Behaviour Guidance Strategies & Self-Regulation

Robert and Jana Marzano wrote that, “the quality of teacher-student relationships is they keystone for all other aspects of classroom management” (Marzano & Marzano, 2003, p. 6). I feel that if positive relationships are built and the four pillars of TRIBES are implemented, this will promote an inclusive and supportive learning community which will have minimal to non-existent behaviour issues. Challenging behaviours occur for many different reasons and there is not one uniform strategy that can be implemented and successful with every child. Below you will find a variety of strategies that I found effective over the 6 years of working with children in both child care and classroom settings:

Within the Early Childhood Education Program and Bachelor of Child Development Program I learned the following strategies:

• re-direction (instructing the child to another activity)
• decreasing distance (decreasing the distance between you and the child so you may speak with them one-on-one)
• eye-level (ensuring you are at the child's eye-level when speaking with them)
• gentle tone of voice (ensuring you speak to the child kindly and with respect)
• positive wording (focus on what they can do better next time and avoid negative words such as no, bad, or don't)
• choice (offer choices so the student feels that they have some control over their outcome)
• opportunity (provide students with an opportunity to correct their behaviour or show you they can behave)
• positive reinforcement & praise (always reinforce positive behaviours and provide praise when negative behaviours are corrected)
• the ABC model (A=antecedents, B=behaviours, C=consequences- try to determine what caused the behaviour and ensure that the consequences are natural consequences; those in which relate to the behaviour. One would not keep a child in for recess if they were not sharing a block, that would be an example of an unnatural consequence. A natural consequence would be that they can play with it for a specified amount of time and then pass it to the friend for the same amount of time and if they refused to share then they loose the privilege of playing with those blocks and have to choose another activity.

Within the Bachelor of Education Program at UOIT I learned about Bennets Bumps. When a student is demonstrating challenging behaviours the method to defuse such behaviour include “Bump 1. Low-key responses, Bump 2. Squaring off, Bump 3. Choices, and Bump 4. The implied choice” (Bennett & Smilanich, 1994). 

Visit: Bennets Bumps for more detail of what the bumps contain.

Currently, I try to implement those discussed above as well as take preventative measures during our community circle. I have purchased Thumballs which is “the premiere tool for development of essential communication skills. A soft, safe soccer style ball has evolved into a game linking the sustained attention of play with fun new ways of interacting. Thumballs inspires social awareness and a life-long love of learning” (youth light inc.) I have introduced the Self-Control Thumball to my students during our community circle time. This ball allows the students to read (with support) and respond to prompts about self-control and how to use it in social and emotional situations. Topics may include: recognizing big deals, understanding unhealthy thoughts, avoiding overreacting, calming yourself, and more. It allows my students to share their personal responses and learn to listen and respect their peers responses. I have also purchased: Personal Strengths, Team Building, and Empathy Thumballs. 

Visit: Thumball to purchase your own! - custom options available

Other preventative measures that my teaching partner Trista Dutt and I take in our FDK Classroom to support Behaviour Guidance and Self-Regulation are:

• visual schedule (we post and review our visual schedule so that our daily routines are made predictable for students which decreases their anxiety for whats happening next in their day (predictable routines)
• choice of learning centres (we allow our students to choose which learning centres they would like to visit in their day. This allows the students to have control over their learning. The only times that they have to participate are during whole group lessons or mini lessons)
• calming centre (we have a calming centre available at all times of the day should the students need some time to be alone or de-stress. Some items in this centre include: stress balls, sensory jars, pinwheels, and emotions reading rocks)

If you have any other behaviour guidance/ self-regulation strategies, please feel free to share them at : educate.invest.inspire@gmail.com or visit my Instagram: @educate.invest.inspire

My Teaching Philosophy

          As a Registered Early Childhood Educator, Child Development Specialist and Ontario Certified Teacher, one is constantly reflecting on their current practices and beliefs and adapting it to the needs of the students in their classroom. I will first reflect on my personality. I feel that I am a kind, nurturing, and patient person who is flexible and able to work as an effective team member. 

           Second I will reflect on my teaching style. I feel that I have a blend of a few types of teaching styles: a student-centered approach, a cooperative learning approach, experimental/hands-on approach, and a play/inquiry-based approach. I feel that the students should be active participants in their learning and they should work together within our learning communities to construct new knowledge. My role is that of a facilitator in that I guide their learning and conduct assessments long the way to monitor progress. I will provide support and encouragement to my students as needed while they create their own discoveries through an inquiry-based approach. I always try my best to create lessons that are cross-curricular (meeting more than one curriculum/curriculum expectation), technology enriched, contain the availability and use of manipulatives, and a provide opportunity for variety of groupings (independent, pairs, small groups, whole class). Many examples of this can be found on my Instagram page.

 Third I will reflect upon my philosophy of education. I believe that all students learn and grow at their own pace and that the needs and abilities of students all differ. I believe that there is no one right method of teaching or learning, rather the teacher adapts their teaching style and strategies to their students to better support their learning. Two theorists who I value are Lev Vygotsky’ Zone of Proximal Development and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model. 

Through Vygotsky I learned that it is important to look at what the child already knows, as well as what you would like them to learn and then provide opportunities to scaffold their learning so they may attain the new knowledge or skill. If educators are providing tasks that are above the child's zone of proximal development (ZPD) then they will become discouraged or anxious and withdrawn from the task. In contrast, if educators are providing work that is below what the child can achieve independently they also become disengaged from boredom as they have already successfully mastered that task.

Through Bronfenbrenner I learned that it is important to consider the environmental factors that surround an individual as the environment plays an important part in the growth and development of a child. I also learned the importance of relationships between the teachers and parents in working towards a common goal in maintaining the health and safety of children as well as to provide them with an education that meets their individual needs, interests, and abilities. It is important for educators to be culturally inclusive in our classrooms as well because we want all students to be included, accepted, respected, and valued!

My Publications

Anti-Bullying Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LU0d2qHhtY

This is an Anti-Bullying video that I co-created with Bianca DeSouza and Victoria DeBellis when we were Teacher Candidates at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology in 2015. This video was created for the SHARE: Great Educational Technology Challenge that was organized by the Peace Grantmakers Network.

As an educator, I would use this resource to introduce/teach about anti-bullying to my students. I would also co-create a teach chart (looks like/sounds like chart). One of the most important things I would do with my students is role play as I believe it holds utmost importance. I feel that if a student has practice defending themselves in role play situations that they are more likely to defend themselves if the situation should actually arise.

Research Paper: Comparison of Structured and Open-Ended Programming 

In 2014, I conducted first hand research, analyzed raw data, and utilized my findings as well as current theories to produce my very own research paper which compares the differences between structured and open-ended programming within an aftercare setting. My research concluded that open-ended programming allows children to demonstrate a greater sense of independence.

As an educator, this influenced my practice in that I strive to provide open-ended learning opportunities that are play-based, inquiry-based, and experimental/hands on. I also strive to ensure that the questions I pose for my students are open-ended as well (ones requiring more than just a yes or no response).

You may e-mail me at: educate.invest.inspire@gmail.com should you wish to obtain a copy of the research.

Author of We can SIGN Our ABC’s

In 2013, I created and published a book titled, "We Can SIGN Our ABC's". This book is was created to serve as a teaching tool to provide people with a basic understanding of American Sign Language so they are able to effectively communicate with a person who is hearing impaired or deaf. My intended audience was for children. This book would teach Children: The alphabet, how to sign it, letter recognition, uppercase/lowercase letters, and simple sentences. I donated $5 from every book sold to the Canadian Helen Keller Centre to support their programs and initiatives in supporting the hearing and visually impaired. My mother is both hearing and visually impaired and accesses their services, which allowed me to see the extent in which those services supports others.

As an educator, this influenced my practice by allowing me to have access to more resources in order to teach the students in my class (after care program at the time) American Sign Language. I also taught my students our National Anthem in American Sign Language.