Lost at School Reading Notes FULL PDF

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Lost at School Reading Notes 

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Kids Do Well if They Can o Lagging skills  You have to identify the skills that the child is lacking so you can understand why they are challenging. BAD GOOD He just wants attention Difficulty handling transitions He wants his own way Difficulty doing things in a logical sequence He’s manipulating us Difficulty persisting on challenging or tedious tasks He’s not motivated Poor sense of time He’s making bad choices Difficulty maintaining focus His parents are incompetent disciplinarians Difficulty considering a range of solutions He has a bad attitude Can’t manage emotional response to a frustration so as to think rationally He has mental illness Chronic irritability and/or anxiety significantly impacts problem solving His brother was the same way Difficulty shifting from original idea or plan “challenging behavior occurs when the demands and expectations being placed upon a child outstrip the skills he has to respond adaptively” (pg. 27) ALSUP o Assessment of lagging skills and unsolved problems o The lagging skill is listed on the left (right column above) and the unsolved problem boxes are blank on the right side o You go through each lagging skill and decide if it applies to the specific student  If no, just simply move to the next skill  If so, check it off and identify the unsolved problems that are associated with the lagging skill Hitting, screaming and such are not unsolved problems, just what the student does when the unsolved problem arises o Example; if student A has a hard time using the computer during math and gets upset and runs out of the room  The unsolved problem is not being comfortable on the computer, not getting upset o Example; student B has a difficult time agreeing on the rules of basketball during recess and ends up hitting another student  The unsolved problem is not being able to agree on the rules, not hitting Unsolved problems should be free of adult theories about the cause of the unsolved problem o NOT “difficulty using the software on the computer during math because she comes from a tough home situation Unsolved problems should be as specific as possible o Include details about with whom, over what, where and or when the unsolved problem is occurring o What expectation the student is really having trouble meeting Make sure the unsolved problems are “split” rather than clumped o Clumped: difficulty writing

Splitting: difficulty writing out the answers to word problems in math; Difficulty writing the paragraphs in writer’s workshop; difficulty writing the definitions to spelling words in English Lesson Plans o 3 options for addressing unsolved problems, A, B, and C o Plan A  When adults solve problems unilaterally, typically by imposing their will  Can be counterproductive  Example; suspending a child because they were disrespectful  Example; because you are not completing math before recess, you cannot go out to recess until your math is done  Greatly heightens the likelihood of challenging behavior in challenging kids  A lot of the problems stem from adults using plan A in the past or at home  Solutions are based on adult theories about the case of the problem, and not on any information from the intended beneficiary of the solution; the kid  Plan A doesn’t teach skills or solve problems o Plan B  Similar to plan A, but it is solved collaboratively rather than unilaterally  Adult and kid work together towards mutually satisfactory solutions so that both party’s concerns are addressed, the problem gets solved, and, lagging skills get taught  Emergency B  The moment a kid is showing signs of challenging behaviors  Not the best because you have things going on and the kid is heated in the moment most likely  Proactive B  Before it comes up again, prevent it o Plan C  Setting aside a given unsolved problem, temporarily.  Helps the caregiver prioritize  Put aside the little unsolved problems to be able to address the more important ones Let’s get it started o In plan B there are 3 steps  Empathy  You want to achieve the best possible understanding of a kids concern or perspective related to a given problem  Example; I’ve notices that it’s been difficult for you to come back into the classroom when recess ends, what’s up?  Example; I’ve noticed that it’s been hard for you to put away your math worksheets when it’s time to go back to Mrs. Wood’s classroom what up?  Make sure not to include challenging behavior in the unsolved problem, don’t include a theory or hypothesis, don’t use clumped unloved problems, and make sure to be specific o

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Define adult concerns  Fits into one of two categories o How the unsolved problem is affecting the student o How the unsolved problem is affecting other people  Begin with “the thing is” “my concern is” NOT “Well that is all well and good, but...”  Example; “I think I understand. The thing is, you’re not always going to have a partner to help you look things up, so I was thinking it would be good for you to get some practice at doing the research on your own… otherwise it’ll always be really hard for you”  Invitation  The step before brainstorming possible solutions with the child  First restate the concern’s that were identified in the first two steps o Start with “I wonder if there’s a way…”  Example; “I wonder if there’s a way for us to do something about you’re not being very interested in Uzbekistan… and about the difficulty your having looked those things up…. But still make sure you get some practice looking at things on your own. Do you have any ideas?” Bumps in the road o Your used plan A instead of plan B  Plan A can be more familiar and easy to revert back to  Reflective listening can help to address and clarify the kids concerns  Many times, adults are more focused on their own concerns rather than the kids  Human nature to be more aware of your own problems  Perpetuating cycle of children and adolescent’s concerns being ignored  Plan B helps address your own concerns just as much as it addresses the problems of the child o Perfunctory Empathy  Rushing to be empathetic before clarifying the kids concerns  Leads to a vague understanding of the child’s concerns and an unsatisfying solution  Adults must be patient – Empathy step is not done until you have the clearest understanding of the kids concerns and perspective – “information seeking mode”  Better to use Proactive B than Emergency  Don’t make assumptions about a child’s concerns – either assume they are on target or they aren’t accurate o Missing Steps  Plan B can be unsuccessful if a step is skipped  Empathy is most commonly missed or thoroughly followed o Won’t engage the child in conversation o Won’t identify and clarify their concern o Won’t reach a mutually satisfactory resolution to the problem being addressed o Dueling Solutions  Tendency to get tow solutions rather that two concerns in Empathy and defining adult concerns in Plan B 

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Each party is pushing for their solution to be successful Trying to meet halfway – this tends to be unsuccessful because it may only solve a small percentage of problems o Steps Out of Order  Using the Plan B steps out of order can lead to confusion and a misunderstanding of intention  Empathy as the first step allows all parties to get background information and understand all the concerns of the child o Overreliance on Emergency B  Makes the team do more Plan B than is necessary  Trying to solve the same problem everyday rather than using Proactive B to solve the problem under planned conditions with a flexible time frame The Icing on the Cake o Direct Skills Training with a Collaborative Twist  Teachers need to be collaborative and direct when teaching skills instead of being unilateral  Kids must feel like learning skill is being done with them and not to them – this increases the likelihood of them thinking about what skills they’re trying to learn and how they would like to learn best o Solving Problems Collaboratively with Kids with Lagging Language Processing and Communication Skills  Adults have to be comfortable with using other modes of communication that are preferable to the kid  A team can also help them communicate about unsolved problems and solutions  Communicating about Unsolved Problems  Developing a simple vocabulary of unsolved problems in important  Visuals of unsolved problems can be helpful – students can point to the image rather than trying to communicate it verbally – eventually student will be able to use words associated with the pictures  Generating and Communicating About Solutions 1. Ask for or seek help 2. Give a little 3. Do it a different way  Categories can help guide and structure consideration of solutions  Helps students understand general ideas of each solution  It’s important to utilize creativity, expertise, knowledge of the child, and a sense of the child’s specific capacities and needs  “Differentiated Discipline”  Uses a range of instructional strategies  Makes the classroom a good fit for each individual  What is learned and the learning environment is shaped for the learner  

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Meeting of the Minds o Community Building

“good teaching” – being responsive to your students and environment, determine students strengths, lagging skills, and problems to be solved  Be prepared to have multiple teaching styles to accommodate groups and the individual  Actively promote a sense of community o Plan B for Every Kid  Plan B looks the same for every child, same steps and can benefit anyone  Want to try and treat every child the same  Fair does not mean equal  Every child has different needs that need to be met in order for them to be successful o Plan B in Groups  Can help students to learn to listen and take into account one another’s concerns  Helps them recognize that there are no “right” answers, only solutions that are mutually satisfactory  Find the concerns and perspectives of each group member related to the given problem  Then a solution must be found – encourage participation of everyone  Set expectations for communication, listening, and taking turns  Teacher is the facilitator and helps group stay on task and prompts conversations o Special Education in Classrooms  Kids better serviced in smaller settings  Consequence- based programs – don’t teach skills or solve problems, may exacerbate difficulties  Reward-punishment program – probably unnecessary, makes students more focused on the reward than the problem being solved School of Thought o Leaders – foster and encourage innovation and who cultivate a school climate for continuous improvement o Individuals – create a plan for and model change, have a sense of a school’s readiness for change and help others adjust o Structures – foster communication and teamwork needed to facilitate and sustain change, involve parents and teachers 

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Leadership an effective school leader can help make a difference for students, teachers and parents  the leader sets the tone for the entire environment  primary role is to organize action – challenge and mobilize people to face and tackle tough problems, facilitate exploration of new ways of doing things  initiate invention – debate, help people rethink  importance of including multiple perspectives  help stay focused on difficult problems in need of a solution Impetus for Change  Knowing when a school is ready for change 

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Raise awareness of problems in need of a solution or places where an existing solution is not sufficient  Having conversations with colleagues to discuss conventional wisdom – help people think about issues previously not questioned Structures for Supporting and Sustaining Change  How to make an initial change long term  Structures for staff to achieve a consensus on the lagging skills and unsolved problems of kids  Collaboration is important and people must all be on the same page Reaching Across the Aisle  Parents need to be involved in the collaborative effort to improve challenging kids in school  Usually means a child is struggling in multiple environments  Parents and teachers have something in common – shared frustrations and concerns  Both parties must do everything in their power to put children at the center of parent- teacher interactions  Must be careful not to place blame when there is a conflict or a problem with the child 

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