Journal Article Review/Critique #1 Implementation of School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in Elementary Schools: Observations from a Randomized Trial The journal article that I read discussed a study that was done in 2008 where a group of researchers completed a study centered on the topic of implementing school-wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in various Elementary Schools in the United States. Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports or PBIS is defined as, “a whole-school prevention intervention strategy, which aims to prevent disruptive behaviors and enhance the school’s organizational climate by creating and sustaining a comprehensive system of behavioral support.” (Bradshaw, Reinke, Brown, Bevans, & Leaf, 2008) This study was completed over a three year time frame. Over the course of these three years, the researchers for this study selected 37 different schools to participate. Of those 37 schools, 21 schools were picked at random and were provided with professional training in PBIS and 16 school were selected at random to not receive professional training. The schools that were given professional training received their training on the seven major components of PBIS, which include: expectations defined, expectations taught, systems for rewarding behavior expectations, systems for responding to behavior violations, monitoring and evaluation, management, and district-level support. All 37 participating schools implemented PBIS throughout the three years that this study took place. At the end the three years, the results from a School-wide Evaluation Tool that was used to collect data showed the school that were given professional training in PBIS had significantly high levels of implementation fidelity compared to schools that did not receive training. (Bradshaw, Reinke, Brown, Bevans, & Leaf, 2008) I agree with these results because there are many different components of PBIS and it is necessary to receive professional training in all seven aspects in order to be able to be successful in implementing each of the components. Additionally, results of this study showed that the aspects of PBIS that are included during professional training provided to schools should focused more time and a greater emphasis should be put on defining expectation and teaching expectation. (Bradshaw, Reinke, Brown, Bevans, & Leaf, 2008) I also agree with this information because the PBIS interventions and supports that are put in place must be based off of the behavioral expectations that a school defines and the behavioral expectations that are taught to the students. Therefore, all of the students know what is expected of them in terms of how they should act when they are in the school setting. On the other hand, less time and emphasis should be put on the PBIS aspect of systems of responding to violations. (Bradshaw, Reinke, Brown, Bevans, & Leaf, 2008) I also agree with this result that the data provided from the study because PBIS is a proactive rather a reactive initiative. PBIS focuses on the positive interventions and supports of how students are expected to behave, rather than the consequences of what will happen if they do not behave in those expected ways. Therefore, I believe that this study shows the importance of implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in elementary schools and it is necessary for schools to receive professional training in PBIS to be successful. In addition to the result that this study provided about implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in elementary schools, the article also highlighted other important information about PBIS that is important to note and understand. There are currently over 5,000 school across the United States that have implemented Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Schools that have implemented or are currently implementing PBIS state that this initiative has reduced their office behavioral referrals and suspensions and has improved their students’ academic performance. (Bradshaw, Reinke, Brown, Bevans, & Leaf, 2008) I believe this this statistic is very important because all schools and teachers want their students to be successful. Additionally, I think that the less time children spend in the office or in suspension the more time they spend learning in the classroom, which will help them be more successful in school. The final aspect of PBIS that is important to understand is that it aims to support and include all students in the school. To achieve this aspect, PBIS is developed using a three-tiered model. The three tiers of PBIS are primary supports, secondary supports, and tertiary supports. First, primary supports and interventions are implemented school-wide to all students in the school setting. The primary supports and interventions involve universal positive prevention support strategies that provide systemic training of expected behaviors and reinforcements of those behaviors. Next, secondary supports are provided to about 5-10% of the students in the school that do not successfully respond to the primary supports. These secondary supports are small group-based interventions and supports that involve more structure and provide students who display more concerning behaviors with constant and consistent feedback. Lastly, tertiary supports are provided to roughly 1-5% of the students in the school that do not successfully respond to primary or secondary supports and interventions. Students that fall into this category are provided with intensive one-on-one interventions and supports that will help them be more successful in the school setting. (Bradshaw, Reinke, Brown, Bevans, & Leaf, 2008) Overall, I believe that the PBIS three-tiered model is vital and ensures that all students have the opportunity to be successful in school, as it provides them their a variety of chances and different experiences to be successful in the school environment. Overall, this journal article and study had a strong, positive, initial impact on me as a future educator and I know it will have a long, lasting impact on me as well. As the article stated, many elementary school all over the United States have implemented and continue to implement Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. Therefore, if I am employed by a school that uses PBIS I will understand the important of it and the different aspects of it for successfully. On the other hand, if I am employed by a school that does not use PBIS, I will still incorporate many of the different aspects in my classroom on a daily basis. PBIS is proactive positive behavior approach, which I will implement in my future classroom by being consistent with providing my students with desired behaviors that I expect them to display. Additionally, I will use positive reinforcement to sustain these desired and expected behaviors. This will also help me to decrease any problem behaviors that arise and limit them from continuing to occur in my classroom. This will also help me to increase the academic achievement and success of all of my students. This is a goal that I think all teachers strive to achieve and it is a personal goal that I definitely hope to accomplish in the future when I am an educator. Overall, this journal article and study provided me with a lot of important information about Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports that I will use and implement when I am a teacher in the near future.
Bibliography: Bradshaw, C., Reinke, W., Brown, L., Bevans, K., & Leaf, P. (2008). Implementation of School- Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in Elementary Schools: Observations from a Randomized Trial. Education and Treatment of Children, 31(1), 1- 26. Retrieved January 31, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/42899960
Journal Article Review/Critique #2 A Framework for Trauma-Sensitive Schools: Infusing Trauma-Informed Practices into Early Childhood Education Systems The second journal article I read focused on the ongoing nationwide issue of early childhood trauma. Specifically, this article discussed early childhood trauma and the need for trauma-sensitive schools. Currently in the United States, about 26% of children witness or experience a traumatic event before they turn four years old. Additionally, 1 in 4 children who attend school have experienced a traumatic event. (McConnico, Boynton-Jarret, Bailey, Nandi, 2016) These alarming statistics prove that early childhood trauma is a major issue in our society today. In addition to early childhood trauma being a major concern, this article explains that many schools and school personnel do not have the background knowledge, training, or resources to properly educate and work with students that have experiences or are currently experiencing trauma. Personally, I strongly agree with this statement because I feel that as a future educator I lack the knowledge and ability to effectively support children who have experienced trauma due to the fact that I have not been educated in this area. First and foremost, “trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening.” (Trauma, n.d.) Traumatic experiences have a long-lasting effect and consequences on the health and development of victims. In addition, traumatic experiences directly affect memory, language, emotional, and brain development. Specifically, children who experience or witness traumatic experiences have poor attention and impulsive control, difficulties controlling their emotions, are more aggressive, and are more likely to engage in self-harming behaviors. These consequences also have a negative effect on children’s abilities to interact with their peers and function in the classroom setting. (McConnico et al., 2016) Therefore, it is evident that something needs to be in the school setting to support children that have and continue to experience traumatic events. It is also essential to support school personnel’s’ to better be equipped to support their students, so that they can be more effective in helping all students to succeed. In this journal article, the researches created and implemented a project called Supportive Trauma Interventions for Educators or (STRIVE) to help overcome this obstacle. The STRIVE Intervention, Vital Village Network formed partnerships with the Child Witness to Violence Project and several public schools in Boston to implement and test out their project. Specifically, students, teachers, and other school personnel in grades kindergarten through third grade participated in this project. Their trauma-sensitive approach takes into account both teacher and student needs along with the overall structure of the school and its ability to meet the needs of children and their families impacted by trauma. (McConnico et al., 2016) The STRIVE Project is based off of three core principles. The first principle is to increase teachers’ and school personnel’s understanding and awareness of various kinds of trauma that young children are exposed to and ways this exposure impacts their development and academic functioning and performance. The second principle is to provide teachers with concrete strategies and interventions that they can use in the classroom to support their students and address the behavioral challenges they may exhibit. The third and final principle is to improve young children’s ability to access the curriculum by providing a supportive school atmosphere in which children can feel safe, encourages, and a sense of agency. (McConnico et al., 2016) I believe that all of these principles I very important and a great basis for the project. These three principles highlight the needs for both children who have experienced trauma and the needs of educators to help these students in the most effective way possible. Furthermore, as a future educator I think that it is very important to provide teachers and all school personnel with knowledge about trauma, training on how to communicate and teach children who have experienced trauma, and be provided with resources that will help them to interact with these children more effectively and successfully. For example, as a future educator I know that I have not been trained in the area of trauma, so I do not know what words or actions might trigger these students. Therefore, I would feel much more confident if I had training, so that I can provide the best support to help all of my students be successful in the classroom and in all aspects of their lives. The Supportive Trauma Interventions for Educators (STRIVE) Project was just a preliminary study. This project focused on providing the participating teachers with strategies and resources to support socio-emotional learning through the use of classroom-specific strategies and activities to help students regulate their emotions while staying in their general education classroom. The researchers and implementers of this STRIVE Project concluded that they felt like the project was successful based on the goals and principles that the project was based upon. This was only a pilot study though, therefore more research is needs to be done in the future to provide more evidence on the effectiveness of the STRIVE Project. (McConnico et al., 2016) Overall, I found this article and study to be very informative as I knew little about trauma-sensitive schools and educating children who have witnessed or experience traumatic events. The information and statistics that were presented throughout the article emphasized the need for teachers, administrators, paraprofessionals, and all other school personnel to be informed and trained in the area of trauma and how to work with these students effectively and successfully. Although the STRIVE Project was only the initial study, there was a lot of important concepts and components that I will take away for it. Specifically, I will further educate myself on the various types of trauma and the ways that traumatic experiences impact children. Therefore, I can better understand all of my students and the needs that they might have. I will also learn about more strategies and interventions that I can implement in my classroom to support my students with any behavioral challenges that they might display. In conclusion, children from all over the United States and in very school setting have witnessed or experienced traumatic events and it is inevitable that I will work with many of these students when I am a teacher. It is essential that as educators we provide positive school environments where all children feel safe, welcomed, included, and supported. Therefore, when I am a teacher in the future I will make sure that my classroom has all of these elements incorporated in it, so that all of my students are as successful as they can possibly be. This is a goal that I will work towards all throughout my teaching career.
Bibliography: McConnico, N., Boynton-Jarrett, R., Bailey, C., & Nandi, M. (2016). A Framework for Trauma- Sensitive Schools: Infusing Trauma-Informed Practices into Early Childhood Education Systems. ZERO TO THREE, 36(5), 36–44. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy- lvc.klnpa.org/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ1121657&site=ehost-live Trauma. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.integration.samhsa.gov/clinical-practice/trauma
Journal Article Review/Critique #3 Brain Breaks: Help or Hindrance? The third journal article I read was centered on the topic of implementing brain breaks in the elementary school setting. All teachers are faced with the ongoing challenge of keeping their students attention and keeping them focused during their lessons throughout the school day. It is very difficult for young children, in elementary school to stay on-task and focused on one lesson or activity for an extended period of time. To prove that this is the case, Summit Medical Group states that, “the average attention span of a child is about three to five minutes per year of a child’s age.” (Summit Medical Group Web Site) For example, a kindergarten student, age five or six has the ability to be on-task and focused on a single activity or lesson for about fifteen minutes. For educators this means that we have a limited amount of time to teach a lesson before we lose our students focus. This also means that after that amount of time our students are not going to retain the information we are teaching them because they are not paying attention. This is a concern for all elementary educators, but the article I read poses a solution to this problem. The solution suggested by this article is to implement brain breaks during lessons. The article defines brain breaks as, “transitional physical and mental exercises designed to equip the teacher with tools to manage the physiology and attention of the class to keep children in the most receptive state for learning.” (Weslake and Christian, 2015, pg.3) Children’s brains need breaks periodically throughout the school day to be able to learn more effectively. The researchers that published this article completed a three week investigation on the topic of brain breaks. This investigation was done in a third grade mathematics class with 26 students being the subjects for this study. The purpose of this investigation was to identify the impact of three different types of brain breaks based on two student outcomes. The first outcome being the enjoyment and engagement of the students in the activity and the second being the students’ ability to refocus on their mathematics lessons right after participating in a brain break. (Weslake and Christian, 2015) There were three different types of brain breaks that were implemented for this study. One five minute brain break was implemented each day during the middle of the mathematics lesson. During the first week of the investigation, the students participated in a different kind of relaxation and breathing brain break each day. The relaxation and breathing brain breaks were designed to change the students breathing patterns to get oxygen to the brain and to relax the class. During the second week of the study, the students took part in various highly physical brain breaks. These brain breaks were designed to get the students out of their seats and moving to get oxygen to the brain and to release tense muscles. For the last week of the investigation, the third graders completed different mathematics related activities as their brain breaks. These brain breaks included a variety of different math games that involved little physical activity to get oxygen to the brain and help the students to relieve their stress. (Weslake and Christian, 2015) After the class had completed the given brain break every day, the brain breaks researcher used anecdotal notes and timed how long it took all of the students in the class to refocus on the math lesson. After the three week investigation was complete, all of the third grade participants were given an opinion based survey where they recorded their level of enjoyment and their ability to refocus after participating in each of the brain breaks. The results of the survey showed that 8% of the students enjoyed the relaxation and breathing brain breaks the most, 56% enjoyed the highly physical brain breaks the most, and 36% enjoyed math related activities the most. (Weslake and Christian, 2015) I found these results to be interesting as I also completed a teacher research project on brain breaks in a kindergarten placement. For my study, I implemented three different types of brain breaks as well, which include, GoNoodle, yoga and stretching, and songs and dances. At the end of my research project, I also provided the students with a survey based on which of the brain breaks they enjoyed the most or the least. The results I found from my study were similar to this study. The majority of the students enjoyed GoNoodle and song and dance brain breaks the most and the majority of the students said they enjoyed yoga and stretching brain breaks the least. To continue, the results of this journal article survey also displayed that 24% of students thought it was easiest to refocus after participating in relaxation and breathing brain breaks, 36% thought it was easiest to refocus after participating in highly physical brain breaks, and 44% thought it was easiest to refocus after participating in math related activities. Additionally, the results from the researcher’s anecdotal notes and timing showed that the third grade students were the fastest at returning to their work and being focused on the math lesson after participating in math related activities and slowest after participating in highly physical brain breaks. (Weslake and Christian, 2015) Similarly to this investigation, I also took anecdotal notes for the study I did on brain breaks. I observed students in my kindergarten classroom before and after participating in brain breaks. Specifically, I observed and tallied the number of on-task and off-task behaviors that three randomly selected students in the class displayed before and after completing a brain break. The results of this portion of the investigation differed from the results of the research project I completed. Based on the results of my study, I concluded that students displayed the most amount of on-task behaviors after completing song and dance brain breaks, then GoNoodle brain breaks, and finally the students showed the fewest on-task behaviors after participating in yoga and stretching brain breaks. Furthermore, my results showed that students presented the fewest number of off-task behaviors after participating in song and dance brain breaks, then GoNoodle brain breaks, and finally the students displayed the most amount of off-task behaviors after taking part in yoga and stretching brain breaks. After the journal article study was complete, the researchers of this investigation analyzed the data and concluded that brain breaks related to the subject content, in this case mathematics, and used little amounts of movement had the best results for refocusing and students enjoyed them. Furthermore, in order to make learning effective during and prior to implementing brain breaks, activities must be at the student’s instructional level. (Weslake and Christian, 2015) In conclusion, I thought that this journal article and investigation highlighted the importance of brain breaks and the need for teachers to incorporate ways to give their students a break in order to make learning more effective. Therefore, when I am an educator I will implement various types of brain breaks in my classroom. Brain breaks are useful and fun for all elementary school grade levels. I believe that having students participate in brain breaks is effective in helping them to refocus on the lesson, activity, or task at hand. I also think that brain breaks increase on-task behaviors and decrease off-task behaviors, which can help with behavior management in the classroom. On the other hand, I realize that for most teachers the school days are packed with all of the different elements that we must fit in and that it may seem unnecessary to find time to implement brain breaks throughout the day. It is important to note that brain breaks only take up a few minutes of class time, which does not take away from much instructional time. Additionally, most students really enjoy doing brain break and as this article mentions, teachers can make learning fun by integrating subjects or content such as mathematics into the brain breaks. Therefore, when I am a teacher I will incorporate brain breaks into my every day teaching routine to help my students be more focused and attentive to what I am teaching them to make learning more effective.
Bibliography: Weslake, A.; Christian, B.J. Brain Breaks: Help or hindrance? Teach Collect. Christ. Educ. 2015, 1, 38– 46. Summit Medical Group Web Site. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.summitmedicalgroup.com/library/pediatric_health/pa-hhgbeh_attention/