Strategies for
Providing Mentoring and
Social Supports to
Students with Repeated
Behavior Challenges
Training Purpose
• The purpose of this training is to prepare
personnel mentoring a student who is
receiving supports because of repeated
behavior issues with the knowledge, skills,
and strategies necessary for a positive
mentoring experience
Training Module Overview
• Module 1: Mentor Responsibilities
• Module 2: Forming Relationships
• Module 3: Building Meaningful
Discussions
• Module 4: Understanding Basic Behavior
Patterns
Mentor Training
Module 1
Mentor Responsibilities
Mentor Training Module 1:
Mentor Responsibilities
• Module Purpose
– The purpose of this module is to provide an
explicit overview of your role and
responsibilities as a mentor
Mentor Training Module 1:
Mentor Responsibilities
• Mentees are students who:
– Need access to supportive, encouraging,
positive adults
– Have begun to demonstrate a pattern of
conduct problems
• Mentoring is one part of a support plan
that is using combinations of strategies to
help the mentee make positive choices
and get on a positive path
Mentor Training Module 1:
Mentor Responsibilities
• Questions to think about:
– What draws you being a mentor?
– What do you expect the mentoring experience
will be like?
– What do you hope to get out of being a
mentor?
Mentor Training Module 1:
Mentor Responsibilities
• The role of a mentor
is to:
–
–
–
–
–
Listen
Encourage
Cheerlead
Support
Respect the student’s
choices
– Advocate
– Be helpful
It’s not the
mentor’s job to
“fix” the student;
solve their
problems; or “fix”
what is wrong in
the student’s life
Mentor Training Module 1:
Mentor Responsibilities
1. Take responsibility for establishing a regular
meeting schedule
2. Help mentees to practice and reflect on newly
learned social skills or other intervention
strategies
3. Maintain the student’s confidentiality
4. Participate in progress monitoring
5. Contribute to the oversight of the mentoring
program
Mentor Training Module 1:
Mentor Responsibilities
1. Take responsibility for establishing a
regular meeting schedule (scheduling is the
mentor’s job, not the student)
– Establish a predictable 30-60 minute weekly
meeting schedule
– Be consistent and reliable
– Keep your word
– Show up on time
– Periodically check-in on the student outside of
the meeting schedule (“Just stopped by to say
hello….”)
Mentor Training Module 1:
Mentor Responsibilities
2. Help mentees to practice and reflect on
newly learned social skills or other
intervention strategies (e.g., self monitoring)
– Be familiar with the student’s Student Support
Plan
– Model skills
– Help student to reflect on how they are doing
– Provide support and encouragement
– Identify where the student needs more
assistance
Mentor Training Module 1:
Mentor Responsibilities
3. Maintain the student’s confidentiality
– Don’t share personal information
– Meetings are private
– Mandatory reporting is legally required if there
is any indication that this student:
• Will harm him/herself
• Is being abused (e.g. emotional, physical or sexual)
• Will harm someone else
Mentor Training Module 1:
Mentor Responsibilities
4. Participate in progress monitoring
– Seek out help when a problem comes up
– Communicate problems with the mentor
relationship
– Provide updates when requested
– Attend meetings when invited
– Complete feedback tools
Mentor Training Module 1:
Mentor Responsibilities
5. Contribute to the oversight of the
mentoring program
– Complete feedback tools
– Attend trainings or program design meetings
Mentor Feedback Form
Mentor Name: __________________
Student Name: _________________
Today’s Date: __________________
Instructions: Please respond to the following questions/statements.
Not Very
Much
1
2
3
4
Very
Much
5
The student and I reviewed the
skills that he/she learned in group
1
2
3
4
5
The student is using the new skills
he/she learned in the group
1
2
3
4
5
The student is benefiting or seeing
changes from using the new skills
1
2
3
4
5
The student and I reviewed his/her
goals
1
2
3
4
5
The student is making progress
toward reaching his/her goals
1
2
3
4
5
I feel able to help the student with
challenges he/she experiences,
consistent with his/her goals
1
2
3
4
5
I am enjoying my role as mentor to
this student
1
2
3
4
5
I am satisfied with how my student
and I are getting along
Somewhat
Additional Comments: _________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
THANK YOU FOR BEING A MENTOR!!!
Mentor Training Module 1:
Mentor Responsibilities
• Questions to think about:
– To what extent are the responsibilities
described consistent with your expectations of
being mentor?
– How confident/comfortable are you with the
expectations described?
Mentor Training
Module 2
Forming Relationships
Mentor Training Module 2:
Forming Relationships
• Module Purpose
– The purpose of this module is to provide
some suggestions and strategies to help you
develop rapport and relationship with your
mentee
Mentor Training Module 2:
Forming Relationships
• The heart of mentoring and subsequently
it’s success is the relationship that is
formed between you and your mentee.
Research suggests:
– Strong positive relationships with adults is one
factor that contributes to a child’s
development of resiliency
– Connectedness with even 1 adult in school, is
a deterrent to making poor social and
behavioral choices
Mentor Training Module 2:
Forming Relationships
• Take the time to get to know each other
• Find things you have in common –
opinions, activities, music, movies, etc.
• Build shared experiences - do things
together (even if it is within school such as
having lunch)
• Show and tell your mentee that he is
important to you
Mentor Training Module 2:
Forming Relationships
• Examples of relationship building
activities:
– Share pictures or examples of personal
hobbies/interests
– My favorites are…./I can’t stand….
• Timed activity to list as many things that are your
favorites/things you can’t stand – then review with
other to find some common ground
Mentor Training Module 2:
Forming Relationships
• The Basics of Communication
– Effective communication is the foundation for any
productive relationship
– Consider these tips for being a good communicative
partner
Mentor Training Module 2:
Forming Relationships
• The Basics of Communication
– Listen with your body: make eye contact, sit still,
face the student
– Sit in a helping posture -- Sit up in your chair with
your legs crossed or together or stand up with your
feet about a shoulder's width apart in a relaxed
stance. Slouching, resting your head on your hands,
shifting positions, etc. signals boredom, fatigue or
restlessness.
Mentor Training Module 2:
Forming Relationships
• The Basics of Communication
– Use Neutral Signals: Brief verbal or nonverbal
responses that show the speaker that you are following
the conversation: "I see. Go on.“
– Paraphrase and Summarize: summarize what the
student is saying to capture their emotions and
concerns concisely: "If I understand you, you feel Jim
was purposely making you look foolish and your first
reaction was to get angry."
Mentor Training Module 2:
Forming Relationships
• The Basics of Communication
– Acknowledge the student’s perspective: let the
student know understand their perspective– even if
you don’t agree with it. It’s ok to let the student know
you have a different opinion as long as you respect
the mentee’s perspective
– Listen with your intuition: pay attention to
underlying feelings and values in the student’s tone of
voice, facial expressions, body language and in the
content of what's being said
Mentor Training Module 2:
Forming Relationships
• Doing These May Undermine Your
Mentoring Relationship
– Inconsistently meeting with the mentee
– Focusing the relationship on trying to change
the mentee’s behavior
– Arguing or constantly opposing the other
person's point of view
– Interrupting your mentee
– Talking more than you listen
– Telling long-winded stories
Mentor Training Module 2:
Forming Relationships
• Doing These May Undermine Your
Mentoring Relationship
– Passing judgment on your mentees actions or
choices
– Demanding your mentee behave a certain
way
– Imposing personal values or beliefs on your
mentee
– Giving advice instead of working together to
find alternatives
– Not recognizing your mentee’s right to her
own opinions
Mentor Training Module 2:
Forming Relationships
• Doing These May Undermine Your
Mentoring Relationship
– Having the last word
– Showing annoyance
– Using “hot” kid jargon to appear “cool”
– Jumping to conclusions
– Pressuring your mentee to disclose personal
information
– Abusing confidentiality
– Blaming (the mentee or others)
Mentor Training
Module 3
Building Meaningful
Discussions
Mentor Training Module 3:
Building Meaningful Discussion
• Module Purpose
– The purpose of this module is to provide
mentors with the knowledge, skills, and
strategies needed to
• (a) be an effective listener
• (b) facilitate meaningful discussions with mentees
• (c) handle potentially difficult conversations that
might come up
Mentor Training Module 3:
Building Meaningful Discussion
• Basic Principles of Giving Feedback
– Mentors are often giving their mentee feedback on
various situations
– Giving feedback constructively will increase the
likelihood that the mentee will use the information and
can help to build the mentor-mentee relationship
– The following are strategies to make feedback giving
effective
Mentor Training Module 3:
Building Meaningful Discussion
• Basic Principles of Giving Feedback
• Ask permission or identify that you are giving feedback.
Examples:
– “I’d like to give you some feedback on how you
handled the situation. Is that OK?”
• Describe what you observed and be specific. State
facts, not opinions, interpretations, or judgments
• Use the first person: “I think”, “I saw”, “I noticed”
Mentor Training Module 3:
Building Meaningful Discussion
• Basic Principles of Giving Feedback
• When making suggestions for improvement, use
statements like “you may want to consider…”
• Feedback should address what a person did, not your
interpretation of his or her motivation or reason for it.
Example that includes interpretation:
– “You didn’t use the count to 10 strategy. I know you want to
finish because it’s almost lunch time, but…”
Mentor Training Module 3:
Building Meaningful Discussion
• Basic Principles of Giving Feedback
• Use the “feedback sandwich” approach
– Start with a positive observation (“it was good that you…”)
– Constructive critical observation or suggestion about how to
improve
– Second positive observation, summary statement
• Avoid using judgmental labels (e.g., “lazy” or “careless”)
• Avoid terms that exaggerate (e.g., “you always” or “you
never”)
Mentor Training Module 3:
Building Meaningful Discussion
• Suggestions for Framing Discussions
– Be sensitive to your mentee’s circumstances and life as
a kid
– Learn to “read” your mentee
• Disposition, facial expressions, cooperativeness
– Provide lots of encouragement
– Express your opinion but respect your mentee’s right to
make her own choices, even when you disagree with
those choices.
– Take responsibility for your own feelings and actions
before you project them onto others.
Mentor Training Module 3:
Building Meaningful Discussion
• Suggestions for Framing Discussions
– Use questions that opens the door for follow up
(i.e., avoid questions with 1 word answers):
• Tell me about something that stood out for you this week?
• Tell me how you decided to handle……?
– Listen for unspoken conversation (i.e., things the
student is implying without actually saying)
– Use probing questions to expand the
conversation; follow up on something said;
looking for places to ask a follow up
Mentor Training Module 3:
Building Meaningful Discussions
• Suggestions for Framing Discussions
– The Famous Person Connection
• How do you think “so and so” would handle this
situation?
• Use current examples in the media of popular figures
to frame a conversation and prompt reflection
– Ask questions that prompt reflection
• “How’s that working for you?”
Mentor Training Module 3:
Building Meaningful Discussion
• Suggestions for Framing Discussions
– Respect your mentee’s privacy: avoid asking
questions about sensitive information about your
mentee. e.g.,
• “Are you sexually active?”
• “Are you using drugs?”
• “Do you like Mr. Smith?”
Mentor Training Module 3:
Building Meaningful Discussion
• Identify Your Personal Disclosure
Boundaries
– Often a mentor will need to grapple with finding a
comfortable boundary between sharing personal
information and keeping aspects of your life
private
• Give thought to what personal information you are/are
not comfortable sharing a mentee
– Be clear ahead of time of where your comfort
level boundary exists so that you are prepared to
answer difficult questions in a genuine manner
Mentor Training Module 3:
Building Meaningful Discussion
•Responding to Sticky Questions
–Sometimes, students will ask “sticky” questions
or questions that make us a squirm a bit while
figuring out what to say
–Handling these types of situations is important
– you need to find the balance between
redirecting the student and not shutting the
student down
Mentor Training Module 3:
Building Meaningful Discussion
•Responding to Sticky Questions
–Take a minute and talk about what questions a
student might ask you or has asked you in the
past that would make/made you feel
uncomfortable
–If you have a situation you can recall, how did
you handle it?
Mentor Training Module 3:
Building Meaningful Discussion
• Responding to Sticky Questions
– Answering sticky questions genuinely
• “I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to ask me this
question, but some information people prefer to keep
to themselves. This is a good lesson, if someone asks
you something your not comfortable answering you
should say so.”
• “How would knowing the answer to that help you to
make a decision?”
• “I would rather focus how we can work to a solution
that will be good for you.”
Mentor Training Module 3:
Building Meaningful Discussion
• Responding to sticky questions
– Avoid answering sticky questions with
responses such as:
• “That’s none of your business”
• “It’s inappropriate for you to ask me that question”
– You don’t want to inhibit the student from
asking questions in the future
Mentor Training
Module 4
Understanding
Behavior Patterns
Mentor Training Module 4
Understanding Behavior Patterns
• Module Purpose
– The purpose of this module is to familiarize
mentors with the basic principles of behavior
patterns to help you understand:
• (a) the reasons why your mentee engages in
problem behavior
• (b) why the various interventions, including
mentoring, were selected for your mentee’s
Student Support Plan
46
A Simple But Common Example
• Context: The student has academic difficulty
(e.g., problems with reading)
• Trigger: The student is given a challenging
assignment (e.g., completing math word
problems independently)
• What Happens: Student engages in off task,
refusal, or disruptive behavior
• The Result Is: Teacher addresses student in
some way (e.g., redirects, gives help, sends to
office)
What Does the Student Learn?
When I am frustrated,
I act out.
When I act out,
Someone comes and helps me
OR
When I act out,
I’m sent out of the room and avoid the work
Understanding Behavior Patterns
• Why do students act out?
– What does it get them?
– What does it get them out of?
• Why is that some students act out and
others don’t?
– What makes a student resilient?
– What places a student at risk of failure?
Understanding Behavior Patterns
• “Problem behavior” (e.g., being disruptive)
is only ONE part of a larger pattern that is
happening
• To really help students, we have to
understand the whole pattern
SETTING EVENTS
Reinforcement History with
People or Settings
Academic History
Medical-Physiological Issues
Antecedent
What happens
right before the
behavior
Behavior
Consequence
Function
What the student
says & does
What adults &
peers say & do in
response to the
behavior
What the student
gets or gets out
of as a result of
the behavior
Relationships & Social
Support with Adults
Peer Networks
Social & Cultural Influences
Structure & Organization
of the
52
Environment
Function of Behavior
Understanding Behavior Patterns
• Key Lessons About Behavior
– Behavior – whether positive or negative nets
us a payoff…
• The more a behavior provides us with a desired
outcome, the more likely we are to emit that
behavior again in the future
– Behavior is logically connected to the
environment in which the student is
functioning
Understanding Behavior Patterns
Most behaviors serve one of two functions:
– To get something (obtain)
• Such as: attention, objects, sensory regulation
– To get out/ away from something (escape)
• Such as: tasks, embarrassment, people
• Once we understand the function….we can
come up with interventions
55
Think of it this way:
Problem Behavior is a Symptom
• Negative Life
Experiences
–
–
–
–
–
–
Social failure
Academic failure
Poor self esteem
Loss of control
Limited opportunities
Extensive critique and
very little social praise
• Function Behavior
Serves:
–
–
–
–
Protection
Compensation
Defense
Power and control
The “behavior”
meets a need
Using an authoritative interaction style
‘You’re not the boss of me!’
Self doubting – She lacks confidence
Time to do work
(doesn’t have
what she needs
– doesn’t know
what to do)
Rolls eyes
Talks with peers
Ignores direction
Makes ‘under her
breath’
comments
Frustrated with school
It’s too hard for her
Different
reactions from
different teachers
Verbal Redirection
‘Knock it off & get to
work’
Assistance
‘What do you need –
How can I help?”
Function?
Gets help
Gets out of the
work (when sent
to office)
Scattered & Disorganized
Often Unprepared for Class
Very Self Conscious about
what
others think of her
57
Understanding Behavior Patterns
• Basically, Abigail engages in problem
behavior because it results in
– Escaping out of work (even if this means
getting a reduced grade on the assignment)
and
– Adult / peer attention (even if this is not always
positive attention)
Understanding Behavior Patterns
• To what extend does looking at the
behavior this way:
– Give you a clear picture of what is happening
with this student?
– Help you relate to the student’s issues?
– Suggest a direction for possible interventions?59
Understanding Behavior Patterns
• When we have a student engaging in problem behavior
we have to ask ourselves – “Why is the behavior
necessary? What is it that the student needs to resolve
the issue?”
– Stronger social network?
– Skills to handle situations that triggers behavior?
– Improve concept of self and future?
– Improve academic achievement and sense of
competence?
Understanding Behavior Patterns
• So really, intervention planning is
addressing the students needs on two
levels:
– The underlying issues that seem to be causing
the behavior in the first place AND
– The specific variables that are in play when a
behavior incident occurs
• Let’s take a look at what Abigail needs and
how that translates into strategies….
Understanding Behavior Patterns
• Abigail needs supports that…
– builds relationships with adults and provides adults
with strategies to respond to positive and unwanted
behaviors;
– teaches her skills to recognize and handle difficult
situations in socially appropriate ways;
– helps her develop a positive self- concept and
confidence; and
– helps her develop a sense of academic competence
and provides supports for productive participation in
academic activities.
Setting Event Interventions:
How will we address the underlying
reasons why behavior is occurring?
Antecedent
How will we
modify or
eliminate
antecedent
triggers to prevent
a problem from
occurring?
Consequence
How will we
increase
motivation?
Behavior
What skills will
we teach to
replace behavior
and enable the
student to be
successful?
How will we
redirect behavior
effectively to
prevent the
situation from
escalating?
63
Function
Interventions need
to address the
function of the
behavior (the
reason why
behavior is
occurring)
Intervention Selection: Bottom Line
• Select interventions that:
– Pass the function test
– Use what you already know works
– Address each facet of the behavior pattern
– Match everyone’s (student and staff) comfort
level
– Are easy and efficient to use
– Address the underlying reasons why behavior
is occurring………
64
Mentor Training Module 4:
Understanding Behavior Patterns
• Scenario to Think About
– The program coordinator comes to you and
says “Abigail had an incident in Mrs. Little’s
class today.” We really need to you to talk to
her and find out what is going on.
– Consider the questions on the next slide
Mentor Training Module 4:
Understanding Behavior Patterns
• Scenario to Think About
– How would you start off the discussion with Abigail to
get her to open up about what happened so that she
raises the issue for discussion?
– Once the discussion is started when and how would
you ask Abigail for permission to share what you’ve
learned with the program coordinator?
– Once the conversation is started, what kinds of
questions would you ask Abigail – given your
knowledge about the patterns of behavior?