Strategies for Providing Mentoring and Social Supports to Students with Repeated Behavior Challenges

Strategies for Providing Mentoring and

Social Supports toStudents with Repeated

Behavior Challenges

Training Purpose

• The purpose of this training is to prepare personnel mentoring a student who is receiving supports because of repeated behavior issues with the knowledge, skills, and strategies necessary for a positive mentoring experience

Training Module Overview

• Module 1: Mentor Responsibilities

• Module 2: Forming Relationships

• Module 3: Building Meaningful

Discussions

• Module 4: Understanding Basic Behavior

Patterns

Mentor TrainingModule 1

Mentor Responsibilities

Mentor Training Module 1:Mentor Responsibilities

• Module Purpose

– The purpose of this module is to provide an explicit overview of your role and responsibilities as a mentor

Mentor Training Module 1: Mentor Responsibilities

• Mentees are students who:– Need access to supportive, encouraging,

positive adults– Have begun to demonstrate a pattern of

conduct problems

• Mentoring is one part of a support plan that is using combinations of strategies to help the mentee make positive choices and get on a positive path


• Questions to think about:

– What draws you being a mentor?– What do you expect the mentoring experience

will be like?– What do you hope to get out of being a

mentor?


• The role of a mentor is to:– Listen– Encourage– Cheerlead– Support– Respect the student’s

choices– Advocate– Be helpful

It’s not the mentor’s job to

“fix” the student; solve their

problems; or “fix” what is wrong in the student’s life


1. Take responsibility for establishing a regular meeting schedule

2. Help mentees to practice and reflect on newly learned social skills or other intervention strategies

3. Maintain the student’s confidentiality

4. Participate in progress monitoring

5. Contribute to the oversight of the mentoring program


1. Take responsibility for establishing a regular meeting schedule (scheduling is the mentor’s job, not the student)

– Establish a predictable 30-60 minute weekly meeting schedule

– Be consistent and reliable – Keep your word– Show up on time– Periodically check-in on the student outside of

the meeting schedule (“Just stopped by to say hello….”)


2. Help mentees to practice and reflect on newly learned social skills or other intervention strategies (e.g., self monitoring)

– Be familiar with the student’s Student Support Plan

– Model skills– Help student to reflect on how they are doing– Provide support and encouragement– Identify where the student needs more

assistance


3. Maintain the student’s confidentiality

– Don’t share personal information– Meetings are private – Mandatory reporting is legally required if there

is any indication that this student: • Will harm him/herself• Is being abused (e.g. emotional, physical or sexual)

• Will harm someone else


4. Participate in progress monitoring

– Seek out help when a problem comes up– Communicate problems with the mentor

relationship– Provide updates when requested– Attend meetings when invited– Complete feedback tools


5. Contribute to the oversight of the mentoring program

– Complete feedback tools– Attend trainings or program design meetings

THANK YOU FOR BEING A MENTOR!!!

Mentor Feedback Form

Mentor Name: __________________ Student Name: _________________ Today’s Date: __________________

Instructions: Please respond to the following questions/statements.

Not Very Much

Somewhat Very Much

I am satisfied with how my student and I are getting along

1 2 3 4 5

The student and I reviewed the skills that he/she learned in group

1 2 3 4 5

The student is using the new skills he/she learned in the group

1 2 3 4 5

The student is benefiting or seeing changes from using the new skills

1 2 3 4 5

The student and I reviewed his/her goals

1 2 3 4 5

The student is making progress toward reaching his/her goals

1 2 3 4 5

I feel able to help the student with challenges he/she experiences, consistent with his/her goals

1 2 3 4 5

I am enjoying my role as mentor to this student

1 2 3 4 5

Additional Comments: ________________________________ _________________

_ _______________________________ ________________________________ __

_ _______________________________ ________________________________ __

_ _______________________________ ________________________________ __


• Questions to think about:

– To what extent are the responsibilities described consistent with your expectations of being mentor?

– How confident/comfortable are you with the expectations described?


Forming Relationships

Mentor Training Module 2:Forming Relationships

• Module Purpose

– The purpose of this module is to provide some suggestions and strategies to help you develop rapport and relationship with your mentee

Mentor Training Module 2: Forming Relationships

• The heart of mentoring and subsequently it’s success is the relationship that is formed between you and your mentee. Research suggests:– Strong positive relationships with adults is one

factor that contributes to a child’s development of resiliency

– Connectedness with even 1 adult in school, is a deterrent to making poor social and behavioral choices


• Take the time to get to know each other

• Find things you have in common – opinions, activities, music, movies, etc.

• Build shared experiences - do things together (even if it is within school such as having lunch)

• Show and tell your mentee that he is important to you


• Examples of relationship building activities:– Share pictures or examples of personal

hobbies/interests– My favorites are…./I can’t stand….

• Timed activity to list as many things that are your favorites/things you can’t stand – then review with other to find some common ground


• The Basics of Communication

– Effective communication is the foundation for any productive relationship

– Consider these tips for being a good communicative partner



– Listen with your body: make eye contact, sit still, face the student

– Sit in a helping posture -- Sit up in your chair with your legs crossed or together or stand up with your feet about a shoulder's width apart in a relaxed stance. Slouching, resting your head on your hands, shifting positions, etc. signals boredom, fatigue or restlessness.



– Use Neutral Signals: Brief verbal or nonverbal responses that show the speaker that you are following the conversation: "I see. Go on.“

– Paraphrase and Summarize: summarize what the student is saying to capture their emotions and concerns concisely: "If I understand you, you feel Jim was purposely making you look foolish and your first reaction was to get angry."



– Acknowledge the student’s perspective: let the student know understand their perspective– even if you don’t agree with it. It’s ok to let the student know you have a different opinion as long as you respect the mentee’s perspective

– Listen with your intuition: pay attention to underlying feelings and values in the student’s tone of voice, facial expressions, body language and in the content of what's being said


• Doing These May Undermine Your Mentoring Relationship

– Inconsistently meeting with the mentee– Focusing the relationship on trying to change the

mentee’s behavior– Arguing or constantly opposing the other person's

point of view – Interrupting your mentee – Talking more than you listen– Telling long-winded stories



– Passing judgment on your mentees actions or choices

– Demanding your mentee behave a certain way – Imposing personal values or beliefs on your mentee– Giving advice instead of working together to find

alternatives – Not recognizing your mentee’s right to her own

opinions



– Having the last word– Showing annoyance– Using “hot” kid jargon to appear “cool” – Jumping to conclusions – Pressuring your mentee to disclose personal

information– Abusing confidentiality – Blaming (the mentee or others)


Building Meaningful Discussions

Mentor Training Module 3:Building Meaningful Discussion

• Module Purpose

– The purpose of this module is to provide mentors with the knowledge, skills, and strategies needed to

• (a) be an effective listener• (b) facilitate meaningful discussions with mentees• (c) handle potentially difficult conversations that

might come up


• Basic Principles of Giving Feedback

– Mentors are often giving their mentee feedback on various situations

– Giving feedback constructively will increase the likelihood that the mentee will use the information and can help to build the mentor-mentee relationship

– The following are strategies to make feedback giving effective



• Ask permission or identify that you are giving feedback. Examples:– “I’d like to give you some feedback on how you handled

the situation. Is that OK?”

• Describe what you observed and be specific. State facts, not opinions, interpretations, or judgments

• Use the first person: “I think”, “I saw”, “I noticed”



• When making suggestions for improvement, use statements like “you may want to consider…”

• Feedback should address what a person did, not your interpretation of his or her motivation or reason for it. Example that includes interpretation:– “You didn’t use the count to 10 strategy. I know you want to finish

because it’s almost lunch time, but…”



• Use the “feedback sandwich” approach– Start with a positive observation (“it was good that you…”)– Constructive critical observation or suggestion about how to improve– Second positive observation, summary statement

• Avoid using judgmental labels (e.g., “lazy” or “careless”)

• Avoid terms that exaggerate (e.g., “you always” or “you never”)


• Suggestions for Framing Discussions

– Be sensitive to your mentee’s circumstances and life as a kid

– Learn to “read” your mentee• Disposition, facial expressions, cooperativeness

– Provide lots of encouragement– Express your opinion but respect your mentee’s right to

make her own choices, even when you disagree with those choices.

– Take responsibility for your own feelings and actions before you project them onto others.



– Use questions that opens the door for follow up (i.e., avoid questions with 1 word answers):

• Tell me about something that stood out for you this week?• Tell me how you decided to handle……?

– Listen for unspoken conversation (i.e., things the student is implying without actually saying)

– Use probing questions to expand the conversation; follow up on something said; looking for places to ask a follow up

Mentor Training Module 3: Building Meaningful Discussions


– The Famous Person Connection• How do you think “so and so” would handle this

situation?• Use current examples in the media of popular figures

to frame a conversation and prompt reflection

– Ask questions that prompt reflection• “How’s that working for you?”



– Respect your mentee’s privacy: avoid asking questions about sensitive information about your mentee. e.g.,

• “Are you sexually active?” • “Are you using drugs?” • “Do you like Mr. Smith?”

Mentor Training Module 3: Building Meaningful Discussion

• Identify Your Personal Disclosure Boundaries

– Often a mentor will need to grapple with finding a comfortable boundary between sharing personal information and keeping aspects of your life private

• Give thought to what personal information you are/are not comfortable sharing a mentee

– Be clear ahead of time of where your comfort level boundary exists so that you are prepared to answer difficult questions in a genuine manner


•Responding to Sticky Questions

–Sometimes, students will ask “sticky” questions or questions that make us a squirm a bit while figuring out what to say

–Handling these types of situations is important – you need to find the balance between redirecting the student and not shutting the student down


•Responding to Sticky Questions

–Take a minute and talk about what questions a student might ask you or has asked you in the past that would make/made you feel uncomfortable–If you have a situation you can recall, how did you handle it?


• Responding to Sticky Questions

– Answering sticky questions genuinely• “I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to ask me this

question, but some information people prefer to keep to themselves. This is a good lesson, if someone asks you something your not comfortable answering you should say so.”

• “How would knowing the answer to that help you to make a decision?”

• “I would rather focus how we can work to a solution that will be good for you.”


• Responding to sticky questions

– Avoid answering sticky questions with responses such as:

• “That’s none of your business”• “It’s inappropriate for you to ask me that question”

– You don’t want to inhibit the student from asking questions in the future


Understanding Behavior Patterns

Mentor Training Module 4Understanding Behavior Patterns

• Module Purpose

– The purpose of this module is to familiarize mentors with the basic principles of behavior patterns to help you understand:

• (a) the reasons why your mentee engages in problem behavior

• (b) why the various interventions, including mentoring, were selected for your mentee’s Student Support Plan

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A Simple But Common Example

• Context: The student has academic difficulty (e.g., problems with reading)

• Trigger: The student is given a challenging assignment (e.g., completing math word problems independently)

• What Happens: Student engages in off task, refusal, or disruptive behavior

• The Result Is: Teacher addresses student in some way (e.g., redirects, gives help, sends to office)

What Does the Student Learn?

When I am frustrated,

I act out.

When I act out,

Someone comes and helps me

OR

When I act out,

I’m sent out of the room and avoid the work


• Why do students act out?– What does it get them?– What does it get them out of?

• Why is that some students act out and others don’t?– What makes a student resilient?– What places a student at risk of failure?


• “Problem behavior” (e.g., being disruptive) is only ONE part of a larger pattern that is happening

• To really help students, we have to understand the whole pattern

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SETTING EVENTS

Medical-Physiological Issues

Academic History

Relationships & Social Support with Adults

Peer Networks

Reinforcement History with People or Settings

Structure & Organization of the Environment

Social & Cultural Influences

Function of Behavior


• Key Lessons About Behavior– Behavior – whether positive or negative nets

us a payoff…• The more a behavior provides us with a desired

outcome, the more likely we are to emit that behavior again in the future

– Behavior is logically connected to the environment in which the student is functioning

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Most behaviors serve one of two functions:

– To get something (obtain) • Such as: attention, objects, sensory regulation

– To get out/ away from something (escape)• Such as: tasks, embarrassment, people

• Once we understand the function….we can come up with interventions

Think of it this way:Problem Behavior is a Symptom

• Negative Life Experiences

– Social failure– Academic failure– Poor self esteem– Loss of control– Limited opportunities– Extensive critique and

very little social praise

• Function Behavior Serves:

– Protection– Compensation– Defense– Power and control

The “behavior”

meets a need

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Using an authoritative interaction style‘You’re not the boss of me!’

Self doubting – She lacks confidence

Scattered & DisorganizedOften Unprepared for Class

Very Self Conscious about what others think of her

Frustrated with school It’s too hard for her


• Basically, Abigail engages in problem behavior because it results in – Escaping out of work (even if this means

getting a reduced grade on the assignment) and

– Adult / peer attention (even if this is not always positive attention)

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• To what extend does looking at the behavior this way:

– Give you a clear picture of what is happening with this student?

– Help you relate to the student’s issues?

– Suggest a direction for possible interventions?


• When we have a student engaging in problem behavior we have to ask ourselves – “Why is the behavior necessary? What is it that the student needs to resolve the issue?”

– Stronger social network?

– Skills to handle situations that triggers behavior?

– Improve concept of self and future?

– Improve academic achievement and sense of competence?


• So really, intervention planning is addressing the students needs on two levels:– The underlying issues that seem to be causing

the behavior in the first place AND– The specific variables that are in play when a

behavior incident occurs

• Let’s take a look at what Abigail needs and how that translates into strategies….


• Abigail needs supports that…

– builds relationships with adults and provides adults with strategies to respond to positive and unwanted behaviors;

– teaches her skills to recognize and handle difficult situations in socially appropriate ways;

– helps her develop a positive self- concept and confidence; and

– helps her develop a sense of academic competence and provides supports for productive participation in academic activities.

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Setting Event Interventions:How will we address the underlying reasons why behavior is occurring?

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Intervention Selection: Bottom Line

• Select interventions that:

– Pass the function test– Use what you already know works– Address each facet of the behavior pattern– Match everyone’s (student and staff) comfort

level– Are easy and efficient to use– Address the underlying reasons why behavior is

occurring………

Mentor Training Module 4:Understanding Behavior Patterns

• Scenario to Think About

– The program coordinator comes to you and says “Abigail had an incident in Mrs. Little’s class today.” We really need to you to talk to her and find out what is going on.

– Consider the questions on the next slide

Mentor Training Module 4:Understanding Behavior Patterns

• Scenario to Think About– How would you start off the discussion with Abigail to

get her to open up about what happened so that she raises the issue for discussion?

– Once the discussion is started when and how would you ask Abigail for permission to share what you’ve learned with the program coordinator?

– Once the conversation is started, what kinds of questions would you ask Abigail – given your knowledge about the patterns of behavior?

Documents

Strategies for Providing Mentoring and Social Supports to Students with Repeated Behavior Challenges