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~ Early
environments matter and nurturing relationships are essential. ~
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Neurons to Neighborhoods, National Research Council |
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What is BEAM?
Video Presentations
Training Resources
BEAM Key Concepts
BEAM Intervention Model: Pyramid
Reflective Practice
Coaching
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BEAM Implementation Manual
BEAM Newsletters
Children's Books
Family Quilt Project
References
Project Staff
Funding |
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What is BEAM?
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Bridging Education and Mental Health
(BEAM) supports teachers in improving their interactions with young
children. BEAM provides a framework to support children's
social-emotional development and intervene when challenging
behaviors interfere with development and learning. BEAM is grounded
in the fundamentals of quality instruction, positive behavior
support, and therapeutic or relationship-based teaching. This
synthesis of recommended practices emphasizes the quality of
relationships with children as the foundation of good teaching.
BEAM is a professional development
process. It offers early childhood professionals training through
online coursework or in-person instruction. In addition, follow-up
distance or on-site coaching can be provided. BEAM coaching is
grounded in reflective practice, which incorporates opportunities
for practitioners to examine their thoughts and feelings regarding
their work as well as instructional aspects of supporting young
children and their families.
The BEAM project web site includes a
variety of resources adaptable for university classroom instruction,
including:
- BEAM Implementation Manual,
containing:
- BEAM Classroom Guide, which
teachers can use to assess their classroom
- Information Gathering Form
- Observation Tools
- BEAM Intervention
Brainstorming Worksheet
- BEAM Building a Support Plan
- A list of children's books that
support social-emotional development
- A reference list of research
articles and books
Download the
BEAM brochure
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Video Presentations
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 View a video presentation
of Christopher Watson, Ph.D., Bridging Education and Mental
Health Project Director, describing the history and philosophy
of BEAM
(15 minutes)
This
link
opens in a new window. Return to this page to continue after
viewing this resource. |
View
a video presentation of Shelley Neilsen Gatti, Ph.D.,
Bridging Education and Mental Health Course Instructor and Coach, describing the
training model and materials
(15 minutes)
This
link
opens in a new window. Return to this page to continue after
viewing this resource.
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BEAM Key Concepts
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- Teacher behavior directly impacts
children's social and emotional development and mental health.
- To change children's behavior,
teachers must change their behavior.
- Children and their challenging
behaviors are typically multi-dimensional, multi-faceted, and
require a range of support.
- Teams need time to reflect on their
practice for their own mental health and to improve instructional
practices.
- A program that implements the BEAM
model provides an emotionally safe environment that is consistent,
predictable, and proactive.
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Training
Resources
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The BEAM project has
developed four levels of BEAM training:
Level 1:
Information Module sponsored by the
Center for Inclusive Child Care at Concordia University. This
introductory self-paced training is located on the CICC web site
and is free to anyone interested in learning more about BEAM.
Level 2: Introductory course
also offered by the
Center for Inclusive Child
Care. Those
taking the course may earn CEU credits for a nominal fee by
completing this Level 2 course.
Level 3: A course offered for
CEU credit by the Minnesota Child Care Resource and Referral
Network within their
Eager to Learn distance education system.
Level 4: The
BEAM online course and
BEAM in-person training are offered by CEED.
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BEAM Intervention
Model
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This model comes from the research on levels of intervention. There
are four levels:
Click on the links below to learn
more about each section of the BEAM Pyramid.
Child-Specific
Interventions
Instruction and
Interaction
Environment
Relationships
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~ Children who are
emotionally well adjusted have a significantly greater chance of early
school success while children who experience serious emotional
difficulty face greater risks of early school difficulty. ~
Social policy report published by The Society for Research in Child
Development (Raver, 2002) |
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Reflective Practice
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Teams need time to reflect on their
practice for their own mental health and to improve instructional
practices.
Teaching can often be a demanding job
and there is usually little time during the day for a teacher to sit
quietly for a moment to think about his or her interactions with the
children and staff or for teachers to talk to one another or with
their supervisor about their day. The importance of having this time
is often overlooked and we are just beginning to understand the need
for this reflective time in education. In order to improve practice,
teachers need to be able to think about their current practice and
share their ideas with others who will support and understand their
thoughts and feelings regarding their work. With this in mind, child
care centers and preschools could set aside time for their staff to
meet regularly t o discuss their work and their feelings about how
things are going in their classrooms and in their programs in
general.
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BEAM Coaching
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 BEAM coaches work with participating teachers on utilizing
BEAM strategies for working with children with challenging behaviors
and creating an environment that supports healthy social and
emotional development. BEAM is designed to support all children with
disabilities and children who have suffered trauma, neglect, and
abuse as well as typically developing children.
BEAM coaching consists of
regular observations and dialogue between coaches and teachers,
primarily on a biweekly basis. Training resources have been provided
to the early childhood teachers. These resources include the BEAM
Classroom Guide, Informational Tip Sheets, classroom materials, and
BEAM Implementation Manual. Additional
BEAM training events have been scheduled with staff and parents at the
participating programs.
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BEAM Implementation
Manual
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The purpose of the BEAM Implementation
Manual is to help teachers implement the BEAM model in their
classrooms or programs. The manual is not a stand-alone document. It
serves as a supplement to BEAM training and a guide to implement the
BEAM model in classrooms or with individual teachers. Before
implementing the BEAM process, attend a
training or
participate in the
online course offered by CEED. All of the following items are
included in the BEAM Implementation Manual.
Download a copy of the manual (pdf file)
BEAM Classroom Guide
The BEAM Classroom Guide is contained
within the BEAM Implementation Manual and is designed
to specify components of a classroom that support social and
emotional development in young children. It is meant to be used
both as a self-reflective tool that teachers can complete in their
own classrooms and as a tool that can be used by administrators or
others in a supervisory role. The guide is organized around the
four levels of the inverted BEAM pyramid.
BEAM Step 1: Information Gathering
Form
The first step of the BEAM process
involves collecting information about the child with the BEAM
Step 1: Information Gathering Form. This form will assist you
team in intervention planning for a specific child by providing
information about the child's history, family, likes, dislikes,
developmental concerns, strengths, and weaknesses.
BEAM Step 2: Observation Tools
After your team has gathered
information using the BEAM Information Gathering Form, your team
may decide that you need more specific information before you can
develop a support plan for a particular child. In order to gather
more information, you will either need to directly observe the
child or gather information over time to observe patterns of
events that may be influencing the child's behavior. BEAM Step
2: Observation Tools forms are suggestions for ways to gather
more information. This document includes these forms:
- Scatterplot
- ABC Analysis Form
(Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence)
- Setting Event Checklist
- Child-Teacher Interaction
Checklist
BEAM Step 3: Intervention
Brainstorming Worksheet
The last step of the BEAM process (BEAM
Step 3: Intervention Brainstorming Worksheet) summarizes the
information you have gathered and gives a place to design
interventions based on this information, how the interventions
will be implemented, and describes how you will measure the
success of the intervention.
BEAM Step 4: BEAM Building a
Support Plan
The planning worksheet is used to
identify specific interventions that will be implemented for the
child and the specific steps that will be taken to implement
them.
BEAM Step 5: BEAM Teacher Feedback
Form
This form is used to provide
feedback to teachers regarding things they are doing well and
things they might consider changing.
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BEAM Tip Sheets
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More tip sheets on additional
topics are available on the
CEED Tip
Sheets web page.
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BEAM Newsletters
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Research has established the
critical link between children's social and emotional development
and their ability to enter school ready to learn. To help address
this issue, the Minneapolis Youth
Coordinator Board convened the Social and Emotional
Well Being Interest Group (SEWBIG) as part of its School Readiness
Initiative. SEWBIG group members reviewed key barriers to children
and families accessing quality services and areas of concern related
to children reaching full potential for school readiness, and these
barriers are elaborated upon in this one-page document.
- Plays Well With Others: A Guide
to a Young Child's Social and Emotional Development
Plays Well With Others
is designed as a tool for professionals who provide parent support
(case workers, home visitors, child care providers, parent and
family educators, etc.) to distribute to parents of children ages 5
months to 5 years old and use as a discussion guide around social
and emotional development. Discussion between parent and parent
supporter/educator is key to the effective use of this document.
Research has established the
critical link between children's social and emotional development
and their ability to enter school ready to learn. To help address
this issue, the Minneapolis Youth
Coordinating Board with the support of a federal Early Learning
Opportunities Act grant has printed and is distributing Plays
Well With Others. Plays Well with Others was originally created
through collaboration between Hennepin County Early Childhood Unit,
Hennepin County Interagency Early Intervention Committees, local
early childhood service providers/experts, and two participating
graduate students.
To download a copy of this
publication, visit the
YCB web site
and click on the link to
Plays Well With Others.
If you have questions, please contact the
Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board at 612-673-2060.
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Children's
Books
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The Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early
Learning at Vanderbilt University has an extensive
Children's Book List covering such topics as being a friend,
accepting different kinds of friends, feelings, family
relationships, bullying, and grief and death.
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Family Quilt Project
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 The BEAM project provided on-site
training and coaching at Northside Child Development Center during the
2005-2006 school year. During this time Lillian Duran, the on-site
BEAM coach, initiated a family quilt project as a memento of the
center's participation in the BEAM project and as a visual reminder of
the important partnership between child care providers and the
families of the children they serve. Mary Sievert of the New
Ulm Quilting Association donated her time and expertise to
complete the quilt. |
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References
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Click here to print pdf
Buscemi, L., Bennett, T., Thomas,
D., & DeLuca, D. (1996) Head Start: Challenges and training
needs. Journal of Early Intervention, 20(1), 1-13.
Carr, E.. et al., (1999) Positive
behavior support for people with developmental disabilities: A
research synthesis. US Government: District of Columbia.
Gardner, W.I., Cole, C.L.,
Davidson, D.P., & Karan, O.C. (1986). Reducing aggression in
individuals with developmental disabilities: An expanded stimulus
control, assessment, and intervention model. Education and Training
of the Mentally Retarded, 21, 3-12. (Setting Events Checklist,
adapted)
Horner, R.H., & Carr, E.G.
(1997). Behavioral support for students with severe
disabilities: Functional assessment and comprehensive
intervention. Journal of Special Education, 31, 84-104.
Howes, C. & Ritchie, S. (2002). A
matter of trust: Connecting teachers and learners in the early
childhood classroom. New York: Teachers College Press.
Koegel, Koegel & Dunlap, 1996.
Positive behavior support. Paul H. Brookes: Baltimore.
Koplow, L. (2002). Creating
schools that heal: Real life solutions. New York: Teachers
College Press.
Koplow, L. (Eds.).(1996).
Unsmiling faces: How preschools can heal. New York: Teachers
College Press.
Nelson, Julie (2006). Child-Teacher Interaction Checklist. Families
Together, Lifetrack Resources, St. Paul, MN.
Reichle, J., & Johnston, S.
(1993). Replacing challenging behavior: The role of communication
intervention. Topics in Language Disorders, 13, 61-76. Copyright ©
1993, Aspen publishers, Inc.,
http://www.aspenpub.com. (ABC Analysis Form, adapted)
Shonkoff, J.P., & Phillips, D.
(Eds.). (2000). From neurons to neighborhood: The science of
early childhood development. Washington, D.C., National Academy
Press.
Satcher, David (1999). Mental
Health: A report of the Surgeon General. http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/home.html
Touchette, P.E., MacDonald,
R.F., & Langer, S.N. (1985). A scatterplot for identifying stimulus
control of problem behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
18, 343-351. (Scatterplot form, adapted)
Click here to print pdf
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Related Links
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Zero to Three, Early Childhood Mental Health
The Campbell
Collaboration (C2)
Center
for Evidence-Based Practice: Young Children With Challenging
Behavior
Center
on the Social and Emotional Foundations for Early Learning,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Parent Training Modules on How to Promote Children's Social and
Emotional Skills, Center on the Social and Emotional Foundations
for Early Learning (CSEFEL)
Review of Screening Instruments for Social Emotional Concerns,
Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for
Young Children (TACSEI)
Example of BEAM Presentation Handout
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Project Staff
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Christopher
Watson, Ph.D., Project Director
Leah
Hjelseth, M.A., Coordinator
Karen Anderson, Executive Administrative Specialist
Shelley Neilsen Gatti, Ph.D.,
St. Thomas University, BEAM
course instructor and coach
Lillian Duran, Ph.D., Mankato State
University, BEAM course instructor and coach
For more information on this project, contact Leah Hjelseth at
hjels002@umn.edu or
612-626-9528.
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Funding
The BEAM Project was funded by the
Minnesota Department of
Education. In addition, development and implementation of the
BEAM project was supported by the Early Learning Opportunities Act
(ELOA) project at CEED, which also includes a focus on early
literacy through the Minnesota
Early Literacy Training (MELT) Project.
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