FOCUSing Together
Promoting Self-Management
Skills in the Classroom
Elizabeth Hardman, Ph.D.
ILCCBD Winter Drive In 2012
PowerPoint Designed by
Gail Cheever
SIM Professional Development Network
Advance Organizer
• Introduce Focusing Together
– Rationales
– Research Findings
• Present an Overview of Lessons 1 – 7
– Goals
– Key Vocabulary
– Critical Teaching Behaviors
• Participate in Lesson Activities
Purpose of the Community
Building Series
To build learning communities in classrooms where all members…
• Work together to facilitate each other’s
learning
• Are encouraged to participate & do their best
• Feel valued & appreciated
• Feel safe & supported
A Learning Community is …
An environment that fosters…
• Mutual cooperation
• Emotional support
• Personal growth
…. as people work together
to achieve what they cannot accomplish alone
Dufour & Eaker, 1998
Purpose of Focusing Together
• To build a classroom learning community
• To foster a respectful, tolerant partnership
with one another
• To teach students to meet a set of classroom
expectations that define responsible work
habits, respect & physical safety
• To teach students a strategy that promotes
self-management behavior
in association with the identified
set of classroom expectations
Music of the Heart
• Teaching more than music
• Teaching more than music
Intro Activity on Classroom Rules
(Expectations)
Turn to Your Neighbor!
FIRST, Make a list of what you believe to
be effective classroom rules
(expectations) that will help students
learn and get along with others.
SECOND, Make a list of what you can do
to help your students learn and follow
your rules (expectations).
Underlying Principles
• All methods & procedures are consistent with the
principles of Positive Behavior Support (PBS) system
• PBS is a research-validated approach that can be
used to eliminate inappropriate behaviors & replace
them with prosocial skills
• Research has shown that rather than relying on
punitive models of behavior control, teachers can
create an environment in which everyone helps one
another & strives to achieve self-discipline
Research in Classrooms
• Three Groups
– Study 1 (pp. 2-3)
– Study 2 (p. 3)
– Study 3 (p. 4)
1. Read
2. TTYN and discuss
3. Report findings
Research Findings
Compared to students in Comparison classes, students in
Experimental classes:
• Reduced the number of off-task
behaviors during the time they were
expected to work independently
• Were more pleased with the classroom
management procedures used by
their teachers
Research Findings
Teachers in Experimental classes…
• Reported a 72% reduction of rule
infractions, while comparison teachers
reported no change
• Were more satisfied with the program
& their students’ behavior
Means for # of Off-Task Behaviors
per student in a 45 minute period
•
•
•
•
•
Experimental
Pre
21.0
Post
4.5
Comparison
21.9
18.3
40 students in study – 20 experimental/20comparison
8 teachers
Grades 5 & 6
8 general education classes
1 rural; 2 suburban school districts
Teacher & Student Satisfaction
8
M
E
A
N
R
A
T
I
N
G
Teachers
6
Pretest
Posttest
4
2
0
Experimental
8
6
4
2
0
Experimental
Control
Students
Pretest
Posttest
Control
Let’s Review the Manual
• Introduction – Pages 1 to 6
• Lessons # 1-7 – Pages 7 to 52
• Appendix A: Instructional Materials
# 1-15 – Pages 53 to 68
• Appendix B: Student Handouts –
Pages 69 - 92
Overview of Lessons
• Lesson 1: Intro & Overview of Focusing Together
• Lesson 2: Our Learning Community Expectations
• Lesson 3: Making Good Choices
• Lesson 4: Introduce & Describe the FOCUS Strategy
• Lesson 5: Model the FOCUS Strategy
• Lesson 6: Verbal Practice of the FOCUS Strategy
• Lesson 7: Practice the FOCUS Strategy
Preparing for Instruction
• Become knowledgeable about each section
– 35-40 minutes of class time for each lesson
– May need to divide some lessons into parts
– Keep a lively pace and engage students
•
•
•
•
Use the lessons as blueprints
Use scripts as guides
Review instructions in italics
Review questions asked and possible
responses
• Go beyond the instruction in the manual
Primary Instructional Stages
• Give an Advance Organizer
• Introduce & Describe
• Provide Models or Examples
• Conduct Practice Activities
• Give a Post-Organizer
Instructional Principles
•
•
•
•
Teach to mastery
Check for understanding
Gain student commitments
Involve students actively
Lesson Formats
Look at Lesson #1 beginning on page 7
At a Glance gives an overview of the
instructional procedures.
Play-by-Play presents goals, materials,
preparation activities, and key
vocabulary as well as an example script.
“When would you use each format?”
Goals of Lesson #1 – Intro & Overview
• To introduce the concepts of “learning
community” & “self-management”
• To present “Lessons from the Geese” as an
example of how members of a community
support one another
• To give students the “big picture” of the
Focusing Together program
• To have the students suggest
expectations for classroom
behavior
Lesson #1 – Key Vocabulary
• Learning Community
A group of people who care about & support each other as they
learn about new things in an environment that is physically &
emotionally safe
• Self-management
Supervising yourself at all times
• Supervising yourself
Checking yourself as you work and telling yourself what to do next
• Expectations
Standards of behavior for the learning community
• Focus
To concentrate & keep you mind on something
Lesson #1 Activity on the Geese
Analogy
1. Read Lessons from the Geese
–
The Flight of Geese - YouTube.flv
2. Option A: Complete the geese analogy
worksheet on page 70
3. Option B: Review worksheet on page 71
and identify which worksheet is best
suited for your situation
Lesson #1 Unit Map
• Present Unit Map
• Define Self Management
• Introduce
– Living by learning expectations
– Making good choices
– Using the FOCUS Strategy
• Read Guiding Questions
FOCUSING TOGETHER
Unit Map
SELF-MANAGEMENT
SUPERVISING YOURSELF
at all times
Our LEARNING
COMMUNITY
EXPECTATIONS
b
y
by remembering to live by
m
a
k
i
n
g
GOOD
CHOICES
by using
THE
FOCUS
STRATEGY
Our Guiding Questions
1.
Why do members of a learning community need to
know what is expected of them?
2.
How does making good choices affect your personal
power?
3.
How will staying focused help you learn?
4.
How can we work together to build
a strong learning community?
See pages 55 and 72
Lesson #1 Wrap Up
• Make a Focusing Together folder
• Give a post organizer
– Review the lesson
– Preview the next lesson
• Take it a step further
– Make a bulletin board
– Create a class “Focusing Together” website
– Create personal/social achievement
section in folder
Goals of Lesson #2 – Our Learning
Community Expectations – p. 16
• To present & teach a set of learning community expectations
that promote responsible work habits, respect & safety, based
on students’ suggestions
• To invite students to add to the expectations
• To identify the benefits of living by learning community
expectations
• To state the consequences of not following the expectations
• To guide students in identifying celebrations for
helping everyone meet expectations
Lesson #2 – Instructional Procedures
•
Discuss learning community expectations
using “Our Community Expectations
FRAME” (Page 73)
•
Conduct practice activities using the
“It’s your Choice” game cards or worksheet
(Pages 75 – 80)
•
Give a written quiz on the expectations
(Page 81 82)
Lesson #2 – Key Vocabulary
• Prepared …
Ready to learn
• Consequences … What happens after you act
Effective Classroom Expectations
•
•
•
•
Begin with an action word
Are stated positively
Are observable & measurable
Are task & situation specific, yet general enough to
be transferred across settings
• Relate to guiding principles such as respect, good
work habits, physical & emotional safety, etc.
• Are limited in number (5-7)
so that they are easily remembered
• Are posted in view
of student & teacher
Stop! How does your list compare with
these characteristics?
Learning Community Expectations
• Enter the classroom quietly & prepared
1,246 diverse learners in
• Follow directions
grades 3 through 8
were asked to rate the
• Begin work promptly
importance of these
expectations for helping
+ stay on task + work until done
them work & get along
with others. Each
• Listen while others speak
expectation was
considered “important”
to “very important” by
• Signal to speak
students.
• Use respectful language
• Keep hands, feet & objects
to yourself
(Did you have any of these on your list?)
EXAMPLE CONSEQUENCES
for not abiding
by learning community expectations
• 1st time – Reminder
• 2nd time – Reminder
• 3rd time – Problem-solving sheet (Page
74)
• 4th time – Loss of privilege
• Severe Disruption – Removal from group
Lesson 2 Activity on Using Game
Cards
1. Review It’s Your Choice game cards on
pages 75 – 78.
2. Let’s act one out! (TTYN)
3. Review It’s Your Choice worksheet on
page 79 – 80.
4. Which option best meets your
situation?
Let’s Take the Quiz!
• Review the Quiz on page 81. What is
the correct expectation for the
following scenarios?
1.
2.
3.
Take It a Step Further
• Start implementing the expectations
• Note examples of meeting expectations
frequently
• Note consequences in grade book or on a
clip board
• Set up group reward system
• Don’t create victims
Goals of Lesson #3 – Making Good Choices
- p 26
• To define “choice”
• To explain the E+B+CPersonal Power Formula
• To examine the relationship between choice &
consequences
• To practice analyzing behavior consequences
according to the Personal Power Formula
• To explain how choices impact personal power
Lesson #3 - Instructional Procedures
• Define “choice” & “personal power”
• Explain the relationship between choices,
consequences & personal power
• Explain the E+B+CPersonal Power
Formula
• Introduce the Personal Power Questions
• Conduct practice activity
E+B+C  Personal Power
p 57
• E Event
What happens first before you choose a behavior
• B Behavior
An action or how you act
• C Consequence
What happens to you and other after you act
• P Personal Power
The control you have over
what happens in your life.
You gain more control
when you make good behavior choices.
Personal Power Questions-p 58
1. What will the consequence of my action
be ?
2. How will this action affect my personal
power ?
3. With this action, am I living up to our
learning community expectations ?
4. How will this action affect others ?
THINK BEFORE YOU ACT
E+B+C  NO Personal Powerp 59
E Joe needs to complete a big project for homework.
However, Sam calls and asks him to go to a movie.
What is the event (E) that Joe can choose to respond to?
B Joe goes to the movie and does not do his homework.
What behavior (B) does Joe choose?
C The project does not get done. Thus, Joe has to stay after
school to complete the work. As a result, he misses baseball
practice and cannot pitch in the upcoming game.
What are the consequences (C) for Joe’s behavior?
P Personal Power
1. How did Joe’s choice affect his personal power?
2. Which learning community expectation did Joe forget?
3. How did Joe’s choice affect other people?
E+B+C  Personal Power –p 60
E Joe needs to complete a big project for homework. However, Sam
calls and asks him to go to a movie.
What is the event (E) that Joe can choose to respond to?
B Joe tells Same that he has to finish his project first. Thus, Joe
immediately starts work on the project and works until it is done.
What behavior (B) does Joe choose?
C He completes the project that evening and turn it in the next day.
That afternoon, he attends baseball practice, which means that he
can pitch in the upcoming game.
What were the consequences (C) for Joe’s behavior?
P Personal Power
1. How did Joe’s choice affect his personal power?
2. Which learning community expectation did Joe remember?
3. How did Joe’s choice affect other people?
EBC Power Activity
• See page 61 for the directions.
• See pages 83-85 for the EBC Power Activity
Cards
• See pages 86-87 for the worksheet
Which option would you choose for your
students?
Goals of Lesson #4 – Introduce & Describe
The FOCUS Strategy – p 35
• To help students understand the
characteristics of focused & unfocused
workers
• To describe the steps of the FOCUS
Strategy to students
Lesson #4 - Instructional Procedures
• Define & demonstrate what a focused and
unfocused worker looks like
• Explain and demonstrate each of the FOCUS
steps
• Explain each of the TASK substeps
• Demonstrate & practice the FOCUS hand
signal
• Demonstrate & practice the kinesthetic tool
for TASK
• Explain the “thumbs-up” cue
Lesson #4 – Key Vocabulary
• Focus
To keep your mind on what you are doing as you work
• Unfocused
Not keeping your mind on what you are doing as you work
• Strategy
A plan of action that includes a series of steps to help you
accomplish something
• Distraction
Thinking about something other than what you are supposed
to be doing
• Task
A job you need to do
Using the FOCUS Cue Cards
• See cue cards on pages 62-68
These are provided for students who may
need visual cues for learning the
strategy and is a fun way to present it
to some students.
The FOCUS Strategy Steps
Free your mind of distractions
Organize yourself
Check the expectations & get started
Use help wisely
Supervise yourself
Use Help Wisely
Think before asking for help
Ask at the right time
Signal & work while waiting
Know what to ask
FOCUS Hand Signal Activity
• Begin w/ a “thumbs-up” & say “FOCUS”
• Start with your thumb touching your
little finger & name the 1st step …
“Free your mind of distractions”
• Continue to touch each finger & name
the next FOCUS step
• End with a “thumbs-up” for
“supervise yourself”
TASK Kinesthetic Cues
T
A
S
K
Put your index finger to your temple.
“Think before asking for help”
Put your index finger to your lips.
“Ask at the right time”
Raise your hand high in the air.
“Signal to speak”
Use both hands to make quotation
marks in the air.
“Know what to say”
Lesson 4 Activity on Practicing
The Hand Signal
• Use the FOCUS Hand Signal Handout to
practice with a partner
• Be prepared to lead whole group
practice on using the hand signal
Lesson #5
Model the FOCUS Strategy-p 41
Goal: to demonstrate the cognitive, physical & verbal behaviors
for the FOCUS & TASK steps in a fun way
Materials
Instructional Procedures
See pages 41-43
• 2 funky hats
• Props like book bag,
• Give an Advance Organizer
pencils, paper, books,
• Model the strategy
notebook, book bag, etc.
• Give a Post-Organizer
• The FOCUS strategy
model script
• FOCUS strategy poster
Activity for Lesson 5 on Modeling
The FOCUS Strategy
• Practice rehearsing the model phase on
instruction beginning on page 41 with
the advance organizer
• Read Something to Think About! on page
43 and explain why modeling so
important
Goals of Lesson #6 – Verbal Practice
of the FOCUS Strategy – p45
• To ensure students can name the
FOCUS steps at an automatic level
• To check student understanding of the
FOCUS steps and their importance
Lesson #6 - Instructional Procedures
• Give an Advance Organizer
• Conduct the rapid-fire activity for the
FOCUS steps
• Conduct the rapid-fire activity for the
TASK substeps
• Distribute bookmarks – pp 89-90
• Conduct the written quiz – p 88
• Give a Post-Organizer
Lesson 6 Activities on Verbal
Practice
• Participate in the rapid-fire rehearsal
drill using the FOCUS and TASK
Bookmark on page 89.
• Complete the FOCUS Strategy Written
Quiz on page 88.
• Discuss how your students might
benefit from the FOCUS bookmark.
Goals of Lesson #7 – Practice
The FOCUS Strategy - 49
• To give students ample opportunity to
practice the strategy in a fun way
• To make progress toward automatic
application of the strategy steps toward
meeting expectations
• To summarize main components of the
program & gain commitments
Lesson #7 - Instructional
Procedures
• Introduce & describe the FOCUS checklist on page 91
• Conduct a practice activity using the FOCUS
checklist
• Over the course of a week, provide students with
additional opportunities to practice the strategy &
complete the FOCUS checklist
• Summarize the program using the Unit Map from
Lesson One on page 55
• Gain student commitment by presenting the Focused
Student Commitment Contract on page 92
• Revisit the story of the geese on page 54
Post Organizer
1. Review and Summary
2. Questions
3. Implementation Issues
Music of Heart
• Teaching again