Training and Consultation

The Maine Bullying Prevention Program

The Maine Project Against Bullying (MPAB) was a task force that had been assembled by the Maine DOE in 1997, funded by a Perkins grant, to study the issue of harassment in elementary schools. Over the three years of the project the work of the task force included developing a survey instrument suitable for administration to elementary level students, developing baseline data on the extent of bullying behavior in Maine schools, and the provision of training to schools statewide who wished to implement bullying prevention initiatives.

The MPAB developed a “Maine Model” training program for schools based upon the successful program of bullying researcher Dr. Dan Olweus. The Maine Model made modifications to the Olweus program to make it more easily adopted in Maine schools. Since 2000 the work of the MPAB has been carried on at the University of Southern Maine Law School, Maine Law and civics Education Program.

Chuck Saufler was co-coordinator of the MPAB and is currently lead trainer at the USM program. For more information on the Maine model go to: http://mainelaw.maine.edu/mlce/bully.htm

Target Audience: Whole School Community

The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

The Olweus Bullying Prevention Program is a comprehensive school wide program designed for use in elementary, middle, or junior high schools . Its goals are to reduce and prevent bullying problems among school children, improve the social climate of classrooms and school, and reduce related anti-social behaviors, such as vandalism and truancy.

For more program information go to : http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/ Chuck Saufler is a Nationally Certified Trainer in the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program

Target Audience: Whole School Community

Title: Bringing the Brain Into Bullying Prevention

Today’s students are presenting new behavioral challenges. These challenges are driven to a great extent by brain development and are impacted by societal, family and school cultural issues. This workshop will examine those issues from the perspective of the research in brain development and it’s impact on behavior. Participants will leave this workshop with fresh perspective on student behavior and insight in how to apply current best practices in bullying prevention.

Target Audience: PreK-8 Teachers, Administrators, Parents, Child Care Providers

Bringing Order to Chaotic Minds – Procedural learning, Part 1

Many students entering school today are lacking in the basic skills of organization, sequencing, following multiple step directions, good manners, impulse control and accepting and responding to redirection from adults. This workshop looks to the brain research for the reasons these difficulties develop and offers a research based solution to correcting these problems.

Bringing Order to Chaotic Minds – Procedural Learning, Part 2

This workshop builds on the theory of part one and provides participants the opportunity to put theory into practice. Participants will trouble shoot their own class/school for lack of clear procedures and create the needed procedures to bring back to their school for immediate implementation.

Title: Improving Student Connectedness to School to Reduce Aggressive Behaviors

This workshop presents a synthesis of the connection to school research that will guide participants to develop effective strategies for creating safe and orderly classroom and school climate. Parallels to bullying prevention work will be emphasized to help participants realize that integrating these concepts produces improvements in school climate and reductions in aggressive behaviors at school.

Target Audience: K-12 Staff and Administration

Title: School Climate , Bullying , Depression, Suicide: Connecting the Dots

Although there is ample anecdotal evidence of some victims of bullying committing suicide, there is no definitive study that proves this direct causal link. There is however ample evidence of the links between victimization and depression and depression and suicidal ideation. This workshop is based on the work of the Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Program and focuses on helping people see that bullying prevention is suicide prevention.

Target Audience: K-12 Staff, Administration, Parents

Title: Mommy , Where Do Bullies Come From ?

Violence is a part of every child’s life in America. It originates in many places and affects each child at every stage of development. This workshop delves into the factors that put kids at risk to develop bullying behavior in early childhood through middle adolescence and provides a framework for interventions at different developmental stages.

Target Audience: Parents, Early Childhood Educators, Child Care Providers

Making all kids, our kids – Collaborative Problem Solving

Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS), based on the work of Ross Greene, proposes that difficult behavior be understood and managed in the same way as other learning disabilities. That is, difficult children lack crucial cognitive and emotional skills essential to handling frustration and demands for flexibility and adaptability. CPS helps adults and children learn to work collaboratively towards finding enduring solutions to problems thereby enhancing flexibility and frustration tolerance in both interaction partners. There is a proactive emphasis on preventing and solving problems before they occur.

Media Violence and the Development of Aggressive Behavior in Children and Adolescents

Research shows that there is a direct causal link between exposure to media violence and the development of aggressive behavior in children. By the end of this workshop you will be prepared to help parents better understand the importance of their taking control of all media in their home. This workshop is appropriate for parents and parent groups . Specific recommendations for parental management of media in the home are included in the presentation.

Improving School Climate Through the Teaching of Social Skills.

Most teachers have no formal training in teaching social skills. This workshop will teach you the essentials of social skills teaching through participation in a cross section of no prop and minimal prop adventure activities including:

Through the briefing - activity - debriefing sequence you will examine how these activities and a supportive group process will strengthen school climate and help students become responsible, cooperative learners.

What Brain Research Tells Us About Classroom Management, Behavior and School Climate

Ask any teacher who has been teaching for more than 5 years and they will tell you that today’s students are different than they used to be. The reason for this noticeable difference is explained in the current brain research. This workshop gives teachers and administrators a new lens with which to view their students and strategies to bring about positive cultural change in their classroom and school.

Students and staff…making the connection

Raising student achievement is the goal of every school. In order for that to happen school has to be a safe and orderly place where students feel connected to the school environment, and attached to the people around them. Today’s students are presenting new behavioral challenges in schools that reduce their capacity for connection to school and relationships within school. These behaviors are driven to a great extent by brain development, are impacted by societal and school cultural issues, and affect their global functioning. This translates to poor student teacher relationships, reduced connection to school and lowered academic achievement for these students. This workshop presents a synthesis of the brain development and connection to school research that will guide participants in developing effective strategies for creating safe and orderly classroom and school climate.

Student Assistance Professionals are key team members who bring new strategies to staff that foster stronger connections with students. The strategies proposed in this workshop can be immediately shared with staff members and will assist their students in improving:

The material for this workshop draws heavily from the works of Sigurd Zielke, Ruby Payne and the research presented at the Wingspread Conference on School Climate and Connectedness held June, 2003 in Racine, Wisconsin.

Target Audience: K-12 Staff, Administration, Student Assistance Professionals