How can you connect this new skill to the student’s priorities? How can you assure ownership by making the development of this skill the student’s goal rather than just your goal for the student?
Most students want to be successful in their endeavors, whether at school, at a vocational site, or in the community. Making mistakes can cause students a great deal of anxiety, feelings of failure and a reduced self-esteem. For them, learning a set script or routine to use in specific situations may ease anxiety, increase their self-confidence and self-worth, and contribute to success in all areas.
Many students may misinterpret negative feedback as a personal attack, not recognize or admit their mistakes, or understand the importance of reacting appropriately. Theintroduction of a social narrative can show the importance of this skill and the potential benefit to the student. When a narrative connects the student’s career or personal goals with a clear response sequence or script, it will be much more relevant to the student and he may be more motivated to learn appropriate strategies.
Using the self-assessment tools to measure the student’s current system of self-calming strategies and self-regulation will help in developing a baseline of where to start.
As you introduce this skill, how will you incorporate (visually, thematically) the student’s unique interests?
Many students are very motivated by video. Seeing themselves carry out the script successfully may focus their attention on the routine. A video model could be reviewed and the appropriate steps and behaviors labeled by the instructor and student. Teaching a specific script or using a reminder card which incorporates a small picture of a high interest character could also motivate the student to use the strategies and be like “Captain America.”
Can you make it visually clear to the student who is resistant to change that his assumption is only one way of looking at things? Can your use of visual supports and self-assessments help get agreement that there is a problem, get agreement on the solution, and create the motivation for change?
For students who do not believe that they respond inappropriately, contrasting the student’s self assessment (Self-Regulation: Identifying Stressors 1 or Social Communication: Workplace Hierarchies) with the Supervisor Assessment – Social Communication may provide a starting point. A coping comic may introduce the ‘other person’s’ perspective in a non-threatening and neutral manner. It may help to show in the comic a person reacting rudely to criticism and the thoughts of the other person to this reaction. It may help to use yet another comic to show a positive reaction to criticism along with the thoughts of both people in the comic. The comic can lead into a discussion of how everyone gets upset when receiving negative feedback. Does that discussion help the student see that staying calm is a skill to develop when criticized?
Another visual support to deal with personal assumptions is the graphic organizer. The graphic organizer can show two different sequences in response to negative feedback. One sequence may show the criticism, the ballistic reaction and the supervisor’s subsequent firing of the person reacting. A second sequence can show the criticism, the constructive reaction and the supervisor’s appreciation of the person. If the student is given a choice of which one he should do, does this choice situation set up the student to commit to behavioral change?
Priming is a form of negotiation that can reframe and sharpen a student’s assessment of self. Below are the social communication and self-regulation self-assessment tools that align with this intervention topic:
Social Communication - Workplace Hierarchies
Interspersal is a proven technique involving the presentation of familiar, higher success tasks with the new, more challenging task. When it is appropriate, are you varying the activities to maintain the student’s confidence and focus?
You must determine the length of time that the student needs to practice the new strategy. You will determine this based on the stress produced by practicing and the number of repetitions that the student needs to more reflexively succeed in using the strategy. Are short frequent bursts of practice appropriate at first? Interspersal in dealing with feedback will occur naturally throughout the day. Think in advance about how to control the frequency of trials so that the student’s confidence is not undermined.
Before the student encounters a situation where he will need to perform this skill, how do you help the student prepare? How do you orient the student to the upcoming situation? How do you orient him to the materials he will use? How do you activate prior knowledge?
Preparation will depend on the situation itself, and the ability level of the student. Some students may need to review a general social narrative every morning that reminds them that everyone makes mistakes, it is okay, and what to do when it happens. Some students may need to practice their self-calming strategies, review their reminder cards or scripts for handling negative feedback, or even review a ‘what to do with an unhappy customer’ script before going to a job site. Some may need practice through role-play identifying body stance and tone of voice for potential interactions in specific situations. Practice with all of these tools either prior to or during the interactions can help to support student preparation.