Conference Proposal

Running Head: TEACHING STUDENTS KINDESS THROUGH SOCIAL SKILLS INTERVENTIONS

Conference Proposal, Learning Forward Conference 2019 Teaching Students Kindness Through Social Skills Interventions Submitted by: Heather Muller [email protected] (402) 380-5074

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Running Head: TEACHING STUDENTS KINDESS THROUGH SOCIAL SKILLS INTERVENTIONS

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ABSTRACT In this session, a middle school special education teacher will present her research regarding teaching middle schoolers kindness through social skills interventions. The discussion will also present informational research to support the interventions and will discuss supportive literature on the topic of effective kindness interventions. PARTICIPANT OUTCOMES I.

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The implementation of social skills interventions increases student’s social competence. Participants in this session will be able to understand the linkage between social competence and academic and emotional benefits. Participants will be able to understand the correlation between peer kindness and social skills interventions through hearing the various research studies and literature that support the implementation of social skills interventions within the general education classroom. Participants will be able to apply the knowledge learned toward their classrooms by modeling the social skills interventions that were discussed and using the “School Kindness Scale” questionnaire to measure outcomes. SESSION FOCUS: Social & Emotional Learning and Health Learning Designs and Implementation SESSION TOPIC: Engaging/motivating Disenfranchised Learners Implementation Social Emotional Learning/Health SESSION LENGTH: Roundtable Discussion—1 hour

SESSION PROCESS There will be three different aspects of my presentation each lasting twenty minutes. The first will address the problem of practice involving the lack of peer kindness in middle schoolers which results in feelings of unacceptance, exclusion and disrespect. The problem of practice will be discussed along with the literature that aligns. This will be followed by a research study conducted in a 6th grade general education classroom. Methods, populations, and instruments used in the study will be discussed. The session will conclude with a discussion of the results and opportunities for further research. Attendees will have an opportunity to participate in a question and answer session, view a poster containing more about the study, and view artifacts from the research study.

Running Head: TEACHING STUDENTS KINDESS THROUGH SOCIAL SKILLS INTERVENTIONS

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REFERENCES Binfet, J., Gadermann, A., & Schonert, K. (2016). Measuring kindness at school: Psychometric properties of a school kindness scale for children and adolescents. Psychology in School, 53(2), 111-126. Canter, D., Youngs, D., & Yaneva, M. (2017). Personality and individual differences towards a measure of kindness: An exploration of a neglected interpersonal trait. Elsevier, 15-20. Cartledge, G. (2005). Learning disabilities and social skills: Reflections. Learning Disability Quarterly, 28, 179-181. Ross, A., Shochet, I., & Bellair., R. (2010). The role of social skills and school connectedness in preadolescent depressive symptoms. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 39(2), 269-275. EVIDENCE Evidence for Student Growth IMPACT The impact that my presentation will have on its attendees includes, but is not limited to, future implementation of whole group social skills interventions in hopes to diminish negative peer interactions, disruptions, and negative emotions among students. Attendees will be able to use the knowledge acquired from this session to implement their own social skills strategies based on the needs of their students. This session will give attendees a guideline on how to start implementation, what the process should consist of, and a study to compare results. AUDIENCE Teacher Leaders/Team Leaders CONTENT LEVEL Basic