Paraprofessionals…
Making a Difference
Title 1 Conference
April 8, 2011
Deb Long & Teresa Hurliman
Agenda- (strategies may be presented in a different order)
• Inspirational Video
• Learning Style Survey
“Best Practice” Positive Interaction Strategies:
Courtesy Communication
Equitable Response Opportunities
Affirmation & Correction
Proximity
Individual Help
Listening
Accepting Feelings
Personal Interest and Compliments
Praise
Behavior Management
Bucket Theory
• Reflection and Evaluation
Norms for the Day
• Take care of yourself, take a break when you
need to.
• Feel free to ask a question or for clarification
or an example at any point. Signal if you can’t
hear.
• Cell phones turned off, please.
• Participate, share your ideas, and make
a connection with new people.
Brain research says how you treat
people in the first 10 seconds will
determine how well your day goes and
will influence how their day goes.
So…give a great greeting to your
neighbors!
Targets
• Understand your role in motivating & helping
students achieve success.
• Understand your style and how it impacts
others.
• Understand the how and why of building
positive relationships with students.
…….And have fun!
Nine Characteristics of High Performing Schools
• Clear and Shared Focus
• High Standards and Expectations
• High Levels of Collaboration & Communication
• Focused Professional Development
• Supportive Learning Environment
Danielson’s Framework for Teaching
Domain 3
• Creating an environment of respect and rapport
• Establishing a culture for learning
• Managing classroom procedures
• Managing student behavior
Stand up if you….
Aimee Mullins
Igniting the Power in
Others
TED Talks 2009
• Look at the list of quotes from
Aimee Mullins
• Find one that resonates with you.
• Look around the room, find
another person that you don’t
know.
• Share your quote and tell why
you selected it.
We need to use our power well
and help create new realities
and new ways of being for our
students.
Our goal today is to
empower you to empower
your students.
Knowing Yourself
What ‘s your Color Style?
What Color Are You?
• Read each statement on the Color Styles
Inventory. Mark a plus or minus depending on
how it describes you.
• Add up your + marks to determine your
predominant color style: Blue, Orange, Gold,
Green.
Behavior Management
• Objective: To be cool and calm when I redirect
or give consequences for student misbehavior.
To support the student in developing self
management skills.
• Student Awareness: “The teacher does not
approve of my behavior, but still likes me as a
person. I can manage myself.”
• Behavior management is like an
onion because…………….
(Snowball flurry strategy)
“No significant learning takes place
without a significant relationship.”
Dr. James Comer
1+1=2
The key to managing student behavior
is to manage your own behavior.
Manage Yourself
&
Manage Your Environment
Understanding Motivation
Top 2 needs that motivate us:
• Safety
• Validation and Connection
Managing the Environment
• You set the stage…You craft the container for
student safety and validation.
• Space
• Organization
• Predictable routines
• Clear expectations
• Pleasant & calm
Managing Yourself
• Manage Your Beliefs & Attitude
• Manage Your Emotions & Behavior
• Be Consistent
Managing our Beliefs
and Attitudes
• We need to be Firm and Kind.
A Warm Demander.
• Learning requires mistakes. They are not little
adults.
• Student’s need for connection is powerful
motivator.
Managing our Beliefs
and Attitudes
Students with challenging behavior haven’t
developed ability to self manage.
• They need help with:
Regulating emotions
Developing Relationships
Reflecting on their Behavior
Managing Your Emotions
and Behavior
• Develop a Self- Management Plan
• Self- Awareness is the first step…What
are your triggers? …What bugs you,
makes you mad, annoys the heck out
you?
(fight, flight, or freeze)
Self-Management Plan
Choose a response that shows you value them &
creates safety.
• Plug into yourself, check out: What am I upset
about? How am I feeling?
• Breathe…Exhaling is the key.
• Keep your voice calm and neutral.
• Think about the other person. What are they upset
about? What are they thinking?
Self Management Plan con’t
• Ask “What do you need?”
• Stop talking
• Acknowledge the other person before you ask
questions or express your point of view.
• QTIP
• If you can’t get your emotions under control, make a
shift, remove yourself, drink water.
• Offer student a drink of water or a chance to move
or walk.
Remember……
Students that are often in most
need of our support are the ones
that most actively push us away.
Maintaining Consistency
• To be professional: Your ability to do your
best, even when you feel your worst.
• Who helps you maintain consistency?
• Developing a strong team helps you maintain
your positive energy.
Always Be Bigger, Stronger, Wiser and Kind
Whenever Possible: Follow the Child’s Need
Whenever Necessary: Take Charge
Marycliff Institute
Powell, Hoffman, Cooper
“Best Practice” Positive Intervention Strategies
• Behavior Management
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Courtesy Communication
Equitable Response Opportunities
Affirmation and Correction
Proximity
Individual Help
Listening
The Power of Positive
• Praise
• Accepting Feelings
• Personal Interest and Compliments
Courtesy Communication
Objective: To use courteous words with all students
and adults at my school.
Student Awareness: “I am respected by the adults
at this school.”
Do: Courteous words (please , thank you, excuse
me) actions and tone, body language & attention
to all students.
Watch out for: Sarcastic tone, insults, interrupting
Equitable Response Opportunities
• Objective: Give all students an opportunity to
respond and participate.
• Student awareness: “I’m going to be called on
to perform and participate in this class or
group.”
• Why are low achieving, minority and female
students called on less frequently ?
Affirmation and Correction
*Objective: Students will receive feedback about
their performance.
*Student awareness: “I am going to be told promptly
whether or not my work is acceptable.”
*How do you respond when a student gives a wrong
answer?
Ways to Respond to an Incorrect Response.
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Look at that again.
That’s good, but go further.
I never would have thought of that.
That’s another way of saying it.
Think over your answer again.
That’s one answer, can you think of another?
You’re working on the right path.
Try one more time.
Proximity
• Objective: In a friendly manner, to be in arm’s
reach of students.
• Student awareness: “My teacher is close by
and it doesn’t bother me.”
• What are strategies that you could put into
place to increase the use of proximity?
Listening
• Objective: To listen attentively to all my
students.
• Student Awareness: “My teacher is really
interested in what I have to say.”
• Listening Activity: Groups of 6
“Listening is such a simple act. It
requires us to be present and that
takes practice, but we don’t have to do
anything else. We don’t have to advise
or coach or sound wise. We just have
to be willing to sit there and be
present.” Margret Wheatly
Individual Help
• Objective: To provide individual help to
students.
• Student Awareness: “My teacher is
concerned about me and wants me to
succeed.”
• Whoever does the work is doing the
learning.
• I do. We do. You do.
“Each time we steal a student’s struggle,
we steal the opportunity for them to
build self-confidence. They must learn to
do hard things to feel good about
themselves. Self-confidence comes from
being successful at something we
perceive as difficult.”
Susan Winebrenner
The Power of the Positive
Praise
• Objective: To praise the learning performance
of students.
• Student awareness: “My teacher is especially
pleased with my classwork.”
• Other ways to say “Good Job.”
Other Ways to Say “Good Job”
• Keep it up.
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Marvelous.
Beautiful.
Very creative.
Good thinking.
How impressive.
You’re an amazing learner.
Nice going.
Terrific.
Very competent.
Accepting Feelings
Objective: To convey to all students that their
feelings are understood and accepted in a nonjudgmental manner.
Student Awareness: “My teacher knows how I
feel, and I like that.”
Personal Interest and Compliments
• Objective: To give personal compliments and
express personal interest in students.
• Student Awareness: “I am more than just a
student to my teacher; my teacher even
compliments me.”
How Full Is Your Bucket?
By Tom Rath and Donald Clifton
(An Affirmation, Praise, Personal
Interest and Compliments
Strategy)
The Theory of the Dipper and the Bucket
The Bucket
• Each of us has an invisible bucket. It is
constantly emptied or filled depending on
what others say or do to us. When it is full, we
feel great. When it is empty we feel awful.
We are at our best when our buckets are
overflowing; our worst when they are empty.
The Dipper
• Each of us has an invisible dipper. When
we use that dipper to fill each other’s
buckets, by saying and doing things to
increase their positive emotions, we also
fill our own buckets.
• Likewise, when we dip from other’s
buckets, by saying and doing things that
decrease positive emotions, we also
empty our own buckets.
A full bucket gives us a positive outlook
and renewed energy. Every drop in our
buckets makes us stronger and more
optimistic.
But an empty bucket our saps our
energy, undermines our will and leads
to a negative outlook.
Negativity Kills
Research from Korean War POWs
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Self criticism
Informing on others
Breaking loyalty to leadership and country
Withholding all positive and emotional
support
 38% POW death rate was the highest in
U.S. military history
1925 School Study
4th and 6th grade math students’ retention of
math concepts over a five day period:
Praised – 71%
Criticized – 19%
Ignored – 5%
Why is this important?
• More successful relationships.
• More productive work and careers
• Longer life- lengthen your life by 10
years!
• More fun!
• We have greater influence and
positive effect on our student’s
success.
Positivity and Productivity
 The #1 reason people leave their jobs:
They don’t feel appreciated.
 65% report NO recognition for good work.
 The need for recognition and validation is our #2
need right after safety.
 People that got 1 minute of validation at work,
increased their work satisfaction by 75%.
• We all need full buckets. To increase
positive emotions in your life and
others’ lives, you must make a habit
of filling buckets.
• We need to PRAISE = 5:1
positive to negative ratio
5 Ways to Increase Positive Emotions
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Prevent Bucket Dipping
Shine a Light on What is Right
Make Best Friends
Give Unexpectedly
Reverse the Golden Rule…
Do for others what THEY would
like!
Give Out Drops
You have 20,000 individual moments
to give out drops every day…
How do I like praise and recognition?
• Fill out the Gallup poll survey of 7
questions
• Share with a partner
Personalize Your Praise for Others
Make a conscience plan… “knowing is not
enough”
• Think of one student and one co-worker
• Fill out the grid on each of them
• Share at your table
Thank you for coming to our session!
And thank you for all the work you do on
behalf of children everyday.
Remember the light at the end of a child’s
tunnel, could be you!
Reflection and Evaluation
• Take a few minutes to reflect on your learning
today from “Head to Toe”
• Please fill out your conference evaluation and
leave both on the table.
• Say good-bye and thank your tablemates.