Plymouth State University & iSocial

Pyramid Model-focused Course, Practicum, Coaching Sessions and Community of Practice

Course:

Individualized Supports in Inclusive Education Birth-Grade 3 Course Syllabus

This course created by Pat Cantor, former professor of Early Childhood Education at Plymouth State University, is specifically designed to support learning and implementation of Tier III: Intensive Intervention of the Pyramid Model Framework. The syllabus included here.

Practicum in a Pyramid Model Implementation Site:

Students participated in a 6-hour per week practicum experience at the Plymouth State University Center for Young Children and Families (CYCF) https://campus.plymouth.edu/cycf/ The CYCF is an iSocial PM Implementation Site and the lab school for the PSU Early Childhood Education Program. Center teachers have extensive PM training and engage in peer-to-peer PM coaching.

Coaching Sessions:

Each student was matched with a mentor, who served as a PM coach. At the start of the practicum, both signed a Practicum Coaching Contract available here.

Coach and student teams met for one-hour coaching sessions every other week. The sessions involved goal setting, action planning, and reflection. Students selected strategies they wished to work on from the Practice Implementation Checklists: Responsive Caregiving; High Quality Environments; and Social-Emotional Teaching Strategies . With coach support, they developed an individualized Action Plan. Students also videoed themselves. Prior to each coaching session, students reviewed and reflected on their videos and Action Plan progress. During the sessions they discussed their accomplishments and insights with their coach. The teams engaged in this iterative process throughout the semester. To see the Coaching Check-in and Action Plan Forms click here.

What Students Had to Say!

“This was one of the most supportive and beneficial mentoring experiences I have been a part of. I liked how we had bi-weekly meetings and I was able to select a goal that I wanted to accomplish and take time to practice that goal. Having the opportunity to document the experience through video was eye-opening. I had never had an opportunity to actually hear or see myself teach. I found this incredibly helpful! It even pushed me out of my comfort zone. I am very grateful for the experience.”

“I benefited from having a supportive coach who assisted me in developing skills connected to the Pyramid Model. The opportunity to be guided by someone who was very familiar with the content was reassuring.”

“I felt much more supported from my coach than I have from mentors in past practicum experiences. The process was much more relationship-based. My coach was very honest and we had genuine conversations, which allowed us to trust one another. She was an active listener. She provided many resources. All of this made me feel better about my mistakes and learning.”

“I liked how coaching gave me more one-on-one support. It was less judgmental about what I was doing wrong and focused more on my goals and growth.”

Community of Practice Discussions:

The course professor led weekly discussions focused on the e-modules and the students’ practicum related experiences. Nine of the sessions aligned with the Pyramid Model Consortium's ePyramid Learning Group format. An introduction to the group is available here. Click here to find an example of one session format based on Modules 2.5 and 2.6. Conversations examining the students’ coaching and goal setting experiences were also facilitated on an ongoing basis.

For additional recommendations and resources for using the Birth to Five e-Modules check out the Birth to 5 eModules Handbook for Leaders at

https://www.pyramidmodel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/ePyramid-Handbook-Birth-to-5-FINAL-s.pdf

What Students Had to Say!

“I benefited from the e-modules because they were almost like an accelerated course in the Pyramid Model itself. They went very in-depth about each of the levels of the Pyramid Model Framework. I know that we’ve learned about aspects of the Pyramid Model in many past courses. However, I found them particularly helpful because of the mini-lessons, videos, readings, and opportunities to apply and reflect on specific practices, my own and the ones used at the CYCF every day. This was wonderful. After completing the modules, I felt very confident in my understanding.”

“I found the modules to be incredibly helpful and useful. ALL future early childhood students should complete them!”

Reflections on the Learning:

Student feedback about this ER 4700 Course - Practicum experience was extremely positive. They found the e-modules to be informative, easy to use, and beneficial to their learning. Students especially valued the coaching process and the strong relationships they built with their coaches. Collaborative conversations with their peers, professor, and coaches supported them in becoming more reflective practitioners and instilled in them a deep commitment to using the Pyramid Model in their future work as early childhood professionals.

What Students Had to Say!

“As a result of the course, I see myself advocating for promoting young children’s social emotional growth on a daily basis.”

“I’m taking with me the importance of building relationships and making connections with other people. Without connections and establishing relationships on an on-going basis, one is unable to fully trust the other. When mutual respect is evident challenging behaviors decrease regardless of the age of the individual.”

“Being able to promote social emotional growth in children is something I want to continue to develop in the future. I think my biggest take away is that challenging behavior is a message and I need to figure out how I can help the child. I need to look at it from every angle to help the child.”

“As a future educator, I will share with others what the Pyramid Model has taught me. Whether it be changing the child’s environment, or working with the family, or working with a team of professionals, I will use the lessons of the Pyramid Model in all aspects of my professional life.”