Transcript Social and Emotional Development for Young Children Using

Social and Emotional
Development for Young
Children Using Positive
Behavior Supports
Heather Davis, M.Ed.
Texas A&M University
August 19th 2014
Adapted from: Hemmeter, M. L., & Fox, L. (2009). The Teaching Pyramid: A model for the implementation of classroom practices within a
program-wide approach to behavior support. NHSA Dialogue, 12(2), 133-147.
How Teachers’ Impact Learning

Interactions between a teacher and a child foster social, behavioral, and
cognitive development in the early years of schooling and many years later
(Hamre, Hatfield, Pianta, & Jamil, 2014)

Delays in social-emotional and behavioral development for children entering
early childhood settings are reported by teachers as one of the greatest
challenges in educating young children (Whitted, 2014)

Children who are unsuccessful at meeting classroom behavioral expectations
early on often face rejection from both their peers and teachers (Chang, 2003;
Coie & Dodge, 1998)

The Center for Evidence-Based Practice (2004) stated, “Early appearing
behavioral problems during a child’s preschool years are the single best
predictors of school dropout, delinquency, gang membership, and adult
incarceration” (p. 1).
Understanding Social & Emotional
Development for Young Children
Hemmeter, M. L., & Fox, L. (2009). The
Teaching Pyramid: A model for the
implementation of classroom practices
within a program-wide approach to
behavior support. NHSA Dialogue, 12(2),
133-147.
The Goal of the Pyramid is to Promote
Children’s Success By:

Creating an environment where EVERY child
feels good about coming to school.

Designing an environment that promotes child
engagement.

Focusing on teaching children what TO DO!
• Teach expectations and routines.
• Teach skills that children can use in place of
challenging behaviors.
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?
Building Relationships
Why is it important?
• The relationships that we build with
children, families, and colleagues are at the
foundation of everything we do. It is
important to build these relationships early
on rather than waiting until there is a
problem.
• Children learn and develop in the context of
relationships that are responsive, consistent,
and nurturing.
Building Relationships

Helps each child feel accepted in the group

Assists children in learning to communicate and
get along with others

Encourages feelings of empathy and mutual
respect among children and adults

Provides a supportive environment in which
children can learn and practice appropriate and
acceptable behaviors as individuals and as a
group
Examining Attitudes about
Challenging Behaviors
What behaviors push your button?
How
do these behaviors make you feel?
What
is your response when these
behaviors occur?
How
does this impact your relationship
with a child and his/her family?
Reframing
Activity
In pairs or in small groups:
Read
the four examples listed.
Have participants take each of
their “hot buttons,” reread it,
and consider how they can
reframe the behavior.
In reframing the challenging
behaviors, do not come up with
solutions but rather restate the
behaviors to make them more
manageable.
Be prepared to share your
ideas with the large group.
Teach Me What to Do Instead

Friendship skills

Following rules, routines and directions

Identifying feelings in self and others

Controlling anger and impulse

Problem solving
Building Positive Relationships by
Making Deposits
Maintain a 5:1
(positive to negative)
Give attention when
the child is engaged
in appropriate
behaviors
It All Adds Up
Deposits:
 Active
Listening
 Wait Time
 Observation
 Mirroring
 Self Talk
 Parallel Talk
 Reflection
 Expansion
 Modeling
Withdrawals:
 No
 Don’t
 Stop
 Demands
directions
 Using a loud
voice
 Intimidating
request
“Every child needs one person who is crazy
about him.” -Uri Bronfenbrenner
High Quality Supportive
Environments
Hemmeter, M. L., & Fox, L. (2009). The
Teaching Pyramid: A model for the
implementation of classroom practices
within a program-wide approach to
behavior support. NHSA Dialogue, 12(2),
133-147.
High Quality Supportive Environments
 Engagement
for Every Child
 Universal Design for Learning
 Making Accommodations, Providing
Support
Classroom Arrangement and
Environmental Supports

Physical Design

Environmental Cues

Schedules and Routines

Transitions

Promoting Engagement During Large and Small Group
Activities

Simple Rules/Expectations

Ongoing Monitoring and Positive Attention
Physical Design
Environmental
Cues
Transitions
What is This Environment Telling
Children to Do?
Schedules &
Routines
Providing Choices
Simple Expectations
Teaching New Skills:
Stages of Learning

Show and Tell
 Acquisition: new skill or concept

Practice Makes Perfect
 Fluency: the ability to immediately use the skill or
concept without a prompt

You Got It!
 Maintenance: continuing to use the skill or
concept over time
 Generalization: applying the skill or concept to
new situations, people, activities, ideas, and
settings
Promoting the Social Development
of All Children


Teach the whole class

Circle time

Centers

Small group activities

Partnering with families
Target the individual skill instruction needs of
each child

Embedded instruction

Prompting and priming (ounce of prevention)

Partnering with families
Learning About Our Feelings

Recognizing and relating with others’ feelings

Recognize anger in oneself and others

Understanding appropriate ways to express
anger

Learning how to calm down

Recognizing our feelings and using selfregulation
Feelings
Checking In
Teachers and children can
“check in” each morning by
choosing a feeling face that
best describes their
affective state and putting
it next to their name.
Children can be encouraged
to change their feeling
faces throughout the day as
their feelings change.
Turtle Technique
Recognize
that you
feel angry.
Go into shell.
Take 3 deep
breaths. And
think calm,
coping
thoughts.
“Think”
Stop.
Come out
of shell
when calm
and think
of a
solution.
Problem Solving Steps
Would it be safe?
Would it be fair?
How would everyone feel?
Help the Child Think of a Possible Solution:
• Get an adult
• Ask nicely
• Ignore
• Play
• Say, “Please stop.”
• Say, “Please.”
• Share
• Trade toys/item
• Wait and take turns
Get an
Adult
When Children Lack Key Social
Emotional Skills

Structure a supportive learning environment

Make deposits with positive reinforcement
and praise

Individually teach children who are missing
social emotional skills

Target the skills that are most important

Increase learning opportunities to teach and
practice
Questions and Thank You!
Heather Davis
[email protected]