1. Collaborative Problem Solving in Schools
A model for understanding a kid with social, emotional and behavioural challenges

2. PLAN
Introduction to CPS
Break
ALSUP
Plan B
Practice

3. Before we Begin A structural model of the dimensions of teacher stress
Boyle et al., British Journal of Educational Psychology, (1995).
Found that Workload and Student Misbehaviour accounted for most of the variance in predicting teaching stress.
There are many other research studies that have linked challenging student behaviour to teaching stress
Insurance Industry
4A: Accountant, Pharmacist, Librarians
3A: Clergy, Speech Therapists, Horticulturist
2A: Farmer, Electrician, Plumber
A: Crane Operator, Roofer, Furniture Mover
B: Pilot, Air Traffic Controller, Armed Forces

4. BEFORE WE BEGIN…
Cognitive dissonance: the discomfort felt by a person holding two or more conflicting ideas.
Theory in social psychology proposes that motivational drive to reduce dissonance by altering existing cognitions, adding new ones to create a consistent belief system, or alternatively by reducing the importance of any one of the dissonant elements.

5. Important Questions *Why are challenging students challenging?
When are challenging students challenging?
Where are challenging students most likely to be challenging?
What do challenging students do when they are being challenging?
What are we going to do differently to help challenging students be less challenging?
* Why comes from the student and not our best guesses!

6. CPS Philosophy The FOUR keys to CPS (There is a test after this!)
Kids do well if they can
Doing well is always preferable to not doing well
Challenging kids do not choose to be explosive or be challenging
Every behaviour is communication
*Students don’t choose to be challenging but respond to challenges by being challenging.

7. Traditional answer To Why challenging kids are challenging
Because of passive, inconsistent, non-contingent behaviour management the kid has learned that his behaviour is an effective means of getting something (e.g. attention) or escaping or avoiding something (e.g. work)

8. Unconventional Answer to Why Challenging Kids are Challenging
They are challenging because they are lacking the skills not to be challenging. They are delayed in development of crucial skills
Flexibility
Adaptability
Frustration tolerance
Problem solving
Inadequate development of these crucial skills can contribute to a variety of behaviours – outbursts, explosions and aggression.
Challenging behaviour communicates that the kid does not have the skill to respond to the problem adaptively.
Simply said – They don’t have the skills at that time to do better

9. Environmental Expectation
Belief
Behind every challenging episode is a lagging skill and a demand for that skill which created an UNSOLVED PROBLEM Challenging behaviour is about delayed development or skill, NOT poor motivation
Lagging Skill(s)
Environmental Expectation
UNSOLVED PROBLEM

10. TWO SIDES TO CPS CPS the Process CPS the Philosophy
Steps that can be followed in supporting challenging behaviour by focusing on specific unsolved problems
Process can be time intensive and is therefore used with challenging behaviour
CPS the Philosophy
The philosophy that top down decisions, punishment and authoritarian styles do not change behaviour in the long term
Instead, we choose a collaborative process that builds independence and accountability

11. KEYS TO CPS Intervention
Collaboration
Student focused respecting self determinism
Figure out the lagging skills
Identify Specific Unsolved Problem - Identify the situations in which challenging episodes occur (Unsolved problems)
Start Solving Problems
NOT WHY – Why comes from the student through the collaborative process
Who
What
Where
When

12. BASIC STEPS TO CPS Use ALSUP to focus on lagging skills
Use lagging skills to zero in on Specific Unsolved Problems
Place Specific Unsolved Problems into priority order
Meet with student
Build rapport
“I noticed that…” (Specific Unsolved Problem) and find out more information
Define the problem together (student and teacher concerns are equal)
Make invitation for solutions
Completed collaboratively before meeting with student
Each Specific Unsolved Problem is addressed separately

14. Categories Of Skills Executive Skills (attention, self-control)
Language processing skills (understanding language and communication skills)
Emotional regulation skills (mood swings, explosive emotions)
Flexibility/Adaptability (handling transitions and changes)
Social Skills (turn taking, sharing, showing empathy, respect of others)

15. Introduction to the ALSUP
ALSUP = Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems

16. ALSUP: Lagging Skills
The ALSUP is meant to be used as a discussion guide for achieving agreement
The ALSUP helps caregivers focus on the “can” and not on the “can’t”

17. Start ALSUP
“I have a list of lagging skills here. I am wondering if we could go through this together and choose some of the lagging skills you noticed affect Sandra’s functioning”

18. DEAD ends
He has ADHD (may tell the origin of the challenges, but not what we can do)
His mother’s crazy
He’s a middle child
She just wants attention (they don’t have the skill to seek attention in a positive way)
He just wants everything his own way
He’s a foster child
She just wants control
He’s manipulating us (that requires lots of skills forethought, planning, impulse control, organization that are usually lagging skills of explosive kids)
She’s just making bad choices (needs the skills to make good choices)
*If you can’t do anything about it.. Don’t mention it

19. The ALSUP: Unsolved Problems
The second section of the ALSUP is an area to list specific unsolved problems that come about because of challenging behaviours
Be as specific as possible about unsolved problems – with whom, over what, where and when are the challenging episodes occurring?
Focus on the specific problems, help make the general situation less ambiguous and LESS OVERWHELMING
The Unsolved Problems are the raw material for the Collaborative Problem Solving to Follow

20. The ALSUP: Unsolved Problems
Problems should be specific such as – Sandra is often the last student ready for classroom instruction after morning recess

21. Lagging Skills +Unsolved Problems
We can then move specific unsolved problems into priority order according to how often then occur

22. Practice 1
Choose a partner to be the lead CPS teacher and the other a teacher with a student exhibiting challenging behaviour
CPS teacher can introduce the ALSUP with the other teacher playing along with a real challenging student
Lagging Skills
Specific Unsolved Problems
Put them in Priority Order
How did it go?
What worked well?
What challenges did you have?

23. Practice 2
Switch roles
CPS teacher can introduce the ALSUP with the other teacher playing along with a real challenging student
Lagging Skills
Specific Unsolved Problems
Put them in Priority Order
How did it go?
What worked well?
What challenges did you have?