HELPING STAFF AND PARENTS STOP BEING NEGATIVE AND DO WHAT WORKS Early Childhood Positive Behavior Support Ashley Lindberg Lawrence

Agenda Part 1: Being positive and why it works Part 2: Helping teachers be more positive Part 3: Helping parents be more positive Part 4: Behavior plans that people will follow

Being Positive Means: Using the manners/tone we expect from children Stating things developmentally appropriately Environment where kids are invited to try

Being positive: It works! 2,439 4’s in 671 classrooms in 11 states Tested academic, language, and social skills quality of interactions teachers' education class size child-to-teacher ratio. High-quality interactions = teachers frequently displayed positive emotions and were sensitive to children's needs, interests, motivations, and points of view.

Being Positive: Because it Works! Study looked at kindergarteners’ independence and task persistence, as linked to teacher support. Teachers’ support was positively related to emotional security and both persistence and independence. Regulating feelings of insecurity requires time and energy, better spent on academics. (Thijsa, J. T. & Koomenb, H. M. Y., 2008)

Function of the Behavior = Unmet Need AntecedentBehavior Consequence In this situation… if I do this… I get this!

How to be positive with 4 hard types of behavior Seeking undue attention Redirect with a useful task. Set up routines Problem solve with the child. Ignore. Set up a signal. Positive Discipline by Jane Neilson, 2007.

How to be positive with 4 hard types of behavior Seeking power and control over everything Ask for help Offer limited choices Be firm and kind at the same time Leave and calm down. Positive Discipline by Jane Neilson, 2007.

How to be positive with 4 hard types of behavior RevengeAcknowledge hurt feelings Avoid punishment Build trust Use active listening Make amends Show you care. Encourage strengths Positive Discipline by Jane Neilson, 2007.

How to be positive with 4 hard types of behavior Giving up / wanting to be left alone Break task down Stop all criticism Encourage any attempt Build on his interests Encourage, encourage encourage Empathize Positive Discipline by Jane Neilson, 2007.

HELPING TEACHERS BE MORE POSITIVE Part 2

Helping Teachers be More Positive Make the plan with everyone you expect to implement it. Work hard to incorporate all positive ideas. Bad ideas are an opportunity to teach. Teaching teachers when to intervene Teaching teachers how to intervene Coaching

When to Intervene

When to Intervene : Activity

Teaching Teachers Manners/Tone Mirror neurons

Teaching Teachers Manners/Tone: Activity Watch mirror neurons on NOVA neurons.html

Teaching Teachers Not to Say “Don’t” Understanding negative sentences is hard When upset we understand even less

Teaching Teachers Not to Say “Don’t”: Activity Can adults follow directions?

Being Positive: Praise Proximity Immediacy Effect on the behavior Specificity (Hester, Hendrickson & Gabel, 2009)

Teaching Teachers: Praise Gottman, J. (1994). Why Marriages Succeed or Fail: And How You Can Make Yours Last. New York: Simon and Schuster. Gottman says use the 5:1 rule Teachers average 1:3 with tough kids. (Sutherland, «& Wehby, 2001)

Post Examples in the Classroom 22 “Thank you for __________.” “What a good problem solver you are, you were able to__________.” “It’s so much fun to play with you; you are so good at ________.” (sharing, taking turns) “You were being so kind when you ________.”

What’s a Better Way to Say… Stop yelling! Don’t throw your toys! Stop bothering your sister! Don’t spill your milk. Stop whining. Be good. Be nice. Cut it out.

Mindy’s Hot Button Activity

Coaching Coaching is an interactive process of reflection and feedback used to provide support and encouragement, refine existing practices, develop new skills, and promote continuous self-assessment and learning.

Coaching Coaching Is  Collaborative  Repetitive  Focused on skill- building  Reliant on observation and feedback  Goal-directed  Outcomes-driven Coaching Is Not Just  Providing advice/tips  Supervision  Modeling  Training with classroom observation

What Do I Say Now? Chaotic transitions Frequent use of “no”, “don’t”, and “stop” rather than more positive directions. Low frequency of praise, or only general praise (“good job”) Extremely long, inappropriate circle times (more than 30 minutes) Inappropriate punishments (threats, writing out rules, removal for long periods of time) Low engagement in activities (worksheets, inadequate center materials) Expectations for behaviors or performance set too high (3 year olds working on memorizing sight words)

Part 3: Helping Tough Parents Be More Positive Note: these are not tough parents. They are my in-laws, and they are lovely.

PBS, it’s all about relationships Build a relationship with every family  Provide info about child development  Give parents a person to turn to if they are ever ready to learn more about parenting.  Help plan for the next transition.  Report suspected abuse and neglect.

Barriers: They are not that friendly  Your hardest kids probably have your hardest families.  Stuff that makes kids misbehave sometimes make adults misbehave.  Some parents are worried about your judgment, have a problem with authority, or have had past negative experiences in school.

Solutions: They are not that friendly.  5:1 rule phone calls, voic , , bravo cards, photos, certificates, awards  Face time

Barriers: They don’t have time for you  Parents may be struggling with getting basic needs met.  Parents can’t get work off, don’t have transportation.

Solutions: They don’t have time for you  Home-visit  Meet them on their lunch break  Make plans months in advance, then give reminder calls/notes/stickers  Go out that day  Open house v. graduation

Barriers: We don’t have time for them Many agencies don’t give staff members adequate time to build family relationships Too much to do during the work week!

Solutions: We don’t have time for them  Once in a while deliver a forgotten coat  More Parent-Teacher Conferences  Open house  School productions/plays  Art shows  Graduation parties  Parents come in for a class party/event, etc.  Bravo cards  Photos home  Certificates or awards

Barriers: We can’t get a hold of them!  Stupid cricket phones

Solutions: We can’t get a hold of them  My business card laminated with my photo and a magnet for fridge  Communication notebooks  Tape notes to backs  Call their emergency numbers

Barriers: We are mad at them Its hard not to judge! We love their kid and we’re mad that they are making his life hard.

Solutions: We are mad at them Everyone is doing their best with the education they have been given.

Solutions: We are mad at them You can’t darn a sock starting in the hole.

“I’m not trained for this!” Let simmer. Repeat. 1. Hi! (add positive story) 2. How are you? Last time we talked we talked about… How’s that going? 3. Find something they did right! (encourage) 4. Summarize “we have a plan. I will.. You…”

How will you make change?

References Crone, D., & Horner, R. (2003). Building Positive Behavior Support Systems in Schools: Functional Behavioral Assessment. New York, NY: The Guilford Press. Horner, R. H., Carr, E. G., Strain, P. S., Todd, A. W., & Reed, H. K. (2002). Problem behavior interventions for young children with autism: A research synthesis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities. Squires, J., & Bricker, D., (2006). Activity-based Approach to Developing Young Children's Social Emotional Competence. Baltimore: Brookes Publishing Company. Thijsa, J. T. & Koomenb, H. M. Y. (2008). Task-related Interactions between Kindergarten Children and their Teachers: The Role of Emotional Security. Infant and Child Development. Published online 21 January 2008 in Wiley InterScience ( DOI: /icd.552 Also see: