Creating Conditions for Success: Using a Relationship Based Strengths Approach in the Classroom
Developed and Presented by Stephen de Groot BA, BSW, MSW, RSW
Workshop Overview
In recent years, for a myriad of reasons, teachers and helping professionals are experiencing a rise in difficult and/or acting out behaviors. In many respects some teachers experience “out of control behavior” with an increasing number of children and youth. Acting out youth, are the most noticeable, however, there has also been an increase in the number of students that may not be acting out, but seem unmotivated to learn or difficult to reach.
Unfortunately many approaches to teaching, classroom management and discipline with youth result in conflict, stress relationships and, a perpetuation or exacerbation of a youth’s negative valuation of self and others. These impacts can actually foster “acting out”, or “out of control behaviors”. Overtime, “out of control” behavior can tax guardians/caregivers, teachers and helpers and increase the chances of interrupted learning, relationship breakdown and further behavioral difficulties.
The RBSA in the classroom and the school offers a highly practical and effective method for approaching difficult behaviors, including youth who seem unmotivated or hard to reach, in a manner that simultaneously enhances relationships while fostering youth responsibility, motivation and learning.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this seminar, attendees will:
- Understand the link between early negative experiences of youth and the challenges in effectively working with them.
- Be familiar with the Relationship Based Strengths Approach (RBSA).
- Learn how to operationalize the RBSA principles in the context of working with youth in the classroom and the school.
- Through experience and practice, develop skill in communication methods for building on strengths and enhancing relationships in a way that foster motivation, cooperation and learning.
- Learn how to avoid and/or decrease resistant and oppositional behavior.
- Learn and understand how many approaches to classroom management and discipline are ineffective and counterintuitive to preferred ways of working and desired outcomes for students.
- Learn how to promote conditions that encourage positive behaviour and how to avoid ineffective discipline practices.
- With the use of case examples, learn the RBSA process steps to effective discipline.
- Through guided exercises, initiate the development of a personalized practice-oriented action plan for dealing with difficult youth behaviors.
Participant Feedback
- “This was the best PD I have ever attended. This should be a course offered through our Faculty, to all new teachers!” – 4th year Education Student
- “This was the best workshop I have ever attended. I have so many more ideas for getting through to the “difficult” students.” – Middle Years Teacher, of 10 years
- “This was the best presentation I have ever been to. I wish I took this years ago.” – Retired High Scool Teacher
About the Presenter:
Stephen de Groot of MYRIAD Consultation and Counselling is a clinical and organizational consultant and is the author of the Relationship Based Strengths Approach (RBSA) (2003, 2008) to social work helping. Steve specializes in the development and implementation of strengths based interventions at all levels of social services systems from planning to direct service delivery and front-line practice.
Steve has instructed in both the BSW and MSW programs with the faculty of Social Work at the University of Manitoba for 7 years and for the last 17 years has worked for a variety of organizations within the helping field. In that time Steve has occupied and continues to operate in a myriad of roles such as consultant, therapist, supervisor, author, facilitator, strategic planner and trainer.
For almost two decades Steve has provided support, education and training to parents and helping professionals who live and work with children and youth. Steve’s approach to discipline has been informed by relational and strengths based principles and developed out of his successful practice experiences and life stories from more than 1000 teenagers and hundreds of families. Many of Steve’s successes have been with youth in care who have been identified by various service providers as “the most difficult”, “the most challenging” and/or having the “highest needs” for support and intervention.