S
Essential “Plays” for Bully Prevention:
Teaching Social Competence and Building Connections for
Students with Disabilities at School
http://cultureofkindness.wikispaces.com/Sara Egorin Hooper and Kay Holman
Safe Schools ConferenceJune 28th, 2013-Elementary
Bully Prevention Playbook: Keep the bullies from
scoring!!
Score Points for Today’s Workshop
Keep bullies out of play! Join us as we create a culture of kindness and build a school community that respects the differences of ALL students.
We will be focusing on the most important aspect of life--social connections with others!
Symbols to hold on to your learning as you go back into the community… Together, we will discuss strategies from our “playbook” for :
promoting a culture of kindness and respect teaching social competence creating connections between students and everyone in the school community And how to integrate this knowledge and skills to prevent and respond to
bullying in our schools
“Give Us a High Five”—Five doable ideas to take back to your school to prevent bullying and make your school more inclusive
Keeping Bullies out of Play
Promoting a Culture of
Kindness and Respect
Creating Connections
Student with
Disabilities
Teaching Social Competence
Bully Prevention
What is Bullying “Bullying” is repeated aggression, harassment, threats or
intimidation by a stronger or more dominant child to a more vulnerable child”
Bullying is intentional, it happens more than once, and there is a marked unbalance of power between the bully and the victim
Many forms of bullying face to face, by a single student or by a group, take or damage
possessions, intimidate or threat,, intentionally exclude others, spread rumors, cyberbullying, etc.
Bullying Prevention Bullying Facts and Figures
Almost one in three children nationwide is involved in bullying, either as a bully or as a victim
15-20% of all students are victimized by bullies at some point in their school career 90% of 4th through 8th graders report being victims of bullying
160, 000 children miss school every day in the USA for fear of being bullied 71% of teachers or classroom aides either did not know about or ignored bullying
incidents in their classes Bullying will typically stop in less than 10 seconds if another student
intervenes Victims of cyber bullying show more signs of depression than other bullying victims. Cyber bullying is on the rise in dramatic numbers; it is relentless and more frightening if
the bully is anonymous. About 47 teens are bullied every five minutes. Every 30 minutes a teenager attempts suicide due to bullying. Almost half of all students fear harassment or bullying in the bathroom The leading cause of death among children under the age of 14 is suicide. “Bullycide” is the new term for suicide as a result of being bullied. Source: National Institutes of Health, SAFE, Tony Bartoli
Bullying-lasting impact
The National Crime Prevention Council states, “Although bullying was once considered a rite of passage, parents, educators and community leaders now see bullying as a devastating form of abuse that can have long-term effects on youthful victims, robbing them of self-esteem, isolating them from their peers, causing them to drop out of school and even prompting health problems and suicide.”
Bullying and Disabilities Characteristic that makes them different from the
majority. Targeted more frequently The person being bullied does not know how or
does not have the power to make it stop.
Kids with autism spectrum disorders are three times as likely as their non-affected siblings to experience bullying, 2012 national survey finds (IAN survey, ianproject.org, KKI)
Bully Prevention Strategies Be proactive
Know the facts Know your student’s rights under the law
Disability harassment is a civil rights issue Use IEP as a tool
Bullying can sometimes be an obstacle to FAPE Bullying based on a student’s disability may be considered
harassment Create a partnership with families
Share your school district’s written policy on bullying and harassment Make families aware of your school’s written response to bullying
reports Keep and document all correspondence and concerns Share resources with families (Pacer Center)
Bully Prevention Strategies
Raise student, educator, and family awareness Start planning in advance for ways your school can be actively involved
in BCPS’s Annual Anti-bullying Program Promote Cooperation and Caring-Positive Social Culture
School-Wide Positive Behavioral Support Program Expect Respect
Remember bullying is a “behavior”, not a trait and it is maintained by social rewards (victims and bystanders)
Teach and Practice “Response Routines” STOP-WALK-TALK Stop routine Bystander routine Stopping routine Recruit help routine
• Don’t use label “bullying”• Teach how to respond if
someone is NOT respectful
Core Features of an Effective Bully Prevention
Effort Five Student Skills~
School-wide behavioral expectations (respect) Explicitly teach and consistently practice “Response Routines” Stop routine- STOP-WALK-TALK Bystander routine Stopping routine Recruit help routine
• Don’t use label “bullying”, use “respect language”, Teach how to respond if someone is NOT respectful
• For Faculty/Staff~• Agreement on logic and bully prevention effort• Strategy for teaching students core skills• Strategy for follow up and consistency in responding• Clear data collection and data use purposes• Advanced support options-SUSTAINMENT
13
STOP ROUTINE
STOPWALKTALK
Scott Ross, University of Oregon
“Stop” means stop.
The rule is: If someone asks you to stop,
you stop.
Bully Prevention Strategies
Peer Advocacy/Network Groups PACERS’ Peer Advocacy Program Http://PACER.org/bullying/resources/peer-advocacy.asp
The Importance of Self-Advocacy Student Action Plan
Unite with like minded individuals in your community Town Hall meeting PTA Local disability support groups
Bullying Prevention Strategies
SUMMARY Bullying is a real problem and is best addressed proactively The school social culture and stance on bullying should be
very transparent Bullying is a behavior Bully prevention requires changing how student label and
respond to disrespectful behavior from their peers The key to bully prevention is school-wide agreement about
appropriate responses Teaching bully prevention routines is effective
Keeping Bullies out of Play
Promoting a Culture of
Kindness and Respect
Teaching Social Competence
Creating Connections
Student with
Disabilities
Promoting a Culture of Kindness and Respect
Three Essential “Plays” from our playbook:
Inclusive attitudes Bows AND postcards The three R’s
Universal Educators School Culture
Administrators set the tone
Creating a Successful Inclusive School Culture
The REAL three Rs
Relationship: building connections with students Respect: fostering mutual trust Relevance: showing usefulness in what is learned Fourth R (one for good measure): reframing our
picture – seeing the student from a different angle, focusing on students’ gifts, strengths, capabilities, and possibilities rather than on deficits and limitations
Promoting a Culture of Kindness and Respect
Every human being who touches the student’s life is to be viewed as a “universal educator”, including families who are integral and must be valued for their connection to and understanding of the whole student. Universal educators live and foster the message that we are “all students and teachers to each other”, and learning is about taking in and making sense of experiences wherever we are and with whomever we are in life.
Promoting a Culture of Kindness and Respect
The best universal educators don’t see a “disability” as a deficit, but rather as a difference. These educators recognize, honor and celebrate these differences. Attitudinally, they use these differences as tools to motivate, teach, support and actively engage each student in learning.
The best universal educators model sincere, genuine appreciation, and acknowledgment of each individual with whom they work, and then act intentionally, using their intuition and a myriad of opportunities which exist, to put purposeful strategies and supports in place.
Promoting a Culture of Kindness and Respect
The best universal educators provide opportunities for students to “give back” or contribute to the total class – rather than always being the ones who are helped. These educators have empathy as human beings to understand that being useful is more often about giving than receiving.
The best universal educators respect, acknowledge and consider ways to make learning accessible to students through choice which empowers students, contributes to their success, and encourages them to take risks.
Promoting a Culture of Kindness and Respect
The best universal educators feel comfortable enough in themselves to be flexible and to maintain structure while “reframing their picture” of whom the students are and what they need individually and collectively.
Promoting a Culture of Kindness and Respect
“Get out on the Court and Move!”
What are the important elements of a positive school culture and of creating a supportive & nurturing school community?
How does the school help each student feel welcomed & valued?
Awareness of Greatest Obstacles for Students with
Disabilities Anxiety!!! Rigidity Communication Lack of self-regulation Social misreads Social isolation
Not knowing what happens Not knowing what to do Not knowing what to say
Difficulty with self-soothing/self-calming
Essentials to Support All Students
Routine
Structure
Consistency
Extreme Clarity
Preparation/Priming
Predictability
Familiarity
Choices
Keeping Bullies out of Play
Promoting a Culture of
Kindness and Respect
Teaching Social Competence
Creating Connections
Student with
Disabilities
Teaching Social Competence
Two Essential “Plays”~ What is Social Competence?
Social Skills vs. Social Competence Thinking about what and how we teach our children
Teaching Social Competence in the classroom Responsive Classroom Social opportunities embedded throughout the day
What is Social Competence
A complex, multidimensional concept consisting of: Social behavior (pro-social, skills) Emotion (affect regulation) Cognitive (executive functioning, perspective taking) Motivation
which are integrated together to successfully interact with others
Learn from past experiences and apply that learning to change/improve future social interactions
Foundation upon which expectations for future interactions with others is built
AND
Social Competence
Judgments about the individual’s successful
display of social skills by others
Social Skills
Learned behaviors that enable a
person to interact with others
Who, What, Where, When, and How???
Authentic Social Context
Social Interaction in the Classroom: Occurs in streams, not in isolation Highly context dependent Difficult to identify a clear antecedent to or a clear
consequence of behavior Inconsistent responses to clumsy initiations Inconsistent positive social behavior by typically
developing children Decreased frequency of occurrence in academic setting
How do we get from social skills to social competence???
Teaching Social Competence
Some “Plays” from our Playbook~ Begin creating connections early—solidly and consistently in place in
elementary school Greater social engagement with peers in elementary school predicts
improvements in adaptive behaviors and social skills in later adolescence (McGoven and Sigman, 2005)
In-classroom social competence Teaching pragmatic language, prosocial behavior, and group interaction skills
in context Pairing Cooperative groups
Social goals embedded within curriculum Responsive Classroom
The Responsive Classroom
A widely used, research and evidence-based approach that increases academic achievement, decreases problem behaviors, improves social skills, and leads to more high-quality instruction
The social curriculum is as important as the academic curriculum
How children learn is as important as what they learn; process and content go hand in hand
The greatest cognitive growth occurs through social interaction
The Responsive Classroom
There is a set of social skills that children need to learn and practice to be successful academically and socially: cooperation, assertion, responsibility, empathy, and self-
control Knowing the children we teach (the three Rs)-
individually, culturally, and developmentally-is as important as knowing the content we teach
Knowing the families of the children we teach and inviting their participation is essential to children’s education
How adults at school work together is as important as individual competence: lasting change begins with the adult community (school culture)
The Responsive Classroom ~
For all Students Children’s development
Self regulation, self control Helps teachers and school leaders to elevate teaching social
skills to equal footing of academic and naturally integrate them Helps all students develop pro-social skills
Self-control Responsibility Respect Relationships All the things that help them be productive, engaged members of a
school and community
The Responsive Classroom ~
Including Students with Disabilities
Classroom organization and common routines Integrates teaching academic and social skills as an aspect of everyday
classroom life Utilize morning meetings to teach social skill and respect and responsibility for
everyone in classroom Teaches social skills in natural contexts, students encouraged to interact with one
another during most of the day as they engage in partner work, small group, or large group activities
Creating a Community Encourage students to get along regardless of ability—scaffolding and guided practice Giving children the power to care
Use of additional supports Visuals, social stories, peer guidance
Collaboration among professionals Vertical team
The Responsive Classroom
A Daily Morning Meeting Rule Creation Interactive Modeling Positive Teacher Language Logical Consequences Guided Discovery Academic Choice Classroom Organization Working with Families Collaborative Problem Solving
Key Practices:
Interactive Modeling
Strategies: Break social skill into discrete steps Modeling Interactive questioning Guided practice Identifying roles Facilitated use of skill, scaffolding
Skill: Talking with Partner Looked at each other (EC) Talking about what they should be
talking about (topic maintenance) Asked partner for information
(reciprocal question asking and listening)
Cooperative Groups
Common Core- Collaborative Learning Staff Members-counselor, social worker, inclusion teacher, etc., Introduce visually, model, guided practice
Share rules and steps in activity Provide opportunity to engage in group activity with peers-
scaffold, support Reinforce all students for both positive academic and social
behavior
Integrating a Social Skills Goal (working in a group) Handout:
Role CardsRole and Whatto Visual do and
say
SCOREShare IdeasCompliment OthersOffer Help or EncouragementRecommend Changes NicelyExercise Self-controlSEE
Sound, how our voices soundExpressions on our facesEye contact, where we look
Keeping Bullies out of PlayBasketballs
Promoting a Culture of
Kindness and Respect
Teaching Social Competence
Creating Connections
Student with
Disabilities
The Importance of Creating Opportunities for Connections with
Peers
Challenge Students with disabilities often remain isolated or excluded from
peer groups Reduced opportunities to make connections Reduced opportunities to practice social skills and improve social
competence Reduced self-esteem, self confidence Reduced initiations/desire to interact with others
“They told me I would have friends but the playground was a nightmare of noise and fighting, lying, and cheating and people going fast, all knowing what to do but me. It was like a flock of birds, wheeling, surging, changing direction at a whim, all knowing what to do, and all in unison except for one at the back. Me. I had to watch and anticipate and follow so I was never quite in harmony. Sometimes I got left behind and there are hawks out there. I didn't know how to tell who was a friend.” ~ Tony Attwood
What it means to be Socially Connected
• Socially respond AND initiate with others (Successfully)
• Use learned social skills (behavior) across settings-independently (generalize)
• Shared interest and shared experiences• Group identity (group/team activities)• Peer acceptance• Feeling appreciated for being you-sense of
self-meaningful contributions (the 4 Rs)
Creating Connections Five Essential “Plays” (five fingers)~
1. Priming for Student with disabilities
2. Planned and supported opportunities to develop connections with others
3. Direct guidance for peers to successfully interact with students with disabilities
Acknowledgement and celebration
4. Shared experiences that are motivating for students with disabilities and peers
5. Continued growth of peer networks
Creating Opportunities-Feel safe, feel competent, trust environment-clarity of understanding the expectations,
trust peers, motivating experiences-
Seek out interactions with peers in a variety of environments
“If you don’t become the ocean You’ll be seasick everyday.”--Leonard Cohen
“If we are to achieve a richer culture, we must weave one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place.” ~ Margaret Meade
Elementary
Integrated Play Groups (Wolfberg and Schuler) PAW Pals http://www.reallookautism.com/2011/10/neighborhood-play-group-3 / PALS (Positive Acceptance Leadership and Support) Groups (Holman)
Planned opportunities for social interaction and shared experiences Acceptance and appreciation of differences activities Leadership in kindness Specific pro-social behavior taught through modeling and guided practice Reinforcement for use of pro-social behavior in motivating activity
Before/After School Clubs garden club, yoga club, drama, art, chess, science, robotics, puppet, lego, etc.
Lunch bunch Peer Mediated Interventions (English et al., 1997;Odom et al., 1999; Strain
& Odom, 1986) http://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/content/peer-mediated-instruction-and-intervention http://
aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/peer-mediated_instruction
Creating Connections-PALS Strategies
We’re all a family under one sky!
We’re all a family under one sky, we’re a family under one sky We are We are We are
With Gratitude!!!!!
Sara and Kay “Never doubt that a
small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ~Margaret Meade
