GRIT
Program

Lesson Delivery

 

The program consists of 10 lessons approximately 60 minutes in duration, depending on the size of the group and group dynamics. The program can be offered over ten 1 hour sessions or five 2 hour sessions. 

 

Age Appropriate Groups

 

Get GRIT offers a program for lower primary children (aged 5-8 years) and upper primary children (aged 9-12 years).  Grouping children of a similar age and stage of development is important, as this will guide the pace of the lessons as well as the group discussions and activities.  Children of a similar age will be able to relate more easily and learn from each other's experiences.  Common playground issues and emotional issues that children experience are often developmental.  Learning in context with participants of a similar age and stage of development also provides students with the opportunities to practise new skills.

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The lower primary and upper primary program are very similar.  The content is the same, as are many of the activities. There are some variations, so it is important to following the appropriate module.  However, the most significant difference between the lower primary and the upper primary program is how the teacher/facilitator delivers the lesson.  Children in lower primary will require shorter transitions between activities, more snack breaks as they may have shorter attention spans, as well as requiring more scaffolding and prompting during questioning and discussions, as well as requiring the facilitator to explain difficult concepts in simple language with more examples.

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Group Size

 

The optimum group size is 6-8 children.  It is advised that groups should not exceed 8 participants. 

 

A small intimate group of 6-8 participants is critical for:

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• Normalisation

• Learning with and from other children's experiences

• Developing effective communication skills

• Practising social and communication skills

• Gaining more understanding of their own thoughts and behaviour around others

• Creating social bonds and new friends

• Behaviour management 

• To avoid facilitator burn-out

 

The process of normalisation is one of the most important reasons why GRIT is best taught in a small group setting.  By normalising children's feelings and thoughts children realise that their own feelings, thoughts and behaviours are not unusual and that there is nothing 'wrong' with them.

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One-on-one Coaching

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Get GRIT can be taught one-on-one with a trained facilitator/coach with an emphasis on a whole-family approach (including parents, siblings and extended family) rather than on the individual.  A whole-family approach steers away from the view of 'what is wrong with the child and how do we fix it'.  A whole-family approach involves teaching the child on-one-on for the first half of the lesson, followed by parents and siblings joining in for the remaining half to practise the skills as a family unit.

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Behaviour Management 

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Guiding Principles for Behaviour Management

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Many of the students who enrol in the Get GRIT Program are either having a hard time at school or at home.  They may be experiencing low self-esteem or lacking confidence, they may have a fixed mindset, experiencing anxiety or difficulties with friendships.  Which is why a positive behaviour approach to behaviour management is so important.  We believe a positive classroom environment is the most effective way to promote learning and well-being.

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Get GRIT’s principles for behaviour management are as follows:

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1.  Build a positive rapport with your students

 

Building relationships with your students will have a huge impact on behaviour. Building a positive rapport involves developing a connection with each student.  Building a rapport with some students will come easily and naturally, while others will require more time and effort.

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5 ways to build rapport

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1. Find common ground by asking questions

2. Show genuine interest

3. Be friendly

4. Give genuine compliments

5. Be yourself

 

First impressions.

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Your first impression is important to your student and their parents, but especially to your student.  When you first meet your student, greet both parent and child at the same time, wishing them both a warm welcome.  Before you continue your greeting with the child’s parent, get down to the child’s level to meet them eye to eye and introduce yourself and start a short conversation.  Ask them how their weekend has been, give them a compliment, or try to find a common ground.  This will not only start building a rapport, but will also ensure their parent or caregiver feels comfortable leaving their child in your care.

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2. Clear and explicit teaching of expected behaviours

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Developing shared rules within any group is important as it allows ownership of how things will run as well as being used for accountability when rules are not adhered to. It is important to spend time during the first session to write the group guidelines together.  Ask each student to sign the bottom of the page if they agree to follow the guidelines.  Before each lesson, review the group guidelines and ensure the guidelines are on display during the lesson.  If a child is being disruptive or non-compliant, direct their attention to the guidelines.

 

3. Positive Reinforcement

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Focusing on the positive aspects of student behaviour, increases the likelihood of the behaviour you are seeking.  By giving your attention to positive behaviour, you are reminding students of appropriate behaviour.  Give positive feedback and use positive language to build confidence and self-esteem.

 

 4. Planned response to inappropriate behaviour

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Discipline is about teaching the skills to be self-disciplined.  If a child makes a poor choice during a lesson, take the opportunity to teach the appropriate social and emotional skill.  Instead of being punitive, offer the learner the opportunity for reflection, development and growth. This also includes providing the opportunity for the child to make amends if harm has been caused.  There is always a reason for problem behaviour, whether it be difficulty with communicating, an attempt to satisfy a need or want or an indication that their needs are not being met.

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Greeting parents and children

 

At the beginning and end of each class you should always try to have an interaction with each and every parent and carer. If there are any issues with a child’s behaviour or learning, you should phone the parent/carer to discuss these issues privately.  You may also like to hand out a sticker at the end of each session.  Asking the children to line up for a sticker often encourages an orderly exit from class, where the children are calm and leave one-by-one rather than having all the children rush out of the door at once. 

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Parent/Caregiver Lesson Overviews

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Parent and carer lesson/session overviews include background information, key concepts taught and activities for home.  Parents receive, preferable via email, the lesson overview prior to each lesson.