I Conduct Keynotes, Breakouts, Conferences & Professional Development
“Challenging Students, Challenging Behaviors: Strategies That Work”. A presentation that will add skills to your teaching tool belt. Expect several outcomes: 1) Help reduce office referrals. 2) Help more students learn more. 3) Help teachers teach. 4) Increase emotional safety in your school. Youth today continue to present an array of complex, challenging behaviors. We need to respond to new challenges and continue to develop our skill sets. In this session I will share selected examples of strategies that work, from over 40 years of working with professional educators and youth. I will share key concepts, school training protocols, and interactions embedded within the literature and best practice. Examples of strategies will be shared from the Center for Teacher Effectiveness; from the Boys Town Education Model®; Reclaiming Youth at Risk; and Life Space Crisis Intervention Institute; which are grounded in evidence-based practice. I have been often advised that I have an inspirational presentation style that interfaces best practices supported in the literature, as well as my personal and professional experiences with troubled and troubling youth.
Please click below to view video excerpts from “Strategies That Work – Changing Behaviors”.
“It’s About Time: Time to Teach!; Time to Learn”. A presentation about teaching to classroom expectations and recouping more time to spend teaching. Research suggests teachers leave education in their first 3-5 years because “Nobody told me I would had to deal with this foolishness!” i will present examples of practical strategies to manage 80-90 % of low level and off-task behaviors; decrease office referrals by up to 70 %.; and make your classroom a healthier place for learning for each student. This presentation highlights a sampling of skills taught in the one-day Time To Teach! training, from the Center for Teacher Effectiveness. We will examine the impact on learning of six core concepts such as: pre-teaching to expectations; re-teaching skills to help students re-engage with learning; and Unconditional Positive Regard. I have an inspirational presentation style that interfaces best practices supported in the literature, as well as his personal and professional experiences with troubled and troubling youth.
“The Angry Smile: Understanding and Intervening with Passive-Aggressive Behavior.” A presentation about being better prepared when you encounter passive-aggressive behavior. This session will focus on content specific to identifying, understanding and intervening with passive aggressive behavior within the school setting, in the workplace with other staff, in online interactions and with relationships in our own families. The session will be based on the “The Angry Smile,” an interactive one-day workshop, by Dr. Signe Whitson, et.al. from the LSCI Institute. I will present an overview of the five levels of passive-aggressive behavior: including temporary compliance, intentional inefficiency, and letting a problem escalate. A framework will be developed for understanding passive-aggressive behavior shaped around the Passive-Aggressive Conflict Cycle. Selected intervention strategies and skill sets to reduce passive-aggressive behavior will be discussed.
“Well-Managed Schools: Intervening with Troubling Behavior.” A presentation about managing classroom behavior through use of the research-based Boys Town Education Model®. In this session, I present an overview of selected content from the research-based curriculum, “Well-Managed Schools”, an interactive one-day or two-day workshop for educators developed by Boys Town National Training Services. Participants will learn ideas to help avoid power struggles, resolve conflicts before they escalate, reduce office referrals, help more students learn more, and enjoy teaching! Learn how to infuse research-based strategies such as teaching toward “Classroom and School-wide Procedures,” “Alternative Plans,” “Preventive Prompts,” “Social Skills”, “Effective Praise”, and “Corrective Teaching,” all grounded within the Boys Town Education Model®. This evidence-based model promotes effective behavior management practices, relationship-building techniques, and social skill development.
“Reclaiming Youth at Risk; Advancing Trauma-Sensitive Solutions”. A presentation to help educators respond to students influenced by trauma and develop resilience. For staff who work with troubled or troubling youth, i.e. have experienced trauma, show signals of emotional distress, have lower self-concept, show evidence of failure and self-defeating behaviors, have been devalued, may show deficits in relationship skills, display at risk and avoidance behaviors. Help youth develop resiliency. The Circle of Courage® is a critical underpinning area of focus we will unpack. We will unpack how you can instill the values of Generousity, Belonging, Mastery and Independence. We will share how you can infuse physical safety, emotional safety and cultural safety for all students. A great professional development option for newer teachers and to reinforce best practices for veteran educators. My inspirational presentation style that interfaces best practices supported in the literature, as well as personal and professional experiences with troubled and troubling youth.
