Creating a Container for Learning

1. Creating a Container for Learning Laurie Frank GOAL Consulting April 30, 2012

2. Agenda • Introduction- Protocols, Introductory Activities • Transformative Approaches- Internal vs. External- Container Concept- Invitational Education • Dealing with Behavior & Conflicts- PII: Prevention, Intervention, Invention • Closing

3. Part 1Introduction Protocols Introductory Activities Youth Today Framework

4. Protocols or Ground Rules • Assume Good Intentions • Ouch/Oops • Make the experience work • Right to Pass • Others?

5. “Never has youth been exposed to such dangers of both perversion and arrest as in our own land and day.” G.S. Hall, Psychologist (1844-1924) “The world is passing through troubled times. The young people of today think of nothing but themselves.” Peter the Hermit, French monk in the First Crusade (1050-1115)

6. “Youth love luxury. They have bad manners. They are tyrants. They contradict their parents, talk too much nonsense, guzzle their food, and tyrannize their teachers.” Socrates, Greek philosopher (470-399 BC) “Today’s young people no longer respect their parents. They are rude and impatient. They have no self-control.” Hieroglyphic translated from Egyptian tomb (circa 4000 BC)

9. Part 2Transformative Approaches Internal vs. External Reasons for Behavior Container Concept Invitational Education

10. Responding Thinking before we act Reacting Acting without thinking

11. NPR Story: Working with the teenage brain: a parent’s perspective See also: Frontline (2002) Inside the Teenage Brain: A Work in Progress (2002). http://www.pbs.org/frontline/video/share.html?s=frol02nfa8q392

13. Brainstorming 1. Ways to use the item in beneficial or helpful ways 2. Ways to use the item in harmful or hurtful ways

14. “People and environments are never neutral, they are either summoning or shunning the development of human potential.” Purkey & Novak, Inviting School Success

15. The Container Concept

16. Not all Containers are Alike

18. We Have Choices…We have Influence… What are the qualities of your container at school?

19. INVITATIONAL EDUCATION www.invitationaleducation.net

20. Part 3PII: Prevention, Intervention, Invention

21. PII • Prevention is anything we do to prevent conflict in our programs or to prepare for it before it happens. • Intervention is responding when conflicts do happen. • Inventionis creating something new and constructive out of the situation.

22. PBIS Continuum and PII Approach INVENTION INTERVENTION PREVENTION

23. PREVENTIONLaying groundwork such as: • Establishing procedures, routines, and norms for common activities; (Community agreements) • Creating a feeling of community and caring;(Sequence) • Building relationships and a sense of trust;(Being Trustworthy)

24. PREVENTION • Strength basedUsing learning moments to teach/practice skills rather than fix a problem • Engaging Curriculum • Safe Environment • Protocols/AgreementsGround rules (external), community agreements (internal) • Teaching of skills Lifeskills, emotional literacy, social emotional skills, conflict resolution

25. INTERVENTIONDealing with the conflict in ways that: • Solve problems; • Help students to be more independent in their conflict resolution; (Response to bullying and harassment, Proactive response to conflict)

26. INTERVENTIONDealing with the conflict in ways that: • Help students learn from their experiences; • Improve relationships among students as well as between students and staff. SEE: Conflict Resolution in the High School By Miller Lieber

27. REACTION

28. Defusing Anger • Listen attentively while the other person vents his or her anger. • Don’t get defensive: stay calm • Keep your focus on the other person • Encourage him or her to keep talking. • Restate and reflect the other person’s feelings:“I can see that you’re upset because…”“I can tell you’re angry about…”“ You feel … because…”“ You sound…” • “I hear you saying that…”

29. PROACTIVE INTERVENTION • Staying Calm: Resist emotional flooding (using the prefrontal cortex) • Defusing Anger • De-escalating Conflict • Resolving ConflictRather than short-circuiting it

30. INVENTIONUsing conflict productively to: • Help students learn; • Mobilize support and structure for individual students • Identify problems, weaknesses and areas of concern in the classroom; • Identify skills individual students need to develop in conflict resolution. SEE: The Resilience Revolution: Discovering Strengths in Challenging Kids by Brendtro & Larson

31. Key Invention questions Is the conflict: • A sign that something is wrong with the program; • A sign students need more skills; • A sign that the program is not well-planned; • A sign that we need to look outside of the program to address the conflict?

32. Key Invention questions • Are there new procedures we need to establish in the program? • Do we need to revise our procedures or schedules? • Is our program meeting students’ needs? • Are we planning in a way that prevents conflict?

33. Part 4Closing

35. Cairns

36. What Guides You? What shows you the way? • People • Talents/Gifts • Ideas • Insights • Inspiration • Life Experience • Family • Beliefs & Ideals • Values • Theories & Models

37. How did I add to my cairn?

38. “I am because we are. We are because I am.” African Proverb

39. Laurie Frank GOAL Consulting 1337 Jenifer Street Madison, Wisconsin 53703 USA +1-608-251-2234 LSFrank@mac.com www.goalconsulting.org You are here