CONT864: Teaching Students with Behavioural Needs
This course explores the philosophy and methodology of positive behaviour supports (PBS) in schools. You will examine how to prevent, teach, and reinforce expected behaviours in a school at all three tier levels. You’ll investigate best practices for developing a healthy culture and climate in school and the implementation of functional behaviour assessments. The course looks at developing BPS plans for students who engage in serious and challenging behaviours. You’ll learn the key components to successfully working with an interdisciplinary team to meet the complex needs of students with behavioural needs.
This course also explores universal behavioural and mental health supports in schools as well as targeted assessment and planning for teachers to address specific deficits and challenges in students with diverse behavioural needs. You’ll learn about trauma and the risk factors and protective factors that have an impact on the short- and long-term health of students. You will consider ways to decolonize the classroom and create culturally responsive school settings. We will examine evidence-based practices which are the foundation for developing quality intervention programs. You will also prepare targeted behavioural intervention plans (BIPs) for students. Reflection, collaboration, discussion, and research will all be elements of this learning journey.
Learning Outcomes
What You Will Learn and Do
In this course you will have the opportunity to
- learn how to create a school and classroom environment that is inclusive and supportive all of students' social, emotional, and academic learning
- analyze and identify the ABCs of behaviour and work collaboratively with a team to create an individualized behaviour support plan
- learn how the environment has an impact on behaviour and integrate environmental changes that increase positive and prosocial student behaviours
- assess students' development to determine if there are lagging skills that require explicit teaching to support their social, emotional, and cognitive wellbeing
- implement a functional behaviour assessment and develop a behaviour intervention plan
- explore evidence-based strategies and practices for behaviour interventions
Assessments
Module 1
Behavioural Needs and Evidence-Based Interventions
Module 2
School-Wide Positive Behaviour Supports
Progress Update 1
Module 3
Classroom-Wide Positive Behaviour Supports
Module 4
Function-Based Individualized Supports and FBAs
Progress Update 2
Module 5
Creating a Behaviour Support Plan
Module 6
Interdisciplinary Planning, Leadership, and Transitions
Module 7
From Theory to Practical Application