Tools
for Teaching Aligns with PBIS
In recent years the Office of Special Education
Programs, U.S. Department of Education established the National
Center for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
to provide assistance in identifying, adapting, and sustaining
effective school-wide disciplinary practices. The center’s
efforts in disseminating and demonstrating effective practices
is generally referred to as Positive Behavior Support or
PBS (aka PBIS).
Several state
departments of education have adopted PBIS as their guidelines
for effective discipline management. We didn’t
know this until we received emails from colleagues describing
how our program matched their PBIS goals. The emails speak
for themselves.
“Tools for Teaching has been critical to Idaho Falls
success in implementing PBIS. The alignment is perfect. Last
year we had professional learning teams working with Tools
for Teaching throughout our 18 schools, and all of our new
teachers receive the book.
“What we love most about Dr. Jones’ approach is
that it is both positive and practical. We have teachers all
over the district who have rearranged their seats, who are “working
the room,” posting VIPs (Visual Instructional Plans),
and teaching Responsibility Training. Much of our preparation
for state testing now fits into daily and weekly games and
fun activities that students must “earn” by showing
up to classes prepared, being on time, making quick lesson
transitions, and generally valuing their learning time.
“Our teachers realize now how much power they have
to determine the success of their students both academically
and behaviorally. And kids are enjoying every minute of it.
I believe Tools for Teaching contributes to both staff and
student retention in our district.”
Shelly Smede, Professional Dev. Coordinator
Idaho Falls District
#91
Ryan McCabe, assistant principal at
Bowie Middle School in Amarillo, TX agrees.
“I took a
team of teachers to your Tools for Teaching workshop to find
positive and proactive management strategies for our PBIS
model. We got more than we expected. Your discipline and
management components deal with 90% of our needs, and Responsibility
Training takes care of the remaining 10%.”
For a more detailed description of how Tools
for Teaching and PBIS align,
read Dr. Jones' article here.
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