Handout 8 | Handout 9 | Handout 10 | Handout 11 | Handout 12 | Handout 13 | Handout 14 | Handout 15 | Handout 16

Module 2


Practically Speaking

Outcomes

After completing this module, participants will be able to:
  • Recognize some basic principles and practices necessary for meaningfully including children with challenging behaviors.
  • Identify how staff can adapt their practices and develop strategies to support the participation of children with challenging behaviors in their Head Start programs.
  • Develop a system for gathering information from a variety of sources to determine whether a problem exists; strategize plans for addressing problem behaviors; and monitor the effectiveness of strategies.

Key Concepts

  • Too often, adults working with children with challenging behaviors have a major goal: to "fix these children." Rather than "fixing" children, staff need to learn how to understand what children need, capitalize on their strengths, and identify how they, as adults, can adapt their practices and develop strategies to meet those needs.
  • Behavior is a means of communication. Practitioners and parents must try to understand what children are communicating through their behavior in order to effectively respond to their needs.
  • Observation, data collection, and effective communication with parents, other Head Start staff, and outside service providers are essential for identifying children's needs and strengths, and developing strategies to address them.

Background Information

We may call children's behaviors "troubled" because they challenge us in a certain way. As professionals, it is important that we distinguish between "troubling" and "troubled" behaviors. That is, we must reflect on the child's behavior and decide whether it is truly abnormal and in need of intervention (troubled); or whether the behavior simply bothers us, but would not, necessarily bother another adult (troubling). Distinguishing between these two possibilities is the first step in designing an appropriate intervention that will work for everyone.

An important first step in assessing behavior is collecting data: on children's strengths, interests, and needs in different areas; on interactions between the child and others; and on the antecedents and consequences of challenging behaviors. In addition to assessing children's behavior, Head Start staff must also assess the classroom environment, as well as the program's: ability to promote protective factors. Head Start staff must then look beyond the classroom, and work closely with parents, specialists, and outside service providers to gain a more holistic view of children.

For an overview of the activities in this module, see At A Glance on pp.5-7.

Trainer and Coach Preparation Notes:

Before leading the activities in this module, review the Questions and Answers about Children with Challenging Behaviors section that appears on pp. 8-10 in the Introduction.  

 

Activity 2-1:
Take a Look
Purpose: This workshop activity will help participants practice their observation skills as they create a running record of a role-play scenario. The importance of focusing on strengths and solutions, as well as identifying needs, will be highlighted throughout the activity.

Preparation

  • Arrange for: Easel, chart paper, markers, and tape
  • Props for skit: toy trucks, blocks, picture book, carpet square
  • Duplicate: Handout 8-Running Record Form (p. 56): one for each participant
  • Handout 9-Roles (p. 57-59): one for each of 6 role-play participants
  • Make: Name tags or necklaces indicating the different roles in the fishbowl activity.

Leading the Activity

  1. Introduce the activity and review the agenda with participants. Explain that in this fishbowl activity, participants will create running records to document information that would be helpful in planning an intervention for a child with problem behaviors.
  2. Ask for 6 volunteers to role-play the fishbowl scenario. Give each volunteer a copy of Handout 9-Roles, and name tags to wear so that observers can easily identify the different roles played. Also give the actors props to use during the role play. Tell actors they will have 10 minutes to read all the different roles on Handout 9-Roles, choose their roles, and make up a 5-minute skit.
  3. While role-play volunteers are rehearsing out of view of other participants, provide the others with an overview of running records. Emphasize that running records are not interpretations of events; rather, they are objective descriptions of a sequence of events. They should capture what the observer sees and hears, and reflect the order in which events occur. They should not reflect the observer's thoughts and feelings about the events.


    Tip for the trainer:

    For more information and in-depth discussion about running records and other types of observation tools, see the Education guide in this series, Observation and Recording: Tools for Decision Making. 


  4. Distribute Handout 8-Running Record Form. Review the handout with participants, answering any questions they may have. Emphasize again that running record forms are used to record facts, not interpretations. Provide examples to highlight the difference between facts and interpretations. For example, "She kicked him in the knee when he looked at her" is a fact, while "She lashes out when she feels threatened" is an interpretation. Tell participants that during the fishbowl activity, they will complete a running record for Eddie, a child with challenging behaviors.
  5. Ask fishbowl volunteers to join the group again and perform their role play for the group. Make sure the actors are wearing their name cards or necklaces, to aid observers in their recordings.
  6. After the role play, thank the actors and give each of them a copy of Handout 8-Running Record Form. Then ask the observers to briefly summarize the key points from the handout so the actors can follow the discussion.
  7. Hang up two pieces of chart paper in the front of the room. Ask the observers to look over their running records and share what they observed about Eddie's behavior. Record the observations that focus on Eddie's strengths and his behavior when it is not challenging on one piece of chart paper. Then record those observations that capture Eddie's problem behaviors on the other. Do not explain your rationale for listing participants' responses on different pieces of chart paper.  

  8. Tip for the Trainer:

    Be sure to record only the facts on the chart paper, not interpretations. For example, if a participant suggests that "Eddie can't control himself when Diane touches his toys," work with the participant to get just the facts. In such cases, you might ask, "What exactly did Eddie do to Diane? At what point did he behave that way?"

    Also, be sure that positive behaviors and interactions are recorded. For this, you may have to offer some prompts. For example, you might ask, "Who does Eddie relate well to?" "At what times does he seem particularly focused?" "What facts support your statements?" (See the description of Eddie's role on Handout 9-Roles, which notes situations in which Eddie does well during the skit.)  



  9. After compiling the feedback, ask participants to review the different pieces of chart paper. Invite them to identify what the answers on each piece of chart paper have in common.
  10. Ask the role-play volunteers to take a few moments to describe their roles to participants. They may either read their role cards aloud, or use their own words. Allow the actors a chance to share their feelings or impressions about the experience of the role play.
  11. Point out that even when we objectively record the facts, we may see things selectively. That is, we may focus on what is"wrong" or what we find troubling, and fail to recognize strengths, or what is happening when things are going well. For example, did participants capture many of the details when Eddie hit Diane, but not much detail when Eddie played quietly with his cars?
  12. With participants, discuss the importance of collecting data that captures not only the child's needs, but also the child's strengths and interests, positive interactions, and patterns in learning styles over time. Ask participants how knowing about Eddie's strengths will help his teachers in their planning for the classroom. During the discussion, emphasize that regardless of the tool we use, whether it is a checklist that the program uses regularly, or a running record we create, we must actively look for a child's strengths in different areas and across different settings. In such a "solution-focused" approach, analyzing the situation when things are going well will help observers see what they can do to encourage more moments when behavior is not problematic.

Summing Up

Point out that when we look at a child with problem behaviors, we often focus on those behaviors that "push our buttons" rather than areas where the child shines. Remind participants that when collecting data, it is important that the child be observed in different settings, and by different people, including parents and specialists who work with the child. In all observations, it is important that observers note what is happening when exhibiting problem behaviors. When we pool data and observations form all team members, we can begin to distinguish between a child's "troubled" versus "troubling" behavior. We can also better assess the child's strengths and needs across different situations, identify which adults the child connects with most consistently, begin to understand what the child is trying to communicate through his behavior, and pinpoint aspects of environments or situations that affect the child, both positively and negatively. Armed with this data, we can modify our own behavior, and construct interventions to help the child succeed.

Activity 2-2:
Promoting Protective Factors*
Purpose: Before planning specific interventions for a child, Head Start staff must have a sense of the child's strengths, interests, and needs in different areas and across different settings. Staff, as a team, must also jointly assess the program's ability to promote protective factors for children. This workshop activity will provide an overview of resilience research; it will also help teams assess how they are promoting protective factors for children and develop steps to enhance these efforts. We recommend that teaching teams and their supervisors, as well as parents, participate in this activity.

Preparation

Arrange for: Easel, chart paper, markers, and tape

Duplicate:

Handout 10—Making a Difference (p. 60): one for each participant
Handout 11—Strategies to Support Resilience (p. 61): one for each participant
Handout 12—Where Are We? (p. 62-63): one for each participant

Extra copies of Handout 11—Strategies to Support
Resilience and Handout 12—Where Are We? for participants to share with their teams when they return to their programs

Trainer Preparation Notes:

For a more in-depth discussion about resilience and promoting protective factors for children, see the Health training guide in this series, Promoting Mental Health.

Leading the Activity

  1. Welcome participants and briefly discuss the purpose of the activity. Point out that before planning interventions for children with challenging behaviors, Head Start staff should work together as a team to understand the concept of resilience and the ways that they can and already do provide protection for children against the problems they face in life. Staff can assess their own and the program's strengths in promoting protective factors, and then design strategies to enhance their efforts.

  2. Distribute Handout 10—Making a Difference to participants. Use this handout to present an overview of the protective factors that promote resilience. Ask participants to share examples from their own lives or the lives of children in their program that illustrate these points.

  3. Tell the group that in the next part of the session, participants will focus on what they can do to promote protective factors for children. Distribute Handout. 11—Strategies to Support Resilience to participants. Then split the participants into small groups. (While it is preferable that members of each small group currently work together as a team in their Head Start program, it is not necessary.) Ask groups to spend the next 20 minutes identifying concrete, realistic Head Start actions in the classroom as well as in other parts of the program (lunch, bus, etc.) that could support each protective factor. Have each small group designate a recorder to keep track of the main ideas.

  4. While the small groups are working, hang up 4 pieces of chart paper around the room. On each sheet, write one of the protective factors.

  5. As groups finish working, ask the recorder from each group to list each strategy the group suggested for promoting the protective factors on the appropriate sheet of chart paper. Small groups should then remain seated together for the rest of the session.

  6. Ask each recorder to report back to the larger group, briefly sharing highlights from their small-group discussions. Then as a large group, review the strategies listed on chart paper with participants.

  7. Tip for the Trainer:

    All families have a right to confidentiality. That is, information about Head Start children and families can only be shared within Head Start on a "need-to-know" basis. Before participants share their descriptions of children in the program, make sure they fully understand issues around confidentiality.


  8. Distribute Handout 12—Where Are We? to participants. In small groups, have participants choose a specific child in the program with problem behaviors. Groups should then use the handout to jointly assess how they are promoting each protective factor for the child, and then identify 2 actions they could try in areas they want to strengthen. For each action step, participants should list who is responsible for carrying out the actions step, and the target date for completion or evaluation.

  9. Tip for the Trainer:

    Have participants complete Handout 12—Where Are We? individually if team members are not participating in this workshop.


  10. Reconvene the large group. Invite participants to share what they learned from their small-group discussions, and actions steps they will take to promote protective factors for individual children. Ask participants to refrain from using children's names during the large group discussion.

  11. Invite participants to take an unmarked copy of Handout 11—Strategies to Support Resilience and Handout 12—Where Are We? back to their program. Suggest that they use these handouts with their team to jointly assess how well they promote protective factors for individual children, and then plan next steps

Summing Up

Explain that the resilience approach is a hopeful and empowering one, and provides a new lens for viewing children with problem behaviors. As a first step of an intervention, this approach focuses on positive steps that adults can take to help children succeed in school and in life. Point out that when we analyze what is happening when a child with significant problem behaviors is doing well, we will most likely see protective factors at work: whether it is a special, cared-for person nearby; participation in an activity in which the child is interested; or meaningful involvement and responsibility in the classroom environment.

Emphasize that Head Start staff can play a key role in promoting protective factors for children, but teamwork is essential. Head Start staff must work together, as well as with parents and other professionals, to make a commitment to promote protective factors for children, and then work to develop, implement, and evaluate concrete strategies to help children succeed.

Activity 2-3:
Promoting Protective Factors*
Purpose: In this coaching session, participants focus on children' s strengths, and identify steps they can take to support their resilience.

Preparation

This session has three parts: 1) a discussion of the resilience research; 2) identification of Head Start strategies for supporting children's resilience; and 3) development of a specific plan staff can use to capitalize on the strengths of, and promote protective factors for, a child with challenging behaviors in their classroom. At the end of the session, participants will receive an assignment: to implement the plan they developed, using running records to track and evaluate their plan's effectiveness; and to work with parents to help them focus on their child's areas of competence. To prepare for this session:

  • Review all the directions and handouts for this session; also see the discussion about resilience and promoting protective factors in the Health training guide in this series, Promoting Mental Health, and the discussion about running records in the Education guide in this series, Observation and Recording: Tools for Decision Making.

  • Duplicate Handout 8-Running Record Form (p. 56); Handout 10- Making a Difference (p. 60); Handout 1 1-Strategies to Support Resilience (p. 61); and Handout 12-Where Are We? (pp. 62-63): one for each participant.

  • Arrange for an easel, chart paper, markers, and tape.

Conducting the Session

  1. Welcome participants and briefly discuss the purpose of the session. Point out that Head Start staff can play a critical role in the lives of all children, including children with challenging behaviors.

  2. Distribute Handout 10-Making a Difference to participants. Use this handout to present an overview of the protective factors that promote resilience. Ask participants to share examples from their own lives or the lives of children in their program that illustrate these points. * Many ideas for this activity were adapted from the Health guide in this series, Promoting Mental Health, 1996. Supporting Children with Challenging Behaviors: Relationships 46 A re Key

  3. Tell participants that in the next part of the session, they will focus on what they can do to promote protective factors for children. Distribute Handout 1 1-Strategies to Support Resilience. Use this handout to help participants brainstorm strategies that Head Start programs currently use or could use in the future to support each protective factor. Encourage participants to be as concrete and specific as possible, focusing on the classroom as well as other areas of the program (lunch, bus, etc.). Record major ideas on chart paper.

  4. Tell participants that they will now focus on one child in their program whose behavior concerns them. They will assess how well their program promotes protective factors for this child, and what they, as Head Start staff, can do to "make a difference" for this child.

  5. Tip for the Coach:

    All families have a right to confidentiality. That is, information about Head Start children and families can only be shared within Head Start on a "need-to-know" basis. Before participants share their descriptions of children in the program, make sure they fully understand issues around confidentiality.


  6. Distribute Handout 12-Where Are We? Ask participants to complete the first page of the handout, either individually or together. Allow several minutes.


  7. Tip for the Coach:

    Suggest to participants that they later use Handout 12-Where Are We? with their team to assess how well they promote protective factors for individual children.


  8. With participants, discuss their assessments. Then help them use their assessments to identify 2 or 3 concrete action steps they, or the program, can take to promote protective factors for individual children. Ask participants to use this information to fill out the second page of Handout 12-Where Are We?

    Tip for the Coach:

    As participants brainstorm action steps, help them see how these steps relate to the strategies they generated earlier for supporting resilience.

Wrap- Up and Assignment

Explain that the resilience approach is a hopeful and empowering one, and provides a new lens for viewing children with problem behaviors. As a first step in an intervention, this approach focuses on positive steps that adults can take to help children succeed in school and in life. Point out that when we analyze what is happening when a child with a significant problem behavior is doing well, we will most likely see protective factors at work: whether it is a special, cared-for person nearby; participation in an activity in which the child is interested; or meaningful involvement and responsibility in the classroom environment. Give participants their assignment. Ask them, over the course of the next few weeks, to implement the plan they developed to support an individual child with challenging behaviors. During this time, participants should also carefully observe the child's behaviors and interactions. Stress the importance of collecting data that captures not only the child's needs, but also the child's strengths and interests. As one mental health professional advised teachers, "Be a good observer. Catch them being good." Give several copies of Handout 8-Running Record Form to participants. Suggest that they use the record form to document their observations over time. Encourage participants to share at least one of the child's strengths with the child's parents, and involve them in "seeing" and learning to focus on their child's area of competence.

Tips for the Coach:

Activity 2-1: Take a Look, offers a more detailed discussion about using records to objectively document information about children's strengths and needs. Use information from this activity if you feel it is appropriate for your group of participants.

Close by emphasizing that Head Start staff can play a key role in promoting protective factors for children, but teamwork is essential. Head Start staff must work together, as well as with parents and other professionals, to make a commitment to promote protective factors for children, and then work to develop, implement, and evaluate concrete strategies to help children succeed.

Activity 2-4:
Assessing the
Classroom
Environment
Purpose: In this workshop activity, participants assess how the physical setup of the classroom, as well as classroom routines, can affect children's behavior. Based on their assessments, participants will develop a plan for adapting their classroom space and routines to meet the needs of children with significant problem behaviors.

Preparation

Arrange for: Easel, chart paper, markers, and tape

Duplicate:

Handout 13-Trouble Spots (p. 64): one for each participant
Handout 14-Checklist (pp. 65-66): one for each participant
Handout 15-Adapting the Environment (p. 67): one for each participant
Handout 16-Adapting Routines and Transitions (p. 68): one for each participant

Leading the Activity

  1. Introduce the activity and review the agenda with participants. Explain that before we can design successful interventions for children, we must first make a number of assessments. First, we must assess individual children, their strengths, needs, and interests across different settings. Next, we must assess the program and its ability to promote protective factors for children. Finally, we must also assess the classroom environment, especially those areas that can pose difficulties for children. Tell participants that during this activity they will assess how the physical layout of the classroom and classroom routines influence children's behavior, and then develop action plans based on their assessments.

  2. Ask participants to brainstorm areas where children with problem behaviors may experience difficulty in terms of the classroom space (for example, furniture arrangement, organization of space and materials) and routines (for example, mealtime, switching from one activity to another). Record responses on 2 different sheets of chart paper.

  3. Tip for the Trainer:

    Handout 13-Trouble Spots is designed for distribution after participants generate a list of areas where children often experience difficulties. However, if the group appears to be struggling, feel free to distribute the handout earlier, or use it yourself to guide the discussion.



  4. Distribute and review Handout 13-Trouble Spots with participants, noting where the group-generated list and the handout are similar, and where they are different.

  5. Assign participants to small groups of 5. Give each group one common problem that was identified in the large-group discussion or described in Handout 13-Trouble Spots. Ask for one volunteer from each small group to facilitate the discussion, one volunteer to report back to the large group, and one volunteer to record the main ideas on chart paper. Give each recorder 2 pieces of chart paper, and ask them to write one of the following headings on each sheet: "Strategies that Worked" and "Strategies that Didn't Work."

  6. Tell participants that for the next 20 minutes they will work in small groups, brainstorming strategies they have used to address the problem they have been assigned. Tell them to identify strategies that have been successful, as well as strategies that have not worked. Encourage participants to note how specific strategies worked for some children, but not for others.

  7. At the end of 20 minutes, ask the small groups to hang up their lists side by side. Ask the reporter from each small group to summarize the small group's responses. Then invite participants to share what they learned when they tried a strategy that did not work for them.

  8. Distribute Handout 14-Checklist and review it with participants. Explain that teaching teams, along with parents, specialists, and managers, can use such checklists to assess the overall classroom environment. With participants, discuss how the steps suggested in the checklist can help children through trouble spots. Point out where items on the checklist are similar to the group-generated strategies posted on chart paper.

  9. Distribute Handout 15-Adapting the Environment, and Handout 16- Adapting Routines and Transitions. Suggest that participants use these tools with their team to pinpoint specific problem areas for individual children, identify adaptations that can be made, and monitor children's responses to the changes made. The "Strategies that Worked" list generated earlier by the group should give participants some ideas for new strategies to try back in their own classrooms.

Summing Up

Summarize the key points from the activity. Point out that sometimes we get stuck trying the same strategies again and again, even when they don't seem effective. In these cases, it is important to acknowledge when alternatives are needed; it is also important to focus on what we can change, such as classroom setup and routines. Emphasize that while a nurturing, developmentally appropriate classroom provides an essential backdrop for every strategy, it may not be enough to overcome a child's difficulties. In these instances, it is important to ask for additional support from the children's family, the teaching team, and supervisors. The mental health professional on your staff may also serve as a valuable resource. How and when to seek these supports is the focus of the next module.

Activity 2-5:
Making
Changes
Purpose: In this coaching session, participants identify changes they can make to help children with challenging behaviors succeed in their classrooms.

Preparation

This session has three parts: 1) a review of the assignment from the previous coaching session, Activity 2-3: Finding Strengths; 2) a discussion of problems commonly experienced by children with challenging behaviors; and 3) identification of changes Head Start staff can make in the classroom to help children through common trouble spots. At the end of the session, participants will receive an assignment, which involves assessing their own classroom setup and using the results to implement needed adaptations. To prepare for this session:

  • Review all directions and handouts for this session.

  • Duplicate Handout 13-Trouble Spots (p. 64); Handout 14-Checklist (pp. 65-66); Handout 15-Adapting the Environment (p. 67); and Handout 16-Adapting Routines and Transitions (p. 68): one for each participant.

  • Arrange for an easel, chart paper, markers, and tape.

Conducting the Session

  1. Welcome participants and briefly discuss the purpose of today's session. Then tell participants that they will first spend time reviewing their assignment.

  2. Ask participants to take out their notes from Handout 8-Running Record Form. Ask participants to take turns sharing what they noticed, not only about the needs of the child they observed, but also about the child's strengths. For example, in what situations does the child do well? When are the child's interactions most positive? What activities hold the child's interest? With participants, discuss how the information they collected could be used in planning an intervention for the child.

  3. Tell participants that in planning interventions, Head Start staff must take children's strengths, needs, and interests into account. They must also assess their classrooms to identify what changes they can make both in the physical environment and in routines to help children with problem behaviors succeed.

  4. Ask participants to brainstorm some areas where children with problem behaviors may experience difficulty in terms of the classroom space (for example, furniture arrangement, organization of space and materials) and routines (for example, mealtime, switching from one activity to another).

  5. Tip for the Coach:

    Handout 13-Trouble Spots is designed for distribution after participants generate a list of areas where children often experience difficulties. However, if the group appears to be struggling, feel free to distribute the handout earlier, or use it yourself to guide the discussion.


  6. Distribute and review Handout 13-Trouble Spots with participants, noting where the group-generated list and the handout are similar and where they are different. Then have participants choose one or two trouble spots from Handout 13-Trouble Spots or from the group discussion to focus on. Encourage participants to choose those areas that are particularly troublesome for the child they observed.

  7. With participants, brainstorm strategies they have tried in the past that have been successful in addressing these problem areas, strategies that have not worked, as well as strategies that might work in the future. Record these ideas on chart paper.

  8. Review the list of strategies, then ask participants to jot down one or two they will try in their own classrooms. Discuss these strategies with participants, encouraging them to be as concrete and specific as possible.

Wrap-Up and Assignment

Summarize the key points from the activity. Point out that sometimes we get stuck trying the same strategies again and again, even when they are not effective. In these cases, it is important to acknowledge when alternatives are needed. It is also important to focus on what we can change, such as classroom setup and routines.

Distribute Handout 14-Checklist, Handout 15-Adapting the Environment, and Handout 16-Adapting Routines and Transitions. For their assignment, ask participants to use these handouts to pinpoint specific problem areas for individual children, identify adaptations that will be made, and monitor the child's responses to the changes made. Encourage participants to share the results with a colleague or supervisor; and then use the results to strategize next steps.


Next Steps:
Ideas to Extend
Practice
As a supervisor, you can encourage and support staff members to practice
what they have learned in this module. Some ways to accomplish this include:

1. Ask interested staff to work with their supervisors, the disabilities services coordinator, or the program's mental health professional to analyze developmental checklists and observation tools that the program currently uses (or plans to use). Ask staff to assess if these tools are deficit-based, focusing on the child's needs and problems, or strength-based, focusing on the child's strengths and interests across different areas. Invite staff to prepare a report including a set of recommendations (for example, possible adaptations to existing tools) based on their findings, and present them at the next management team meeting.

2. Feature a panel to help participants better understand a parent's point of view. For example, the panel might focus on the challenges of raising a child with significant emotional and behavioral problems, the realities of working with a myriad of service systems, the feelings parents may have of being blamed for their child's behavior, or strategies that foster parent-professional partnerships. Contact your local speakers' bureau or your regional Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA) provider to identify speakers for this session.

3. Involve staff in helping parents focus on their child's strengths. Some teachers, for instance, send notes home to parents on a weekly basis,reporting on the child's achievements, big or small. Another teacher turned empty coffee cans into "I Can" cans for each child. She began by depositing slips of paper that contained records of each child's successes ("I can do the zoo puzzle," "I can share crayons with my friends"). Then she sent the cans home with a big note, "PLEASE OPEN AND SEE WHAT'S INSIDE. THEN ADD SLIPS OF YOUR OWN AND RETURN." In this way, parents were encouraged to reinforce their children's successes, and parents and teachers had ongoing communication about strengths and accomplishments.

4. Look for ways to support parents and guardians to promote protective factors in the home. Perhaps a joint session on resilience, followed by teacher/parent communication about specific strategies, can support both parent and staff efforts. Staff might also develop a community resource list that parents could access, that includes information about programs that encourage children to establish close bonds with adults, such as foster grandparents, Big Brothers/Sisters, volunteer mentors, etc.

5. Have your staff view Educating Peter, the 1992 Academy Award winner for best documentary short subject. The movie is the story of Peter, a child with unpredictable behavior, and his classmates, as they "test the limits" of a classroom in which all students learn together. (Note: Peter is in a third grade class in a suburban Virginia public school, so the age of the children, the socioeconomic status of their families, and the activities in the classroom are quite different from what one would find in a Head Start program. However, the issues, challenges, feelings, and remarkable advances made by all involved are similar to the experiences of others who strive to provide an inclusive classroom for children with problem behaviors.) After viewing the film together, use the study guide that accompanies the video to elicit participants' reactions, concerns, and visions. (Educating Peter may be purchased from Ambrose Video Publishing, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, Suite 22-45, New York, NY 10104 for $79.95 plus shipping. Try your local library or your T/TA provider first to see if it is available for borrowing.)

Handout 8 | Handout 9 | Handout 10 | Handout 11 | Handout 12 | Handout 13 | Handout 14 | Handout 15 | Handout 16

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