WEBVTT

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[Music] Welcome to the Overview

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on Teaching Social Skills to Students

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with Behavior Problems.

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Every day Mr. Weir's class follows a

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predictable pattern.

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Every few minutes,

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he has to stop teaching

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because of students who are acting out.

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like many teachers,

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he spends about a third

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of his class time managing

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student behavior.

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In spite of all the time he's spending,

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his students' behavior never seems

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to change.

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He's beginning to suspect

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that the problem isn't

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that his student's are unwilling

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to behave but that they don't know

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how to.

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While it is important

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to clearly state behavior expectations

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in class, and doing so will help

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in many cases,

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some students simply don't know how

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to meet those expectations.

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Providing explicit instruction

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on relevant skills

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such as social problem solving,

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appropriate attention seeking,

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and self-management can promote the

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social and academic growth

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of both the students causing disruption

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and those around them.

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In addition, all students can benefit

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from lessons that help them deal

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with bullies, make friends,

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cope with stress, control anger

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and frustration,

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and communicate effectively with others.

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It is helpful to identify students

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who would benefit

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from explicit skills training during

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regular class-time

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or through supplemental

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enrichment programs.

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Teachers can recommend targeted

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interventions for students

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who are routinely aggressive or those

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who are withdrawn and lack friends.

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Teachers and staff can also carefully

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observe a student to see

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if there are any circumstances where he

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or she is able to perform the behavior

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in question or if the student shows

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consistent difficulties in adapting

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to social situations or following rules.

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Explicit instruction of relevant skills

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and appropriate behavior is strengthened

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and supported by instructional

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strategies that include concrete

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examples, continual practice,

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and teacher feedback.

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Modeling is an important aspect

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of any instructional approach.

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When teachers and staff consistently

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model good manners,

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social responsibility, honesty, caring,

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respect, and consideration

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of others' feelings,

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young students imitate them and begin

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to generally apply these attitudes

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in their interactions with others.

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Students need opportunities

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to practice new social skills.

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Role-play exercises are especially

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effective for younger children,

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while assigned roles

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and responsibilities gives students

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structured opportunities

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to put social skills into practice.

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Breaking down each behavioral skill

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into concrete,

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teachable steps can help students learn

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how to put new behaviors into practice.

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Teacher feedback can increase students'

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understanding of what is expected

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of them.

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A briefly worded feedback

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that includes positive options

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for behavior is an efficient way

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to manage disruptive behavior.

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Feedback is also warranted

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when students demonstrate good behavior.

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Praise draws attention

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to the good behavior

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and encourages the student

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to keep it up.

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Rewarding or penalizing an entire class

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for individual actions is a powerful

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motivator for positive behavior.

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Reinforcement should be awarded during

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or immediately following

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positive behavior.

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Immediate rewards may be a word

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of praise, a sticker, or some other act

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or item that can be quickly dispensed

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without interrupting the flow

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of instruction.

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If immediate reinforcement is not

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feasible, teachers can use

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"token" awards.

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These are symbolic rewards,

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such as marks on the board,

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which are collected over a period

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of time and turned in for later rewards.

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An ultimate goal

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of any behavior program is

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for student behavior

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to be self-motivated.

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Otherwise, students may revert

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to old patterns

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in the absence of rewards.

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Gradually diminishing the external

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rewards while helping students monitor

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their own behavior can promote internal

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motivation for appropriate behavior.

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Teaching social skills does not have

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to be segregated into separate programs

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but can be integrated

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into everyday instruction.

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Teachers can design academic lesson

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plans that use real-life issues

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as the context

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for academic subject matter while

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drawing connections

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with social-emotional learning

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and positive character values.

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This approach can be useful for schools

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that have widespread,

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chronic issues

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around a particular behavior

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or lack the time or finances

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to add a stand-alone course

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to the curriculum.

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Mr. Weir isn't spending a third

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of his class time dealing

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with discipline anymore,

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but is using that time to go

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over the actual curriculum.

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The whole class is more focused

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and attentive, and performance is

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up across the board.

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Students who had felt intimidated are

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interacting more with their classmates,

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and some of the kids he had the most

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difficulty with have started encouraging

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other kids to behave better both in

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and outside of class.

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To learn more about teaching social

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skills to students

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with behavior problems,

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please see the additional resources

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on the Doing What Works website.

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[Music]