S'cool Moves & Collaboration

Debra Em Wilson,Founder and Chief Bottle Washer

What are the problems that collaboration between teachers and therapists can solve? Academic achievement and behavior problems co-exist with estimates between 10%-50% ADHD prevalence in the general population range from 2%-18% Co-occurrence of ADHD and reading difficulties is estimated at 15%-45% Sensory processing issues, including self regulation, range from 3.4%-15.6% in the 4-year-old population Inattention, misbehavior, and difficulties with work completion create the main reasons teachers refer students for intervention 50% of teachers quit teaching in the first three years due to lack of support from administration for these issues Collaboration between teachers and therapists is essential to solving the academic-behavior connection in the classroom setting Full research paper with references is available at, www.schoolmoves.com research tab. © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

Why do therapists need resources that help them be more successful in the classroom setting? Teachers need help with their large class sizes. Students have a variety of needs. Budgets are shrinking. © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

Why put one’s entire life’s work into proclaiming the value of collaboration? (the short version) Debra Em Wilson started teaching high school biology students, half of whom could not read their texts. Debra went in search for answers and earned a Master’s Degree in Education with a clinical reading option. While working on her Master’s Degree, Debra taught five years in a special program she developed for high school students who were at risk for dropping out of school as a result of not being able to read. Managing behavior made her want to drop out of teaching! Debra moved to a new town and became Site Literacy Coach Sacr am o River ent for eight years to renew her faith in teaching. Behavior and reading challenges persisted. At wit’s end, Debra Scool M oves is l ocat ed looked for answers to the behavior challenges and found them in in Shast a, CA the world of occupational therapy; a world she knew little about as a teacher. With test scores in her school on the rise, administrators began calling Debra for help. In answer, she founded S’cool Moves, a company all about collaboration between teachers and therapists. © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

Is there more to the story?  Yes! Debra’s first child was born while she was a Site Literacy Coach and while Debra was looking for answers to her students’ behavior challenges.  Shalea had microcephaly (small head), failure to thrive, mild cerebral palsy, and developmental delays.  When her daughter was two years of age, Debra met Margot Heiniger-White, an occupational therapist, who taught her about the miracle of wiring the brain through developmental movement. Debra applied what she was learning with her daughter to her classroom situation. Miracles began happening there, too!  At 5, her daughter was diagnosed with Russell-Silver Syndrome (very rare genetic glitch) and Sensory Processing Disorder.  At 13, Shalea was diagnosed with severe central auditory processing issues, selective mutism, and abnormally slow brain wave patterns.  At 16, she is a high school student in a special education diploma Debra with her daughter, Shalea track program and learning with her peers. Born May 13, 1996  Shalea has far exceeded the medical community’s expectations due to intervention from the therapy world.  Debra’s daughter is the inspiration behind S’cool Moves and teaches us the importance of a healing team that believes in the power of collaboration!© S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.comPermission is granted to copy for district presentations.

Source: Miracle-gro reference fromDr. John Ratey, author of Spark © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

What does it mean to collaborate? Find evidence-based resources that teachers and therapists use together in the classroom setting Use a multidisciplinary approach with the common goal of addressing the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Work together to support school/district academic and behavior goals Provide possibilities for teachers and therapists to assume new roles and strengthen leadership skills Find common language that empowers both teachers and therapists Work together for the benefit of children and families Have a heck of a better time dealing with management issues in the classroom. More fun • More success • Happier staff, students, and parents! © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

Q uick What “evidenced-based practice” means:N ot e  Contrary to popular belief, it does not mean that a program or technique has to be researched in randomized controlled trials.  The actual definition is this: “the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values” (medical model version). The educational definition is the “integration of best research evidence with educator’s expertise and student values” (Chipchase, Dalton, Williams & Scutter, 2004).  This definition opens up an exciting window to merge therapy techniques and teacher pedagogy into one fabulous classroom of possibilities! © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

Here’s the research to support collaboration… Classroom strategies used by teachers of students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Mulligan, 2001) Collaborative consultation: the efficacy of remedial and compensatory interventions in school contexts (Kemmis & Dunn, 1996) Models of occupational therapy service provision in the school system (Dunn, 1988) A systematic review of collaborative models for health and education professionals working in school settings and implications for training (Hillier, Civetta, & Pridham, 2010) Remember, our web site research tab has lengthy papers validating this presentation. If you have difficulties sleeping at night, print out the long, formally written papers and read them before going to bed. No sleeping pills needed. Awaken totally refreshed. © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

So hopefully you are asking yourself, “Where do I start indeveloping a fantastic collaborative experience for teachers andtherapists?” Let’s jump in mate!  Start with a mission. For instance, S’cool Moves’ mission is: To provide outstanding learning experiences and products that enhance collaboration success between teachers and therapists.  Your mission might be to provide time and support for outstanding learning experiences that enhance collaboration between teachers and therapists.  So, what is your mission?  Once you know your mission, you can create your vision! © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

Top 5 Reasons Why We Don’t Realize Our Visions  There’s no single clearly defined objective  There’s no mechanism for sustaining motivation  There’s not enough time to devote to it  There’s little or no support from the team  There’s no understanding of how every seemingly unrelated little improvement advances the vision Modified from Dream Crafting, Levesque & McNeil, 2003 © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

B e a L eader with a Big Vision www.aml.org/research © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

Is there a handy process we can use to get started? You Betcha! © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

Step 1: Define The problem What is the problem we are trying to solve? Be clear and narrow the focus. What are the key elements of the problem? What stands out as the biggest challenges to solving this problem? How do we know when the problem is solved? What is our vision for solving the problem? In the best of worlds, what would our solution look like? © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

Step 2. Involve Stakeholders Who is interested in improving collaboration at your school? Round them up and remember the 2-6-2 rule… Include everyone who has a stake in the outcome…leave no human or animal out. *No creatures were harmed in the making of this power point. © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

Step 3. Gather Your Team  Study the problem and find resources from other smart folks who have solved a similar problem. Gather insight and inspiration from others. Come up with viable options.  Leave no stone unturned.  Get your creative juices flowing.  Repeat your mantra, “Failure is not an option.”  Surround yourself with insanely positive people who support your vision! No rs, e hin se! w ea pl© S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.comPermission is granted to copy for district presentations.

Step 4. Create an Action PlanExplore possible models that support collaboration: The lead teacher model with therapist in support role Stations or centers within the classroom where students rotate from teacher to therapist(s) Alternative collaborative settings like a learning center Team teaching where teacher and therapist have equal time in roles Consultation model where therapists offer ideas or presents lessons for teacher to follow Parallel leadership as described in Developing Teacher Leaders by Crowther, Frank, 2009. © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

Ensure Sustainable Outcomes Make sure the collaborative techniques used are sustainable; for example, S’cool Moves encourages students to be leaders so they can teach one another and teach their next grade’s teacher if he/she doesn’t know the routines Include collaborative processes into Response-To-Intervention (RTI) models for behavior and academics Use pre/post measures that are both academic and therapy based  Academic measures already in place that both therapists and teachers use as milestones  Sensory Processing Measure and other therapy instruments that can be used collaboratively by team members and families © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

Here is our RTI Model for reference purposesFor better viewing, this image isavailable for download at ourwebsite, click on workshop tab andscroll down.

Integrate collaboration between teachers and therapists into your school plan so you can… Find possible funding sources for training and materials Determine best ways to gather data: interviews, classroom observations, behavioral intervention systems, academic testing Put in writing specific S’cool Moves materials that support the vision of the school and team: Minute Moves for the Classroom, Focus Moves developmental poster activities, Reading Moves, Power Up! Tabletop Brain Boost Activities, and other materials that work well in the classroom; details are available at our website: www.schoolmoves.com © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

Here is an example of literacy and therapy techniques blending beautifully in the classroom!Bradley, a kindergarten student, writes about his favorite S’cool Moves activity. By strengthening his core muscles, he is better able to sit tall at his desk, hold his pencil for writing, and focus on his writing task. Excellent!

Step 5. Monitor and Evaluate Revisit the vision Modify and do course corrections as needed Share with other team members success stories Collect and analyze data And lastly, © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

…remember to celebrate the small steps toward accomplishing the team’s vision Photo: Daniel, Debra’s son when he was 10 © S’cool Moves, Inc., www.schoolmoves.com Permission is granted to copy for district presentations.

Through collaboration we can help all children and our staff members, “Discover the spark within!” Join us at www.schoolmoves.com

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S'cool Moves & Collaboration

by schoolmoves on Jun 27, 2012

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