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Category Archives: Classroom

Positive Behaviour Supports

Positive Behaviour Supports

Parents, teachers, leaders: Most of us know that changing a challenging behaviour requires consistency and an adult that is calm. Positive Behaviour Supports and Interventions (PBS or PBIS in the education world) are positive and proactive systems for encouraging and reinforcing desired behaviours. When you have a plan in place ahead of time it is SO much easier to be consistent and calm!!

In one of the courses I participated in this year, I stumbled on this resource and I want to remember it! This interactive website is full of ideas, plans, and links for dealing with challenging behaviour (some links within are old and don’t work but still very worthy of bookmarking).

Polk Elementary School BPS Behavior Intervention

(It may be helpful to understand what Tiers 1, 2, and 3 are in behaviour intervention).

Tier 1 supports of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) consists of rules, routines, and physical arrangements that are developed and taught by [school] staff to prevent initial occurrences of behavior the school would like to target for change.

Tier 2 support is designed to provide intensive or targeted interventions to support students who are not responding to Tier 1 Support efforts. Interventions within Tier 2 are more intensive…

Tier 3 level support is provided to the 1-5% of students who may have very serious problem behaviors and may require more intensive and individualized supports.

(from http://www.pbis.org)

It’s been awhile…

It’s been awhile…

Yup, this blog has been dormant for a season. I am coming to the end of a one year sabbatical. It has been a time of self -reflecting,  healing, and refreshment.

I have tried on this blog to keep the writing short and the resources free. I’m ready to start sharing again!

If you instruct groups of people, in any kind of setting, this will be helpful to you. Because of the type of learner I often encounter, I compiled a downloadable list of ‘easy ways to engage your students’. Students that are engaged pay attention, learn more, remember more, are more likely to enjoy learning, and are less likely to have behavioural issues. Hope you find these helpful!

Easy Ways to Engage Your Students

Great for Kids and Card Games

A wonderful colleague gave me this idea.  So easy to make with box lids and duct tape. This card garage frees up little hands to sort their cards while still keeping them hidden and completed sets can lay on top.

Self Esteem – the Mental Health of Teens

I had the opportunity today to talk to the grade eight class about self esteem.

Here is part of the handout I created.

When I did the first session I had a student hold a mason jar of water to show that our problems get heavier over time if we don’t deal with them.  I also broke a ceramic jar and had a student glue it back together to show the cracks in our lives and how light can shine through.  Today while I talked I had a student assemble a ‘Vision Board’ for the class.  It was a lot of concepts to throw at the students in a short amount of time and I was so passionate I was hoarse afterwards!  Hopefully the students will find some concepts to help them through emotional struggles.  I tried to stress that integrity is the values and standards we find most important and then sticking to those standards.  Our worth and self esteem does not have to be measured by culture’s standards but by the standards we have set by our values.

Christ's Light in Jars of Clay

 

A Great Beginner Resource

I stumbled on this great site for early learning – letters, sight words and numbers.

All you need is a good printer and this site!

hand holding a pencil

It’s A Washing Machine!

It’s A Washing Machine!

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Sight Word Shirt goes in …. (flips over) and comes out clean!   

Instructions to make one are  HERE.

  
 

Life Skills

Starting some life skills classes: microwave cooking.

Warm chocolate cake + Good conversation + Snow falling outside my window = GREAT DAY

#igetpaidforthis?

  

Easy Social Narrative for Behavioural Concerns 

Social narratives are used proactively to visually review routine and expectations.  They are written to reflect positive choices.  This site contains a ‘visual engine’ to easily create a narrative.  I had fun making this!!

 

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Modified History

Modified History

My student made the game from the Fur Traders book in the Robert Livesey History Series. These books are full of activities.  Neat activities. 

Also pictured is a Donna Ward book that keeps it simple and provides short reading passages with questions.

  
   

Task Boxes

I am interested in the idea of ‘task boxes’ and have been pinteresting and googling.  Here a student works independently on a task box.  The function of the boxes has been math skills, literacy skills, and fine motor skills.  The box contains a photo (for a visual instruction) and after demonstrating a couple of times the student should be able to work independently.   I can see many good skills being practiced this way!

Photo (7)

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