RECAP Training: Social-Emotional Development and the CMS Pre-K Social Skills Curriculum RECAP – Reaching Educators, Children and Parents is a social skills curriculum focused on teaching children how to behave appropriately at school. The program was developed by researchers and educators at Vanderbilt University for PreK – 6th grade. Much of Vanderbilt’s research has shown the program to be effective with children in both regular education and special education settings.

Why Social-Emotional Development? Children who are identified as hard to manage at ages 3 and 4 have a high probability of continuing to have difficulties into adolescence. When aggressive and antisocial behavior has persisted to age 9, further intervention has a poor chance of success. Effective Collaboration with Families of Young Children with Challenging Behavior (Timm & Strain, April, 2008)

Why Social-Emotional Development? We want to build a foundation in our Pre-K classrooms for lifelong learning. Children must have the social and emotional skills to relate to others, express feelings, self-regulate behaviors, and problem solve in order to be successful, not only in Kindergarten, but for the rest of their lives. Our Pre-K Programs must embed Social and Emotional Skill development into the classroom every day to foster healthy growth.

Behavior Pyramid Model Assessment based intervention that results in individualized behavior support plans This evidence based research comes from the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundation for Early Learning. Offers a framework for implementation of PDS http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/

Behavior Pyramid Model Assessment based intervention that results in individualized behavior support plans This evidence based research comes from the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundation for Early Learning. Offers a framework for implementation of PDS www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel

Effective Workforce Social worker or psychologist will provide ongoing support, professional development, modeling, etc. The following materials are provided: Pre-k Wiki: Beginning of year lesson plans, visual cues, rules and expectations, and the positive reinforcement system information and materials (Suns) RECAP Curriculum: Lesson plans, lesson books, and supplemental lessons The training that we are doing today is your initial training; however, you will also have some ongoing consultation and modeling with your school social worker or psychologist depending on your school location. We will have an opportunity to practice some lessons today; however, if you feel you need more practice, information, etc. your consultant is who can help you beyond today. Materials are provided and they include your 1) RECAP Teacher Manual – which you can go back to and reference some of the behavioral principles, 2) RECAP Lesson Plans – all lessons are scripted, list objective, and materials needed (if any), 3) books are required for some lessons and they are all provided – the exception is that some of the suggested book titles were unavailable so they have been replaced by another book. Your consultant will provide you with more info. on books and alternatives to suggested titles. 4) other classroom materials are needed on occasion – ex/pictures, feelings wheel, bottle shaker, etc. Just as you carefully review your OWL manual and prepare your teaching materials before the next day, you will need to review and prepare your materials for your RECAP lesson.

Behavior Pyramid Model Assessment based intervention that results in individualized behavior support plans These are things that should be in place in every classroom and should be in place before children even walk through the door www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel

The First 12 Days of School Focus on Nurturing and Responsive Relationships and High Quality Supportive Environments: Importance of home visits Purpose of staggered entry Staggered entry homework calendar Emphasis on teaching rules, routines, and classroom procedures Relaxation lessons during quiet time Lesson plans and center plans

RECAP Lessons in the First 12 Days The First 12 Days RECAP Lessons introduce the classroom rules, teach fundamental problem solving skills, and introduce basic classroom social skills. Each Lesson incorporates the use of a structured reinforcement system (Sunshines) to emphasize and acknowledge skill use throughout the day.

RECAP Lessons in the First 12 Days RECAP lesson in the first 12 days incorporate Social Stories and Visual Cues to help directly teach expected skills. Recommendations for preparation prior to and during Staggered Entry and the First 12 days has been provided, including expectations for Teachers and Teacher Assistants. Remember- These lessons are only effective if they are modeled, taught, and reinforced throughout the school day, and the school year. Both the Teacher and Teacher Assistant are responsible for actively teaching and reinforcing these skills.

First 12 Days: Resources CMS Wiki: http://prekprograms.cmswiki.wikispaces.net Director’s Wiki: http://ncprek.cmswiki.wikispaces.net PDS Manual CSEFEL Website: http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu/

Nurturing Relationships Throughout the School Year with families with students between the teacher and assistant with administration with your support staff Give Home Visit Handout Stress the importance of supportive and positive relationships with students, families and colleagues Model respectful behaviors Have a plan to manage conflict with colleagues, families, etc. when it arises

Building Supportive Environments Create an environment where EVERY child feels good about coming to school Design an environment that promotes child engagement Have a structure to your classroom (post and follow the schedule, plan and prepare lessons/materials ahead of time, notify children of changes in schedule, etc.) Have clear expectations Focus on teaching children what To Do! Intentionally teach children expectations and routines Have visual reminders of expectations around the classroom Focus on and reward positive behaviors Respectfully model discipline situations Post Classroom Rules & Expectations at Child’s eye level First step in behavior management is to create an environment where EVERY child feels good about coming to school. How do you do this? Design and environment that promotes child engagement Down time=time for students to produce inappropriate behaviors Focus on teaching children what to do Spend time teaching expected school behaviors and routines/procedures Teach them how they can deal with their negative behaviors and emotions Focus on and reward positive behaviors Ways to reinforce appropriate school behaviors. Hallway: tap shoulder/head of student doing behaving appropriately in line while waiting Call attention to the students that are behaving appropriately and recognize the students who corrected their behavior as soon as it is done. Whisper praise Use student as helper Call student to line up first Respectfully model discipline situation Role play Remain fair and consistent Students are different and may require flexible use of positive recognition and logical consequences, just make sure that you are fair in their treatment and remain consistent—don’t waiver.

Behavior Expectation Cards 3. I take care of my classroom. 1. I take care of myself. 2. I take care of others. 3. I take care of my classroom. These universal cards assist us in aligning with the elementary schools. It also give us a commonality and holds students accountable for behavior. Mention posted materials around the room that can be used throughout the classroom.

Behavior Rule Cards . I will listen and follow directions. . I will keep my hands and feet to myself. . I will take care of classroom materials. . I will use kind words and a quiet voice. The PDSTeam created rules for the CMS and More at 4 sites that are comparable to those used in the elementary school setting. The new rules include new graphics that better illustrate the rules. The new graphics are coming with your new PDST notebook.

Behavior Pyramid Model Assessment based intervention that results in individualized behavior support plans These are things that should be in place in every classroom and should be in place before children even walk through the door www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel

Tom Herner (NASDE President ) Counterpoint 1998, p.2) “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) Read and discuss the importance of teaching children social skills and behavior management.

Targeted Social and Emotional Supports Focus on the Positive! Create clear, reasonable, and developmentally appropriate expectations Be consistent and follow through Administer consequences in an unemotional, matter-of-fact manner; and focus on the behavior

Targeted Social and Emotional Supports (con’t.) Our feelings affect our behavior Behavior is a choice Both children and adults are responsible for their own behavior

RECAP

PURPOSE of RECAP Teach children appropriate social skills Teach children how to behave appropriately at school. Give teachers a tool for teaching social skills and behavior management.

The RECAP Curriculum Lessons Other Components Friendly Skills Self-Esteem Feelings Communication Relaxation Positive Attention Problem-solving Logical Consequences These are the main components of the RECAP curriculum. You have the lessons which are geared directly toward and focus on the areas of 1) Friendly Skills, 2) Feelings, 3) Relaxation, 4) Problem-Solving, and 5) Taking Responsibility Other focus areas encompassed by RECAP include Self-Esteem, 2) Communication Skills, 3) Positive Attention, and 4) Logical Consequences

RECAP Lessons Regularly scheduled lessons, alternating with Let’s Find Out About It and Let’s Talk About It in the OWL Curriculum. Prefer lessons to be conducted in the morning so skills can be reinforced throughout the day. RECAP lessons for the first 12 days can be found in a separate binder or in the beginning of your RECAP manual. These lessons are focused on proactively teaching routines and procedures in the classroom. During these first weeks of school RECAP is taught daily until the OWL Curriculum begins.

Demonstration – Flip through notebook Lessons 1 & 2 – Point out title, objectives, notes, and needs (materials) Lessons can be modified (different books, role plays, etc.) as long as you are teaching the objective. (based on the need/ learning style of your students)

VS. FRIENDLY SKILLS UNFRIENDLY SKILLS Friendly Skills = positive social skills We use the language of friendly skills all throughout the school day Translates to situations outside of the classroom as well. VS. UNFRIENDLY SKILLS

Feelings Teach children how to identify feelings in themselves and others All feelings are OK, teach children appropriate expression of feelings Identification of feelings helps with effective problem solving.

Stop, Think, and Go Stop and calm down. Think about what the problem is and what FRIENDLY SKILL you can use to solve it. Go and try your solution. STG lessons that teach problem solving. Should be demonstrated, modeled, and coached throughout the day

Relaxation Relaxation lesson are often done during quiet time, also just before a large group lesson because of the tone it sets for concentration and thinking about the problem at hand Use these lessons when needed throughout the day – fire drills, around field trips, after Outside Time, etc.

Relaxation Creates a More Productive Classroom Suppresses out of control behavior Decreases hyperactivity and anxiety Enhances awareness of feelings Improves concentration and ability to think clearly Increases attention span Improves listening Briefly go over slides

Behavior Management Now that we have discussed the teaching of social skills, we need to look at the other component of RECAP…Behavior Management. This is how we reinforce the RECAP Lesson information throughout the day.

Why Do Children Behave Inappropriately ? Attention Low self-esteem Lack of skill Unable to express feelings appropriately Learned negative coping skill Physical, emotional or environmental problems (tired, hungry, anxious, abuse, domestic violence, divorce, homelessness, etc.) Developmental Delay Avoidance If time- have teachers brainstorm why they think children misbehave. Attention- note that adults often reward negative behavior with attention Lack of skill- it works! Negative behaviors often work for kids to get what they want or out of something they don’t want

Tips for Focusing on the Positive Use specific behavior praise to recognize and reinforce appropriate behavior. (intangible reinforcement) Use a tangible reinforcer to recognize and reinforce appropriate behavior. Remain consistent Give positive attention as soon as a positive behavior is observed Give positive attention as often as possible when the behavior occurs Quick slide…specific praise is next Intangible and tangible reinforcement Make sure students know exactly what behaviors you are encouraging Over generalize at the beginning to reinforce the behaviors you are teaching and gradually back off from the tangibles. RECAP has a built in Tangible Reinforcement system - Suns

Happy Talk, Keep Talking Happy Talk! Specific Praise Happy Talk, Keep Talking Happy Talk! [Student name,] thank you for raising your hand. You’re doing such a great job of listening to [student name]. You’re making eye contact and smiling. Look at you helping [student name] clean up—what a friend! Nice job of saying “Thank You.” Wow, what a caring attitude! [Student name,] everyone appreciates the way you’re keeping your hands and feet to yourself! Bravo for walking in a straight line. Nice work holding that door open for [student or adult name]. [Student name] is doing an outstanding job of working quietly. [Student name] you’re doing such a great job of staying in your seat while we are eating, thank you! [Student name,] thank you for remembering to walk. Quickly go over the list

SUNS Suns are used to acknowledge and reinforce Friendly Skills (pro-social behaviors) in the classroom. Copy suns on yellow construction paper and laminate. Both the Teacher and Assistant should be handing out Suns and providing verbal praise to children every day. Familiarize yourselves with the procedures for the giving and receiving of suns in your classroom. Communicate with parents and students the procedures for receiving suns. Show examples of classroom sun systems from PDS Training box. Tell teachers to have procedures in place before children enter their classroom. Mention Letter from Julie in PDS Notebook to introduce Sun system to parents

Suns Can Be Given for Appropriate Classroom Tasks Such As: Sitting quietly in the classroom Walking quietly in line Raising a hand instead of speaking out Exhibiting appropriate bathroom behavior Using FRIENDLY SKILLS while in centers Participating in classroom activities Maintaining a positive attitude Helping a peer or teacher without being asked Putting away materials correctly Staying on task Sharing with another student Using friendly words like “please” and “thank you” Helping a friend who is hurt Identifying a feeling and responding appropriately Not responding to aggressive behavior by another student Following directions Suns are not used for academic performance You can focus on and reinforce specific behaviors for children with individual behavior issues.

Sun Reinforcement System PDST SUN AGREEMENTS 1. Suns are used every day. 2. Every child should receive at least ONE sun a day. Suns are used with verbal praise to immediately reinforce specific positive behavior. Suns are expected to be a visible part of the classroom. Suns may be used to ‘over recognize’ positive behaviors in order to extinguish inappropriate behaviors. Suns are never taken away or threatened to be taken away. Negative systems/punishments (clouds, sad faces, etc.) are not a part of the SUN system and should never be used. Suns are a mandatory component of the program, just like Story time, etc.

ONCE A SUN IS GIVEN, IT IS NOT TAKEN AWAY!!!! You should have a structure for negative consequences in place, separate from the suns. Once you take a sun away it becomes a negative symbol and starts to lose some of its effectiveness. IF A CHILD ASKS FOR A SUN, PRAISE THE POSITIVE BEHAVIOR BUT DO NOT GIVE THEM A SUN. A behavior is more likely to become generalized if the child performs it in the natural environment, not simply for a reinforcer.

Pre-K Positive Reinforcement System (Suns) Procedures for Implementation Cycle I: Bringing “Sunshine” into our Class” Introductory lesson: Staggered Entry Lesson 1 Staggered Entry – January Teacher gives specific verbal praise and hands student the ‘sun’ “Suns” are awarded to students as pro-social behaviors are exhibited “Suns” are accumulated and displayed Each child receives at least one ‘sun’ a day Once 5 suns are accumulated, students are reinforced immediately with a trip to the ‘treasure chest’

Procedures for Implementation Cycle II: RECAP Lesson: Introducing Sun Cycle II January – End of School Year “Suns” are awarded to students as pro-social behaviors are exhibited “Suns” are accumulated and displayed Once 5 suns are accumulated, students are reinforced immediately with “You Really Shine” certificate and the student adds 5 objects (lemon heads, marbles, glass beads, etc.) to the class ‘Sunshine’ container. Class reinforcer is awarded when the jar is full

Procedures for Implementation: Cycle III: RECAP Lesson: Introducing Sun Cycle III Spring Break – End of School Year Continue with Cycle II procedures as well Students give ‘suns’ to their peers to take home to show their families

Consequence/Discipline Ideas Redirection (verbal, physical, attention getting) Reminders (verbal, physical) Warnings Think Time Set Limits – give child a choice to change behavior or to choose an alternate activity Logical Consequences Be very careful about physically redirecting a child. Make sure consequences match the severity of the behavior, and happen immediately Do not take away outside time or meals. Do not threaten children. Plan with teacher/ ass’t / director what discipline plan is for your classroom.

Logical Consequences: Target the Behavior, Not the Child !!! The behavior is what needs to change, not the child. It is easier to change behaviors than to change a person. Focusing on specific behaviors decreases the likelihood that the child will take it personally. Focusing on solutions instead of punishment. Effective managers of behavior know that there are times when students need to accept the consequences of their actions. They also know how to identify logical consequences and use them effectively to manage behavior. In order to establish logical consequences teachers must recognize that…(go over list) i.E you spill your milk, you clean it up or you knock down a building in blocks, you help rebuild it

Model RECAP Principles Use RECAP language RECAP uses the term Friendly Skills Interact with students in a positive way Use positive & affirmative language Focus on and reward positive behaviors Use the power of praise (ex/ suns) Respectfully model discipline situations Monitor tone of voice, language, and body language Be fair and consistent Use discipline plan across the board Apply RECAP to classroom problem situations Use skills & tools consistently #4 Be firm and matter of fact when disciplining - you can be stern but also neutral. Model being in control at all time #5. Doesn’t mean being rigid, tailor to individual students

Behavior Pyramid Model Assessment based intervention that results in individualized behavior support plans Note that 95-98% of children will be able to follow the rules and expectations of the classroom if teachers have the bottom layers of the pyramid in place. For children in that top portion of the pyramid, teachers should staff with Social Worker/ Psychologist to develop individual interventions. www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel

Questions ??