I strongly beleive that through manipulation, experience, and procee the brain internalizes, makes connections, and remembers concepts. I think it is great when teachers involve their students in decision making. I beleive this is a good way for students to stay involved in the classroom. I love it when my students come up with ideas for their good behavior reward. As a class we brainstorm different rewards such as pj day or crazy hair day. We then vote to see the outcome and the students enjoy this process.
I think if we give our students opportunities to become more involved and responsible in making classroom decisions, students will continue to use these practices as the grow.
I would like to incorporate the three point gradient system into my classroom when we are making decisions. It seems like it will be quick and easy which I like. Also I would like my students into the community more. We do things as a k-2 building, but I would like to do something as a class.
1. I agree that children learn better and retain more information through manipulation and experience. They are able to make connections and remember the concepts taught if it makes sense to them. Decision making allows the students to feel in control of some aspects in the classroom. Students will feel a sense of pride which follows with better behaviors. 2. Students will thrive as a classroom community if they are able to take part in decision making. It's teaching them a life long skill. 3. I have never used a three point gradient system in my classroom but I like the concept. It may be something I could try this fall. Our school makes seasonal projects and displays them at various businesses in the community. The students like to look for their art while out in the community.
I agree with Katie and Jodi - kids of all ages, adults too, need to make connections to learning. We need to "do" so we can retain our new knowledge. I try so hard to keep my students active and busy participating - it's better for them and more fun too!!! I feel it's so important for students to feel part of our classroom family. We all need to be part of decision making and what goes on it our room. I completed my masters degree with Dr. Ed Pino in 1999 (when he was with Silver Lakes)... I can't begin to count the number of times he used the word... Enpowerment!!! And... he's 100% correct!!
I agree that students will thrive as a classroom community if they can be part of the decision making. Of course there are times too that they can't make the decision - I have to make it or maybe someone else told me - that's a life long lesson too.
It's so true when they speak about the disgruntled loser when a vote is close and they don't get their way. Because of this, I'd like to try the gradient system when we are voting on something. It seems like and easy system to use and the kids will catch on to it right away.
Ooops... I forgot to comment on community support. I can tell I'm tired - I keep messing up...
As a whole second grade class, we go to our community park and plant flower each spring. I love the walk to and from and the kids love getting their hands dirty and digging in the dirt. They take such pride in their work and can't wait to show their parents the flowers we planted during the summer. We've also participated in a Downtown Clean Up Day - the kids just eat it up. I love these kinds of activities - I'm really good and joining in and helping out - but I need work on initiating activities too.
Hi Renee..great ideas..I believe the more you can get involved in the community like your cleanup projec,etc the PR you can get for ;your district is immeasurable...Nursing homes and assisted living residences is another place to get kids excited about learning and the community
1. This chapter on Emotional and Behavioral Disorders focused on the impact of emotions on behavior and learning. I really do believe that our brains respond to emotion first – then emotion drives attention and attention drives learning, and emotional attention comes before cognitive recognition. We are programmed for survival first. We need our emotional needs met before we can consider learning. We need to feel safe and emotionally secure.
So many of our students don’t feel physically safe and emotionally secure - students who are in stressful homes, students who have been abused, students with anxiety disorders, depressive disorders and conduct disorders, eating disorders, autism, ADHD … We have an opportunity, and a responsibility, to ensure a positive emotional climate in all environments, for all students, in school.
Sousa gives some great suggestions on setting a positive emotional climate. Strategies I feel we should incorporate more into our schools include using humor, not sarcasm, insisting on respect among students, developing just a few rules and enforcing them uniformly, look for opportunities to teach students how to handle their emotions.
I also believe that teachers need more training on emotional/behavioral disorders, understanding that there are physiological causes, the impact of the teaching environment, and how to handle emotional situations. So many more of our kids come in stressed, emotionally charged, depressed, anxious, etc. Teachers don’t know what to do to help them. They don’t have the behavior management strategies that can support students with these high emotional and behavioral needs.
2. Sousa also presents some basic interventions for students with behavioral problems. When students present with problem behaviors, look at the cause of the behavior – what is its function? Is he having difficulty with the curriculum? Does he need modifications to the curriculum? Does she lack social skills necessary for successful relationships? Is there an unmet emotional need? Is there an underlying physical need (hunger, exhaustion, etc)? Is there a replacement behavior that is more socially acceptable? Do they need a break? Are there auditory processing problems?
I thought his description of auditory processing strategies was very helpful –first you need to attract the child’s attention; speak slowly, using short sentences, eye contact and visual cues; pause between sentences, repeat when necessary; use visual cues, create hearing, listening and compliance routines for students. These strategies would be useful for many students, not just those with auditory processing students.
Sousa also made a very compelling statement that nearly all emotional and behavioral disorders can seriously affect memory in children and adolescents, especially verbal memory. We don’t often accommodate for that – and we think they are picking up what we are saying and will remember… The use of visual supports would also be a helpful strategy to incorporate into our teaching to help mediate the memory and attention problems related to emotional and behavioral disabilities.
3. One of the areas of intervention Sousa suggests for student with behavioral problems is addressing social skills and teaching social problem solving. It brings to mind a student I had this year with autism. Difficulty with social skills is part of the diagnosis of autism, so you would think that it would be part of each student’s program… This student was a 6th grader, new to middle school. His case manager felt that he was doing great, except for organizational skills – he would never remember to bring his pencil... So much of the first semester focused on strategies to help him remember his pencil.
In the meantime, he rarely talked to anyone in his class, he sat alone at lunch, he got into fights at recess, and his parents kept “bugging” the teacher (in her perception) about what was she doing to support his social skills. She did set up a protocol for recess, which worked most of the time (although in reality, the rest of the kids just made way for him and let him do what he wanted). We did do some sensitivity training with the students in his home room and they came up with some ideas on how they could help him be successful and how they could be more involved with him. But he still continued to be pretty isolated.
Finally we were able to convince the teacher that he really did need more support in social skills, and by second semester we set up a lunch bunch with his peers, and a lunch time with a good friend who wasn’t in his classes. He became more involved with his peers, and more engaged in the school. It still wasn’t enough – but it was at least a start.
So many of our students with EBD, autism and ADHD have difficulty with social skills. The brain pathways that go directly to the limbic system and amygdala in a stress response are activating in social situations too, not just academics. They are quick to respond in a fight/flight/fright/freeze mode if they perceive threat in the social world. This is a very unpredictable place for them, and usually they are in high alert/survival mode to begin with. It’s no wonder they end up in fights on the playground, referrals for behavior in the lunch room, or end up loners who wander or run through the playground with no interactions with others.
We need to remember that they need support and direct teaching in social problem skills, practice in a non-threatening, safe environment, as well as monitoring and intervention in the social environments of school. We need to provide more social supports for them.
6 comments:
I strongly beleive that through manipulation, experience, and procee the brain internalizes, makes connections, and remembers concepts. I think it is great when teachers involve their students in decision making. I beleive this is a good way for students to stay involved in the classroom. I love it when my students come up with ideas for their good behavior reward. As a class we brainstorm different rewards such as pj day or crazy hair day. We then vote to see the outcome and the students enjoy this process.
I think if we give our students opportunities to become more involved and responsible in making classroom decisions, students will continue to use these practices as the grow.
I would like to incorporate the three point gradient system into my classroom when we are making decisions. It seems like it will be quick and easy which I like. Also I would like my students into the community more. We do things as a k-2 building, but I would like to do something as a class.
1. I agree that children learn better and retain more information through manipulation and experience. They are able to make connections and remember the concepts taught if it makes sense to them. Decision making allows the students to feel in control of some aspects in the classroom. Students will feel a sense of pride which follows with better behaviors.
2. Students will thrive as a classroom community if they are able to take part in decision making. It's teaching them a life long skill.
3. I have never used a three point gradient system in my classroom but I like the concept. It may be something I could try this fall. Our school makes seasonal projects and displays them at various businesses in the community. The students like to look for their art while out in the community.
I agree with Katie and Jodi - kids of all ages, adults too, need to make connections to learning. We need to "do" so we can retain our new knowledge. I try so hard to keep my students active and busy participating - it's better for them and more fun too!!! I feel it's so important for students to feel part of our classroom family. We all need to be part of decision making and what goes on it our room. I completed my masters degree with Dr. Ed Pino in 1999 (when he was with Silver Lakes)... I can't begin to count the number of times he used the word... Enpowerment!!! And... he's 100% correct!!
I agree that students will thrive as a classroom community if they can be part of the decision making. Of course there are times too that they can't make the decision - I have to make it or maybe someone else told me - that's a life long lesson too.
It's so true when they speak about the disgruntled loser when a vote is close and they don't get their way. Because of this, I'd like to try the gradient system when we are voting on something. It seems like and easy system to use and the kids will catch on to it right away.
Ooops... I forgot to comment on community support. I can tell I'm tired - I keep messing up...
As a whole second grade class, we go to our community park and plant flower each spring. I love the walk to and from and the kids love getting their hands dirty and digging in the dirt. They take such pride in their work and can't wait to show their parents the flowers we planted during the summer. We've also participated in a Downtown Clean Up Day - the kids just eat it up. I love these kinds of activities - I'm really good and joining in and helping out - but I need work on initiating activities too.
Hi Renee..great ideas..I believe the more you can get involved in the community like your cleanup projec,etc the PR you can get for ;your district is immeasurable...Nursing homes and assisted living residences is another place to get kids excited about learning and the community
1. This chapter on Emotional and Behavioral Disorders focused on the impact of emotions on behavior and learning. I really do believe that our brains respond to emotion first – then emotion drives attention and attention drives learning, and emotional attention comes before cognitive recognition. We are programmed for survival first. We need our emotional needs met before we can consider learning. We need to feel safe and emotionally secure.
So many of our students don’t feel physically safe and emotionally secure - students who are in stressful homes, students who have been abused, students with anxiety disorders, depressive disorders and conduct disorders, eating disorders, autism, ADHD … We have an opportunity, and a responsibility, to ensure a positive emotional climate in all environments, for all students, in school.
Sousa gives some great suggestions on setting a positive emotional climate. Strategies I feel we should incorporate more into our schools include using humor, not sarcasm, insisting on respect among students, developing just a few rules and enforcing them uniformly, look for opportunities to teach students how to handle their emotions.
I also believe that teachers need more training on emotional/behavioral disorders, understanding that there are physiological causes, the impact of the teaching environment, and how to handle emotional situations. So many more of our kids come in stressed, emotionally charged, depressed, anxious, etc. Teachers don’t know what to do to help them. They don’t have the behavior management strategies that can support students with these high emotional and behavioral needs.
2. Sousa also presents some basic interventions for students with behavioral problems. When students present with problem behaviors, look at the cause of the behavior – what is its function? Is he having difficulty with the curriculum? Does he need modifications to the curriculum? Does she lack social skills necessary for successful relationships? Is there an unmet emotional need? Is there an underlying physical need (hunger, exhaustion, etc)? Is there a replacement behavior that is more socially acceptable? Do they need a break? Are there auditory processing problems?
I thought his description of auditory processing strategies was very helpful –first you need to attract the child’s attention; speak slowly, using short sentences, eye contact and visual cues; pause between sentences, repeat when necessary; use visual cues, create hearing, listening and compliance routines for students. These strategies would be useful for many students, not just those with auditory processing students.
Sousa also made a very compelling statement that nearly all emotional and behavioral disorders can seriously affect memory in children and adolescents, especially verbal memory. We don’t often accommodate for that – and we think they are picking up what we are saying and will remember… The use of visual supports would also be a helpful strategy to incorporate into our teaching to help mediate the memory and attention problems related to emotional and behavioral disabilities.
3. One of the areas of intervention Sousa suggests for student with behavioral problems is addressing social skills and teaching social problem solving. It brings to mind a student I had this year with autism. Difficulty with social skills is part of the diagnosis of autism, so you would think that it would be part of each student’s program… This student was a 6th grader, new to middle school. His case manager felt that he was doing great, except for organizational skills – he would never remember to bring his pencil... So much of the first semester focused on strategies to help him remember his pencil.
In the meantime, he rarely talked to anyone in his class, he sat alone at lunch, he got into fights at recess, and his parents kept “bugging” the teacher (in her perception) about what was she doing to support his social skills. She did set up a protocol for recess, which worked most of the time (although in reality, the rest of the kids just made way for him and let him do what he wanted). We did do some sensitivity training with the students in his home room and they came up with some ideas on how they could help him be successful and how they could be more involved with him. But he still continued to be pretty isolated.
Finally we were able to convince the teacher that he really did need more support in social skills, and by second semester we set up a lunch bunch with his peers, and a lunch time with a good friend who wasn’t in his classes. He became more involved with his peers, and more engaged in the school. It still wasn’t enough – but it was at least a start.
So many of our students with EBD, autism and ADHD have difficulty with social skills. The brain pathways that go directly to the limbic system and amygdala in a stress response are activating in social situations too, not just academics. They are quick to respond in a fight/flight/fright/freeze mode if they perceive threat in the social world. This is a very unpredictable place for them, and usually they are in high alert/survival mode to begin with. It’s no wonder they end up in fights on the playground, referrals for behavior in the lunch room, or end up loners who wander or run through the playground with no interactions with others.
We need to remember that they need support and direct teaching in social problem skills, practice in a non-threatening, safe environment, as well as monitoring and intervention in the social environments of school. We need to provide more social supports for them.
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