Research to Practice: Implementing the Teaching Pyramid

1
Research to Practice Implementing the Teaching
Pyramid

• Mary Louise Hemmeter
• Vanderbilt University
• ml.hemmeter_at_vanderbilt.edu

2
What do we know about young children with
challenging behavior?

• It begins early
• Between 10-30 of preschool children have mild
  to moderate behavioral or emotional problems
• Early appearing aggressive behavior is predictive
  of future challenges in school and life

3
Early Educators are Challenged

• Preschool teachers report
• that childrens challenging behavior is the
  single greatest challenge they face
• Number one training issue
• Expulsion data
• Behavior consultation makes a difference

4
We are talking about babies

• Developmental ages from less then 6 months to
  greater then 5 years
• Limited understanding and expression
• Moving from solitary play to social play
• Moving from object exploration to representation
• Implications for guidance, feedback, classroom
  management, instruction

5
Its about play

• Instruction should be embedded into play and
  routine activities
• Major focus is to facilitate peer social
  interaction and emotional and concept development
• Instructional activities should be brief and
  concrete
• How social skills are taught, the
  concepts of rules and expectations

6
Meltdown moments are expected

• Crying
• Head Banging
• Biting
• Throwing objects
• Pinching
• Pulling hair
• Hitting
• Spitting food

Topography of behavior is less important than
understanding the context
7
Early Educators

• Often lack formal credentials
• Have very little training in behavior
• Have limited to no experience with teaming
• Intensity and frequency of
  training and technical assistance

8
Programs might

• Be minimally staffed
• Have limited (or no) access to mental health or
  behavioral consultation
• Use exclusion to resolve behavioral issues
• Offer limited opportunities for professional
  development or training
• Systems building and community
  linkages critical to success

9
The non-system of early childhood

• Early childhood policies and procedures are
  highly fragmented, with complex and confusing
  points of entry that are particularly problematic
  for underserved populations and those with
  special needs. This lack of an integrative early
  childhood infrastructure makes it difficult to
  advance prevention-oriented initiatives for all
  children and to coordinate services for those
  with complex problems.
• (Shonkoff Phillips, 2000, p.11)

10
National Center Partnership

• Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations
  for Early Learning
• funded by Head Start and Child Care
• www.vanderbilt.edu/csefel
• Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional
  Intervention
• funded by the Office of Special Education
  Programs
• www.challengingbehavior.org

11

• Examining the Potential Efficacy of a Classroom
  Wide Model for Promoting Social Emotional
  Development and Addressing Challenging Behavior
  in Preschool Children
• Institute for Education Sciences
• Grant R324A07212

12
The Pyramid Model Promoting Social and
Emotional Competence and Addressing Challenging
Behavior
Few Children
Some Children
All Children
13
Coaching Teachers in Implementing the Pyramid
Implementing it in daily practice
Hearing about it in training
14
The Teaching Pyramid Observation Tool (TPOT)

• The TPOT was developed to measure the extent to
  which the Teaching Pyramid practices are being
  implemented in a classroom
• Provides information that can be used to
  identify training needs of teachers

15
Overall Classroom Implementation Fidelity
16
Control and Experimental Group Means Across Data
Collection Waves on TPOT Indicators (v 108)
17
(No Transcript)
18
(No Transcript)
19
The Teaching Pyramid Program-Wide PBS
Program-Wide Commitment
Teacher Training and Technical Assistance
Intensive Interventions
Data-Based Decision Making
Well-Defined Procedures
Targeted Social Emotional Supports
High Quality Supportive Environments
Partnerships with Families
Administrative Support
Nurturing and Responsive Caregiving Relationships
20
Outcomes Across Programs

• Reduced challenging behavior
• Promotion of social development
• Improved staff satisfaction
• Increase in overall classroom quality
• More intentional teaching of social skills and
  emotional competencies
• Support for children with the most intensive
  behavioral needs
• Less reliance on outsideexperts

21
What Makes it Work?

• A champion
• Administrative leadership
• Ongoing support for those working directly with
  children and families
• Clearly articulated policies and procedures
  related to behavior
• Commitment to long term process - systems change
• Collaboration between ECE and mental
  health/behavior consultants

22
Building State Structures to Support
Implementation at the Local Level

• 11 States
• State Team
• Training Cadre
• Coaches
• Local Demonstration Sites
• Other
• IHE work
• Licensing and quality initiatives