Building Positive Relationships A PBSES Component
Connecting the dots.. Cross-cultural studies of children who grow up to lead productive, healthy lives despite being raised in impoverished, adverse conditions have identified a number of protective factors associated with resilience, some of which include: communication and problem-solving skills healthy coping mechanisms autonomy positive self-concept internal and realistic sense of control empathy self-discipline the involvement of a caring, competent adult
Team Activity: Chart on left side What are problem behaviors that occur at your school?
How can we build positive relationships when children demonstrate challenging behavior? 1. Teach new skills 2. Change your response to challenging behavior
1. Teach new skills Figure out what behaviors you d like the student to use instead of the challenging behavior Example: using words instead of hitting, asking for a break instead of disturbing others Systematically teach these skills through modeling and practice
How to ask for help How to get positive attention from the teacher or EA. How to stay focused during group activities How to solve conflicts with others How to get positive attention from other children.
Teaching students: How to ask for help Teach children a signal to use to let you know they need help If appropriate, have them ask the student next to them How to stay focused during group activities Teach children how to track the speaker with their eyes Teach them what to do with their hands while listening Create a visual reminder of what student should look like when they are listening
Teaching students How to get positive attention from the teacher or EA and other children Model appropriate behaviors Practice and give positive feedback to students as they are learning Specific prompts How to say nice things to people How to ask other students if they can play How to start a conversation How to wait for a turn
Teaching students How to solve conflicts with others Teaching alternatives to using aggression Walk away Get help from a teacher/ea Use words to express emotions
The key to learning relationship skills A caring, competent adult who is most often available throughout the school day to provide the students with the ongoing practice they need before they can independently demonstrate the learning-related social skills that have been presented to them. This practice can include modeling, role playing, and acknowledging examples of positive student behavior.
2. Changing Your Response
When children don t get positive attention, they may resort to getting.. NEGATIVE ATTENTION
Strategies to change your response 1. Respond in a way that makes the challenging behavior ineffective for the function it usually has Ignore Redirect Time delay Calm responses 2. Make sure the reinforcement for positive, alternative behaviors is better than the one for the challenging behavior Verbal praise (group and individual) Catch them being good Remind appropriate behavior before activity starts Use their name in a positive way
Positive Reinforcement Immediate Any delay in the delivery of a consequence, whether positive or negative, decreases its effectiveness Contingent on behavior Name the behavior so the student knows exactly what the positive behavior is Consistent Both with behavior and across staff High rate Increases the likelihood that behavior will continue
Group Activity Scenarios and solutions
Team Activity: Chart on right side For each problem behavior listed, what is a positively stated alternative behavior?
The GOAL: MAINTAINING the Relationship The 5 to 1 ratio of positive to negative interactions with students (the Magic Ratio ) Paying attention to behavior to positively Positive interactions consist of words, gestures (thumbs up), or physical contact (pat on the shoulder, high five) that have a positive quality to them and are delivered in response to desirable behavior 5:1 Gets the job done!!!
Positive relationships with students make a difference Adults who take the time develop positive relationships with their students will see improvement in their students both academically, behaviorally, and emotionally. Students who have positive relationships with the adults in their school tend to put forth more effort in class and as a result improve their academic achievement. There are improvements in student s behavior when adults take the time to develop positive relationships with their students.