Andrea Rousso taught in NYC public schools for 33 years before joining the Hidden Sparks team as a coach and facilitator. She initially taught emotionally fragile children with special needs at IHB Day Treatment Center in collaboration with clinicians from the Jewish Board of Children and Family Services. Later, as a teacher-trainer for special education, she consulted with teachers in inclusive classrooms, and led workshops to help teachers understand emotional reactions to learning in the classroom. In 2004, Andrea received a Bank Street Early Childhood Education award for her innovative and motivating curriculum and teaching style. Andrea became a certified facilitator for the Schools Attuned Program of All Kinds of Minds in 2001. Currently, as a part-time consultant in three NYC public schools, Andrea meets with teachers to assist them with curriculum adaptations and understanding classroom behaviors.
This session will be a facilitated discussion to construct and deepen our understanding of classroom ecology and complicated behaviors collaboratively. After the facilitated discussion, you can stay on to discuss students you have been observing, especially if they seem to have strengths or struggles having to do with classroom ecology (time permitting).
PREPARATION MATERIAL & OPTIONS
For each WebChat, there are 3 levels of preparation: 1) Short prep (up to 45 min.), 2) Medium prep (up to 3 hours), 3) Long prep (over 3 hours). Choose the preparation level that corresponds to the amount of time you can spend on learning before the WebChat.
Please keep these questions in mind as you prepare for the WebChat:
- Think of a conflict with a student or colleague that escalated.
- Think of another conflict with a student or colleague that could have escalated, but didn’t.
- Which stages of the conflict cycle do you recognize from your own experience?
- Which ways of de-escalating or diffusing a power struggles have you found to be effective?
- What clues of ‘student discomfort’ might inform you about the possibility of a potential conflict?
- How are your personal beliefs challenged when you’re helping a troubled student?
- If there is a student or colleague who currently “pushes your buttons” you are welcome to present it as a case study.
“Addressing Disruptive and Noncompliant Behavior (Part 1): Understanding the Acting-Out Cycle”
IRIS Center Mini Course, Vanderbilt University and Claremont Graduate University (Please watch videos and complete activities).
Please read all four articles:
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2) “Verbal De-Escalation in the Classroom” by Barbara Karp (PDF)
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3) “A Mindset Shift to Continue Supporting the Most Frustrating Kids” by Alex Shevrin. (PDF)
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Managing the Cycle of Acting-Out Behavior in the Classroom by G. Colvin (2004). Available new for $18.50 and used from $4.99 at Amazon. (Book)Colvin maps out the seven phases in the cycle of acting-out behavior on a time and intensity graph. He then offers practical intervention strategies for dealing with the various phases. In addition to providing a great description and visual model of the phases in the cycle of disruptive behavior, Colvin points out ways in which teachers’ reactions can result in fueling the fire and escalating the undesirable behavior rather than de-escalating it. Colvin provides ways for teachers to de-escalate.
“Teaching Transitions Techniques for Promoting Success Between Lessons” by McIntosh, K., Herman, K., Sanford, A. McGraw, K. Florence, K.