EC Forum 2011-2012:
WI Pyramid Model for Social
Emotional Foundations for Early
Learning (SEFEL)
Instructors:
Gaye Tylka, CESA #4
Jen Kalis, ECSE Onalaska
…That’s Me!
If the statement is TRUE for you,
stand up and say, “That’s me”
I took a fun trip this summer…
•I have a dog…
•I love chocolate…
•I love wine…
•I could have used a few more weeks of
summer…
•I had a major life event this summer
(wedding, baby, family, new job, etc.)
•
…That’s Me!
If the statement is TRUE for you,
stand up and say, “That’s me”
I work with infants and toddlers…
•I teach 1st grade or beyond…
•I teach early childhood special education…
•I work with 4 Year Olds in a Preschool or 4K program…
•I provide supportive services or teach special subjects to
children: PE teacher,speech-teacher, ADPE, PT, OT, etc….
•I teach at a child care or private preschool…
•I am a Paraprofessional/Educational Assistant…
•I teach kindergarten…
•I love working with young children!
•
What will we talk about today?
Overview of Pyramid Model and R&R (RTI)
•Connect of WI Pyramid Model to PBIS
•Behaviors that challenge us
•
The importance of relationships
•
Strategies to build positive relationships
•
Brief overview of
•
Attachment
Regulation
Temperament
The Pyramid Model/CSEFELConnection to RTI/R&R
Table Activity:
At your tables,
complete the blank
Pyramid Model by
discuss the definitions
and making your best
guess as to how it fits
in the pyramid. Use
each other as
resources.
Pyramid ModelAt A Glance
Content based upon CSEFEL training
modules, a federally projected based at
Vanderbilt University
Goal is to disseminate evidence-based
practices to improve social and emotional
outcomes for young children
Called in WI- “The WI Pyramid Model”
Aligned with PBIS and RTI
4/26/12:
GRAD Presentations
3/8/12
Children with
persistent
challenges
Individualized
Positive Behavior
Support
1/12/12
Social Skills
Curricula
Children AtRisk
11/10/11
All Children
9/22/11
High quality
early
education
Basic Assumptions
• Challenging behavior usually has a
message- I am bored, I am sad, you hurt
my feelings, I need some attention.
• Children often use challenging behavior
when they don’t have the social or
communication skills they need to
engage in more appropriate interactions.
10
Basic Assumptions (cont.)
•
Behavior that persists over time is usually
working for the child.
•
We need to focus on teaching children what
to do in place of the challenging behavior.
A Foundational idea of the
Pyramid Model
Every behavior has a purpose!
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Hot Button Activity
(a.k.a Jen’s Therapy)
1. What behaviors “Push Your
Buttons”?
2. How do YOU feel when
faced with these
behaviors?
3. What impact do those
feelings have on the
relationship with the child
who exhibits those
behaviors
Think of a child you
work with who has
challenging
behaviors and/or
inadequate socialemotional skills.
Now complete the
following questions
on your own paper.
Discuss your
answers at your
tables.
Remember…
Children with challenging behaviors especially
need positive, supportive relationships and
yet their behaviors often prevent them from
benefiting from those relationships
The Pyramid Model for Social
Emotional Competence
We Are Here
WI Pyramid Model in Action
Dealing with REAL children who have
challenging behaviors. One mother’s
perspective.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY1fnegoMjc
Building Relationships with Children
Why is it important?
●Relationships helps children feel accepted
by group
●Relationships assists children in learning
to communicate with others
●Relationships begins to teach empathy
and respect among children and adults
●Children build emotional connections with
others
Building Relationships with
Children
● Children start to create memories and expectations
for future relationships
● Relationships are the foundation of EVERYTHING
we do!
● Children learn and develop in the context of
relationships which are responsive, consistent, and
nurturing
Building relationships with
each other
The relationships we build
with children, families, and
colleagues form the
foundation of quality
programming
Inventory of Practices for Promoting
Children’s Social Emotional Competence
Purpose of the Inventory: The Inventory of Practices for
Promoting Social Emotional Competence is designed to be used
by individuals and/or teams to identify training needs and plan a
course of action to address those needs related to four general
areas: (a) building positive relationships, (b) creating supportive
environments, (c) social emotional teaching strategies, and (d)
individualized intensive interventions. There are two sections to
this tool: the Inventory of Practices and the Action Plan.
Attachment
Is a reciprocal, profound,
emotional and physical
relationship between a child
and his parent/primary
caregiver
Sets the stage for all future
intimate, trusting
relationships
Endures over time and
place.
We are hard wired for relationships
At the heart of developing a secure
attachment is the knowledge that your
caregiver is emotionally available to be
with you in times of need
-
Building Relationships
• Helps each child feel accepted in the group
• Assists children in learning to communicate and
get along with others
• Encourages feelings of empathy and mutual
respect among children and adults
• Provides a supportive environment in which
children can learn and practice appropriate and
acceptable behaviors as individuals and as a
group
Building Relationships with
Children
Why is it important?
1. The relationships that we build with children, families, and colleagues are at the
foundation of everything we do. It is important to build these relationships early on
rather than waiting until there is a problem.
2. Children learn and develop in the context of relationships that are responsive,
consistent, and nurturing.
3. Children with the most challenging behaviors especially need these relationships,
and yet their behaviors often prevent them from benefiting from those relationships.
4. Adults’ time and attention are very important to children, and we need to be sure
that we are giving them that time and attention at times other than when they are
engaging in challenging behavior.
5. Parents and other colleagues (such as mental health providers and therapists) are
critical partners in building children’s social emotional competence. We should all
work together to ensure children’s success and prevent challenging behavior.
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Video 1.1:
Adult
Child
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What are some things that this teacher does to build positive relationships with children?
Building Relationships
At your tables, discuss the following:
How do you build relationships with children? Share a
few good ideas.
How do you build relationships with parents? What
works well? What doesn’t work?
How do you build relationships with co-workers,
administrators, etc.
Reflect: What would you like to work on? How?
Strategies for Building
Authentic Relationships
Praise effort, not IQ (Resource: “Brain Rules for
Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child
from Zero to Five”)
Go beyond “Good Job”- use encouragement vs.
empty praise. What you praise defines what
your child perceives success to be.
Guided play- every day! Practice pretending,
have a play plan, get “in there” with the kids.
Empathy- the glue of relationships. Empathy
needs to be practiced, modeled, and taught to
develop strong relationships.
“Every child needs one person
who is crazy about him.”
Uri Bronfenbrenner
Key Social Emotional Skills Children
Need as They Enter School
• Confidence
• Capacity to develop good relationships with
peers and adults
• Concentration and persistence on challenging
tasks
• Ability to effectively communicate emotions
• Ability to listen to instructions and be attentive
• Ability to solve social problems
What do children do when they don’t have each of
these skills?
• When children do not have these skills,
they often exhibit challenging behaviors
• We must focus on TEACHING the skills!
Children need to LEARN self-regulation skills
Regulated
What tells adults a child
is regulated?
Dysregulated
What tells adults a child
is dysregulated?
What are
characteristics of a
child who regulates
his/her emotional
system well?
What are
characteristics of a
child who does not
regulate his/her
emotional system well?
What is temperament?
•
Biologically based individual differences in
emotional, motor, attentional reactivity, and
self- regulation.

These differences are relatively stable over
time and consistent across situations.
Temperament Types
Thomas and Chess
Flexible
Fearful
Feisty
Regular rhythms
Adapts slowly
Active
Positive mood
Withdraws
Intense
Easy adaptation
Shy/Timid
Distractible
Low intensity
Low sensitivity
Approachable
May resist new things at
first
Sensitive
Irregular
Moody
Reflection Activity
•
•
•
•
Complete the temperament scale on
yourself.
Complete the temperament scale on a child
with behavior you feel is challenging. You
may need to observe the child before filling
out the scale.
What did you notice when you compared the
ratings?
Complete the Considering Temperament
handout from the child’s perspective.
Promoting Social Emotional
Development Helps Children:
●Develop confidence
●Develop relationships with peers and adults
●Communicate emotions appropriately
●Listen to instruction and to be attentive
●Solve social problem
●Build confidence in themselves
●Learn appropriate behaviors through encouragement
●Learn what adults expect of them and what they can
expect from other people
If there is anything that we wish to
change in the child, we should first
examine it and see whether it is not
something that could better be
changed in ourselves.
Carl Jung – psychiatrist
Major Messages
• The first and most important thing that we can do is
to build positive relationships with every child and
family.
• Focus on prevention and teaching appropriate
skills.
• Promoting social emotional development is not
easy. There are no quick fixes to challenging
behavior.
• It requires a comprehensive approach that includes
building relationships, evaluating our own
classrooms and behaviors, and TEACHING.
Websites
●CSEFEL - Center on the Social Emotional
Foundations for Early Learning
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel/
•TACSEI - Technical Assistance Center on
Social Emotional Intervention
http://www.challengingbehavior.org/