Instructing Ideas

Thank you Mr President and thank you to all our briefers.

I’ll split my remarks if I may into what we heard from Mark and Martin and then what we’ve heard from Ms Gamba and from Muna Luqman but I think it was all very powerful. Thank you to Mark, Martin and General Lollesgaard, who we will hear from later, for their tireless efforts to push implementation of the agreements reached in Stockholm. I think Muna’s testimony was very powerful, but we know that the UN has been working very hard to get implementation. And I think I speak for everyone in the Council in saying the Council really wants to stay united behind you in pushing for that. The fact that you’ve got agreements to the concept of operations for Phase 1 as you say is helpful. I don’t think we underestimate the scale of the task. Martin, you referred to the fact that voluntary withdrawals would be the first time this has happened in the Yemeni context so we appreciate the scale of the task. But at the same time, we do want the parties to be aware that the lack of implementation is very worrying and we urge all the parties to put in place whatever steps need to be taken to get Stockholm implemented in full. And we also look to the parties to remove all the impediments to the UN’s ability to operate effectively in Hodeidah. And we’ll have a couple of questions to follow up on when we go into closed consultations.

I wanted to turn to what Mark said; I think it’s shocking that we can’t get access to the Red Sea Mills after all this time. We were very hopeful after the last briefing but it’s very disappointing to hear that those obstacles still continue. And I just want to echo Mark’s call; if it’s possible for the grain to be salvaged, even at this late stage, then I think we look to the parties to redouble their efforts to work with the UN to ensure that can happen. I think obviously the figures Mark gave us about the 80 percent drop in humanitarian assistance in what we know is already the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world. The contrast between those two statements is extremely alarming and Mr President, I’m running out of superlatives to echo how worrying this is. There’s been some very welcome pledges from Saudi Arabia and the UAE and they have just announced disbursing $200 million of the pledges that they’ve made. But there’s still a $1.5 billion funding gap in the humanitarian response plan. For our part, we have pledged $300 million and we’ve brought forward our disbursement so we can support the UN. But I would like to encourage all donors today to disburse their funds rapidly and to pledge additional funds throughout the year.

Turning to the very powerful testimonies we heard from the SRSG and from Ms Muna Luqman, thank you for putting the focus on children. Today is a very good moment to reflect quite how desperate the plight of children is in Yemen. And I just want to pay tribute also to the Belgium PR and his mission for all the work they have done on children in the Yemen conflict. We need to consider very carefully what you’ve told us. And we heard from Muna a very graphic account of what the continuing conflict means for individuals. And I think you’re quite right, Muna to hold the Council to account and to ask us to work with the UN to do more. So we will take that very seriously and we will do what we can.

Finally, Mr President, I just wanted to end going back to the Stockholm Agreement. It was designed to build confidence and prepare the road for a comprehensive political process to end the conflict. That’s such an important goal. The stakes are too high for us to let that fail and the Council, in our view, Mr President, should be ready to take stronger measures if there’s no progress by our next meeting. And I’d like to follow that up in consultations, if I may. Thank you.

It can be difficult to think of effective consequences that actually teach BETTER BEHAVIOR than simply punish a child for a discipline problem!  But after teaching 28 years, I have come up with quite a few ideas that I have tucked away in my bag of discipline tricks, and I am excited to share them with you today!  These are all (well, mostly!) positive consequences that I have used successfully in Transitional Kindergarten (TK), Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade.  And now since we are a PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) school, it will be handy to have a fresh look at this list.  I hope that it's helpful to you, too!

Consequences That Teach Better Behavior Instead of Punish

1.  Start with the Positives!

Of course, we always start with the positives, right?  We offer praise and encouragement.  We recognize the children that are making good choices with statements such as, "____ is helping us by lining up quietly."  Or, "_____ is following directions by cleaning up the first time he was asked."  In addition, I am working on avoiding phrases, such as "I like the way ______..." unless I am VERY specific on what the child is doing that helps our class.  Also I want the children to work towards making our classroom a better place for everyone, rather than just pleasing ME! 

2.  Redirect When Positives Fail

When the positives fail, I redirect children to other activities if possible.  For example, if the children are having trouble at recess or inside playtime, it's fairly easy to explain that their behavior with that toy/game was not okay, and then interest them in a different activity as an alternative.  I tell them that they can try that first activity again tomorrow to see if they can remember the correct way to use it, etc.  

If the child is misbehaving during a lesson, such as talking with a neighbor, it can be tough to redirect that child, because you have to continue with the lesson, and the child needs to see it.  So I first remind the child that they cannot talk during a lesson, and they may miss something important.  Telling a child the reason WHY is important!  I also tell them what will happen if they continue- that I will not be able to allow them to continue to sit there, because that won't be a good learning spot for him or her.  It's not a punishment; it's a way to help the child learn. 

During a whole group lesson, if a child is still misbehaving after a verbal reminder, the next step is redirecting or moving him or her.  But this does NOT have to be a "TIME OUT" moment!  Simply don't treat is as a punishment!  Spin it as a second chance to learn better and try again in a different place.  I tend to move kids around, giving them assigned seats on our colored carpet rug until I figure out the best seating configuration for everyone anyway.  

For more severe behavior issues that cannot be solved by a simple seat change, here are some redirection types of things to try that I have had success with.

• Send a restless child to go and draw a picture at a table of what the teacher is teaching, rather than just sit and listen with the rest of the group.
• Send a child to a center to do something calming, such as stare at a relaxation jar or squeeze a fidget, etc.
• One child I know responded to the fine motor exercise of clipping clothespins on the edge of a bowl.  When the bowl was empty, he was usually calm enough to rejoin the class. 
• Another child had a book with a social story in it to read.  It was customized for her with her rules and consequences.  When she was having a tough day, she would go and "read it" (she had it memorized in no time!) and color a page!

The key to making redirection work is that you cannot let the problem get too big before stepping in to take care of it.  Otherwise, it could just wind up making you look weak. 

Proactive Redirection?  Yes!  Solve It Before It Begins!

In the past, I have had a few children that just behaved and learned better in certain locations in the room during whole group lessons- especially when they were just plain separated from other students in back at a table, but alone!  So in order to PROACTIVELY AVOID an issue that might come up.  I told those certain children quite clearly and gently that they were NOT in time out or in trouble in any way, but that I was HELPING THEM stay OUT of trouble, so that they could have a great day!  If they object, I tell them that I want to try it this time, and then we can compare it to their learning behavior in their regular seat next time.  Wherever they learn and behave best is the best spot!

3.  Remove the Child and Private Chat

When these other steps fail, I have my class play The Quiet Game if necessary and then pull the child aside for a little chat.  Then I ask the child to look me in the eyes and tell me what they were doing, and whether or not it was a good choice.  We talk about it for a minute. Then they have to tell me what they will do differently next time.  I do try to connect with the child during this time, and really try to understand what caused the behavior, and what the child's underlying message is.  Remember, all behavior is communication!  So what is the child trying to say? 

All that being said, there are times when these chats have to happen during recess, only because we have to preserve our instructional time.  I do believe in consequences that teach, but I also believe that the rest of the class is entitled to their chance to learn, and that no child should have the power to take our learning time away by regularly disrupting the class on purpose. 

But this is the key:  the child cannot rejoin the group until they have told me what they did wrong and what they will do differently next time.  That's the learning piece!  And it's also one of the most difficult things for some children- and not because they don't KNOW what they did wrong- they just don't like to ACKNOWLEDGE it!

Other points to remember:  Give the child a chance to save face.  Never publicly humiliate a child.  Preserve the relationship between you and the child or things will get worse and worse for you, not better!  Treat all children with the compassion and grace that you would want for your own children.

4.  Beyond "The Chat": What to Do With Severe Problems

As unpleasant as it is to think about, there are occasionally children that are hurting so much that they present very severe discipline problems.  These are the ones that NEED you to form a relationship with them the very MOST!  Try to talk to them each day, making eye contact with them as they come through the door and greeting them personally.  Children who need love the most usually ask for it in the most unloving ways!  Comment on how hard they are working or congratulate them for getting to school on time.  Just get to know the child.  It makes a difference!

Here are some consequences for these children that have worked for me:

• When children are upset about something that happened, sometimes I have the child draw a picture of what happened, and of what they will do differently next time.
•  Another idea is to have the child draw a picture of why he is angry.
• A "Thinking Chair" is a good place for a child that just needs to STOP for a few moments, calm down, and think about redirecting HIMSELF.  Even adults are entitled to a time out now and then and should be able to ask for it. 
• Have child sort pictures of good choices and bad choices.  There is a wonderful set I found here!
• Have the child play ALONE for a day or a week, since she or he is a danger to the other children.  I put a jumprope around the area that the child could play in, and told the other children that they could not enter it.  This is usually QUITE effective and can bring about a big change in behavior.
• Send the child to another teacher's classroom for some time to think.  Often, this makes kids uncomfortable enough that they prefer to avoid it and are motivated to change their behavior.
• If a child has reached the point that he/she is on a daily behavior contract, then at that point, the rewards and consequences have usually been agreed upon by the parents, teachers, and administrators.  Sometimes, this may include loss of some recess or playtime.  It could also be a home consequence.  But whatever it is, it is a consequence that the child responds to and cares about.  Loss of recess/playtime is the LAST thing I do, not the first.
• Older children  that can write may respond to writing complete sentences telling "Ten Reasons Why" whatever they had done was a bad choice. They could not go onto any of the more fun things, such as iPad time, computer time, reading with friends, etc., until this was finished.  They really hated it, but if they wanted to do ANYTHING fun for the rest of the day, they had to do it.  It was an effective deterrent.
• Older children with writing skills can write down why they are angry, what happened, and what they will do next time.  
• Older children can fill out a flow chart that indicates the causes and effects of each of their choices so that it's clear that they understand which choices caused their current predicament, and another flow chart that shows what better choices they can make that will result in things they like.

5.  What to Do With Children That Keep Hitting, Hurting, etc.

If you wind up with a child that is continually hurting other children by hitting, kicking, spitting, pinching, etc., then you have your work cut out for you!  Of course, you can NOT allow the child to hurt the other children.  That's a given.  So even if that aggressive child doesn't really seem to be doing any real damage to the others, you'll still have to deal with it and put a stop to it or it will likely just intensify until you do.  I think that this is because behavior like this is usually a cry for help (or a message of some kind), at least in my opinion.  We teachers may not have the expertise to identify the underlying problem, but we can be sure that there is one.  Start observing, take some notes, and get the parents in there and try to figure it out!  Look for consistent triggers that precede the behavior as well.  Eliminating those may help you eliminate the undesired behavior.

So what's the REAL problem?  Does the child seem to have friends?  If not, why not?  Is mom having a baby?  Is everything alright at home?  Are the parents getting along?  Did mom just go back to work?  Has dad been recently deployed?  Did they just move?  Did a grandparent pass away? Are these behaviors allowed at home?  (Because if so, those behaviors will probably continue at school!)  Is there a disabled sibling in the family?  How much sleep is this child getting regularly??  What does he typically eat before school, if anything?  Is this child just DYING for ATTENTION, ANY KIND OF ATTENTION???  Any of these things can trigger behavior problems in young children!  Get to the bottom of it and you're halfway there!

When a child's behavior is regularly SO BAD that there is a problem several times a day, it's time to put the child on a daily contract.

A Behavior Contract in Which You Focus on the Positives

In cases like these, I have the child work ONLY for the POSITIVES rather than call out the negatives continually. If she did something minor wrong, I marked it on her contract, but that's it.  But if the child did nothing wrong, he/she was pronounced GOOD!!! This worked very well for me one year recently.  I had the day written out like a schedule on her contract, and she would try to earn a stamp to put on each time slot (such as story time, walking in line, or reading table, etc.) or by following the rules during each one.  

She enjoyed putting the stamps on, and I tried hard to remind myself to praise her each time we transitioned into something new- assuming she had behaved.  If she had trouble, then I marked it on her contract and reminded her to try again next time, because I KNEW SHE COULD DO IT! I am including a copy of this contract here as a free download for you.  Unfortunately, it is not editable unless you happen to use QuarkXpress on the Mac.  If you do, just let us know and we'll send you an editable version!

If an apology was needed, I asked her for it.  Sometimes, I asked her to explain what she did wrong, and what a better choice would be, and why.  HOWEVER, my policy was that if she HURT someone, then I would take away recess or playtime- in five minute increments only- because playtime is crucial for children. 

So the main take away here is that the contract was really for ME!  It kept ME, the TEACHER, faithful in giving her positive feedback after every subject before we transitioned to the next one.  And she got the extra attention that she seemed to want so desperately, in the form of my praise and the stamps on her contract.  In addition, her parents did an excellent job following through with things at home. 

And guess what?  After a few months, she didn't really need all of the extra praise and constant attention any more!  Sometimes we both forgot about the contract and the stamps for a couple of hours!  Her better behavior won her some friends and she started getting the regular kind of positive attention that everyone truly enjoys.  She went from hitting/hurting two to four times per day to perhaps one or two times per week.  And I call that a HUGE success!

What about the rest of the kids?  Don't they want it too?

This behavior contract has worked for me in very difficult situations about five different times over the years.  It has never NOT worked to improve behavior!  Yes, it is time consuming in the classroom, and yes, all of the children would like the stamps.  But when a child is having so many problems in the classroom, it's usually quite obvious to the other children that he/she needs help.  They really DO understand!  Just give them some chances to try out the stamps, or whatever it is, and they'll get over it.  Mine always do. 

I hope that this was helpful to you in some way!  Have a wonderful school year!

- Heidi

P.S. Here are a few blog posts with some more behavior management tips! And be sure to check our Classroom Management collection on Heidisongs.com!

Getting Control of Classroom Transitions

Getting Control of a VERY Difficult Class, Take Two

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The number of successful one-to-one device programs in K–12 has piqued the interest of university administrators around the country about how they may be able to integrate their own programs.

Some higher education institutions have already started to create their own versions, which have been met with varying, but overall resounding, success.

There has been much discussion about providing personal devices to college students. However, the uptake has been slow as institutions try to find adequate resources and create networks that can handle the increase in devices on campus. 

To help fellow institutions, early adopters of one-to-one computing in higher education offer lessons learned from their own experiences. Here are their top three recommendations to ensure a successful rollout.

1. Strong Personal Device Programs Start with Strong Leadership

It’s critical to have an organized, cross-functional team to guide the process from start to finish, says Peter Kostiuk, director of strategic development at MIAT College of Technology. 

That includes not only committed faculty and students, but also administrative and IT experts who understand the financial and technical requirements of one-to-one programs.

To create a cross-functional team, it’s important to have structured team goals, perhaps through a team charter, and to establish a rhythm through practices like weekly meetings, according to leadership and organization consultant Alison Randel. 

2. Make Sure Your Network Infrastructure Is Prepared

Many colleges will need to upgrade Wi-Fi to accommodate the influx of connected devices. 

To support its one-to-one rollout, the Douglas J Aveda Institute added a new Cisco 5500 series wireless controller and Cisco 2702 access points.

“We put new Cisco gear in every classroom, and it’s been relatively smooth sailing ever since,” Brent Branch, executive director of the resource team told EdTech.

Upgrading a Wi-Fi network is more than just installing access points, however. IT teams will also need to integrate network optimization tools, back-end support systems and a robust security network. Alternatively, administrators can bring in a third-party to help create a robust network infrastructure. 

This process can be expensive, and for some institutions, there may not be a need for a complete overhaul. Before even starting the upgrade process, universities may want to invest in an assessment of their networks, from bandwidth to security, to understand how best to allocate their resources. 

3. Invest in Training Faculty for Digital Integration

Designing a new device program and a network to support it will be useless if professors are unable to utilize the technology in the classroom. 

Maryville University in St. Louis extended faculty contracts by two weeks so it could provide 80 hours of paid professional development on using iPads in the classroom.

During that time, professors at Maryville were able to attend seminars on how to use the iPads in class, and learned from each other through conversations about best practices and experiences.

The training investment reaped great rewards. Just two years into the program’s implementation, faculty confidence in using technology rose from 10 to 90 percent, according to Inside Higher Ed.

While educational seminars are a good place to start, university IT professionals may also want to look at certain K–12 training resources that are transferable to the higher education classroom, considering one-to-one device programs are more common in K–12 at the moment.

To learn more about one-to-one device programs, read “1:1 Computing Graduates from K–12 to Higher Education.”

This week I’ve been:

• Sending out Issue #309 of my Thought Shrapnel newsletter. This one was called ‘Different’. Thanks to the 40 patrons who back me via Patreon plus those who continue their support via Gumroad!
• In Barcelona for MoodleMoot Spain from Monday night to Friday night, where Mayel de Borniol and I:
  • Visited the newly-opened Moodle Spain office.
  • Presented at the DevJam and then at the Moot on the current status of the MoodleNet project. You can see the slides we used for the latter here.
  • Transcribed the post-it notes with feedback from participants in the session we ran. You can see what they said here.
  • Caught up with colleagues and community members in the sunshine!
• Purchasing five more ebooks from Verso thanks to their 90% off flash sale:
• Curating interesting things I came across on the Thought Shrapnel blog. This week I collected some quotations and commented on the following:

Next week I’m working from home on Monday, in York on Tuesday working with the National STEM Learning Network, and then working with Moodle from Wednesday to Friday.

This 1- or 2-year position is ideal for a motivated scholar with a strong background of experimental skills in cognitive neuroscience and/or computational modeling. Specific projects will be developed with the scholar. Applicants must receive their PhD within 3 years of the application date. Applicants should submit a cover letter, CV, and 3 representative papers, and arrange for 3 letters of reference to be sent to: [email protected] Start date (negotiable) is early 2018. For further details, contact Caroline Palmer ([email protected]).

http://crblm.ca/ | http://www.brams.org/ | http://www.cirmmt.org/

If you are searching for a funding opportunity in the UK, here is an opportunity to complete your search. The School of Psychology is inviting applicants for joining the PhD Studentship program at Cardiff University.

The award aims to provide a dynamic and stimulating learning environment for high academic achievement candidates and also help them in their study funding.

A summer internship at MIT Lincoln Laboratory is an opportunity that will show you how professional research and critical thinking are done in real time, in real life.

With the internship program, candidates will be completing their junior year toward a BS degree or pursuing an MS or a PhD degree in engineering majors or a comparable technical field.