Supporting Positive Behaviour in Alberta Schools Key Element # 5 Social Skills Instruction January 18, 2011 Dwaine M Souveny Central Alberta Regional Consortium D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Supporting Positive Behaviour In Alberta Schools (2008)  A School Wide Approach  A Classroom Approach  An Intensive Individualized Approach D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Supporting Positive Behaviour in Alberta Schools 10 Key Elements Key Element One: Positive Relationships Key Element Two: Learning Environment Key Element Three: Differentiated Instruction (DI) Key Element Four: Understanding Student Behaviour D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Activity: School-wide Behavioural Expectations Template Using the Template on Page 33 of A School Wide Approach - review the school-wide expectations in your school Look for: a)Strengths b)Areas to be developed D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Supporting Positive Behaviour in Alberta Schools Key Element Five: Social Skills Instruction D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Key Element #5: Social Skills Instruction “…the very profession of teaching calls on us to produce not merely good learners but good people” Alfie Kohn Caring Kids: The Role of the School “Negative behaviour is often the result of a skill deficit and is not a motivational issue” Skill vs Will D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Create an Acronym BEHAVE Strategy (Indiv p.47) B = Identify the target behaviour and the replacement behaviour E = Explain the expectations H = have clear models (teacher, adult, peer) A = Act consistently and frequently – use guided practice to teach the skills V = View and value the skill often – set up the situation for success E = Expand or extend the skill - into other situations D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Become a Social Star  S – Stop doing what you are doing  T- Think about what you should do  A – Act appropriately  R – Reflect on what you have done – use self talk to say to yourself ``good job`` D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Teaching Skills Teach Intentionally …what others learn incidentally D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Teach: Social Skills Provide direct instruction in social skills – Tell (provide verbal instructions) – Demonstrate and model – Actual practice and Role playing Techniques:  Social Stories (Carol Gray)  Sentence Strips  Social Scripts D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

2 components to social skills Knowledge Can be taught/learned Using the skills Must be practised in real situations D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Social Scripts (p. 51) Social scripts are based on specific events and situations that have occurred in the child’s situation Intentionally teach desired social behaviour Can have different actions and endings to compare and contrast appropriate social behaviour with undesirable social behaviour. D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Social Scripts Are like a movie/play script – Identify specific characters, setting – Provide specific things to do and say in a step-by- step (sequential) manner – Usually only involve steps – (A) First 3 statements will be the same – (B) the behaviour will be different – (C) there the consequences will change D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Social Scripts: Compare and Contrast Behaviour Helps to differentiate desired behaviour from undesired behaviour Provides explanation of consequences of behaviour Assists others in knowing their role and “script” in the situation Practices desired behavioral sequence within script D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Compare and Contrast Behaviour: Incident Specific Social Scripts I am sitting at my desk Ms. Peterson says, “Bob you are the special helper” Ms. Peterson says, Bob hand out these papers” I say, “no” Ms. Peterson says, Bob you need to leave the room. I get upset Ms Peterson takes me out of the room I have a “melt down” and am carried to the office I do not get a chance to draw on my favorite page D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Compare and Contrast Behaviour: Incident Specific Social Scripts I am sitting at my desk Ms. Peterson says, “Bob you are the special helper” Ms. Peterson says, Bob hand out these papers” I say, “yes” I hand out the papers Ms. Peterson is happy and says, “thank you for being the special helper and handing out the papers” I get to draw on my favourite page and am happy D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Develop A Social Script Billy is in Grade 3. He has FASD and every time he walks down the hall with the other students, he stops at the water fountain and refuses to leave. D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Tips for Using Social Scripts When introducing the concept – find 3-5 incidences of positive behaviour and use green cards Relate this to the way actors use scripts Colour code the scripts  Use red cards for the description of the undesired behavioural sequence  Use green cards for the description of the desired behavioural sequence D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Social Scripts and Video Modeling 1.Identify and select target behaviour 2.Obtain necessary permissions 3.Interview parents and observe child (is child interested in TV?) 4.Select and train models 5.Prepare Equipment and setting 6.Edit the video 7.Show the video clip of desired behaviours 8.Promote maintenance and generalization D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

The Power Card Strategy A power card is a visual aid that incorporates the child’s special interest to teach appropriate social interactions, including routines, behavioural expectations, and the hidden curriculum. D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

The Power Card Strategy It consists of two parts: 1.A short scenario describing how the hero solves the problem. 2.A small card with a picture of the hero to recap the strategy. D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Example: The Power Card Strategy Scenario: It is recess and you are climbing up the snow hill to slide down with friends. Funny Frank is playing king for the castle and not letting you up What do you do? What would Hanna Montana do? D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Homework Task Identify a specific undesirable social behaviour: 1)Write a social script to describe the situation 2)Write an alternative social script to indicate what to do in a subsequent situation 3)Present and practise the script with the student D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction

Supporting Positive Behaviour in Alberta Schools ….stay tuned & invite a friend Next time: Positive Reinforcement November 15, or phone me D.M. Souveny Social Skills Instruction