for early child educators

1. IN THE ENCOURAGING
CLASSROOM
A Discussion
By
May Flerida M. Culango
For Dev. Ed. GC 714
CTU Cebu City Campus
August 29, 2015

2. Overview
Addressing ages 3 to 8 years, A GUIDANCE
APPROACH FOR THE ENCOURAGING
CLASSROOM, 6th Edition, is for students in
early childhood programs as well as graduate
courses. It easily can function as a primary
text in classes that address group
management, the learning environment,
child guidance, child behavior, challenging
behavior, conflict management, and peace
education topics.
Part 1 explores the foundation of guidance in early
childhood education.
Part 2 focuses on building and organizing an
encouraging classroom, and discusses such topics
as daily schedules, routines, use of thematic
instruction, and the importance of working with
parents.
Part 3 addresses problem solving and challenging
behavior, including a practical illustration of how
to use and teach conflict management and
information about the "five-finger-formula."
Throughout, this experience-based resource
includes real-life anecdotes that allow
professionals to make the shift from conventional
classroom to developmentally appropriate
guidance.
Available with InfoTrac® Student Collections
http://gocengage.com/infotrac.
- See more at:
http://www.cengage.com/search/productOverview.do;jsessionid=0133
6A0435D0DB94CD39EF7C76B4C04E?N=16&Ntk=P_EPI&Ntt=134678977
010562292988608767401337474472&Ntx=mode%2Bmatchallpartial#s
thash.qvVaGfz5.dpuf

4. Chapter 9
Conflict Management –
-This chapter explores, models and teaches
conflict mediation and negotiation skills
so that children can learn to solve social
problems.
Subtopics
• Conflict management basics
• Understanding childrens’ development to assist in
conflict management
• The five-finger formula for using and teaching
conflict mediation
• The process of teaching conflict management to children

5. 1. The Basics of Conflict Management
Conflict – expressed
disagreement between individuals.
It’s but NATURAL between individuals
and groups. What makes it negative is when is
when it generates to violence, using words and
actions that will result to physical and
psychological harm.
During a conflict situation, teachers can
also cause harm by doing too little or too much.
Imposing moralistic “solutions” that result to
punishment to one or more children can also be
harmful.

6. Conflict with children often happens and most times
harder to manage because as young as they are,
• Still very much egocentric
• they still have very limited personal resources
and life experiences dealing w/ social problems
• having weak impulse-control, they tend to react
to the immediacy of a situation.

7. In the encouraging classroom, children
are taught with guidance by the teacher
on how to handle conflicts in a
non-hurting way.

8. - conflict mediation, the modeling and
reinforcing of positive verbal to solve a conflict
in mutually acceptable ways; or
- conflict resolution , referring to a formal,
institutionalized system for resolving conflicts.
Teachers act as vital leaders when they step in and
provide ;
Conflict Management:

10. (de-escalating emotional
involvement) sympathetically
acknowledging feelings is one
method in helping children
calm down
- having children take deep
breaths
- give children a cooling down
time
- teachers must also be calm
and composed to mediate
effectively

11. - intervening with authority,
but putting aside who was
right or wrong
- He does not take sides
This shows respect and affirms
feelings and perceptions
- sympathetically acknowledging
feelings and act as a leader toward a
solution and not to punish teacher’s
leadership is to solve the problem in
a way that is beneficial to all after
the conflict is resolved, teacher
briefly reinforces alternatives to the
mistaken behaviors.
With this, children are more able to face up to and learn from
their mistakes after mediation has occurred. Children know by
then that they are not going to be punished and are more
receptive to the guidance.

12. As mediator, the teacher is
thereto assist in resolving a
conflict the parties cannot solve on
their own.
The teacher involved each
child, establishing that each one
would have his chance to talk. As
“mediator in charge”, the teacher
is firm in the mediation process
and encourage power sharing with
and among the children in the
feelings and ideas expressed.
“ okay, let’s think for a second,
How can we solve this?”
It is the power sharing that enables children to feel ownership
of the solution. Power sharing also boosts self-perceptions in
the children, making successful outcomes and long-term
guidance lessons more possible. If the solution seems right to
both children, it is right, even if it is not the teacher’s first
choice.

13. Teaching the child communication skills, of
putting words on feelings.
Letting each other listen to how one feels
Young children are helped to build
perspective taking when they understand
how the other child feels. It is ensuring
that mutual respect throughout the conflict
management process is done.
The teacher reinforces that all children are
worthy members of the classroom
community – regardless where fault might
lie in the conflict. By doing so, the teacher
helps prevent the bully-victim syndrome, a
major objective of education today.
From a more academic perspective, supported personal
expression flows into effective communication (language
arts skills). Children make substantial cognitive and
linguistic gains when they put feelings into words, analyze
social problems, cooperatively generate solutions, and
verbalize acceptable alternatives for the future.

14. Mediation rather than
dictating solutions. The teacher
makes suggestions, but asks if
each child is all right with each
suggestions until an agreement
is reached.
If children come up with a
solution they both are satisfied
with, they will try to go with it
even if it does not match your
adult view of what is logical. .
If children decide on a solution,
they will make it work.

15. Adults need not expect to
handle “conflicts” perfectly. Even with
imperfect mediation done in a positive
manner, teaches children about social
problem solving. Especially when
children get back together after
mediation as if nothing happened –
which is surprisingly often – the adult
knows that “imperfect has been good
enough”. The adult just needs to be
firm and friendly in enforcing the
mediation process, but the outcome is
never preordained, a point that’s
important for early childhood
professionals to accept.

16. 2. Developmental Considerations in Conflict Management
Children have conflicts over
property
territory, or
privilege.
The younger the child, the more likely the
conflict is to concern property: toys,
(materials), even people can be viewed by
younger children as their own personal
property. (1994, p. 15)

17. [Young children] tend to see problems in the immediate
and in physical term.
They also see problems from their own point of view.
Only with age and experience do children slowly learn to
see problems in a larger context; in more abstract terms
that involve underlying motives, feeling and intentions;
and from more than their own point of view.
Until they are able to do this on their own, therefore, the
teacher needs to help. (1994, p.7)

18. Conflict Mediation
Some Techniques

19. Techniques in Conflict Mediation:
The Use of Peace Props
Some conflict mediation models use peace
props, which help to make working things out
concrete for young children.
An established classic peace prop is the use of
talk-and-listen chairs. Other widely used props
are the peace table, the talking stick, and
special sock puppets (Janke &Penshorn
Peterson, 1995; Kreidler, 1994).

20. Talk-and-listen chairs and the peace table are both
designated places in the classroom where children
and adults go to resolve. Children follow established
guidelines such as respectful words only; listen
carefully; take turns talking.
Teachers introduce the talking stick as a “sacred
tool” for helping children talk with and listen to one
another. One person holds the stick with a hand on
each end and takes turn to talk. Others listen until
the stick is passed to them. Children (and sometimes
the teacher) exchange the talking stick until the
problem is resolved,

21. 3. The Five-Finger Formula
The five-finger formula is a conflict management model
teachers used to manage situations effectively. It has five steps
corresponding to the five fingers:
Thumb: Cool down (all of you, teacher too)
Pointer: Discuss and agree how each person sees the problem
Tall Guy: Brainstorm solutions (with teacher’s help if needed)
Ringer: All agree on a solution, discuss a bit and try it.
Pinky: Monitor and follow-up (by teacher). Reinforce
results of mediation.
Have individual guidance talks if needed to teach for ‘next time’.

22. Mediating by the Five-Finger Formula
One morning two boys were arguing over some Lego wheels. Their faces were getting intense and
their voices were getting louder.
Dylan : Hey those are my wheels! You took my wheels! (whining loudly).
Austin : (Yells) No, I had them first! (Dylan grabs the wheels. Austin pulls them away).
Jenner: Boys I can see you are upset. Please come sit with me for a minute. I will hold the wheels
just for now. The boys say okay and come over. (it helped that I was holding the wheels.)
Jenner: Thank you. First, let ‘s all take deep breaths and then we will see what’s going on. Ready,
1…2…3… Okay, now, let’s talk about what happened. Dylan, you can start, and then we
will ask Austin next.
Dylan : He took my wheels that I was using yesterday and was gonna use today.
Jenner: Done? Okay Austin now you tell me what happened.
Austin : He wasn’t here yet so I thought I could use the wheels.
Jenner: It sounds to me like we are having trouble figuring out who should get the wheels, huh
Boys : Yeah!
Jenner: Okay, let’s see if we can come with a way that you will both get a chance with the wheels.
Do either of you have an idea?
Dylan : He should give them back to me.
Jenner: Austin, do you think that is a fair idea?
Austin : No! Then when do I get to play with them?
Jenner: Can you think of another idea so that both of you will have a chnace to use the wheels?
Dylan : He can keep using them today and them tomorrow, I will get to use them.
Jenner: Austin, what do you think of that idea?
Austin : Okay.
Jenner: Great! But next time something like this happens we need to use our words and not get
mad right away. Then if it is still a problem, come and get me or another adult in the
class. Does that sound alright to you?
Boys : Yes.
Jenner: Okay, go play!

23. Two Potholes
There are two common potholes that
early childhood professionals do well to steer clear of:
• Blaming one or both children for the conflict,
Blaming one child causes negative labeling in that child. The blamed
child will now feel ashamed, unworthy and likely to stay angry.
If the teacher blames one child and comforts the other, the comforted
child may feel better for a short while but might begin to see himself as the
victim- another kind of negative self-labeling. With this, the teacher may
unintentionally reinforce a bully-victim “syndrome” in the two children,
which is not what conflict management is all about.
Even if the teacher blames both children equally, it still defeats the
purpose of mediation. The children may probably feel ashamed, unworthy
and that they are not capable of resolving the conflict, even with the teacher’s
help. To them at this point, the mediation seems like a punishment.
Until a resolution is agreed to, the adult needs to work hard to be
nonjudgmental.

24. • The second pothole on mediation road
is when a teacher determines the
“solution” for the children.
Even if we teachers think of a logical
solution, for a conflict management to
be successful, we need to engage the
children fully right through Step Five.
This means sharing power and arriving
at solutions with the assistance of, or at
least the consent of the children in
conflict. The solution has to make sense
to both children, and not just to the
teacher.

25. Not this:
“I saw you hit him, Denny. We are
going to have to deal with this”
But this:
”I see fighting over here. We need
to calm down and talk about this”
“I saw you hit Larry. What did you
do that for”?
I Think there is a problem here.
Let’s get calm and we will talk
about it.”
“You two are not playing nice. You
need to learn to share.”
‘ I hear angry voices here. Let’s find
our quiet voices and work this out.”

26. 4. Teaching Conflict Management Skills
The goal of social problem solving is to move
children from dependency on the teacher to
reliance on themselves.
There are Three Levels of Conflict Management

27. The Three Levels of Conflict Management
* High Level mediation – involves direct, guiding intervention by the adult
including, as necessary, identifying the problem, suggesting possible
solutions, and reaching a solution – agreed to by the children. The adult
provides active leadership in the resolution process. His role is like that of
a coach.
* Low-level mediation, adults suggest that children negotiate the conflict,
but stands by to offer assistance if needed. Low level mediation has been
achieved when children in dispute are able to generate a solution and
implement it with minimum adult assistance. The adult is on hand to
provide verbal and non-verbal encouragement, but moves from being a
coach to a facilitator.
• Child negotiation occurs when children take charge of
resolving conflicts by themselves. Example of this is the
‘talking stick’ wherein choosing civil words except of hitting
back is used.

28. * Point in case:
The irony of social problem solving is that many young
children, guided in the conflict management process, can
negotiate conflicts successfully, while students in higher
grades, who have not been so guided, cannot.
Children of any age able to take on the challenges and
tasks of child negotiation are making exemplary gains in
social problem solving and progressing well in their social
emotional competence. They for sure are working on their
higher democratic life skills.

29. Process or Steps in Mediation
1. Defining the problem : Recognizing if the conflict is over property,
territory or privilege
Calming the children
Giving each child a chance to speak
Without judgment, interpreting the problem, combining each child’s input in a
way that they could both accept; Coaching the children in a fair-minded,
competent way
2. Reaching a Solution : Brainstorming for solutions
Mediating between ideas, moving them from a
suggestion acceptable to only one, to a
solution that both participated in making and
found acceptable
3. Bringing successful closure: Confirming the cooperative effort of both
parties with a statement
eg. “ I like how you both solved the problem
together”
Thanking both parties for the effort
Doing Guidance talk

30. Chapter 10
Problem Solving Mistaken Behavior
What is a Mistaken Behavior?
A Mistaken Behavior is a conflict that typically
happens when a child takes a verbal or physical action, and
an adult disagrees with the action. The adult may react
with punishment, in which case the mistaken behavior has a
negative outcome, or with guidance, in which case the
mistaken behavior more likely has a positive outcome. (The
child is learning to solve social problems in a non-hurting
ways.)

31. Mistaken behavior: another way of thinking about “misbehavior” ; but whereas
misbehavior implies an intentional action and that the misbehaving child is just
plainly being “naughty” or “bad”, mistaken behavior on the one hand is more
unintentional and that the child is just like anybody normal who commits mistakes
that needs to be corrected.

32. The Decision to Intervene
Considerations:
1. First, essential decision a teacher makes is whether one, or few, or several
children are experiencing the conflict.
2. Whether to intervene at all. (does the behavior or conflict warrants
intervention?) Is safety and well-being endangered?
3. The degree of firmness to use in the intervention. Firmness is providing
opportunities to experience independence. The firmness is expressed
communicatively through inviting choice , requesting choice, and/or
commanding choices.
4. Determining whether the teacher’s intervention may be more disruptive than
the child’s precipitating mistaken behavior. Will my intervention reduce or
add to the disruption in the situation? The teacher does intervene if a
situation is seriously disruptive or harmful to one or more members of the
group. Regarding the “disruption factor”, the reality check is this: if the
teacher thinks that her intervention will de-escalate tensions and restore
group productivity, she intervenes.
5. Is this behavior bothering only me, only another staff person, or the whole
group.

33. When to Intervene
In cases of serious mistaken behavior, the teacher has no
choice, he or she must enter the situation.
3 situations that require thought about whether to intervene
are marginal mistaken behaviors,
- “bossy” behaviors, and
- arguments.
- Another key determinant is if the behavior is bothersome only to
the teacher and not particular to the group.
Marginal mistaken behaviors are the sort that some teachers
may react to one day but not the next. In deciding whether to
intervene, the teacher does well to reference mistaken behavior to
guidelines that have been established, the specifics of the situation,
the personalities of the children, and the teacher’s own mind-set on
this particular day.
Ultimately, the teacher makes intervention decisions by
relying on professional judgment.

34. Bossiness
Determine whether the mistaken behavior bossiness is
just a display of leadership qualities or instrumental aggression
(bullying to achieve specific objective) (Gartrell, 2011).
With the latter case, conflict mediation is needed to
allow the harmed child as well as the others to reestablish rights
as full classroom citizens and to learn solve problems together.

35. Arguments
Teachers often feel a need to intervene
when children quarrel. In the guidance approach,
the teacher uses with-it-ness skills to analyze the
situation and takes any of the several possible courses
of action as suggested in the table below:
Situation Teacher Response
1.Reasonable chance children can work out
difficulty
Teacher monitors, but may not intervene. If
needed, encourage the children to negotiate.
2. Argument providing disruptive to a
focused group activity
Teacher intervenes. Redirects parties to
class activity. States that she will help the
solve problem later. Follows up.
3.Argument become heated. Children
don’t seem able to resolve on own; perhaps
one child dominating
Teacher mediates. May use props like talking
stick or puppets. Follows five-finger formula
starting with cool-down time to assist
children to resolve problem.
4. One child reports argument to teacher;
wants assistance
Teacher avoids taking sides. Determines
whether #1, #2, #3 above applies. Responds
accordingly.
5.One or both children have lost control;
children are yelling or fighting.
Teacher intervenes. Separates children for
cool-down time. Uses five-finger formula at
high-level mediation and follows up with
guidance talks when tempers have cooled.

36. Four Quick Intervention Strategies
With quick and effective intervention, little problems
tend not become big ones, and the spread of mistaken
behavior to other children – socially influenced
mistaken behavior – is prevented. The quick
intervention strategies discussed here are as follows:
Negotiation Reminders –
When a child reports a conflict, a common helpful responses by the
teachers who use guidance are:
-“I understand that bothers you. Can use your words to tell him?”
- “I hear what you are saying. You might tell him how you feel so that
he knows.”
When conflict management is a part of the everyday program,
negotiation reminders are often enough to stimulate child negotiation.
Though it might not seem so, the message to the child in these
statements is, “ I had a complaint, and the teacher listened.”

37. Sentence Framing.
Teaching children how to frame sentences or to use sentence frames
to prevent conflicts from getting more serious.
Eg.
I feel_____________________________________________________
when ____________________________________________________.
Next time, please __________________________________________.

38. Humor as Tension Reliever
Humor prevents mistaken behavior and helps defuse problems
to occur. Humor also relieves tension. As long as it is not at the
expense of the child, a sense of humor complements firmness that
teachers sometimes must show, and helps children and teachers alike
put mistaken behavior in perspective.
Friendly humor shows children that adults can be
understanding and gracious; that the teacher is working with them and
not against them.; and that the child has a valued place in the
classroom community.
Humor can change the mind set of “you are against me” to “you and I
can work this out together”- essentially

39. Non-Verbal Techniques
The advantage of non-verbal intervention
(also called body language) is that it can remind
children about guidelines without causing
embarrassment.
Nonverbal techniques which include eye
contact, physical proximity, body carriage, gestures
and friendly facial expression, smiles, a pat on the
head, the use of touch are essential part of the
encouraging classroom.

40. Steps for Engaging in Nonverbal Technique
• Step One : Eye Contact
It involves less embarrassment than calling out names, writes it on
board, or flipping a card. A state with slight smile lessens the intensity
• Step Two : Eye Contact with Gestures
A slow head shake with a gesture such as a palm up or an index finger
pointed up at about shoulder height reinforces the message of the eye
contact. Holding eye contact until the child resumes attention is
important (Jones 1993)
• Step Three : Physical Proximity
Mistaken behavior occurs most often away from the teacher. The
nearness of the teacher to the children is effective in reestablishing
limits (Jones 1993). Jones emphasizes movement by the teacher , a
necessity to encourage active learning in their classrooms.

41. • Step Four : Proximity with General Reminder
Having moved close to the children, the teacher makes a general
reminder such as “I need everyone’s attention for this” (A quick glance
at the children makes this step more emphatic.)
• Step Five : Proximity with direct comment
After establishing proximity, the teacher makes eye contact and
privately requests the behavior expected. (The teacher protects self-
esteem by speaking in low but determined tone.) The teacher may
follow-up with guidance talk.
Like body carriage, facial expressions communicate much. Facial expressions
can show enthusiasm, seriousness, enjoyment, and appreciation, all of which
tend to encourage good behavior; or they can reveal boredom, annoyance, and
resignation, which may encourage misbehavior. Perhaps more than anything
else, facial expressions such as winks and smiles demonstrate a sense of humor,
the trait students most enjoy in teachers. (1996. P. 133)

42. Intervention Strategies When Follow-Up is Needed
In more serious conflict, there should be no “hurried help”
Gionott (1972) wrote that when teachers quickly solves problems for
children, they feel inadequate. In anticipation of the conflict
management movement to come, Ginott stated:
The teacher listens to the problems, rephrase it, clarifies it,
gives credit for formulating it, and then asks, “what options are open
to you?”, “ what are your choices in this given situation?”
Often the child himself comes up with a solution. Thus, he
learns that he can rely on his own judgment. When a teacher hastily
offers solutions, children miss the opportunity to acquire competence
in problem-solving and confidence in themselves. (p.92)

43. Guidance Talks
Guidance talks between teacher and child occur either
during the last steps in conflict management or, when
appropriate, instead of conflict management.
Teachers usually have guidance talks “after the fact”
when emotions have cooled. The guidance talks held privately
to avoid embarrassment, differs for the age-old lecture.
Instead of an adult talking at a child, the guidance talk is
conversation with the child.

44. The teacher bases guidance talks on the five-finger formula, as
used in conflict mediation. The steps may be blended and the
guidance talk is usually less formal than conflict mediation,
depending on the situation, but most steps are usually evident. In
guidance talks, after everyone is calm, the teacher:
• Acknowledge and accepts the viewpoint of the child about what
happened. Helps the child understand why the behavior was mistaken
• Assists the child to understand how all parties in the situation
may have felt (a goal of guidance talk is to build empathy.)
• Brainstorms with the child alternative acceptable behaviors to
use next time a similar situation arises.
• Ask how the child can help the other child feel better, or how
the situation can be made better (note that this is different from forcing
an apology. After the guidance talk, the child hopefully feels relieved
rather than guilty. Involving him in a choice of how to help the other
feel better teaches the importance of reconciliation. If the child is not
ready, suggest “maybe later” and offer a friendly reminder.

45. There are four related problem-solving techniques
that teachers often use in guidance talks, when
follow-up is needed, are:
• Reflective listening
active listening and acknowledging feelings
• Teacher-child negotiation
Teachable moment through guidance talks
• Including children’s ideas
• Reconciliation no forced apologies

46. Chapter 11
Guidance Through Intervention
This chapter gives attention to serious mistaken behavior,
when strong emotions make solving problems difficult.
Intervention Considerations
1. Diagnose the conflict as best you can – determine if you know what
happened or if you need more information. Decide what level of
firmness you are going to use – and how to show friendliness and
firmness. Try to be authoritative than authoritarian in responding to
conflicts. You decide if the situation calls for conflict management, a
guidance talk, or requested choice with follow-up.
2. Diffuse the situation – if emotions are not so high, the teacher works
to downplay the conflict. Sometimes the situation is accidental or not
totally intentional, the teacher will point this our and informally
mediates

47. 3. Use humor, the greatest tension
reliever. Humor suggests that the adult
is “in charge enough not to get up-tight”
and so boys, they don’t have to get
“worked up” either.
4. Calm everyone down – A “timed
silence” or “cooling down time” provides
the boys time so that he can process the
upsetting event without adult interaction.
When the teacher feels he Is ready, she
supports the boy by acknowledging his
feelings, which helps him feel accepted and
regain composure.

48. 5. Talk in a private manner. The teacher may want to go with the boy to a
private space in the classroom. Private interaction protect the child
from negative self-labeling as a result of being shamed.
6. Don’t use threats. Threats set up power struggles that negatively
affect both the teacher-child relationship and the likelihood of
successful (win-win) resolution of the conflict situation. Instead, use
request choices. In requesting choices, the adult poses the more
desirable alternative as positively possible, but accepts the “out choice”
if the boy makes it.
“Martin, either you share the counting cards, or find an activity in another area.
which will it be?” If the boy is upset with the choices, then follow-up with
guidance talks.

49. When Conflicts Make Intervention Necessary
In contrast with mild mistaken behavior, teachers intervene when:
1. Children cannot resolve a conflict themselves and the situation is
deterioration.
2. One or more children cause serious disruption n to the education
process
3. The danger of harm exists.
In these 3 situations, the teachers resolved the conflicts by
combining intervention strategies. In each case the teacher
worked with the children to –
- Calm everyone down
- Restore boundaries of safety and friendliness
- Reach a resolution all could live with
- Gain reconciliation
- Teach acceptable behavior alternatives for the future
- Be firm but still friendly

50. Crisis Management Techniques
When conflicts get out of hand, emotions run high and
communication process breaks down, crisis management is then
needed.
Classroom crisis required direct teacher intervention.
The teacher tries to restore communication so that social problem
solving can take place. If civil communication proves impossible,
the teacher works to calm the child or children and restore
boundaries so that communication can occur late.

51. Four basic crisis management techniques are to be used:
1. First Alternative: Being direct
- describe without labeling – addressing the situation and no attacking
personalities
- Express displeasure without insult – Using of “I messages” to report
personal feelings
- Correct by direction – not just telling but teaching what to do
2. Second Alternative: Commanding a Choice: “Brett, you choose,
Use words to tell us your feelings, or find a place to cool down, and
then we will talk”
3. Third Alternative: Calm, then Teach
Use the five-finger formula and star with the calming down process
4. Last Alternative: Physical Restraint – is the crisis management
technique of last resort. It is not paddling, spanking, ear-pulling,
hair-yanking, back-of-the-neck squeezing, knuckle whacking,
retribution childbiting, mouth taping or bounding to a chair. Neither
is it pushing or pulling a child nor holding a child upside-down.

52. The use of the Passive Bear Hug
Once the teacher decides that
physical restraint is necessary,
the commitment is total. Clamping around arms and
legs around legs and going into a sitting position is
what physical restraint is all about. The teacher holds
the child facing away and at an angle to prevent rear
head butts. The teacher stays with it and speaks
soothingly to the child. The passive bear hug provides
limits that the child, for the moment, cannot provide
for himself.

53. Monitoring and Reporting
When passive restraint is used, the other members
of the teaching team works with the group. Documenting
the event with colleagues is important.
After passive restraint, a follow-up self-check by
the teacher is needed. Did the teacher use a level of force
necessary to prevent harm and not cause more? Most
programs have a written report system when passive
restraint is used.

54. The Use of a Comprehensive Guidance/The Individual Guidance Plan
Serious (Level three) mistaken behavior is due to strong needs that a
child feels, cannot meet, and acts out in relation to. The strong needs arise
from biological or emotional factors, or a combination of the two. Often the
cause of serious mistaken behavior lies outside of the classroom (Kaiser &
Raminsky, 2012)
Untreated physical, neurological and health conditions are one source;
physical and mental conditions, illness, hunger, and lack of sleep, conditions like
ADHD,/hyperactivity disorder, fetal alcohol syndrome, autism disorder spectrum,
and ‘extreme’ temperaments, impulsive behaviors. Also included in this list are
those victims of abuse, violence in the families PTSD, childhood stresses that
result to anti-social behavior. These behaviors diagnosed or undiagnosed can
cause persistent “challenging” behaviors, raging from withdrawal to aggression
that constitute Level Three.
For these Level Three mistaken behaviors, school-age children with
severe unmet social-emotional needs, special education screening along with
assessment, diagnosis , and an IEP can and should happen. K-12 students in the
“gray area” who do not qualify for formal special education assistance may still
qualify for response to intervention (RTI) services. There is a need for a
comprehensive intervention strategy to meet special needs, and this is more like
effective than the traditional discipline practices.

55. The Individual Guidance Program
Comprehensive guidance includes components of guidance
practices on a coordinated basis. It is necessary though to begin
before patterns of conflict arise, with the relationships teachers first
build with children and their families(Gartrell, 2004). With each act of
mistaken behavior, the teacher intervenes to prevent harm and
disruption.- using crisis management techniques. The steps are to be
followed as shown below:
1. Work to develop relationships with families when the child first
begins, before conflict start.
2. Use crisis management techniques to prevent harm to the child and others.
3. Learn more about the child at home and at school.
4. Implement what you have learned in programming for the child,
5. Improve the quality of the teacher-child relationship.
6. Hold an individual guidance plan (IGP) meeting and develop a written IGP if
necessary.
7. Utilize the specified support, prevention, intervention, and, possibly,
referral practices designed for the child.
8. Review and modify the IGP if necessary.

56. Similar to the IEP, the IGP procedure provides a model
for addressing strong needs mistaken behavior in school-age
and preschool children who do not qualify for formal special
education. With the cooperation of the school staff,
parents, and other professionals, the groundwork is set for
an effective problem-solving strategy to improve the mental
health of children who are having ongoing classroom
conflicts. Serious mistaken behaviors require
comprehensive strategies to assist the child in learning
necessary personal and interpersonal skills. The following8
guidelines provide for the use of the IGP:

57. Work to build relationships with the child and family prior to crisis.
1. Teaching team (lead teacher and teaching staff) develops
relationships starting with the entry of the child into the program.
Need, interests, learning characteristics, response styles of the
child is noted for full understanding.
2. Use crisis/conflict management techniques.
In the event of strong unmet needs mistaken behavior, the team
uses the crisis management techniques: being direct, commanding
choices, calming methods, physical restraint, guidance talks,
mediation, class meetings.

58. 3.Obtain additional information.
The teaching team make extra effort in talking to the child.
Make 2-parts anecdotal record;
-Part 1 being: describing words and actions;
-Part 2 contains the teacher’s reflective attempts to
understand what has been observed. Incidents of mistaken
behavior are charted against days of the week, times of
the day and the daily schedule. Teacher contacts the parents and
explain to them the patterns of mistaken behavior. Teacher and parents
compare notes of what might have caused the child’s difficulties
4.Implement Information gained.
The teaching team meets (lead teacher and staff) and discuss if program
needs modification, preventing crisis when possible and resolving
conflicts peacefully.
5.Improve the quality of the teacher-child relationship. Maintaining trust
level to the teacher and the staff team is important.

59. 6. Hold the Individual Guidance Plan Meeting.
If actions seems not to be resolving problem, a meeting
is held with parents, the teaching team and other relevant
adults to develop the IGP. Teacher explains to the parents
what will happen with the IGP. Together, participants
complete an IGP worksheet that outlines the process.
7. Try the Guidance Plan.
The IGP is put into operation. The plan may have school and home
components. Consistent, non-punitive crisis and conflict management
is part of the plan. One component of the IGP are steps to further
improve relationships between child and adults.
8. Review and modify the plan if necessary.
Observations, review plans are constantly communicated with the
parents through IGP meetings. To prevent needless/premature talk of
removal of the child from the program, only at Step Eight should such a
discussion happen. It happens if the team has already come up with an
expansion and comprehensive services that will allow the child in the
classroom.

60. •National Association for the Education of Young Children
Nonprofit
•The National Association for the Education of Young
Children is a large nonprofit association in the United States
representing early childhood education teachers, para-
educators, center directors, ... Wikipedia
•Founded: 1926
•Nonprofit category: Educational Institutions Professional
Societies & Associations
•Founder: Patty Hill

61. The Individual Guidance Plan Sample Form