Brain Coaching: Tapping Body and Spirit to Max the Mind
Sandra Sunquist Stanton
MS, NCC, LPC
Connections of the Heart
Eau Claire, WI 54701
715/878-4867
Sandi
@OurBrainBuddies.com
Click the Bulb to visit the Schools Blog
When children understand and are able to communicate their four basic needs, they can learn to communicate and prevent or solve problems on their own. 1. Define Win-Win: (As opposed to Win-Lose, Lose-Lose, Lose-Win) 2. Define Four Needs: 3. Identify ways we meet these needs: Belonging - Talking on the phone, playing sports, hugs, gifts
Peace Place™ is a designated spot on an elementary school playground and/or classroom for students to choose to go to regroup and prevent or solve problems using their own skills independent of adult direction. Participating schools have installed benches and Peace Place™ signs identifying steps which support the students’ problem solving. Benches may be helpful just as they are for a rest; but when students and supervisory staff are trained to use them, they become a valuable tool to teach self discipline. Classrooms pair the signs with peace rugs also at designated permanent spots. Teachers encourage students to use them to regain control when they feel emotions building toward an outburst or conflict. Pairs of students, when trained, use the classroom rugs, playground benches and the Peace Place™ steps to communicate their feelings, needs, and plan for a win-win solution. For more information about the sign and training, contact Sandra Stanton. PLAY FAIR: A WIN-WIN STUDENT LEADERSHIP PLAYGROUND PROGRAM The playground dilemma: the children who most needed social connections were the same ones who wandered aimlessly or clung to the playground supervisor for lack of peer playmates. Other children were so driven by their own pent up energy that they ended up annoying the very peers they wanted to play with. We had clusters of young children on the playground equipment and much of the rest of the playground went unused. Still others squabbled over equipment or foursquare “courts” while waiting their turn. Many bright kids with leadership ability found ways to use it for less than positive purposes. They needed a constructive outlet for these talents. Our challenge was to find a solution for these problems that preserved instructional time, wouldn’t be a burden on the building budget, would teach social skills, and solve playground problems. After much discussion and research, Play Fair was created at Putnam Heights Elementary School in 1999 and implemented in some other schools in the Eau Claire District in subsequent years. Play Fair is a student leadership program designed to provide structured, non- or low-competitive games during recess, or for those who have difficulty during unstructured time. Play Fair takes a variety of forms in each school, depending on needs and availability of staff and students. In some schools, Parent Partners are trained and meet monthly with the student leaders to discuss necessary program modifications and continuing team building. Staff is involved in varying degrees at participating schools. Counselors often coordinate the program together (in some cases) with the physical education teacher or parent volunteer coordinator and/or playground supervisors. Recruiting and training students is done annually, often using a formal application process. Some schools use only fifth graders, the exit grade in the Eau Claire Area School District. Others use third through fifth grade, depending on recess schedules and availability. Sessions are held during recess, often in a six week series, spring and fall, sometimes also during winter. Student leaders direct the games while playing with other participants. “Parent Partners” are there to support the children and to assist with equipment or emergencies. They also return the equipment to storage areas and take information sheets to the counselor. Playground supervisors help market the program by directing children to the Play Fair area. Novel equipment--a parachute, a cage ball, rubber chicken, hula-hoops, and “move cubes”-- is reserved for Play Fair to give it “curb appeal”. Schools beginning the program are encouraged to collect pre-post data to document outcomes and plan for modifications to meet school needs. Typically, playground supervisors notice a reduction in discipline referrals during recess periods when Play Fair is in session. Benefits noted by students, administration, staff, parent volunteers and leaders include: -improved social skills Resource List: For more information about the Play Fair, contact Sandra Stanton.
Client Comments . . . In the process of learning, knowing how the human brain works and then integrating this valuable information into the best instructional strategy, the curriculum and the overall needs represented in a classroom setting is an essential skill set for our PK-12 teachers. Sandi Stanton blends her knowledge of how children and adults learn with her experience working with educators. The outcome is that participants leave her sessions with a deeper understanding of how to positively impact their students! Richard Fields As an occupational therapist working in the school system, I have the opportunity to work with a variety of children. Some of them have difficulty with self-regulation which affects academic progress as well as peer interaction. Sandi Stanton’s Brain Coaching seminar provided many helpful suggestions on how to positively impact my students. She provided a warm and comfortable environment that encouraged participation and made learning new concepts fun. After the seminar, she provided follow-up on the topic of brain coaching that reinforced the concepts learned. My daughter and I attended the seminar together and we were both glad that we had attended the seminar and we would recommend it to others. Linda Satterly MS, OTR/L, © Sandra Stanton, E4520 Woodfield Road, Eau Claire, WI 54701
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