Guidance Techniques How We Can Impact Children’s Behavior

Reference for PowerPoint Presentation: Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning: Vanderbilt University A terrific website full of presentations, activities, and videos!

Topics Attitudes about behavior Key social/emotional skills Building positive relationships Designing supportive environments Social/emotional teaching strategies Individual plans for challenging behavior

Examining Our Attitudes about Challenging Behaviors What behaviors push your buttons? How do these behaviors make you feel? How does this impact your relationship with a child and his/her family? Hot Button Activity!

Managing Personal Stress: Thought Control Calming Thoughts “This child is testing to see where the limits are. My job is to stay calm and help him learn better ways to behave.” “I can handle this. I am in control. They have just learned some powerful ways to get control. I will teach them more appropriate ways to behave.” Upsetting Thoughts “That child is a monster. This is getting ridiculous. He’ll never change.” “I’m sick of putting out fires!”

Managing Personal Stress: Thought Control Calming Thoughts “I feel undervalued right now – I need to seek support from my peers and supervisor.” “Having her in my class is going to be a wonderful Professional Development experience.” Upsetting Thought “I wonder if the corner grocery is hiring?” “He ruins everything! This is going to be the worst year of my career.”

Reframing Activity In pairs or in small groups: See Handout (Reframing Activity) Read the four examples listed and generate two to three other challenging behaviors and how you might reframe each one. In reframing the challenging behaviors, do not come up with solutions but rather restate the behaviors to make them more manageable.

Mean Age Expectation in Months for Milestone Attainment CaucasianPuerto RicanFilipino Eat Solid Food * Training Cup * Utensils * Finger Food Wean * Sleep by Self * Sleep all Night * Choose Clothes * Dress Self Play Alone * Toilet Trained-Day * Toilet Trained-Night Carlson & Harwood (2000)

Behavioral Expectations of Two Groups of Mothers Korean-American Mothers European- American Mothers Believe parents and children should play together 54%96% Prefer children play with sex-typed toys (e.g., boys play with trucks) 71%43% Provide children with many chances to decide (e.g., give child choices) 11%66% ( Farver & Lee-Shin, 2000)

Key Social Emotional Skills Children Need as They Enter School Confidence Capacity to develop good relationships with peers and adults Concentration and persistence on challenging tasks Ability to effectively communicate emotions Ability to listen to instructions and be attentive Ability to solve social problems What do children do when they don’t have each of these skills?

When children do not have these skills, they often exhibit challenging behaviors We must focus on TEACHING the skills!

“ 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)

Some Basic Assumptions Challenging behavior usually has a message- I am bored, I am sad, you hurt my feelings, I need some attention. Children often use challenging behavior when they don’t have the social or communication skills they need to engage in more appropriate interactions. Behavior that persists over time is usually working for the child. We need to focus on teaching children what to do in place of the challenging behavior.

Promote Children’s Success Create an environment where EVERY child feels good about coming to school. Design an environment that promotes child engagement. Focus on teaching children what To Do! Teach expectations and routines. Teach skills that children can use in place of challenging behaviors.

Designing Supportive Environments Building Positive Relationships Social Emotional Teaching Strategies Individualized Intensive Interventions

Greet every child at the door by name. Post children’s work around the room. Have a “star” of the week who brings in special things from home and gets to share them during circle time. Call a child’s parent in front of them to say what a great day she is having or send home positive notes. Call a child after a difficult day and say, “I’m sorry we had a tough day today. I know tomorrow is going to be better!” Give hugs, high fives and thumbs up accomplishing tasks. Building Positive Relationships

When a child misses school tell him how much he was missed. Write on a t-shirt all the special things about a given child and let him/her wear it. Find time to read to individual children or a few children at a time. Acknowledge children’s efforts. Find out what a child’s favorite book is and read it to the whole class. Give compliments liberally. Play with children, follow their lead. Let children make “All About Me” books and share them at Circle Time.

Think CLASS!

Designing Supportive Environments Think ECERS-R & SACERS!

Photograph Visual Schedule

Activity Using Visual Schedules A new little boy arrives in your classroom and he is very scared. When Mommy says bye, he screams, cries, pulls on her leg, and tries to climb up Mommy’s body. ◦ How can you use your visual schedule to teach?

Activity Using Visual Schedules Today you have scheduled water play outside. All of the children are excited and have been anticipating the outside fun all week. But we have been given a tornado warning and it’s raining, so there will be no outside fun today. ◦ How will you teach using your visual schedule to prevent challenging behavior?

1. Turn on water. 2. Wet hands. 3. Get soap.4. Rinse hands.

5. Turn off water. 7. Throw away towel. 6. Dry hands. 8. Go play.

Activity Turn-Taking Cue

Video 1.2: Transitions to Centers

Transition with Visual and Timer

Transition with Choice

Transition with Center Necklaces

General Guidelines About Rules Have a few simple classroom rules. Involve the children in developing the rules. Post the rules visually. Teach the rules systematically. Reinforce the rules at high rates initially and at lower rates throughout the year.

Involving Children in Developing the Rules Have children help generate the rules. Name the rule and have a child demonstrate the rule. Name the rule and have the children identify the visuals that might go on a poster. Have children help decorate a rules poster.

Program-wide Rules

Rules Should Address Noise level Movement inside Interactions with property Interactions with adults Interactions with peers

Think About the Four Limits: Everyone deserves to be safe We take care of the things in our class and school We’re responsible for our own behavior We respect everyone

Video 1.5: Stop/Go Teaching Rules

Video 1.6: Children Demonstrating Classroom Rules 38

Conflict Resolution (based on High/Scope Curriculum) Approach quickly and calmly, stopping any hurtful behavior. Acknowledge feelings. Gather information. Restate the problem. Ask for ideas for solutions and choose one together. Give follow up support.

In groups of three, role-play the following scenarios using the steps in conflict resolution. 1. Two children are fighting over a toy truck. 2. Two children are pushing each other trying to get on the same swing. 3. One child is trying to grab another child’s pencil. 4. One child is building with blocks. Another child comes over and tries to join in by adding to the building. The first child tells him to go away and the second child starts screaming and swinging his arms. 5. There are several tricycles on the playground, but one boy and one girl want the same red tricycle with the basket on the back. Each is holding on to one handle bar and screaming. 6. Two children start to argue. The problem is that they both want the next turn on the computer. 7. A class of children is getting ready to go outside. Two children are arguing over who gets to carry the clipboard for the teacher.

If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves. Carl Jung – psychiatrist