Tuesday 10 July 2018

Supporting Staff to Meet the Needs of ALL Learners

A child with challenging behaviour can make any teacher or parent feel completely inadequate.

An ongoing challenge for administrators is supporting staff to meet the needs of behaviour students in the classroom. 

It is important to know how teachers in your school feel about having a child with behaviour challenges?

"This child does not belong here!”
 “I do not have the training to deal with him.” 
“Nothing I do works!”
 “I can never complete an activity” 
“I have no time to give the other children the attention they deserve.”
 “I worry about what the other children are learning!” 
“I worry about the safety of the other children!” 
“He never shows remorse.”
 “I can’t predict what he will do next, his behaviour comes out of no where.” 
“He’ s only 4, I think we are expecting too much of him.”


The administrator needs to enhance staff capacity to provide the best behavioural supports for All children by:

Creating an atmosphere of trust 
• Understanding the teacher’s and family’s reality 
• Role modeling ways of dealing effectively with the child and his/her family 
• Providing physical, emotional and informational support 
• Creating a team that works together 
• Believing in the educators’ and family’s ability to succeed


Exceptionality: Behaviour

The ministry defines a behaviour exceptionality as a learning disorder characterized by specific behaviour problems that adversely affect educational performance. 

Students can present external and internal behaviours such as the ones listed below:



Externalizing

  • Defiance
  • Aggressive Behaviours
  • Stealing
  • Challenging authority
  • low self-esteem that may masquerade as “toughness”
  • initiating fights or displaying physical violence/cruelty
  • unwillingness to compromise
  • persistent testing of limits (by ignoring, arguing, not accepting blame) 
  • persistent hostile mood

Internalizing

  • Anxiety/Mood
  • Withdrawn

The Teacher Gateway to Special Education (OTF) has a vast amount of resources that can be used to support students with special education needs.This site serves as a collection of resources for teachers to easily access and implement with their students.

It is definitely a website administrators need to remember to share with staff. Especially before IEP are due as there are instructional, assessment and environmental accommodations listed under each exceptionality that can be used as a reference for teachers. 

All students can learn with the use of specific strategies that meet each student’s unique learning needs. Often it comes down to programming to meet student needs that can result in a positive change in a student's behaviour. 

Successful interventions require:
  • strong staff-student relationships
  • an understanding of the underlying factors influencing behaviour
  • an understanding of the immediate triggers for its occurrence.

Before the team can begin to plan for student success information needs to be gathered. An individual student profile as referenced in "Learning For All" would provide the necessary information to plan with the student at the forefront. A student profile can point the way to greater precision and personalization in instruction and assessment. 

The following framework is something I have used when discussing vulnerable students. For the student being discussed the questions were answered in each category.

Attitudes Beliefs and Well Being


  1. How does the student feel when in the classroom? Do they feel welcome? Comfortable? Safe?
  2. Does the student have positive relationships in the class (kids/staff)?
  3. What things does the student get excited about? What motivates them?
  4. What have you tried to help increase student well being?


Universal Design


  1. What tools in the classroom does this student use when dysregulated?
  2. Tell me how the classroom design, supports and teaching strategies reflect the IEP?
  3. How does the student integrate feedback into their work?


Assessment to inform Learning


  1. Can the student tell you what they are learning and why they are learning it when you are conferencing with them?
  2. What does this student do when they are confused? What strategies have you developed together?
  3. How are they progressing in their goals? How will you know when they have been met?


Students and Class Profiles

  1. What trends have you noticed about when and where the behaviour/challenges are happening? Why is it happening?
  2. Do we have ABC data to help us understand why this is happening?
  3. What should we try next based on this information?

"When Students Act Out: Six practices for supporting students with challenging behaviors" 

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