUMANIZED OR DEHUMANIZED.” DR. HAIM GINOTT

5. Remember… Children need key social emotional skills to attain school success! • 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

6. When skills are absent… When children do not have these skills, they often exhibit challenging behaviors We must focus on TEACHING the skills!

7. “If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach. If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach. If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach. If a child doesn’t know how to drive, we teach. If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we……..... …….teach? ……punish? Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically as we do the others?” Tom Herner (NASDE President ) Counterpoint 1998, p.2)

8. Defining Challenging Behavior What it is… • Any repeated pattern of behavior that interferes with learning or activities • Behaviors that are not responsive to the use of developmentally appropriate guidance procedures. What it looks like… • Prolonged tantrums, • Physical and verbal aggression • Disruptive vocal and motor behavior • Property destruction • Self-injury • Noncompliance • Withdrawal.

9. Activity: Are You a Vending Machine? • 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? From PIES Workbook, Laura Riffel, 2009

10. Baby Blues Jerry Scott & Rick Kirkman Nov 2, 2013

11. Activity: 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.

12. Challenging Behaviors have a Purpose! • 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 don’t have the social or communicationskills 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.

13. The Significance of the Problem • “Emotional well-being and social competence provide a strong foundation for emerging cognitive abilities, and together they are the bricks and mortar that comprise the foundation of human development.” (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2007)

14. PromoteChildren’s Success • Create an environment where EVERY child feels good about coming to school. (RELATIONSHIPS) • Design an environment that promotes child engagement. (ENVIRONMENT) • Focus on teaching children what To Do! • Teach expectations and routines. • Teach skills that children can use in place of challenging behaviors. (TEACHING SOCIAL SKILLS AND REPLACEMENT SKILLS)

15. Pyramid Model Supportive responsive relationships among adults and children is an essential component to promote healthy social and emotional development Nurturing and Responsive Relationships

16. Building Relationships Why is it important? • 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

17. “Every child needs one person who is crazy about him.”Uri Bronfenbrenner

18. Pyramid Model High Quality early childhood environments promote positive outcomes for all children High Quality Supportive Environments

19. The Early Childhood Environment Create meaningful and engaging learning centers • Relevant to children’s needs, interests, and lives • Highly engaging and interesting • Variety of materials in each center • Changed and rotated on a regular basis Use visual cues to support schedules, routines, transitions, and classroom expectations

20. Visual Schedules and Cues

21. Pyramid Model Systematic approaches to teaching social skills can have a preventative and remedial effect Targeted Social Emotional Supports

22. What do we mean by social emotional skills? • A sense of confidence and competence • Ability to develop good relationships with peers and adults/make friends/get along with others • Ability to persist at tasks • Ability to follow directions • Ability to identify, understand, and communicate own feelings/emotions • Ability to constructively manage strong emotions • Development of empathy

23. Pyramid Model Assessment based intervention that results in individualized behavior support plans Intensive Intervention

24. Intensive Individualized Interventions Why is it important? • 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

25. What topics will we cover? • Building Positive Teacher-Child Relationships • Purpose and Impact of Classroom Arrangement • Helping Children Understand Routines and Classroom Schedules • Helping Children Make Transitions between Activities   • Giving Directions and Reinforcement with Positive Feedback • Identifying the Importance of Teaching Social Skills • Developing Friendship Skills • Enhancing Emotional Literacy Skills • Teaching Children Alternatives to Anger and Impulse • Social Emotional Problem Solving Skills

26. Team Tennessee Website: http://teamtn.tnvoices.org Here’s where you can get in touch with us or send someone else to get in touch with us! Here’s where you can download documents & look for new resources from us!

27. Informational Websites: www.csefel.vanderbilt.edu www.challengingbehavior.org

28. Activity: Action Planning • Over the next month take the time to access the materials on the CSEFEL and TACSEI websites and familiarize yourself with the materials for Teachers/Providers • Review the materials from today’s training

29. Questions?