Adapted for Kindergarten-Grade 1 from the Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning by Genetta Gross, Margret Thorstenson, Melissa Binkley & Elizabeth Vorhaus

PROMOTING CHILDREN’S SUCCESS: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PYRAMID MODEL AND CHALLENGING BEHAVIOR

Promoting Social Emotional Competence

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It’s a Teaching Pyramid!

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TEACHER“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.”

DR. HAIM GINOTT

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Remember…

Children need key social emotional skills

to attain school success!• 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

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When skills are absent…

When children do not have these skills, they often exhibit challenging behaviors

We must focus on TEACHING the skills!

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“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)Tom Herner (NASDE President ) Counterpoint 1998, p.2)

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Defining Challenging Behavior

What it is…• Any repeated pattern of

behavior that interferes with learning or activities

• Behaviors that are not responsive to the use of developmentally appropriate guidance procedures.

What it looks like…• Prolonged tantrums, • Physical and verbal

aggression• Disruptive vocal and

motor behavior• Property destruction• Self-injury• Noncompliance• Withdrawal.

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Activity: Are You a Vending Machine?

• 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?

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From PIES Workbook, Laura Riffel, 2009

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Baby BluesJerry Scott & Rick Kirkman

Nov 2, 2013

Activity: Reframing Activity

In pairs or in small groups:

• See Handout 1.3 (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.

• Be prepared to share your ideas with the large group.

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Challenging Behaviors have a Purpose!• 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.

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The Significance of the Problem

• “Emotional well-being and social competence provide a strong foundation for emerging cognitive abilities, and together they are the bricks and mortar that comprise the foundation of human development.”

(National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2007)

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Promote Children’s Success

• Create an environment where EVERY child feels good about coming to school. (RELATIONSHIPS)

• Design an environment that promotes child engagement. (ENVIRONMENT)

• Focus on teaching children what To Do! • Teach expectations and routines. • Teach skills that children can use in place of challenging

behaviors. (TEACHING SOCIAL SKILLS AND REPLACEMENT SKILLS)

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Pyramid Model15

Nurturing and Responsive RelationshipsSupporti

ve responsive re

lationships

among adults and child

ren is

an essential

component to pro

mote healthy social a

nd

emotional d

evelopment

Building Relationships

Why is it important?

• 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

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“Every child needs one person who is crazy about him.”Uri Bronfenbrenner

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Pyramid Model18

High Quality Supportive Environments

High Quality

early child

hood

environments pro

mote positive

outcomes for a

ll child

ren

The Early Childhood Environment

Create meaningful and engaging learning centers• Relevant to children’s needs, interests, and lives• Highly engaging and interesting• Variety of materials in each center• Changed and rotated on a regular basis

Use visual cues to support schedules, routines, transitions, and classroom expectations

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Visual Schedules and Cues

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Pyramid Model21

Targeted Social

Emotional Supports

Systematic

approaches to

teaching social

skills can have a

preventative and

remedial effe

ct

What do we mean by social emotional skills?•A sense of confidence and competence

•Ability to develop good relationships with peers and adults/make friends/get along with others

•Ability to persist at tasks

•Ability to follow directions

•Ability to identify, understand, and communicate own feelings/emotions

•Ability to constructively manage strong emotions

•Development of empathy

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Pyramid Model23

Intensive Intervention

Assessment based

intervention th

at

results in

individualized

behavior support

plans

Intensive Individualized InterventionsWhy is it important?

• 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

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What topics will we cover?• Building Positive Teacher-Child Relationships • Purpose and Impact of Classroom Arrangement• Helping Children Understand Routines and Classroom

Schedules • Helping Children Make Transitions between Activities  • Giving Directions and Reinforcement with Positive

Feedback• Identifying the Importance of Teaching Social Skills• Developing Friendship Skills• Enhancing Emotional Literacy Skills• Teaching Children Alternatives to Anger and Impulse• Social Emotional Problem Solving Skills

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Team Tennessee Website:http://teamtn.tnvoices.org

Here’s where you can download documents & look for new resources from us!

Here’s where you can get in touch with us or send someone else to get in touch with us!

Informational Websites:www.csefel.vanderbilt.edu www.challengingbehavior.org

Activity: Action Planning• Over the next month take the time to access the materials

on the CSEFEL and TACSEI websites and familiarize yourself with the materials for Teachers/Providers

• Review the materials from today’s training

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Questions?