Collaborative Problem Solving

Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS)

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"Kids do well if they can"

Instead of using various labels and diagnoses, Dr. Ross Greene, author of "The Explosive Child" and "Lost at School" asks us to consider a paradigm shift and look at students' challenging behaviour as a form of developmental delay. He asks of us to dialogue with our students to ascertain which problem to focus on and, together, brainstorm ways to improve the outcomes from negative to positive - collaboratively finding ways to extinguish the challenging behaviour. 

The challenging/maladaptive behaviour that Dr. Greene refers to occurs mostly when the demands being placed on [students] exceed their capacity to respond adaptively:

                 ->Mild Behaviours: Cry, sulk, pout, whine, or withdraw 

                 ->More Overt: Scream, spit, swear, hit, kick, destroy property, lie, or fight/flight 

                 ->More Severe: Self-injurious behaviour, cut, drink, abuse drugs, stab, shoot 

The question is, "Why do some kids respond at the milder end of the spectrum while others are at the more severe end?" Dr. Greene asserts that it's because some kids have the skills to hold it together - others don't. CPS helps adults teach these lagging cognitive skills to help kids solve the problems precipitating their challenging behaviour while reducing the frequency and intensity of maladaptive behaviours. 

Between the hours of 9-3:30, teachers can observe students in structured and non-structured activities and through independent and group dynamics. The ability to observe how students react to others or respond when expectations are put upon them give us tremendous insight into patterns of behaviour. If we can reflect upon internal or external factors that may impact their social, emotional, behavioural or intellectual growth, then the skills that they have deficits in have a greater chance of being addressed proactively. Using Dr. Greene's ALSUP (Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems), teachers can can pinpoint which skills need to be targeted first and create specific situations where the students can learn to identify and focus on their specific areas of challenge. 

• Place your cursor here to link to Dr. Greene's ALSUP checklist

• Place your cursor here to visit Dr. Greene's website: Livesinthebalance.org

• For more information on Collaborative Problem Solving and proactive classroom strategies to modify student's behaviour, click on this link to a presentation/workshop I led with a colleague entitled, "Tried, Tested and True Tools for Teaching Tough Kids" http://tinyurl.com/triedtestedtruetools