Collaborative+Problem+Solving

Contributed by Sarah Laurens

** Book Review: ** //Lost at School: Why Our Kids with Behavioral Challenges Are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help Them// by Ross W. Greene, Ph.D. (author of //The Explosive Child//). Understanding the WHY of challenging behavior: This is the objective of Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) model (Greene 2008): Promotes a mentality that encourages a relentless focus on continuous improvement. CPS is action-oriented (most school discipline codes are Plan A oriented). After seeing progress with Plan B, educator notice that the discipline code is both obsolete and no longer consistent with current pro-active practices.
 * Learning how to initiate change (implementing Plan B: see forms below)
 * Establishing structures to support and sustain it.
 * School structure that provides regular meeting time for staff and with parents.
 * It is not possible to provide high-quality help to challenging students when adults don’t have time to talk !

Revamping school discipline needs : “There is no single solution for any challenge, only what the kid and his adult caregivers come up with to address their respective concerns.” (p. 276). ** A Philosophy : ** Kids (and adults) do well if they can. ** Some goals : ** Significantly improve your understanding of the challenging kids in your classroom and school. Create mechanisms for responding to their needs proactively rather than emergently. ** A Mission : ** If we were going to start doing right by the challenging kids in our school, what would that look like ? Analysis of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems & the CPS Plan
 * Vision (what we are trying to accomplish)
 * Perseverance (it won’t happen overnight !)
 * Resilience (this isn’t going well, but I’m confident that it will)
 * Collaboration (let’s work together to figure out how to make it better)
 * Patience (individuals progress at different paces)
 * Perspective (long-term goals, but look how far we’ve come !)
 * Purpose (prioritize importance and keep it in perspective with our vision !)
 * A mantra : ** Behind every challenging behavior is an unsolved problem or a lagging skill, or both.
 * Knowledge : ** Traditional school discipline does not teach skills or help kids solve problems.
 * A new methodology : ** Plan B (Empathy, Define the Problem, and the Invitation)

The rest is practice, tenacity, patience, perseverance, team work, and a desire for continuous improvement (and hope). Remain calmly optimistic and relentlessly persistent in the face of all odds.