ICSD Co-Teaching PLC March 17, 2014 Jenn Gondek, Instructional Specialist at TST BOCES Lee Ginenthal, Teacher on Special Assignment at ICSD

Session Objectives:

Morning Debrief:

 How were you able to provide a social or behavioral support in a co-taught situation?

Social Skills vs. Behavior

What Are Social Skills?  Social skills are not the same thing as behavior. Rather, they are components of behavior that help an individual understand and adapt across a variety of social settings. Walker (1983) defines social skills as “a set of competencies that a) allow a`n individual to initiate and maintain positive social relationships, b) contribute to peer acceptance and to a satisfactory school adjustment, and c) allow an individual to cope effectively with the larger social environment” (p. 27).

What Are Social Skills?  Social skills can also be defined within the context of social and emotional learning — recognizing and managing our emotions, developing caring and concern for others, establishing positive relationships, making responsible decisions, and handling challenging situations constructively and ethically (Zins, Weissbert, Wang, & Walberg, 2004).

 Focuses on social and emotional learning strategies that encourage reflection and self-awareness.  Creates opportunities to practice effective social skills both individually and in groups.  Adjusts instructional strategies to address social skills deficits.  Tailors social skill interventions to individual student needs. Quality Social Skills Instruction:

Skill Streaming Embedded InstructionExplicit InstructionTeachable Moments

Instructional Continuum  Initial Instruction (whole group)  Differentiated Instruction (small group) pre-teach, re- teach, application, guided practice  Classroom Intervention (diagnostic and in class)  Intensive Intervention (outside the classroom setting) As you move through the continuum, you provide more time and resources based on student need.

Skill Streaming

Provide Explicit Instruction  Introduce the lesson – model multiple examples, explain directly  Provide Extensive Guided Practice – students practice what was modeled, are given prompts and immediate feedback  Follow Through – support application of skills and content with scaffolding, structure ample review  Process – use a gradual release of responsibility, provide immediate corrective feedback NOTE: The greatest mileage from explicit instruction occurs in small groups!

One Size Does Not Fit All…

Vast Wildness and Uncertainty Park

Moment of Disruption Strategies Win-Win Discipline

Two by Ten Strategy  2 minutes each day  Personal Conversation about a topic of student’s choice  10 consecutive days  85 % increase improvement in individual student’s behaior  Wlodkowski (1983)