Social/Emotional and Behavioural Support

A Targeted Intervention Continuum for Managing Behaviour (adapted for online use)

Tier 1 Behaviour Support (for all):

• Open lessons with greetings

• Incorporate structure and routines during distance learning lessons

• Break work period into short chunks

• Include brain breaks/movement breaks

• Include quiet time activities

• Include emotional release activities

• Increase outdoor activities

Tier 2 Behaviour Support (for some):

• Whenever possible, additional adult support from school team members (Spec. Ed. Tech, Attendant, Resource Teacher, Other)

• Daily check-ins with a significant adult

• Choice boards to incorporate movement activities

• At home bin of calming material (often items that can be manipulated by the hands ex: squishy ball)

• End of day recap with a significant adult

Tier 3 Behaviour Support (for few)

• Whenever possible, additional adult support from school team members (Spec. Ed. Tech, Attendant, Resource Teacher, Other)

• Several check-ins a day with a significant other

• The student may be following an adapted schedule (The student may be working on academics, but instructional time will also include goals in emotional growth)

• End of day recap with a significant adult

(Centre of Excellence for Behaviour Management, 2020)

Relationship Building

• Arrive early to class. This allows you the opportunity for small talk with students that also arrive early.

• Ensure that your students are participating in a way that is appropriate and comfortable for them.

• Regularly ask students how they feel in their virtual class. (Use tech tools like Pear Deck or Google Forms to collect this information in an anonymous way.) (Eredics, 2020)

• Encourage students to socialize with peers by scheduling unstructured Zoom breaks. (Reckdahl, 2020)

• Whenever possible, greet every student at the beginning of the class and say goodbye to every student at the end of the class.

• Should your schedule permit this, use a Google Doc for a five minute appointment to chat privately with a student. Students can sign-up and meet with you to discuss any concerns that they have.

• Use new tools to first build relationships before using them for academics.

• To learn more about your students:

  • Have the students do an “All About Me” Collage. Provide the option of using technology or paper and glue. The students that choose paper and pencil can snap a picture of their creation and submit it.

  • Consider trying Fotobabble.

(Learn Quebec, 2020)

SEL Mini-lessons

The Greater Good Science Center at the Berkeley University studies the psychology, sociology, and neuroscience of well-being and teaches skills that foster a thriving, resilient, and compassionate society. Check out their SEL lesson links below. They are designed for online learning. (Greater Good in Education, 2019)

Classroom Management

• For all behaviour issues, talk to the student in private first before using any online “consequences” such as temporarily muting a student’s mic. Consider inviting them to the next distance learning class 5 minutes before class, keeping them 5 minutes after class, or calling them at home to discuss the issue.

Sensory tools to avoid sensory meltdowns:

• Consider creating an “emergency” sensory toolkit that can be taken home in the case of school closure

• Collaborate with families to create a sensory toolkit from items within the home (hand lotion, scented lip balm, stress ball (squishy or textured), gum, gummy or crunchy snacks (fruit snacks or pretzels), memory foam pillow as a weighted lap pad or weighted blanket for calming pressure, play-dough, water bottle with a spout for sucking, consider adjusting screen brightness to preference) (Morin, Sensory Tools)

Provide 1-5 minutes brain breaks

• Can be done during virtual classes, to break up an independent assignment or embedded with in a digital assignment.

• Types of breaks (energizing, calming, self-directed)

• Use a screen share to show a video (do not forget to click the “share sound” box on Zoom)

• Use reminders that class will be resuming in _ minute(s), counting down from 10 or by showing a visual timer

• Discuss the experience and discuss why students would use this on their own (frustration, distraction etc.) (Morin, Brain Breaks)

Routines

• Reflect on the routines that you have in school. What can you continue?

• They provide predictability and security

• Help students develop executive functioning

• You may want to create a routine for bathroom breaks/movement breaks during instruction (Eredics, 2020)

Be consistent: Try to post/share information from the same platform and at the same time every day (or every other day) (Hodnett, 2020)

Self-Care for School Teams

(Centre of Excellence for Mental Health, 2020)