Implementing School-Wide Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports to Better Meet the Needs of Indigenous Students
Fundamental Question: What does culturally responsive school-wide positive behaviour interventions and supports mean?
School-wide positive behaviour interventions and supports (PBIS) help to build a positive space that supports students to thrive academically, emotionally and socially with various supports in their life such as elders, educators, family and a culturally responsive curriculum. Being culturally responsive, in this case to Indigenous students, when implementing PBIS promotes a holistic environment for students to learn within. Students who have a positive and safe environment where they feel valued and cared for will more likely succeed than other students who are in a more “punitive” (McIntosh,k., et al, 2014) approached environment. PBIS was created with the idea to create a more positive, supportive and adaptable environment for students, which will reduce problematic behaviour within schools and meet the needs of all students. It teaches educators and students “prosocial skills rather than waiting for behavioural failure” (McIntosh,k., et al, 2014) to occur. PBIS promotes positive environments that extend outside of the classroom environment, thus meaning culturally responsive PBIS benefits those inside and outside of the classroom.
Part-Whole Question (1): Why should culturally responsive school-wide positive behaviour interventions and supports be used?
Culturally responsive PBIS should be promoted within school systems to benefit students academically, emotionally and socially for a lifetime. When a school is seen to be a positive culture and involves prosocial skills, students will “learn more effective ways of meeting their needs” (McIntosh,k., et al, 2014), rather than through problematic behaviour. When students feel valued, seen and cared for, there is a high increase in overall achievement in various aspects of their life. It is known that consequences “without positive, proactive support is an ineffective method for behaviour change” (McIntosh,k., et al, 2014) because it neglects the important needs of a child. Culturally responsive PBIS fosters the holistic view of a child and enables educators, and others, to think in ways that assist a child in more positive ways. As a result, this will show through students having “increased achievement scores and improved perceptions of safety” (McIntosh,k., et al, 2014) within all of their environments.
Part-Whole Question (2): How does culturally responsive school-wide positive behaviour interventions and supports apply to teaching?
Teachers must adapt to teach a culturally responsive curriculum to their students to promote a holistic classroom environment. Utilizing a culturally responsive curriculum will support more “positive social and emotional development” (McIntosh,k., et al, 2014) for the students. Recognizing and acknowledging the cultural needs of students involves including diverse perspectives within the curriculum and creating an inclusive learning environment that works for all students. Adopting an Indigenous approach within a classroom can involve connecting with Elders and getting involved with the community. Elders “transmit cultural learning” and can assist with the “cultural values and expectations across the school, community, and family environments” (McIntosh,k., et al, 2014) the students are involved within. Including Elders when creating a culturally responsive curriculum will increase the holistic child and create a positive and safe space for students to learn within. Secondly, connecting within the community will enable educators to assist with a “seamless transition between [their] home and school values and expectations” for students by “[designing] positive and predictable social learning environments” (McIntosh,k., et al, 2014) for them to learn in. Students will see themselves and their culture through the curriculum, ultimately enabling students to feel more valued and included. A culturally responsive curriculum is a large role of how students learn about acceptance and belonging, which is a necessary skill.
Hypothesis Question: If PBIS was to be implemented within a school, what would need to happen?
To implement PBIS within a school, those who care for the student must work together to problem solve and create beneficial strategies and skills to assist the student. This can involve the educator, the families, the community, the support team a school has and other individuals that can contribute to the well-being of a child. PBIS can be implemented in various ways with some being setting and modelling clear expectations of the students and teaching and reinforcing positive behaviour. PBIS is meant to “[change] the school environment to support all students, rather than attempting to change individual students” (McIntosh,k., et al, 2014) within the school. If all the supports in a student’s life work as a team, the child will be better understood and have their needs met, thus allowing them to succeed in various aspects of their development and overall life.
Critical Question (1): What are the advantages of having various support help when implementing PBIS?
Having help from the various supports in a student’s life will help the student be better understood and allow their needs to be met in more effective and efficient ways. Involving a student’s family and community is important because a “culturally responsive school environment extends beyond that of the classroom” (McIntosh,k., et al, 2014), thus ultimately influencing a life outside of school. The westernised curriculum does not always connect to Indigenous ways of knowing and being. Furthermore, the aftermath of residential schools left many Indigenous families “wary and mistrustful” (McIntosh,k., et al, 2014) of the Westernised educational system. This demonstrates the need to create relationships and bring communities together to work as one. Discovering diverse teaching methods and opportunities comes through involvement and interaction with other people and communities, such as Elders and cultural events. A culturally responsive rich curriculum enables students to feel comfortable doing their best and ultimately improving their learning intensity. Students will feel seen, heard and valued within their learning environment, thus leading to more positive outcomes academically, socially, emotionally and mentally.
Critical Question (2): What is my opinion on this article?
I believe this article brings light to the need for cultural responsiveness when implementing school-wide positive behaviour interventions and supports for students, especially for Indigenous students. Creating positive and safe spaces for students to learn will benefit all students academically, emotionally, socially and mentally for a lifetime. It is crucial for students’ experiences and needs to become recognized for each student’s needs, learning opportunities and outcomes to be fully met. Culturally responsive PBIS within schools is known to “promote student quality of life while reducing problem behaviours” (McIntosh,k., et al, 2014), thus benefiting everyone in various environments. Teachers must create and open doors for students to succeed, which involves becoming knowledgeable about the students’ lives, but also becoming involved in the students’ lives. As stated in the reading, every student has the “potential to be academically successful when their culture, language, heritage, and experiences are valued” (McIntosh,k., et al, 2014) within their learning environments.
References:
McIntosh, K., Moniz, C., Craft, C. B., Golby, R., & Steinwand-Deschambeault, T. (2014). Implementing School-Wide Positive Behavioural Interventions and Supports to Better Meet the Needs of Indigenous Students. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 29(3), 236–257.
