making life easier: surviving the stormy seas a different approach to understanding middle school...
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MAKING LIFE EASIER: Surviving the Stormy Seas
A Different Approach To Understanding Middle
School Students
Cassie White, Safety Specialist,
Kay Kanupp, Program Specialist
FAPT Summer ConferenceJuly 6, 2008
The Concept
To assist School Bus Operator’s in their quest to better understand how middle school students react to their environment.
Who are they?
What do I want them to do?
Why?
Consist of Four Components
Physical (Onset of Puberty) – body, voice, acne, voice changes
Emotional – egocentric, acceptance, very little impulse control, desires conflict with behavior
Social – comfort zone, forming social patterns, normal is vital
Intellectual – what kind of thinking/reasoning middle school students are capable of
Intellectual Component
Stages of development Sensor motor 1-2 yrs, reality is only what they can see
Preoperational 2-7 yrs, understands hidden objects and imagination -Starts to conceptualize, Abstract problem-solving
Concrete start to create theories that explain their world can full grasp cause and effect reality can expand beyond what they see and feel
Formal can take a situation, think about it, predict various outcomes based on the choices they make, typical of middle school
girls first-boys later towards high school age.
Communication
Remember the
third question
of the premise:
“What do I want them to do?”
IN A PERFECT WORLD
Active Communication Do’s
Listen Contain Logic Think before you speak Include positive reinforcement Value their input Ensure a proper relationship
Active Communication Don’ts
Yell Argue Tune Out Escalate Think before you speak
Shut-Up
Please
Purpose of Communication
To get students to HEAR the bus rules, may require explaining in simple language.
To get students to LEARN, which includes following the bus rules.
Hearing
Getting the bus quiet enough.
Overcoming any disabilities.
Relating to their world.
Remembering that they are self-centered.
Learn
Short-term memory is limited in capacity and duration (To get the desired information (the bus rules) from their short term memory into their long term memory
Long-term memory is a long lasting function and has a larger capacity (long lasting function and has a larger capacity)
Presenting the rules in a variety of formats
Written: Posters, Student handbooks or Handouts.
Visual: Your Example Verbal: Going over the rules when the school
year begins. “Broken Record Technique” Hands on: Demonstrate, Show other
examples and Practice.
Regain Consistency
Don’t make empty, unenforceable threats Keep your friendships, relationships and all other
emotional ties out of the situation. You are the bus operator and they are the students
Try to understand how the student might interpret what you are saying and adept your message for clarity
(Clarity doesn’t meaning louder) Be aware what inconsistency affects have on students
and how they respond to you
Finally!!!!!!!!
Repetition
Repetition
Repetition
Questions????????