Supporting Positive Behaviour
in Alberta Schools
Dwaine M Souveny
Central Alberta Regional Consortium
2010-2011
D.M. Souveny
Understanding Student Behaviour
Supporting Positive Behaviour
in Alberta Schools
Key Element # 8
Collaborative
Teamwork/Leadership
and the Wrap Around
Process
March 15, 2011
Dwaine M Souveny
Central Alberta Regional Consortium
2010-2011
[email protected]
Supporting Positive Behaviour
In Alberta Schools (2008)
 A School Wide Approach
 A Classroom Approach
 An Intensive Individualized Approach
D.M. Souveny
Understanding Student Behaviour
Supporting Positive Behaviour in Alberta
Schools
10 Key Elements
Key Element 1: Positive Relationships
Key Element 2: Learning Environment
Key Element 3: Differentiated Instruction (DI)
Key Element 4: Understanding Student
Behaviour
Key Element 5: Social Skills Instruction
Key Element 6: Positive Reinforcement
Key Element 7: Fair and Predictable Consequences
Key Element 8: Collaborative Teamwork/Leadership
and the Wrap Around Process
D.M. Souveny
Understanding Student Behaviour
Creating Choices With Creative
Consequences
Suspensions and Expulsions
Read Pages 55-57 in School-wide approach to
recognize the Disadvantages of Expulsion
D.M. Souveny
Understanding Student Behaviour
Supporting Positive Behaviour in
Alberta Schools
Key Element Eight:
Collaborative Teamwork/Leadership
and the Wrap Around Process
School Administrator Leadership
“The school administrator is key to
the success of any school-wide
systems improvement initiative.”
A School Approach pp. 59
School Administrator Leadership
A School Approach pp. 59
School Administrators can and should:
1. Identify positive behaviour supports as an
important school-improvement goal
2. Be knowledgeable in the area of positive behaviour
support practices
3. Participate in core team meetings and related
training
4. Model and visibly implement new practices
5. Actively and frequently monitor and acknowledge
students who meet behavioural expectations
6. Allocate resources to sustain positive behaviour
supports.
School Administrator Leadership
Collaboration supports
Consistency
Scenario: what to do???
• The learning support teacher within the school has a
philosophy of building upon strengths and seeing the
positives of a student’s behaviour. When challenging
behaviour occurs she views this as an opportunity for
the child to learn more socially appropriate
behaviours through the teaching efforts of the
educators working with the student
• The principal at the school views negative behaviours
in a much more authoritarian manner – emphasizing
that clear and consistent reductive consequences
must be in place for undesired behaviour
D.M. Souveny
Understanding Student Behaviour
School Administrator Leadership
Two Key Components:
1. Building a team approach
Each member has something to offer
Share the load and leadership responsibilities
Build a sense of security and trust
Provide In-service training
School Administrator Leadership
Two Key Components:
2. Building staff capacity
School Based Support Teams
Mentoring and role models
Coaching
Onsite community partners
Administrative Support
• Facilitating schedules to encourage and
accommodate planning an problem solving
• Following through on agreed upon office referrals
• Communicating with teachers about classroom
management practices and issues
• Offering both formal and informal encouragement to
staff
• Being available and willing to help teachers identify
issues and find solutions
• Making targeted PD opportunities
What does “Wrap- Around” mean?
A collaboration between the natural supports
(such as family) for a child and the educational
and community services based on
• a definable planning process that is
• individualized for the child and family
• to achieve a positive set of outcomes
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
D.M. Souveny
Understanding Student Behaviour
Alberta’s Approach to Collaborative Practices … based on
wraparound principles
www.education.alberta.ca/collaborativepractices
Wraparound Principle
Issues Portrayed in the Video
Collaboration
depression and cutting
Shared leadership
abuse, harassment and racism
Team based
poverty and neglect
School-community linked
dropping out of school and teen parenting
Persistent
stress, emotional abuse and parent depression and alcoholism
Family voice and choice
medical issues, high incidence of absenteeism and family preference
Culturally responsive
disruptive behaviour, cultural and language barriers
Natural supports
drug and alcohol use
Individualized
head injury and learning challenges
Strength based
borderline depression, exclusion and poverty
Data informed
bullying, physical
and emotional abuse
D.M. Souveny
Understanding Student Behaviour
• Collaboration:
is a process for setting collective priorities, and
incorporating different perspectives.
• Shared leadership
– administrators model the value of collective
wisdom.
– school staff focus on developing meaningful
relationships within the school and community
• Team based involves a group of people,
including the family members,
D.M. Souveny
Understanding Student Behaviour
• School-community linked
• working collaboratively to promote and
strengthen partnerships by eliminating barriers
between the school and community.
• Persistent
• not giving up on, blaming or rejecting children,
youth or their families.
• Family voice and choice
• ensures child or youth and family perspectives
are intentionally elicited, prioritized and
actioned
D.M. Souveny
Understanding Student Behaviour
Culturally responsive practices
• respect and build upon the values, preferences,
beliefs, cultural context, and identity of the child
or youth, family and community.
Natural supports
• are individuals drawn from family members’
network of personal and community
relationships.
Individualized
•
a customized set of strategies, supports and
services
D.M. Souveny
Understanding Student Behaviour
Strength based practices
• build on a child or youth’s capabilities, knowledge,
skills, and assets, to help them develop the
resiliency needed to overcome challenges
Data informed goals and strategies
• are used to support the child or youth and their
family.
• They are observable, measurable and can be used
as indicators of success, to monitor progress and
revise supports and services accordingly
D.M. Souveny
Understanding Student Behaviour
School-based Learning Teams
Each school should have a process and
learning team to provide consultation,
planning and problem-solving
related to programming for
students with special education needs.
(Standards for Special Education, Alberta Education, 2004,
Standard 11e).
School-based Learning Teams
Each school should have a process and
learning team to provide consultation,
planning and problem-solving
related to programming for
students with special education needs.
(Standards for Special Education, Alberta Education, 2004,
Standard 11e).
1. What are the pros and cons of working
collaboratively as a team?
2. When working with parents of students with
behaviour difficulties, what 3 considerations or
techniques are most important to develop positive
relationships?
A Learning Team
A learning team is a team that consults and
shares information relevant to the individual
student’s education and plans special
education programming and services as
required.
The team may consist of the classroom teacher,
parents, students, other school and jurisdiction
staff aware of the student’s needs, and others
as required.
(Standards for Special Education, 2004, p.4)
Learning Team
Parent
District
Support
Staff
STUDENT
School Support
Staff
Teacher
School-based Learning Teams
What are one - three strategies or
suggestions to ensure school-based learning
teams are in place for students who require
them?
Team Challenges
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Teachers’ Code of Professional Conduct
Current knowledge or skill sets
School Climate
Specific Situations
Constant changes
Interpersonal relationships
Attitudes
Other?
Scenario: Roles of team
Administrator, Teacher, EA, other (e.g. FSLW)
Sally has been arguing with and threatening other
students. She also argues with the Educational
Assistant, although she more frequently listens to the
teacher. After a particularly challenging day this past
week, Sally’s mother came in a “tore a strip” off of the
teacher for not listening to her child’s concerns and
“over reacting” in the classroom.
D.M. Souveny
Understanding Student Behaviour
Build Team and Trust
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Demonstrating professional ethics, expertise and experience
Willingness to share professional knowledge and skills
Supporting each other
Maintaining confidentiality
Respecting differences of opinion
Keeping commitments and agreements
Acting non-judgmentally
Listening reflectively
Admitting mistakes or lack of understanding
Keeping focused on the best educational interests of
each student.
Homework
• Identify 3 things within your school that
reflect one or more of the principles of
Collaborative Practices
• Review the videos at Alberta’s Approach to
Collaborative Practices – email me with
information that you believe would be
valuable to have in the training of this
information
D.M. Souveny
Understanding Student Behaviour
Supporting Positive Behaviour
in Alberta Schools
….stay tuned
& invite a friend
Next time:
Data Driven Decision Making
May 17, 2011
Email or phone me 403 506 7091
[email protected]