Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities in the Art Room Jennifer Margrave University of Central Florida

Introduction  The inclusion of students with emotional/behavioral disabilities in the art room presents new challenges and opportunities for art teachers  There are various things teachers can do to help students with this disability more successful in class

Problem  Unfortunately, little research on students with emotional/behavioral disabilities directly address instruction in art

My Interest  As an exceptional student educator I have worked with students with emotional/behavioral disabilities  Some of these students enjoyed art, but had difficulty with the transition into the class and the amount of choice in the classroom so they were not successful

Purpose  The purpose of this paper is to explore known strategies teachers use with students with emotional/behavioral disabilities and apply them to the art classroom

These are some characteristics teachers and preservice teachers rated highly for students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities in a survey done by Rizza and Morrison Poor self-concept Unaware Explosive Has mood swings Has poor self-control Intermittent attendance Is self-abusive Is disruptive, acts out Adults are angry with them Seen as loners, dropouts, dopers, or air heads Seen as dangerous and rebellious Seen as weird, dumb Rebellious Peers see them as entertaining Viewed as resistive Poor self-concept Unaware Explosive Has mood swings Has poor self-control Intermittent attendance Is self-abusive Is disruptive, acts out Adults are angry with them Seen as loners, dropouts, dopers, or air heads Seen as dangerous and rebellious Seen as weird, dumb Rebellious Peers see them as entertaining Viewed as resistive (Rizza & Morrison, 2003)

Possible Subcategories for Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities Behavioral/Defiance Behavioral/Defiance Depression Depression Anxiety Anxiety Personality Disorders Personality Disorders (Rizza & Morrison, 2003)

Four Major Categories  Social skills instruction  Behavioral/Defiance, Anxiety, Depression  Cooperative learning/peer tutoring  Depression, Anxiety, Behavioral/Defiance  Classroom management techniques  Behavioral/Defiance, Anxiety  Promote positive self-image  Behavioral/Defiance, Depression, Anxiety, Personality Disorders (Rizza & Morrison, 2003)

Social Skills Instruction  Gilles & Smith (2003) explain that without age appropriate social skills students will fall behind academically and will have difficulty making and keeping friends  Special education teachers explicitly teach social skills, and provide students practice  It is imperative that students get “real world” practice with skills shortly after they are taught

Applying Social Skills Instruction to the Art Room Spending a small amount of time on social skills instruction can be very beneficial Spending a small amount of time on social skills instruction can be very beneficial First identify skills that student/students needs assistance with from a list (asking permission, sharing, accepting no, making decisions, following instructions, offering to help someone, accepting consequences, beginning conversation, and exercising self control). First identify skills that student/students needs assistance with from a list (asking permission, sharing, accepting no, making decisions, following instructions, offering to help someone, accepting consequences, beginning conversation, and exercising self control). Then choose skills in an order that will allow for practice in your instruction Then choose skills in an order that will allow for practice in your instruction Introduce sharing when starting a new center Introduce sharing when starting a new center Introduce following instructions when introducing a new art material Introduce following instructions when introducing a new art material Introduce each skill at the beginning of a week to the whole class (5-10 mini-lesson) Introduce each skill at the beginning of a week to the whole class (5-10 mini-lesson) Have all students practice the skill throughout the week and provide positive feedback to students who use the skills Have all students practice the skill throughout the week and provide positive feedback to students who use the skills Continue the skill until mastered, and return to a skill if necessary Continue the skill until mastered, and return to a skill if necessary

Colored Pencil Drawing by Paulette Haukaas Paulette Haukaas, who has an emotional disability, stated “expressing myself through art became a big part of how I related to the world around me. I was - and am - quiet most of the time, and my art helps get my message across. It is especially helpful when I need to show how I feel.” detail.cfm?ArtistID= detail.cfm?ArtistID=

Peer Tutoring  Bowman-Perrott, Greenwood, & Tapia (2007) suggest using peer tutoring with students with emotional/behavioral disabilities  It is important, for these students, to allow them an opportunity to be the tutor and the tutee  Some of the benefits include: practice with social skills, one-to-one instruction, opportunities to make errors without a large audience, and increased time spent on academic behaviors

Applying Peer Tutoring to the Art Room  I believe students with emotional/behavioral disabilities can benefit greatly from peer tutoring in the art room as long as a few key rules are followed When the student with the emotional/behavioral disability is being tutored choose a student to tutor him/her who will not be hurt if the student does not take criticism/suggestions well When the student with the emotional/behavioral disability is being tutored choose a student to tutor him/her who will not be hurt if the student does not take criticism/suggestions well When choosing the student for the student with the emotional/behavioral disability to tutor make sure the student truly needs assistance with the skill being taught When choosing the student for the student with the emotional/behavioral disability to tutor make sure the student truly needs assistance with the skill being taught  Do not force students with emotional/behavioral disabilities to participate in peer tutoring on a particular day if they feel like working alone

Cooperative Groups  Groves (2006) state cooperative groups can be useful for students with social/emotional disabilities when done in a structured way  Assign roles to each member (time keeper, material manager, recorder, etc.)  Have each child get a chance to do each role

Applying Cooperative Groups to the Art Room  To avoid another transition during cooperative groups it’s a good idea to always have students sit in groups with assigned number or letter (that correspond to group jobs)  Jobs that may be more applicable for art are time keeper, material pick-up, clean-up, and team leader  The team leader could perform tasks that would vary based on project (color mixing for painting or covering surface evenly with ink for printmaking)  Even when students are doing individual projects, instead of group work, students should perform job functions that aren’t related to the creation of their individual art work to keep routine

Painting by Deena Nash Deena Nash, who has an emotional disability, uses “free form” art to help express her feelings. She works with ceramics, printmaking, and painting. sts/registry/artistdetail.cfm?Arti stID=

Classroom Management Techniques The most effective classroom management techniques for students with emotional/behavioral disabilities are individualized reward systems and self-monitoring systems The most effective classroom management techniques for students with emotional/behavioral disabilities are individualized reward systems and self-monitoring systems Reward systems allow students to save up tokens, points, or tickets that they earn for positive behavior and good class work. They then hand in these tokens, points, or tickets for a reinforcer of their choice Reward systems allow students to save up tokens, points, or tickets that they earn for positive behavior and good class work. They then hand in these tokens, points, or tickets for a reinforcer of their choice Self-monitoring systems have students monitor their own progress at a selected skill at predetermined time intervals Self-monitoring systems have students monitor their own progress at a selected skill at predetermined time intervals (De I’Etoile, 2005)

Classroom Management in the Art Room  Reward systems can be a good classroom management tool for the whole class For example, a teacher may pass out tickets during the week when he/she sees examples of behaviors like following directions or cooperating with others For example, a teacher may pass out tickets during the week when he/she sees examples of behaviors like following directions or cooperating with others Then, one Fridays students could have an opportunity to trade in their ticket for a reward of their choice (art supplies, class privileges, choice of partner, etc.) Then, one Fridays students could have an opportunity to trade in their ticket for a reward of their choice (art supplies, class privileges, choice of partner, etc.) This can also be paired with the social skills lesson of the week by giving everyone one ticket at the beginning of the week that must be passed out to another student who displayed that weeks skill (have students put their name on the tickets in a different color so you know they don’t try to keep theirs) This can also be paired with the social skills lesson of the week by giving everyone one ticket at the beginning of the week that must be passed out to another student who displayed that weeks skill (have students put their name on the tickets in a different color so you know they don’t try to keep theirs)  Self monitoring of behavior would only be done for students who need it, and would be private If a student needed help with self control every ten minutes they could mark on a chart inside their desk whether they did a list of things (kept hands and feet to self, used kind words, etc.) If a student needed help with self control every ten minutes they could mark on a chart inside their desk whether they did a list of things (kept hands and feet to self, used kind words, etc.)

Painting by Jamie Young Jamie, who has an emotional disability, enjoys art and writing poetry. He explains art is a way to “occupy his mind.” tists/registry/artistdetail.cfm? ArtistID=

Promote Positive Self-Image through Art  Hunter and Jones (2006) explain that students with emotional/behavioral disabilities need more praise than the average student. If you provide them the attention they crave when they are doing the right thing, they often won’t feel the need to act out  Displaying student works promotes a positive self-image and a serious work ethic  Peer tutoring, which was mentioned earlier, also helps improve self-image  Make your class less “scary” by walking student through the steps of your lesson (stop the cycle of failure)  If the student has difficulty making choices, choosing topics, etc. provide student with a short list of ideas to choose from

The following slide is a checklist for art teachers to be used during pre- planning if they have students with emotional/behavioral disabilities

So You Have a Student With an Emotional/Behavioral Disability in You Art Class…Now What? _____ I have rules and consequences posted. _____ I have a plan for encouraging positive communication (cooperative groups, peer tutoring, etc.). _____ I have clear routines for use of materials, lining up, etc. _____ I have identified students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities (EBDs), and reviewed their Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIPs). _____ I have created self-monitoring systems for any students who may need them. _____ I have a positive reward system for all students. _____ I have several social skills lessons planned. _____ I have lists of possible topics available to all students for lessons in which topic is not given by the teacher. _____ My lesson plans are clear, and if multiple steps are required of students verbal, pictorial, and written instructions are given.

How to Fill Out Self Monitoring Systems At a certain interval in time (every 10, 15 or 20 minutes) have students fill out their self monitoring system At a certain interval in time (every 10, 15 or 20 minutes) have students fill out their self monitoring system You can either have the child check each box if they did or did not perform the task (younger children) or have them rate themselves on a scale (1-5) You can either have the child check each box if they did or did not perform the task (younger children) or have them rate themselves on a scale (1-5)

Self Monitoring System for Students with Trouble with Self Control Time9:109:209:309:409:50 I kept my hands to my self I used kind words I stayed in my area

Self Monitoring System for Students with Anxiety Time9:109:209:309:409:50 I used calming strategies when needed I remained focused on my art I interacted with others if appropriate

Charting Data For some students it may be helpful to have students monitor their progress over time using a graph For some students it may be helpful to have students monitor their progress over time using a graph To do this students would total their “points” received on their self monitoring system at the end of each art period To do this students would total their “points” received on their self monitoring system at the end of each art period They would then chart their progress for that day before leaving They would then chart their progress for that day before leaving

Charting Example

Conclusions It is useful for art teachers to try to apply special education research about students with emotional/behavioral disabilities to the art room. Still, more research that is directed specifically at art education for students with emotional/behavioral disabilities is needed. Areas of research that I think would be especially helpful are -how to best manage art supplies/materials -which types of art projects could be most beneficial for specific symptoms of students with EBDs -whether there are any particular types of mentoring/cooperative groups that are proven to be effective

References Bowman-Perrott, L. J., Greenwood, C. R., & Tapia, Y. (2007). The Efficacy of CWPT Used in Secondary Alternative School Classrooms with Small Teacher/Pupil Ratios and Students with Emotional and Behavior Disorders, Education and Treatment of Children, 30 (3), De I’Etoile, S. K. (2005). Teaching Music to Special Learners: Children with Disruptive Behavior Disorders. Music Educators Journal, 91 (5), Gilles, D. L. & Smith, S. W. (2003). Using Key Instructional Elements to Systematically Promote Social Skill Generalization for Students with Challenging Behavior. Intervention in School and Clinic, 37 (1), Groves, J. E. (2006). Art as a Behavior Modification Tool. Multicultural Education, 13 (4), Haukaas, P. M. (2003). Tranquil Light. Retrieved from Hunter, A. D., & Johns, B. H. (2006). Students with Emotional and/or Behavior Disorders. In B. Gerber & D. Guay (Eds.), Reaching and Teaching Students with Special Needs through Art (pp.43-60). Reston, VA: National Art Education Association. Nash, D. (1998). Mango Light. Retrieved from Rizza, M. & Morrison, W. (2003). Uncovering Stereotypes and Identifying Characteristics of Gifted Students and Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities. Reoper Review, 25 (2), Young, J. (2006). Water Lillies. Retrieved from