Daniel Newman, National-Louis UniversitySylvia Rosenfield, University of MarylandJill Berger , University of MarylandKatie Lynch , University of MarylandLaura Schussler , University of MarylandMegan Vaganek , University of Maryland

National Association of School Psychologists ConventionSan Francisco, CAFebruary 23rd, 2011

Sylvia RosenfieldUniversity of Maryland

Why Is Consultation Important?Current focus on

outcomesTendency to focus on

student and content of concern

Teacher as critical to outcomes

Recognition of consultee as focus in CCC

What is Consultee-Centered Consultation?

Discussion among two or more professionalsAn understanding that the consultee has no

compulsion to accept consultant’s ideas or suggestions

Goal is joint development of new way of conceptualizing the work problem, so that: the repertoire of the consultee is expandedthe consultee’s handling and/or understanding of the

current problem is changed (a turning)Change is positive for teacher and student

Why is Training Important? “Everything We Do is an Intervention” (Schein, 1999)

Collaborative & Reflective Communicati

on

Systematic Problem Solving Process

Working Relationship

Understanding School Culture

Problem-Solving StagesContracting: Informed consent

Problem Identification: Presented problem not always the problem; use of Instructional Assessment (IA; Gickling and Gravois)

Intervention Planning: Developing an intervention that can be implemented

Intervention/Evaluation: Is it used? Does it work?

Closure: Skillful endings

Communication Skills:“More and more into communications and less and less into communication”

Skillful Use of:Perception CheckingClarifying Statements/Clarifying QuestionsParaphrasingSummarizing

Combining skillsBond and Move

Types of ConcernsTeacher

Lack of knowledgeLack of skillLack of objectivityLack of self-

confidence

Consultant

Lack of knowledgeLack of skillLack of objectivityLack of self-

confidence

Taping each session

Logs for reflection on each session

Supervision

Tools for Developing Competence

“In consultation cases, the seeming simplicity of the concern can mask how intensive the case will be.”

Four CCC CasesCase 1: Katie Lynch

Multiple concerns: Focus on Process

Case 2: Laura Schussler Using PI to Assist a Consultee with an ELL

Student

Case 3: Jill Berger Developing Teacher Objectivity about a Classwide

Homework Problem

Case 4: Megan Vaganek Addressing Bullying in the Classroom through

Teacher Consultation

Danny Newman Supervision of Consultation

Time for Questions

Case #1: Katie LynchUniversity of Maryland

Case DescriptionConsultee: Caucasian, female kindergarten

teacher (Ms. Smith)First case referral to a problem-solving team

Student: Hispanic, female, 6-years-old (Carla)My 1st case as a consultant-in-training (CIT) Referral Concern:

T: “Carla is showing a variety of behaviors and learning styles that are impacting her ability to move forward in a typically developing way.”

Problem-Solving ProcessProblem Identification was the most

important stage for this caseWe were able to problem-solve around 3

unique concernsOn-task behaviors

Student was on-task 62% of the time while a peer was on task 92% of the time

Work completion & work quality Student was not completing work on time Student did not use her lined paper as a guide when writing

her lettersKnowledge of basic academic vocabulary

Used the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts (Boehm, 2006) to assess understanding of academic vocabulary

Carla only knew 60% of the Boehm vocabulary expected of kindergarteners

Relationship DynamicsEstablishing the collaborative relationship is not

always easy. Challenges in establishing the relationship

included:It was Ms. Smith’s 1st referral to the teamMs. Smith was initially defensive of her instruction:

E.g. Ms. Smith placed a work sample backwards on the chalkboard but was resistant to admitting her mistake and how it influenced Carla’s learning

School culture issues related to relationshipSchool culture of focusing on the individual childSchool culture of using pull-out programsOur student was one of the few minority students in

a school of mostly Caucasian students

Communication SkillsAccording to Rosenfield (2004), words play a

critical role in consultee-centered consultation. Through the words that are spoken the consultant and consultee create a joint conceptualization of the concern. It is critical that the consultant come to understand his/her communication skills and how communication can be used to problem solve effectively and efficiently.

Feedback on my interpersonal style:My feedback included that I was soft-spoken and needed

to develop a presence in order to be effective in my cases

Communication SkillsEarly Session (no interruptions):

Later Session (appropriate interruption):

T: It’s like the 65th day of school and she’ll [Carla] walk in the classroom and spend 20 minutes trying to figure out what the morning routine is. How to take off her backpack and…that must be done by themselves…that routine was taught to them. Um…we felt like because her dependence on others hinders her ability to learn information…because if someone is always telling her the answers…how can she learn the information for herself?... So that um…self-help skills is our big concern…and also work completion. 

C: Okay.

T: She [Carla] was able to read the text and self-correct on a running record, and I can’t assist her with that…so she did that independently…but she couldn’t answer any comprehension questions.

C: So…she’s [Carla’s] able to read the text and follow along, but then she has trouble when you ask her questions afterwards about what she has read. What kinds of questions do you ask [the students] to assess for comprehension?

Role of SupervisionTranscriptions helped me to understand how

often I was speaking during my sessionsRole playing with my supervisor helped me to

learn ways to interrupt when my teacher was speaking Using communication skills to help the teacher to slow down

Writing out what I would have liked to have said when looking at my transcriptions allowed me to use more effective communication skills

Regaining Objectivity• Helping the teacher to focus on the concern and

regain objectivity:T: Did you notice she was sitting in a ‘W’? C: Oh no…I didn’t. T: Yeah…she sits in a ‘W’ formation which is like a 3-

year-old habit…it’s very interesting. C: Hmm. T: Another student that we have that is

developmentally around 3.5 [years old] but is the same age as the one we’ve been watching [Carla]…she sits in the ‘W’ formation too…it’s very interesting. 

C: Hmm. I did not notice that. I did notice that she was counting along with the class and she knew a character in the story…and you said that you were happy [that she could identify a story character].

Intervention• Ms. Smith and I worked together to create a task

analysis so that she realized how many steps were involved in activities she was asking of the students• We discussed her expectations for successful completion

of a letter journal that students worked on each week• We identified 6 steps involved in the completion of the

letter journal • We used these steps to create picture prompts for the

student• Student begins to use the prompts independently• This gave the student a sense of success and Ms. Smith

was happy to have less interruptions and more time with her reading groups

Outcomes• Consultee:

– Teacher had a turning and began to discuss what the student could do instead of what she couldn’t do

• Student:– Followed multi-step directions independently– Reading on grade level– Working on basic academic vocabulary

• Consultant:– Gained confidence in working as a consultant– Understood how to have a presence in future

cases

Case #2: Laura SchusslerUniversity of Maryland

Case Description Consultee: 5th grade Caucasian general

education teacher, Ms. ParkerClient: 5th grade Chinese boy, Bao

Born in the U.S., but parents spoke Chinese at home

Received 1 hour of ESOL instruction/dayTeacher’s referral concern was that Bao

“does not understand much of what he reads or what is taught to him orally” and was failing science and social studies

Problem-Solving Processes Spent the most time in the Problem

Identification stageUsed several reading IAs (Gravois &

Gickling, 2008) to parse apart concerns and move down the ladder of inference

Targeted reading comprehension and word meaning

Used data and teacher input to refine interventionsDid trial teaching using IA model Used Word Search, Word Map, and Pocket

Cards interventions combined

Most Effective Communication Skills Bond and Move

The teacher had strong feelings and it was important to help her understand that some of Bao’s issues were related to being an ELL

Transcript Example:T: I don’t think it’s a language issue because he was born in

the U.S. He speaks English all the time except at home…It’s all women and he’s the only boy. They baby him.

C: How great that his family cares about him so much, but you’re finding he doesn’t use the strategies himself in the classroom.

T: I’ve been saying that I don’t think it’s language…now, I think he’s learned how to read and speak English words, but he hasn’t gotten any further.

C: So what you’re saying is before you weren’t sure if his first language was affecting his reading, but after seeing that he’s not getting the meaning of words, you think it could be.

T: He knows how to say words…but may have no idea what it means. And I have to say, I’m thinking about him differently suddenly. There are days when he does really well…

Most Effective Communication Skills Clarifying Statements

Ms. Parker tended to use high-inference and pejorative terms to describe Bao

Especially important to clarify during the Problem Identification stage

Transcript Example:T: What I say to him might as well be “gobbly-

gook.” He gets it today but not tomorrow. C: Tell me more about how he seems to

understand something one day but not the next.

Most Effective Communication Skills Perception Checking

• Important due to teacher’s frustrations with the lack of ESOL support and the stress of state testing

Transcript Example:T: It’s been a bad year for ESOL.C: Tell me more about what you mean.T: I just think there hasn’t been enough support in the

classroom from them and…it hasn’t come together very well.

C: I can tell you’re frustrated by that because there’s little connection between them and your classroom.

T: Yes, there’s no connection at all. He misses our reading groups and daily review in the afternoon for ESOL and I told [the ESOL teacher] next year they should not be called out twice a day…It’s time out of the classroom when we’re doing something important.

Relationship DynamicsTeachers may not ask for assistance until

they are already in crisis and the concern is difficult to manage, making it more unlikely for the teacher to believe that the concern can be resolved in the classroom (Rosenfield, 1987)She requested assistance from the IC team

because she needed required prerequisite data in order to make a special education referral

She told me this early in the process, which affected our working relationship

Relationship DynamicsTranscript example:T: I’m hoping to further identify that it’s

more than language…I filled out the Child Study form and it sounds like it’s language, but it’s more than that. I think it’s a processing issue. So I am hoping that going through this process, that will give me further evidence that it’s not an ESOL issue, that it’s something more, so that will help me progress with the Child Study [process].

Relationship Dynamics Strong negative feelings and frustration towards

Bao, dwelling on his weaknesses, rarely noticing strengths

Importance of teacher-student relationships and how they affect performance in the classroom when the relationship is strained came through (Hamre & Pianta, 2006)

Ms. Parker focused on Bao’s family dynamics and his family “babying” him

Important to remain focused on the factors that we had control over—those related to instruction in the classroom (Rosenfield, 1987)

Role of Supervision in Building Communication SkillsHelped me word “bond and move”

statementsSupervisor and I role-played togetherPracticed how to give information about

ELLs and cultural considerations to the teacher

Worried that I would seem condescending, too “expert-like,” or that I was correcting her

Role of Supervision Felt “stuck” in the Problem ID stage Supervisor targeted what I could improve

during IAs by listening to session tapes Reminded me of the proper IA techniques

Learned more about ELLs and the importance of “fringe vocabulary” interventions for ELLs

Supervisor suggested supplemental readings on how ELLs acquire language and core vs. fringe vocabulary Helped me think about the best ways to combine

interventions that would be most effective

Outcomes Teacher Outcomes:• Reframed how to conceptualize the problem• Improved her own instruction during science

and social studies with the entire class• Used some of the interventions with other

struggling ESOL students• Gained a stronger understanding of ELLs and

ESOL Student Outcomes:• Improved Social Studies and Science test scores

Case #3: Jill BergerUniversity of Maryland

Case DescriptionConsultant

• White, female, doctoral student at local university• Supervised by white, female, doctoral student for

year-long course in Consultation

Consultee• White, male, fourth-grade teacher• Concerns about a large group of students not

completing and/or turning in their homework: “I just wish the kids would just all start doing their

homework.”

Worked together for 10 sessions over 3 months

Relationship DynamicsGender

• Female consultant working with male consultee

• Both single and similar ages

History of receiving assistance• Short-term solutions provided by school

administration• Teacher feeling unheard and unsupported

Communication SkillsParaphrasing:

• Let the teacher know he was heard• Let the teacher hear what he was saying

Perception check:• Let the teacher know that his feelings were

heard• Identify and clarify the teacher’s feelings

Communication SkillsExample of paraphrasing

T: The hardest thing is trying to determine with my chart here, well what do I do? I don’t want to reward what they should be doing cause the other kids don’t get rewarded for doing their homework necessarily… I can’t make them want to care about it and I don’t feel like I should reward the ones who are doing it because they finally started doing homework…

C: …So it sounds like one thing that you’re struggling with is how do you make this most effective without... creating an unfair reward system in your classroom?

T: Right.

Communication SkillsExample of perception check

T: Parents don’t seem to really care how [students] do on their report cards. A lot of the parents struggled in school and feel… it’s everybody else’s fault, it’s not my fault, there’s nothing I can do.

C: Sounds like working with the parents has been really frustrating for you.

T: Yeah, but I still try everyday. I try to call them, meet with them, I met with three of them this week... anyway...

InterventionsHomework Survey

• Gathered information on the homework problem from the entire class

• Initially part of problem identification but became an intervention

Student goal-setting and graphing of their homework completion• Used data already being collected by Daily

Report Cards

Homework Survey

OutcomesHomework Survey

• Engaged students in the problem-solving process• Helped teacher regain objectivity

Student Goal-setting and Graphing• Helped with student motivation • Introduced the teacher to the idea of providing

positive reinforcement• Provided tools for the teacher to use with future

classes

Teacher OutcomesBeginning

“Is this something you think we can actually get to work when it’s so hard to motivate them that there are so many things that they just don’t care about like homework and grades and other things?”

“The [students] that don’t do [homework] won’t be honest, it’s always everyone else’s fault—never theirs.”

End “I appreciate your help because

a kid like this with such a hard life... a kid that doesn’t get a lot of support... to see him finally doing his homework, that’s great. So even if we only have one or two successes I think that’s a good thing because, you know, there’s only but so much we can do. I’ve come to that point in realizing that. And I think your ideas have been really great, I’m going to start implementing a lot of them at the beginning of the year next year.”

Role of SupervisionRecognizing and addressing relationship dynamics

Coping with the teacher’s negativity toward students and strong feelings against reinforcement

Maintaining focus on building the consultee’s skills

Acknowledging the positive outcomes from the Homework Survey (not initially perceived as a useful intervention)

Lessons LearnedHow to implement a consultee-centered approach

to consultation with supportive supervision• Working with a consultee with a different belief

system• Getting the most out of supervision when learning a

new set of skills

The importance of:• Involving students in interventions, especially when

motivation is a factor• Selecting interventions that are feasible for the

teacher to implement

Case #4: Megan VaganekUniversity of Maryland

Case DescriptionConsultant

• Megan: Caucasian female, doctoral student in school psychology at local university

• Supervised by Caucasian, female, doctoral student for year-long course in Consultation

Consultee• Mrs. James: Caucasian female, 4th grade

teacher, member of consultation team

Case DescriptionReferral Concern

• Began as an individual case of a student being bullied

Problem Identification• Evolving set of concerns

Individual ClassProblem ID As an Intervention

Communication SkillsPerception Checks

• I heard her frustrationsParaphrasing & Clarifying

• Defining the Concern as a major step• Relying less on relevant questions

Summarizing

Gathering InformationBullying Survey

• Problem ID • Potential for Baseline Data• Started a discussion for the students

Teacher reported fewer behavior problems Did the students feel heard?

Bullying SurveyNeeded a better understanding of the

students’ perspectiveCreated a survey based on information from

Bullyproofing Your School(Garrity, Jens, Porter, Sager, & Short-Camilli, 2004)

Anonymous; data collected by consultant

A Positive InterventionGood Behavior Game (GBG)

• A school with a positive focus or too much of a good thing?

• Reward vs. social justice• Evidence-Based Intervention• Based on Classroom Rules• Emphasis on cooperation and teamwork;

increasing respectful behavior

Intervention EvaluationNature of the Design

• Groups vs. individuals Is it fair that one student can win the game for the

team?

• Teacher’s feelings about tracking desired vs. undesired behaviors

Data Collection Issues• Teacher as Observer

Number of Rules; Subjectivity

OutcomesIncreased instances of students following

classroom rules; decrease in undesirable behaviors

Mrs. James was pleased with teamwork & responses to one another during game

Mrs. James reported she will use GBG in the future

Role of SupervisionImproving Communication Skills• Reducing Filler Words• Finding opportunities to use other skills

Relevant Questions Vs. ParaphrasingProcessing Relationship Dynamics

Scheduling, Interruptions & Shared Ownership

T: “…I don’t know how we are going to graph it yet. Let’s table that. I’ll do one more day of baseline. But I have to go to another meeting. I actually run the other meeting. I feel bad we are always squeezing it in but I think this is a great idea.”

Lessons Learned Problem ID as an InterventionSystems ThinkingObjectivityBuilding Confidence as a New Consultant

• Learning to balance self-criticism and recognition of strengths & new skills

Danny NewmanNational Louis University

(and a UMD graduate!)

Current State of Consultation Training

Paradigm Shift or…

Paradigm Rift?

As a Field, We Say We Value Consultation…NASP Blueprint III(Ysseldyke et al., 2006):

“Effective and well-honed interpersonal and collaborative skills…effect change at the individual student, classroom, building, district, or even broader levels” p. 15).

NASP Standards (2010): Consultation and collaboration “permeates all aspects of service delivery” (p. 11).

…But Training Practices are Lacking

Greater emphasis on content than process (Anton-LaHart & Rosenfield, 2004).

Consultation training often neglects consideration of prevention, the role of culture in the consultation relationship, and social justice (Hazel, Laviolette, & Lineman, 2010).

What Can We Do as Trainers, Supervisors, and Students?1) Anticipate CIT concerns, and support them

with supervision2) Use supervisee-centered supervision

strategiesa) Supervisee empowermentb) Focus on process in addition to contentc) Be purposeful in use of strategiesd) Differentiate based on CIT needs

We Can Anticipate CIT Concerns… (Conoley, 1981; Newman, 2009)Problem-solving – content and processHow to use dataCommunication skillsRelationships (e.g., collaboration; cross-cultural)Consultative roleStudent statusSupervision

Concerns are “Trigger Events” that provide opportunities for critical reevaluation of skills, and differences in future application

…and Support CITs with SupervisionA FEW STRATEGIES (not an exhaustive list!):Outside of supervision sessionsReflections about the Past using Logs and Tapes

Preparation for supervisionInteractions between logs and tapes

Bridges in the PresentMaking ComparisonsUse of Questions

Future ApplicationModeling & RehearsalLessons LearnedPlanning for the Future

Supervision of Consultation“Without explicit attention, reflection, and

supervision, consultation skills will remain elusive in practice” (Rosenfield, Cramer, & Levinsohn-Klyap, 2010, p. 274).

Child

ConsultantConsultee

Child

Consultee CIT

Supervisor

Bridging the “Paradigm Rift” in Consultation TrainingEnhancing our consultation and supervision

practices by:EMPOWERING CITsAttending to PROCESS in additi0n to contentBeing PURPOSEFUL in our use of strategiesDIFFERENTIATING based on CIT needs

we can build a bridge between

WHAT WE SAY WHAT WE DO

Thank You! Questions?Note:

Our presentation is uploaded on the NASP website

References can be made available via E-mail – please provide your E-mail address