1. MTSS/SEFEL Tier II Supports Training
Module 3: Being Mindful When Communicating with Families

2. Self-Awareness: Being Mindful When Communicating with Families

3. Objectives
The Learner will:
Understand what it means to be mindful

4. Objectives The Learner will:
Receive strategies for being mindful when communicating with families
Photo by: Ed Yourdon

5. Objectives The Learner will:
Select a specific strategy to implement when communicating with families

6. Pre-Learning

7. Mindfulness Is:

8. Mindfulness to Reduce Bias
“A decade of research indicates that mindfulness and compassion practices assist in raising awareness of our emotions and sensations in a given moment, regulating emotional responses and specifically reducing anxiety, increasing empathy and perspective-taking, and increasing overall gratitude and well-being. This all suggests that mindfulness and compassion practices may be important to creating the general conditions that support minimizing bias” Magee, 2015.

9. A way of BEING rather than DOING
Mindfulness
Paying Attention on purpose
Being In the Moment
Suspending Judgment
A way of BEING rather than DOING
Source:

10. Jasmine’s Day- Take 1

11. Communication is a two-way street

12. Jasmine’s Day- Take 2

13. Components of Mindfulness
Primary Components
Attitude
Attention
Intention
(Shapiro et al., 2006)

14. Insert video: Parent Conference Tier II M3V1(
(4:10)

15. Challenging parents or challenging issues?

16. Mindfulness Practice is Grounded in:
Non-judgment
Acceptance
Trust
Patience
Curiosity
(Bishop et al.2004)

17. Insert video: Parent-Teacher Conference Tier II M3V2

18. Ways to Practice Mindful Communication
Ask ‘What’ questions
Show empathy
Know when to listen mindfully
Competence comes with practice
Don’t give up too quickly
Don’t expect to always arrive at the same conclusion
Add citation

19. Ask ‘What’ Questions The purpose: To gather information
To express interest
Not to confront or push your agenda
Listen to the full message, without interrupting.
The message sent:
“I am interested in hearing your story.”
Example:
What happened?
What would help?
What have you found to work at home?

20. Show Empathy The message sent: I care about how you feel. The purpose:
Connect with a feeling
Match voice and facial expression to match feeling
The message sent:
I care about how you feel.
Example:
“Susie said her grandmother is in the hospital. That must be difficult for you.”

21. Know When to Listen Mindfully
Be aware of your own mood and feelings when listening
Separate yourself from your own problems and agenda
Be able to listen with acceptance
Be genuinely able to listen

22. Competence Comes with Practice
Practice the skills with others

23. Don’t Give Up Too Quickly
It might take time to help parents realize:
You really do want to understand
You are accepting of their perceptions

24. Don’t Expect to Always Arrive at the Same Conclusion or Solution
Be prepared for the times when a solution or conclusion is not reached
Be willing to compromise
Be willing to reconsider
Remain calm

25. Insert video: Family Night Tier II M3V3
(3:28)

26. Communicating with Families About Challenging Behaviors

27. Implementing Mindful Communication

28. Mindfulness to Reduce Bias
“A decade of research indicates that mindfulness and compassion practices assist in raising awareness of our emotions and sensations in a given moment, regulating emotional responses and specifically reducing anxiety, increasing empathy and perspective-taking, and increasing overall gratitude and well-being. This all suggests that mindfulness and compassion practices may be important to creating the general conditions that support minimizing bias” Magee, 2015.

29. I have come to a frightening conclusion
I have come to a frightening conclusion. I am the decisive element in the classroom. It is my personal approach that creates the climate. It is my daily mood that makes the weather. As a teacher, I possess tremendous power to make a child’s life miserable or joyous. I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration. I can humiliate or humor. Hurt or heal. In all situations, it is my response that decides whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated and a child humanized or dehumanized. – Haim Ginott