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Whole-­‐Group  Strategies  for  Struggling  Students  Amy  Murray,  B.  Ed.,  M.S.  Cathryn  Rowley  B.Sc.O.T.  

Whole Group Strategies

for “THAT” Child

Amy Murray, B.Ed. M.S

Cathryn Rowley B.Sc.O.T.

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This session is social-media

friendly!

@happycampergirl #sde2014

#kinderchat

Who is THAT child?

!   Everybody has one in your class

!   Think about her/him

!  Boy or girl?

!  Age: oldest/youngest/in the middle?

!  History at your school

!  Academic skills

THAT child: disruptive type

! Interrupts !  Calls out without raising hand ! Can’t take turns/share materials ! Physically aggressive ! Seeks peer attention/reaction !  Class clown ! Struggles with transition/unstructured time ! Finds the loopholes in supervision/routines ! Requires A LOT of teacher energy/support

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THAT child: disengaged type

! Wandering

!   « lost »

!  Trouble with instructions

!   « On his own agenda »

!  Poor boundaries (belongings/space)

! Unaware of environment/social cues

! Struggles with task completion

! Easy to ignore – at risk of falling through the cracks

*the ability to manage one's own physical,

mental, and emotional state, and to respond in a

socially appropriate way.

Both “types” suffer from

poor self-regulation*.

Look for patterns:

!   Consider one behaviour at a time:

!  WHEN does it happen?

!   Time of day, day of the week, specific activity

!  WHERE does it happen?

!  WITH WHOM does it happen?

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And the most important questions: !  What need is this behaviour

meeting?

!  How can I help meet this need in a more appropriate way?

Young children WANT to do well

!  Challenging behaviours are an attempt to meet a need in an inappropriate way:

!  Attention

!  Connection

!  Peer recognition

!  Safety (physical and emotional)

Why whole-group strategies?

!   Individual strategies may not be working

!   Reducing stigma

!   Supporting all the children in your class

!   Reducing the drain you feel from THAT child

!   Changing from a negative cycle to a positive one

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Whether the roots of a behaviour are biological, emotional, social, we need tools to support them in a school setting.

Building your classroom toolkit…

!   Tools should be available to all children:

!   Fidget toys

!  Headphones

!  Seating options

!  Quiet corner/Peace corner

!  Take-a-break pass

Teach good behaviour

! Provide instruction for HOW to work with others

!   Model/role-play how to take turns & use materials

!   Let students participate in classroom/activity planning

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Building community

!   Tower-building (if you both have a sister…)

! Filling your bucket

! Yarn web

!   « Doer & checker »

Building community

! Friendship wall/web

!   Collaborative projects in small groups (coaching)

! Guided individual drawings

Increase engagement

!   Individual whiteboards

!   Partner talk

!   Earning recognition as a group

!   Peer recognition

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Remember:

!   Look for patterns

!   Meet the needs

!   Have (and use) your toolkit

!   Teach good behaviour

!   Build community

!   Increase engagement