How do I get more information on the program?
The Social Decision Making/Problem Solving Program at
the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
- University Behavioral HealthCare can be reached by phone
at (732)-235-9280 or by e-mail at spsweb@umdnj.edu
for further information.
What populations are served?
The SDM/PS approach has been used successfully with general
and special education children at the elementary and middle
school levels.
Has this approach been researched?
Yes. Results have shown that teachers and elementary
school students learn the target skills and that this
results in positive behavioral outcomes in school. Positive
long-term behavioral effects were found in these students
when they became middle and high school students. To find
out more, visit RESEARCH/PUBLICATIONS.
Does this approach link with state and
national core curriculum standards?
Principals, administrators, and teachers who work with
SDM/PS have found a wide range of ways that program concepts
overlap with state and national core curriculum standards.
Skills for decision making in the personal, interpersonal,
and community applications underlie many curriculum standards.
Is this an add-on program?
We prefer NOT to think of it as an "add-in"
program. Once a brief introduction to SDM/PS skills is
provided, teachers can infuse these skills into everyday
classroom activities.
How much training is needed and what are
the costs?
The SDM/PS staff provides a two to three day in-service
training for a designated team of teachers, administrators,
and support personnel. The training workshop provides
a foundation in the background research of the program,
an introduction to the curriculum, and "hands-on"
practice with the lessons through curriculum labs. Each
training is tailored to the needs of the school/district.
The training sessions are designed so that participants
are prepared to teach the program directly to children
upon the conclusion of the workshop. All participants
receive curricula, colorful bulletin board posters depicting
the key skills, and additional engaging student worksheets
geared to the particular population of students. Follow-up
consultation and Leadership Team training can be arranged
as needed. Costs will depend on the specific training
and consultation needs, and the materials requested. Please
contact us at spsweb@umdnj.edu,
or by phone at (732)-235-9280 for details.
How do districts fund this program?
Generally, districts have funded SDM/PS training and
consultation through funds for staff development and/or
prevention programming. For example, many districts have
implemented our program as part of their alcohol/substance
abuse prevention program, character education, violence
prevention initiatives and have received grants to help
fund implementation. SDM/PS staff will be glad to help
you in grant development.
What is the relationship between emotional
intelligence, social and emotional learning, and social
decision making/problem solving?
Emotional intelligence is a term that has been popularized
by Dan Goleman's 1995 book of the same name, in which
he summarizes emotional and social abilities that have
been found to be more important than the traditional IQ
measure in predicting success in life. In his book, he
reviews a wide range of research and organizes predictive
skills into five main domains that include: self awareness,
managing emotions, self-motivation, emotional sensitivity,
and social skills.
Social and emotional learning is the term most often
used by educators when referring to emotional intelligence.
The reason they do not use the term EQ is that, unlike
IQ, skills linked with the EQ term are much more flexible
and capable of being developed through learning and training.
Therefore, educators would prefer to call this area social
and emotional learning.
Our Social Decision Making/Problem Solving Program is
one of six pioneering efforts, highlighted by Dan Goleman
in his book, to promote EQ abilities in elementary schools.
How is the SDM/PS Program involved in
promoting emotional intelligence in schools?
SDM/PS is a research validated framework which yields
instructional methods that can provide educators with
a valuable informed base for programming areas of social
and emotional learning. Increasingly, through our relationships
with CASEL (The Collaborative for Academic, Social and
Emotional Learning) and other professional organizations,
we work with other professionals working in the field
to both contribute what we have learned and continue to
develop by sharing ideas with professionals from other
research based programs. It is an exciting time of growth
for all of us, as this important area of children's learning
becomes increasing recognized as critical to life success,
health and happiness.
Can I see a sample activity?
Link to "The Problem
Diary"
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