I think this form works so great! I seriously want to consider using this for SAT or Data day, or even just for a planning day. The structure this would provide for all staff involved in caring for a student would be so beneficial. I loved how the Dr, Bridgman said, "Now we need to determine what problems we want to start working on first." Working with challenging students can be so overwhelming. Giving teachers "permission" to focus on one or two problems at a time makes this seem much more manageable. We are not going to fix these issues overnight.
I like the different plans and how it explains when to use each type. I see I was already using some without having name for it. With this I can stay consistent so the students know what to expect. I was wondering...After spending some time with these students, they want more and more time whether the really need it or not. How do you break away without making the child feel not important? Right now I say something like "I am sorry but I have plans right now. Can I check with you later to see how things are?" Of course in first grade everyone wants and needs attention.
I totally know what you mean, Sherry! I have one student who I meet with each day at the same time. I give her 5 minutes and time her using my phone timer or a sand timer. This allows her to tell me about her day, her worries and concerns, and then we talk about the strategies she has learned to deal with worries and concerns. MOST of the time, giving that 5 minutes helps her to be more independent throughout the afternoon.
"But even ordinary kids have skills that need to be taught and problems that need to be solved, and Plan A doesn't teach skills or solve problems."
This section of the text about Plan A really made me stop and question the way we think about behavior in education. Obviously our system is broken and has been for quite some time because the students who need the most support because of their lagging skills don't receive the support they need at school. I can't say that I am going to avoid Plan A all together at this point, however, I am going to be more conscientious about my actions, dialogue, and interactions with students. I look forward to reading more so I can continue to wrap my head around this new mindset.
This approach to dealing with challenging behavior makes a lot of sense to me. There are several students in each classroom that obviously aren't doing any better because of a consequence being imposed on them, or a Plan A approach. I'm really interested to know more about how to do Plan B and how to teach the skills that students are lacking...the thought of knowing how to do that right now is overwhelming! I agree with Laura when she said it's nice to give teachers permission to choose just one or two problems to focus on at a time, so that we and the students are not getting overwhelmed.
Something that stuck with me was from p.60, "We often place expectations on kids that we know they can't meet, and then punish them when they handle our expectations as poorly as we suspected they would." This makes a LOT of sense to me, but then I wonder, how do I have my whole class do what they're expected to do, but there's a chance that some students won't follow through? Is this where the problem solving comes in? And how do we teach our other students that some students have these lagging skills without singling them out?
There is plenty of research that indicates punishment/adults making unilateral decisions (Plan A) doesn't work. Punishment is removal of something that is positive/pleasing or giving something negative/unpleasant. Unfortunately this is the foundation for school discipline policies. I attended the Lives In The Balance Annual Summit on Non-Adversarial and Non-Punitive Interventions for Kids in October and hopefully this will change. I just published a post on "Kids do well if they can" about how we teach lagging skills, so you can refer back to that post. After completing an ALSUP (Lindsay and I completed one this weekend on a 4th grader - without Laura and Stephanie's input, but it is a start) you will have a list of unsolved problems. (We will get into more detail about the wording of an unsolved problem later.) You will prioritize unsolved problems and choose 1 to attempt to solve by doing a Plan B meeting-collaborating with the kid. The rest of the problems are going to fall into the category of Plan C or setting aside those problems. Therefore, you are only working on one problem at a time. Regarding dealing with the whole class: you guys have a really hard job!!! First, you differentiate instruction to accommodate differences. My mantra is "fair is not equal" Teach the meaning of that to your students - we all need different things and different kinds of help, and I am going to try to give each of you the help you need. If you have a student questioning how you are treating another, say "that is her plan" or "fair is not equal" I will always try to be fair in this classroom.
I think this form works so great! I seriously want to consider using this for SAT or Data day, or even just for a planning day. The structure this would provide for all staff involved in caring for a student would be so beneficial. I loved how the Dr, Bridgman said, "Now we need to determine what problems we want to start working on first." Working with challenging students can be so overwhelming. Giving teachers "permission" to focus on one or two problems at a time makes this seem much more manageable. We are not going to fix these issues overnight.
ReplyDeleteLaura, have you used this form? I have an idea on who you should try it on first. It could be a joint effort. That would be the true test! :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't tried it yet, but I am open to. You can join me filling it out with said student. :)
DeleteI like the different plans and how it explains when to use each type. I see I was already using some without having name for it. With this I can stay consistent so the students know what to expect. I was wondering...After spending some time with these students, they want more and more time whether the really need it or not. How do you break away without making the child feel not important? Right now I say something like "I am sorry but I have plans right now. Can I check with you later to see how things are?" Of course in first grade everyone wants and needs attention.
ReplyDeleteI totally know what you mean, Sherry! I have one student who I meet with each day at the same time. I give her 5 minutes and time her using my phone timer or a sand timer. This allows her to tell me about her day, her worries and concerns, and then we talk about the strategies she has learned to deal with worries and concerns. MOST of the time, giving that 5 minutes helps her to be more independent throughout the afternoon.
Delete"But even ordinary kids have skills that need to be taught and problems that need to be solved, and Plan A doesn't teach skills or solve problems."
ReplyDeleteThis section of the text about Plan A really made me stop and question the way we think about behavior in education. Obviously our system is broken and has been for quite some time because the students who need the most support because of their lagging skills don't receive the support they need at school. I can't say that I am going to avoid Plan A all together at this point, however, I am going to be more conscientious about my actions, dialogue, and interactions with students. I look forward to reading more so I can continue to wrap my head around this new mindset.
This approach to dealing with challenging behavior makes a lot of sense to me. There are several students in each classroom that obviously aren't doing any better because of a consequence being imposed on them, or a Plan A approach. I'm really interested to know more about how to do Plan B and how to teach the skills that students are lacking...the thought of knowing how to do that right now is overwhelming! I agree with Laura when she said it's nice to give teachers permission to choose just one or two problems to focus on at a time, so that we and the students are not getting overwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteSomething that stuck with me was from p.60, "We often place expectations on kids that we know they can't meet, and then punish them when they handle our expectations as poorly as we suspected they would." This makes a LOT of sense to me, but then I wonder, how do I have my whole class do what they're expected to do, but there's a chance that some students won't follow through? Is this where the problem solving comes in? And how do we teach our other students that some students have these lagging skills without singling them out?
There is plenty of research that indicates punishment/adults making unilateral decisions (Plan A) doesn't work. Punishment is removal of something that is positive/pleasing or giving something negative/unpleasant. Unfortunately this is the foundation for school discipline policies. I attended the Lives In The Balance Annual Summit on Non-Adversarial and Non-Punitive Interventions for Kids in October and hopefully this will change.
ReplyDeleteI just published a post on "Kids do well if they can" about how we teach lagging skills, so you can refer back to that post. After completing an ALSUP (Lindsay and I completed one this weekend on a 4th grader - without Laura and Stephanie's input, but it is a start) you will have a list of unsolved problems. (We will get into more detail about the wording of an unsolved problem later.) You will prioritize unsolved problems and choose 1 to attempt to solve by doing a Plan B meeting-collaborating with the kid. The rest of the problems are going to fall into the category of Plan C or setting aside those problems. Therefore, you are only working on one problem at a time.
Regarding dealing with the whole class: you guys have a really hard job!!! First, you differentiate instruction to accommodate differences. My mantra is "fair is not equal" Teach the meaning of that to your students - we all need different things and different kinds of help, and I am going to try to give each of you the help you need. If you have a student questioning how you are treating another, say "that is her plan" or "fair is not equal" I will always try to be fair in this classroom.
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ReplyDelete