Training and Consultation

A whole school comprehensive approach
is the primary focus of training.

Reducing verbal, physical and relational aggression, which includes bullying and harassment is best reduced by a comprehensive, coordinated and sustained whole school restorative approach. Effective programs change peer norms and school culture. Before any program can be fully effective there are two foundation principles that must be in place:
1. Adults teach and model pro-social relational behaviors and skills.
      - Building connectedness with and among students, staff and parents
2. Adults protect students by consistently responding to verbal, physical and relational aggression.
      - All aggression needs a response – we should intervene with actions likely to cause harm whether we think they have mean intent or not.
      - Adults must model control without hostility.
Research on school climate and culture has taught that in addition there are four major determinants of school climate:
1. Social Skills Development - social understanding and specific social skills.
      • Teach a consistent set of behavioral routines and skills.
      • Common language and cognitive processes
          - Self-calming strategies
          - A school-wide problem solving method
2. Teacher Skills Development
      • Modeling emotional regulation and positive regard for all
      • Consistent Discipline - every act of aggression needs a response
      • The 10 second intervention – responding to inappropriate language that is not directed at an individual
      • Restorative enquiry and reminders - teaching students cognitive structures for self reflection and cause and effect thinking
      • Emphasizing accountability
      • Giving directions and feedback
3. Social norms interventions
      • Using student and staff survey data to change
4. Building student community and sense of connectedness
      • Regular use of student circles
     

Comprehensive Programs - Whole School Approach

The Key to Safe School Climate and Reducing Bullying and Peer Aggression : Protecting, Connecting , Empowering and Restoring Students

Today’s students are presenting new behavioral challenges that reduce their capacity for connection and relationships within school. This is driven to a great extent by brain development and impacted by societal and school cultural issues. This translates to poor student-student and student-teacher relationships, reduced connection to school and lowered academic achievement for these students.

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 a connection to school, attached to the people around them and bullying and harassing behaviors are infrequent. This training presents a synthesis of the brain development and connection to school research from the Wingspread Declaration that will guide participants in developing effective strategies and skills for creating safe and orderly classroom and school climate.

The strategies and skills taught in this workshop can be immediately utilized by staff members and will assist their students in:
    • Developing procedural and organizational skills
    • Improving impulse control
    • Increasing problem solving capacity
    • Building relationships with staff and other students
    • Reducing peer aggression.

This whole school training integrates research from the fields of education, social science, brain development, behavior, discipline, school climate and connectedness and restorative processes creating a powerful force for positive change in school climate and culture.

 

Bullying Prevention Program Implementation:
The Maine Project Against Bullying

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 whole school approach to bullying prevention based upon the successful program of bullying researcher Dr. Dan Olweus. Modifications were made 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 go to: http://mainelaw.maine.edu/mlce/bully.htm

 

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.

 

Staff Development Workshops
that support a Whole School Approach

 

Improving Academics by Decreasing Peer Aggression and Improving Student Connectedness to School

This workshop presents a synthesis of the Wingspread Declaration connection to school research that will guide participants in developing effective strategies for creating safe and orderly classroom and school climate. Research proven foundation principles of a safe school climate and the skills necessary to maintain them will be taught. Parallels to bullying prevention and restorative practices work will be emphasized to help participants realize that integrating these concepts produces improvements in school climate and reductions in aggressive behaviors at school.

Organizing Schools for Order and Safety

Unstructured transitional moments at school increase opportunities for student aggression to take place. Many students entering school today are lacking in basic organizational skills like 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 K-8. Participants will trouble shoot their own class/school for lack of structure and clear procedures and create the needed procedures to bring back to their school for immediate implementation.

 

Peer Aggression and the Brain: It’s all in their heads

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 and relationships. Participants will leave this workshop with fresh perspective on student behavior and insight in how to apply current best practices in prevention peer aggression at school.

 

Media Today: Creating challenges for parents and schools

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 participants will better understand the impact that media messages have on the developing attitudes and behavior of our children and possess strategies for mediating these effects.  This workshop is appropriate for parents, teachers and students. Specific recommendations for parental management of media in the home are included in the presentation.

 

Preventing and Responding to Peer Aggression on the Bus:
Bus Driver Training

For many students the ride to school is not pleasant and may be frightening because of the level of peer aggression on the bus. Bus Drivers cannot and do not see every act of aggression. There are strategies that can reduce the amount of peer aggression on the bus. This training raises driver awareness of the seriousness of the problem and encourages them to work collaboratively with school personnel to solve behavior problems on the bus.

 

Improving School Climate Through the Teaching of Social Skills

One major determinant of school climate is the social skills proficiency of the students. 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:
    • cooperative warm-ups
    • non-traditional group games
    • trust building and problem solving activities
    • relationship building activities for student meetings
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.

 

Classroom Management, Behavior and School Climate:
It’s all in your head

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.

 

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.

 

For more information or to arrange for trainings contact:
Chuck Saufler at 207-751-4160
Or e-mail
csaufler@midcoast.com