practicum in early childhood education ii ech 6593

Practicum in Early Childhood Education IIECH 6593

USING THE CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE METHOD TO SCAFFOLD THE EMOTIONAL SELF-REGULATION SKILLS IN YOUNG CHILDREN

Teresa Belk

Project Choice RationaleSince 2010, Arkansas State University

Childhood Services has sponsored Conscious Discipline workshops for Arkansas Better Chance programs. These workshops are offered at no cost to early childhood educators and administrators. Childhood Services has committed to offering these workshops for at least one more year.

Project Choice Rationale, p. 2After attending a series of workshops

on the Conscious Discipline behavior guidance program, I was inspired by Dr. Becky Bailey, the founder of Conscious Discipline, to begin implementing the program this year. Full implementation of the program will take two to three years.

Project Choice Rationale, p. 3This positive behavior guidance method is the best guidance method that I have encountered. It has been designed both for parents and educators. It has been successfully implemented in schools in several states and is gaining national recognition. Arkansas is the first state to commit to training early childhood educators on a state-wide level.

Project Choice Rationale, p. 4While Arkansas educators have focused

on the training of early childhood educators, this guidance program can be utilized with students of all ages. However, the earlier these emotional self-regulation methods are learned by students, the more beneficial they will be.

By creating a school family, the students are building connections with each other

and developing a willingness to learn, impulse control, and sustained attention.

The wish well board is a tool that encourages the students to think about those who are absent. It reminds them

that when they are absent, the others will miss them, too.

Wish Well Board

Wish You Well Song

We wish you well. We wish you well.

We wish you well today.

We wish you well. We wish you well.

Come back soon and play.

Wishing Others Well

By holding hands, the students are creating connections with one another,

which helps develop the emotional state of the brain.

A feeling of connectedness encourages internal impulse

control and teaches self-regulation skills.

Wishing Others Well Through Song

SongsSongs act as connecting rituals which help unite the children.

Star SongWhen you’re feeling really angryNo matter where you areThere’s a way to feel betterThere’s a way to be a starWith this one thing to rememberYou’ll stop anger in its tracks

ChorusStop, take a deep breath and relaxStop, take a deep breath and relaxStop, take a deep breath and relaxRepeat 1st VerseRepeat ChorusBailey, B. A. (2012). Song lyrics and activities: Star song. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from Conscious Discipline website: http://consciousdiscipline.com/resources/song_lyrics.asp

Activities to disengage stressS.T.A.R.

BALLOON BREATHING

DRAIN

PRETZEL

Conscious Discipline. (2012). Retrieved from http://consciousdiscipline.com/

How to be a S.T.A.R

StopTake a deep breathAndRelax


Taking deep breaths help students relax and feel calmer. It focuses attention

and encourages quiet listening.


Balloon Breaths“Inflate” a balloon while taking a deep

breath through the nose. “Deflate” the balloon while breathing out

through the nose.


Taking balloon breaths

DrainExtend arms out in front of the body, fisted palms down. Pretending that the arms are faucets, use the fists to act as drains, “draining” stress from the body. Relax the hands by opening them and making a sssh sound.


Draining

PretzelSit crossing the ankles. Extend the arms, crossing wrists. Interlace the fingers and draw the hands up toward the chest. Touch the tongue to the roof of the mouth. Close eyes and breathe in through the nose, then out through the mouth.


Pretzel Movements

The kindness tree records acts of kindness by the students.

Kindness Tree

An Act of Kindness

AssessmentsThese acts of kindness will also be used to record observations and to make assessments of the children.

Shubert BooksEach Shubert book provides a focus for the Conscious Discipline skill being taught. The book is read on a daily basis for a month. Each skill and book is emphasized, studied, and practiced for a month.

Shubert Books, p. 2This series of books is designed to promote building character by illustrating conflict in both children and adults. Shubert gives helpful suggestions for children to solve problems while Mrs. Bookbinder models Conscious Discipline strategies for adults to emulate.

Shubert Books, p. 3These books combine parental education with educational staff development. The books were an important part of the teaching process. The children enjoyed the stories and the interaction we had about the story situations.

Shubert Books Bailey, B. A. "Conscious Discipline.” Conscious Discipline Summer Institute I [Conference]. Little Rock. 28 August 2012.

Shubert Book Conscious Discipline

Skill/Power

Student Skills Teacher Skills

Shubert is a S.T.A.R.

Skill: Composure

Power: No one can make you angry without your permission.

• Self-control• Emotional

control• Anger

management• S.T.A.R.• Balloon• Draining

• Composure in difficult situations

• Effective praise• Empathy• Assertiveness• How to teach

self-control and emotional control in children

Shubert BooksBailey, B. A. "Conscious Discipline.” Conscious Discipline Summer Institute I [Conference]. Little Rock. 28 August 2012.


Skill/Power


Shubert’s Choice Skill: Choices

Power: The only person you can make changes is yourself.

• Imagination• Making choices• Understanding

opposites


• Two positive choices

• Attunement, connection versus correction

• Effective praise

Shubert Books Bailey, B. A. "Conscious

Discipline.” Conscious Discipline Summer Institute I [Conference]. Little Rock. 28 August 2012.


Skill/Power


Shubert’s Big Voice

Skill: Assertiveness

Power: What you focus on, you get more of.

• Victim Empowerment

• Assertive voice

• Bystander empowerment


• Empathy• Noticing• How to teach

children t be assertive and manage others’ aggression in a healthy way.

Shubert Books Bailey, B. A.

"Conscious Discipline.” Conscious Discipline Summer Institute I [Conference]. Little Rock. 28 August 2012.


Skill/Power


Shubert’s Helpful Day

Skill: Encouragement

Power: What we offer to others, we strengthen in ourselves.

• Bully prevention

• Victim empowerment

• S.T.A.R.• Wishing Well• How to get

needs met without hurting others

• Helping others be successful

• Noticing helpful acts

• Teaching aggressive children new communication skills

• “Victim first” rule

• Positive intent• Noticing• Empathy




Skill/Power


Shubert Sees the Best

Skill: Positive Intent

Power: See the best in others.

• Collecting Data• There are

multiple views of one situation

• Empathy• How to be

helpful in difficult situations

• Seeing solutions instead of problems

• How to reframe perception from negative to positive

• How to flip comments from what you don’t want to what you do want

• Encourage independent thought and problem solving

Shubert Books Bailey, B. A. "Conscious Discipline.” Conscious Discipline Summer Institute I [Conference]. Little Rock. 28 August 2012.


Skill/Power


Shubert Rants and Raves

Skill: Empathy

Power: The moment is as it is .

• S.T.A.R.• Working

together• Emotional

control• Self-regulation• Taking

responsibility for our upset

• Noticing• Empathy• Handling a

child’s intense anger

• Wishing Well• Seeing and

using upset as a teaching moment




Skill/Power


Shubert’s New Friend

Skill: Consequences

Power: Mistakes are opportunities to learn

• Excluding others us hurtful

• Acceptance of diversity is helpful

• How to handle personal upset and disappointment

• Expressing feelings

• Learn from mistakes

• Conflict as a teaching moment

• Compassion• Empathy• Noticing• Willingness to

trust children• Concept of

School Family• Label

emotional states

Reading Shubert Books

ConclusionThe Conscious Discipline method has provided me

with a teaching method to assist the development of emotional self-regulation in my students. I have seen positive results from the implementation of this project. My classroom seems calmer this year than it has in years past. I ascribe this difference to the application of the Conscious Discipline method of positive guidance. This method is practical and it emphasizes the participation of both the students and the teachers. This is a joint effort which relies upon change and acceptance from the children and from the adults.

Conclusion, p.2I have seen the children adapt the strategies

that I taught. This is especially true of the breathing and stress reducing techniques, along with their use of the Big Voice to express their needs to their peers. The students have embraced the concept of the Kindness Tree. The students want to complete helpful acts and be acknowledged for that behavior. They also tell me of acts of kindness completed by others and want to see those students acknowledged.

Conclusion, p.3The Conscious Discipline method, along with my

coursework, has enabled me to grow as a teacher. I believe that I am more controlled in my guidance techniques and am more comfortable within myself in the classroom. Conscious Discipline has given me the tools I needed to teach my students how to positively handle emotions and situations that are stressful. I plan to continue the implementation of more Conscious Discipline techniques. The process of applying additional techniques will take an additional year and a half, but the benefits for me and my students are worth the time and effort that it will take.

ResourcesBailey, B. A. (2001). Conscious discipline: 7 basic skills for classroom management.

Oviedo, FL: Loving Guidance.

Bailey, B. A. (2012). Song lyrics and activities: Star song. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from Conscious Discipline website:

http://consciousdiscipline.com/resources/song_lyrics.asp

Bailey, B. A. "Conscious Discipline.” Conscious Discipline Summer Institute I [Conference]. Little Rock. 28 August 2012.

Conscious Discipline. (2012). Shubert books. Retrieved from http://consciousdiscipline.com/shuberts_classroom.asp


practicum in early childhood education ii ech 6593

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