Enhancing Positive Behavior Skills January 9 th, 2009 ERF Professional Development Younwoo Lee Information in this presentation is available for noncommercial use only. You may use the information provided that: (a) you do not modify or delete any content; (b) you do not redistribute content without identifying the website and author as the source of content; (c) the use of content does not suggest that our ERF project promotes or endorses any third party causes, ideas, Web sites, products or services. For additional permission requests, please contact Dr. Mary Abbott,

Enhancing Social/Emotional Skills Social Emotional Teaching Strategies Individualized Intensive Interventions (Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning) Supportive Environments Building Positive Relationships with Children and Families

Three Stages of teaching social skills 1.Show and Tell : Acquisition – new skill or concept 2.Practice Makes Perfect : Fluency – the ability to immediately use the skill or concept without a prompt 3. You Got It! : Maintenance – continuing to use the skill or concept over time : Generalization – applying the skill or concept to new situations, people, activities, and settings

Acquisition Stage : Show and Tell Explain concretely Demonstrate Link to other ideas or concepts Examples and non-examples Encourage child when learning Skill or concept can be easily lost at this stage…encourage, encourage, encourage

Fluency : Practice Makes Perfect Offer multiple opportunities to practice Help child link concept or skill to others Prompt the child to use the skill or concept in new situations Elaborate on the skill or concept

Teaching Strategies Adult Modeling Modeling with Puppets Working with Peer Partners Fingerplays Flannel Board Activities Songs Prompts Reinforcements Use of Games Use of Children’s Literature Social Stories

Maintenance and Generalization : You Got it! Provide opportunities to use the skill or concept in new situations or with new people Provide opportunities within a variety of activities and in new applications Comment on the child’s ability to maintain the skill and generalize it’s use

Promoting maintenance & generalization of skills Consistent use of strategies across all teachers Numerous repetition across daily routines Positive descriptive feedback on child’s appropriate behavior Provide a “fun” atmosphere

Steps to Teaching : Throughout the Day Identify the skill you want to teach Teach the social skills concept –during large group, small group and provide individualized instruction for children who need it Give children opportunities to practice – role play, prompting children through an interaction, embedding instruction into daily routines Model the behaviors in everyday interactions Reinforce the behavior in context Involve children in talking about the skills – individually or in a group

Remember 4P’s! Practice - Practice an appropriate behavior or skill Praise - Praise or reward the appropriate behavior or skill Point Out - Point out the appropriate behavior of other children Prompt - Prompt when the behavior would be appropriate * 4P’s approach by Christophersen & Mortweet, 2003

Social skills that we picked Goal 1 Following directions Listening Sharing Goal 2 Showing Affection Knowing your feelings Accepting to say no! Being First Good Manners Trying when it is hard Saying thank you

Strategies that we picked Model, encourage to use nice words Have children choose special friend Discuss about how to express feelings Practice different emotions with faces Post pictures of feelings Role play, Finger plays, Songs, Stories, Books, Puzzles Positive feedback, praises, reinforcement

Examples of great social strategies that we use in our classroom Modeling Reinforcing positive behavior Transition activity (song, listening rap, clapping names) Who is ready? Calm down activity Transition to small group (Riding on a bus) Transition during small group Taking a turn Redirecting behavior Understanding consequences

Let’s work on maintenance & generalization process Each classroom teachers discuss about the ways to enhance maintenance and generalization of two social skills that already picked. Make any changes in sections  Acquisition thorough show & tell  Fluency through practicing  Maintenance & Generalization

Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning Center for Evidence Based Practice :Young children with challenging behavior Positive Approaches to Challenging Behavior havior/default.html havior/default.html Websites