CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!
REFRAMING OUR APPROACHES TO BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT IN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
Workshop Details
WHEN: 12 September, 19 October, 21 November 2023, 16 January, 15 February, 26 March, 18 April, 7 May 2024 (3:30pm - 5:00pm KL Time)
WHERE: Online (via Zoom)
FEES: USD400 (For non ISKL, please sign up below)
For ISKL Faculty Only (please sign up on the PD Google Calendar)
FOCUS: All school personnel who work with children K - 12
TRAINERS: Ochan Powell, Kristen Pelletier & Kristel Solomon Saleem
NOTE: All participants must have a copy of the NFI monograph Challenge Accepted! Reframing Our Approaches to Behavior Management in International Schools
DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION CANCELLATION: 1st SEPTEMBER 2023
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: 5th SEPTEMBER 2023
Workshop Overview
"Your job as a citizen and as a decent human being is to constantly affirm and lift up and fight for treating people with kindness and respect and understanding."
Barack Obama
Many international schools deal with challenging student behaviors in piecemeal, reactive and often punitive ways. A review of policy manuals from several schools indicates specific and layered consequences to identified behaviors. For example, in reference to substance abuse, a student might find themselves suspended and required to attend a parent-teacher conference before being readmitted to school. A future occurrence might result in a recommendation for expulsion from the school.
While viewing behavior in isolation might be an efficient way to respond to infractions of school rules, this approach may in fact not make sense because we know that behaviors do not occur in isolation. Behavior is influenced by a number of factors, including biological considerations, upbringing, cultural influences and emotional state, among others. Whereas school leaders may consider it “fair” to treat like behaviors (cheating, smoking, etc.) with the same consequences, this approach does not recognize students as individuals who may need different responses to support behavior that is more acceptable in a school setting. It also fails to recognize any pre-existing conditions, or an experience that may have given rise to the behavior in the first place.
How might schools reframe how behavior is understood and shaped, utilizing both proactive and responsive approaches? Much challenging behavior can be avoided by developing a pro-social culture of inclusion.
Understanding that all behavior is a form of communication, NFI advocates for a metacognitive approach that maintains student dignity and ensures safety for all in the process. As educators within international schools we come with our own perspectives and expectations for developing desired behaviors within our classrooms. These beliefs and values may be influenced by culture, experience and personal preference. It will require each of us to assess how our own implicit biases might influence our responses to student behavior; while at all times treating students respectfully, even ones who exhibit challenging behaviors.
Learning Outcomes
As an aim to grow a prosocial culture within our schools, we will explore ways that we can increase our own self awareness, and the factors that shape our behavior in order to nurture a responsive learning environment that will allow us to adapt our programs and approaches to support the needs of all learners.
Ochan Kusuma-Powell
OCHAN KUSUMA POWELL is an international educator and consultant to schools worldwide. She presents in the areas of coaching, special education, inclusion and collaboration. Ochan is a founding member of the Design Team for the Next Frontier Inclusion, a not-for-profit organization that supports international schools in becoming increasingly inclusive at a systems level. She is the co-author of several books on inclusion, differentiation. Ochan serves as an Associate Trainer for Cognitive Coaching and Adaptive Schools.
Kristen Pelletier
Kristen Pelletier is an educational consultant, coach, and leader of professional learning. She is driven by a mission to support international schools around the world along their journeys toward inclusive cultures of practice that embrace neurodiversity. She is a founding member of the Next Frontier Inclusion and serves on their Design Team.
Kristen holds a B.S. in Special Education & M.A. in K-12 Educational Administration and brings 32 years of experience teaching, leading and consulting. Her career experiences include teaching in a range of support programs in public schools and working in residential adult development programs in Maine before moving internationally where she served over the course of 20 years, initially as a teacher and most recently as the Director of Support Services at the International School of Brussels.
Kristel Solomon Saleem
Kristel Solomon is an International Educational Consultant and former Director of Student Support Services in Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. Her dedication and passion in the field of education have led her to work with a wide range of schools and organizations that ensure children have access to a high-quality education so that they may find their individual pathways to excellence. Most recently Kristel has served as the Interim School Director of a Special Needs School in the US Virgin Islands.
Her personal commitment to leading has allowed her to work closely with the Next Frontier Inclusion (NFI) as a workshop facilitator and student services reviewer. Kristel also leads senior leadership training with International Schools Partnership (ISP) and serves as the Director of Leadership Advocacy with the International School Leaders of Educational Support (ISLES). Kristel supports the work of The Special Education and Inclusion Association (SENIA) and has contributed to the International Baccalaureate (IB) Guidelines for Inclusive Education.
Kristel holds degrees in Elementary and Special Education and a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology.