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Transforming practice within a mainstream school setting using Appreciative Inquiry and Transactional Supports from the SCERTS modelTransforming the practice ofteachers within a mainstreamschool setting usingAppreciative Inquiry andTransactional Supportsfrom the SCERTS modelLilith Mackdonald, London, UKEditorial commentThe author of this study was the Lead Teacher of an Autism Provision (AP) in amainstream primary school. She worked with three teachers in the main school toenhance their autism practice. Using an Appreciative Inquiry approach, the staffreflected on their current practice with the author and set goals to develop this, usingthe Transactional Supports advocated within the SCERTS model. This led to positivechanges in their understanding and the strategies they used. The author makes thepoint that focusing on changing the actions of the staff rather than changing the children was important. As the founders of SCERTS and other practitioners maintain, thisis easier, more respectful and likely to be more effective.IntroductionA study in mainstream school settings by Feroni-Bast etal (2020) found that autistic students were often viewedas difficult to teach by their teachers and that staffcan have misconceptions about autism. In addition,autistic students often report feeling misunderstoodby their teachers (APPGA, 2017) and incidents ofbullying and social isolation can occur (Humphreyand Hebron, 2015). Having a diagnosis of autism hasalso been identified as a risk marker for exclusion fromschool (Brede et al, 2017). There is therefore a need toenhance autism practice in mainstream schools.GAP,21,2, 2020Address forcorrespondenceE-mail: lilithnancy@yahoo.co.ukAcknowledgementsI would like to gratefullythank the three mainstream teachers whotook part in this project.They shared their insights and experienceswith enthusiasm andinterest throughout theprocess. Also to AnnieEtherington for her trulyinspiring guidanceand support.Within the Autism Provision (AP) where I was the LeadTeacher, considerable effort went into embedding theuse of the SCERTS approach (Prizant and Wetherby,2006). This prioritises developmentally appropriateand meaningful activities which focus on buildingtrusting relationships. The Transactional Supportsdomain was key to staff development and crucial tothe overall implementation of the SCERTS approach.However, there remained a disparity between autismunderstanding and practice in the AP when comparedto practice in the mainstream classrooms.77TrwscATrfr

Transforming practice within a mainstream school setting using Appreciative Inquiry and Transactional Supports from the SCERTS modelAim of the studyThe key question that this study addressed was:“Does specific coaching in relation to theTransactional Supports lead to transformationalautism practice in a mainstream primary school?”Transformational change can be understood as thesystematic development in support, processes andsystems which result in a desirable change of attitudeand behaviour to achieve optimal outcomes (Atkins etal, 2015).Transactional supports in the SCERTSapproachTransactional Supports are concerned with the ways inwhich partners, such as professionals or parents, canmodify the environment as well as themselves to enhance the learning opportunities for autistic students.These supports are categorised into two areas:1 Interpersonal supports2 Environmental supportsroutines. This study examined whether AppreciativeInquiry (Cooperider and Srivastva, 1987) was a validcoaching framework for the implementation of theSCERTS Transactional Supports, thereby bringingresearch into the classroom, with the overall aim ofenhancing autism practice in three mainstream classrooms within the school where the AP was sited.What is Appreciative Inquiry?Appreciative Inquiry was first conceptualised byCooperider and Srivastva in 1987 in response to traditional problem solving approaches to people management which, it was believed, often resulted in demotivated and demoralised teams of people. AppreciativeInquiry can be understood as a philosophy for thinkingor as a method and has been described as:“A group process that inquires into, identifiesand further develops the best of ‘what is’ inorganisations in order to create a better future”(Preskill and Catsambas, 2006, page 1).It has been suggested by Emily Rubin, co-author of theSCERTS approach, that central to the implementationof SCERTS in schools is Appreciative Inquiry peercoaching. She states:Interpersonal Supports refer to the adjustments thatcommunicative partners can make in their languageuse, emotional expression, interactive style, prompting, communicative modelling and responsiveness.Environmental Supports refer to the supports put inplace and used in the student’s environment to enhanceengagement, understanding and to optimise arousallevels. Specific coaching in relation to these TransactionalSupports has already been shown to impact positivelyon the self-efficacy and problem solving capabilities ofparents and professionals (Wetherby et al, 2018).“This philosophy is based on the premise that a collective discussion of ‘what’s working?’ in a classroomlesson fosters active engagement in the process ofimagining ‘what could be’ and a collective developmentof an action plan for ‘next steps.’ This process reducesthe need for an ‘expert’ model of consultation that isbased upon more coercive or persuasive mechanismsfor planned change” (Rubin, 2016, see Appendix 1).Bringing research into the classroomAppreciative Inquiry follows a four stage cycle:Bringing research into the classroom has been identified as a key component of transformational changeand collaboration between researchers and teachershas been identified as an important way to bringresearch into the classroom (Parsons et al, 2018).SCERTS has already been shown to impact positivelyon the socio-emotional trajectories of autistic childrenwhen incorporated into their natural and environmental78DiscoveryDreamDesignDestiny(as shown in Figure 1).GAP, 21,2, 2020

Transforming practice within a mainstream school setting using Appreciative Inquiry and Transactional Supports from the SCERTS modelFigure 1:The Appreciative Inquiry cycle, adaptedfrom Chapman (2011)1.DISCOVERYTable 1:Week 1The teachers completed a shortquestionnaire prior to the studycommencing. Questions were adaptedfrom the SCERTS TransactionalSupports to gain their initial self-ratingscores to allow a comparison at theend of the study (see Appendix 2).Week 2The teachers took part in a 30 – 40minute semi-structured interview,with questions adapted by the authorfrom the Transactional Supports(see Appendix 3). The interview allowedthe teachers to share their views oncurrent practice and to identify areasfor development in relation to autism.Their initial attitudes to autism andpractice were also captured.Week 3The Discovery phase continued withan unstructured classroom observationfocused on Transactional Supports.The author and the teachers conducteda Dream Conversation to identifythe positive features of their currentpractice they would like to build upon.In the Design phase, the teachers andauthor co-generated an Action Plancontaining one goal, which identifiedthe Transactional Supports needed toachieve this goal.Weeks4 to 7The teachers implemented theiraction plans over 4 weeks. Resources,equipment and further explanation ofspecific strategies and approacheswere made available to the teachers.Week 8The teachers and the author took partin a Destiny Conversation, reflecting onwhat had been implemented and thechanges that were made. The teachersidentified the Transactional Supportsthey would continue to use andreflected on any changes to their autismunderstanding or practice.“What is alreadygoing well?”4.DESTINY“How will wemaintain thechanges in thefuture?”Topicofchoice2.DREAM“What wouldwe like to seemore of?”3.DESIGN“What do weneed to do toachieve ourgoal?”Combining Appreciative Inquiry withTransactional SupportsThe project setting was a two form entry mainstreamprimary school with an Autism Provision in inner cityLondon. At the time of writing, the total number of children with Educational and Healthcare Plans (EHCPs) atthe school was 35, with 31 of those for autistic students.Twelve children with an EHCP for autism learned withinthe AP, with 19 other students with an EHCP for autism,learning within mainstream classes. Three mainstreamteachers, from each Key Stage within the school, wereselected to take part in the study. The project wasintended to take place over an 8 week period but thisvaried during the project. As the study progressed, theteachers followed individual timelines and AppreciativeInquiry sessions were conducted on a one-to-one basis.The teachers produced and implemented individualtargets based on their own action plans.GAP,21,2, 2020Timetable for Implementing AppreciativeInquiry over 8 weeks79

Transforming practice within a mainstream school setting using Appreciative Inquiry and Transactional Supports from the SCERTS modelDeveloping an Appreciative Inquirycoaching conversationIn order to run the Appreciative Inquiry sessions in Week3, advice was taken directly from the SCERTS QuickReference – Case Study Coaching and Mentorshipdocument (see Appendix 1) and followed specific timeallocations as shown in Table 2.Table 2:The elements of the AppreciativeInquiry coaching conversation5 minutesIntroduction: The author andteacher discussed the aims andformat of the Appreciative Inquirysession.10 minutesDiscovery Conversation: Theteacher shared which TransactionalSupports were going well and theauthor shared her observationfeedback, with reference toTransactional Supports.5 minutesAppreciative Inquiry Animation:The teacher watched an animationto support their understanding ofthe process.10 minutesDream: The author and teacherdiscussed what was already workingand which Transactional Supportsthey wanted to see more of. Theyco-created the action plan goal.10 minutesDesign: The author and teacherdiscussed which TransactionalSupports they wanted to implementand how and when to do this. Thisformed the Action Plan.5 minutesTimescale: The author andteacher confirmed the dates for theimplementation of the Action Planand set a date for the reviewmeeting.80The findingsSemi-structured interview data:Expressions of uncertaintyExpressions of uncertainty were evident in all threeof the teachers’ initial interviews. When talking aboutteaching and interacting with autistic students, theteachers used words and phrases such as “difficult”,“hard”, “I’ve struggled”, “I don’t quite know” and “I don’tfeel I’m getting that one quite right.” These feelingswere also reported in research by Goodall (2015)where teachers often felt they did not have adequateautism knowledge and understanding, which resultedin insecure decision making. Autistic students were alsodescribed by the teachers as doing “not what the restof the class is doing”, working “alongside the rest of theclass” and as “not accessing what the other children inclass are accessing.” Goodall (2015) also found thatteachers found it difficult to include autistic studentsas full members of the class and that autistic studentsmight be vulnerable to becoming isolated from theirmainstream peers (Tonnsen and Hahn, 2016).Celebrating the Transactional Supportsalready being usedThe observations took place in each of the teachers’classrooms and lasted 30 minutes. They were given acopy of the SCERTS Quick Checklist - TransactionalSupports (see Appendix 2) prior to the observation sothat they could see what the focus of the observationwould be. Specific examples of the TransactionalSupports relating to students and classroom practicewere shared and celebrated.Appreciative Inquiry Action Plansand goalsDuring the Dream phase of the Appreciative Inquirysessions and based on the positives that had alreadybeen observed and shared, the teachers were invitedto co-create a goal around “Based on what is goingwell, what do we want more of?” Once a goal had beenidentified, it was time to Design the Action Plan andTransactional Supports were selected.GAP, 21,2, 2020

Transforming practice within a mainstream school setting using Appreciative Inquiry and Transactional Supports from the SCERTS modelTable 3: Transactional Supports observed in the three classroomsTeacher(name isfictitious)InterpersonalSupportsAnnaPartner mirrors student’semotional tone.Partner offers support whenthe student is showing signsthey are not available forlearning.Partner balances askingquestions with commenting /giving instructions.Partner recognises andresponds to behavioursas serving a purpose tocommunicate or to regulateemotions.Partner uses nonverbal cues to supportunderstanding.Partner allows the studentto reject, refuse or finish anactivity or object.EnvironmentalSupportsElenaPartner gives praise andprompts the student whenneeded, without directingthe student too much.Partner offers support whenthe student is showing signsthey are not available forlearning.Partner uses appropriatewords and voice to supportengagement.Partner gives the studentadequate time to completeactivities without rushing orprompting too much.KodiPartner gains studentattention beforecommunicating.Partner models appropriateemotional tone.Partner recognisesbehaviours as serving apurpose to communicate orregulate emotions.Partner uses appropriatewords and voice to supportengagement.Partner recognisesbehaviours as serving apurpose to communicate orregulate emotions.Partner brings student backto the activity when thestudent is regulated andready for learning.Visual supports showingstart and finish of steps intask / activity.Visual supports showingstart and finish of steps intask / activity.Visual supports are used toorganise the student’s dayand help with transitions.Visuals used to organise thestudent’s day and help withtransitions.Visuals used to organise thestudent’s day and help withtransitions.Student’s environmentis modified to enhancelearning.Visual and nonverbalsupports are used to helpthe student’s understanding.Student given permissionto leave activities whendysregulated.Sensory needs areconsidered in learningtasks.Student’s environmentis modified to enhancelearning.Sensory needs areconsidered in learning tasks.Timetable reflects a balancebetween moving and sittingtasks.Student’s environmentmodified to enhancelearning.Materials and topics chosenbased on student’s interestsand strengths.Timetable reflects balancebetween moving and sittingtasks.GAP,21,2, 202081

Transforming practice within a mainstream school setting using Appreciative Inquiry and Transactional Supports from the SCERTS modelTable 4: A summary of the three teachers’ co-created goalsTeacherAnnaDreamDesignCo-created goal fromAppreciative Inquirycoaching sessionTransactional Supports“What do we need to achieve the goal?”“What do we wantmore of?”InterpersonalSupportsEnvironmentalSupportsTo confidently lead awhole class AttentionAutism session in Mathsonce per week, usingvisuals to supportstudents to attend.Wait and encourageparticipation.Visuals to organise student’s day;Photos for schedule and first/thenboard.Allow child to leave if theyare showing signs they arenot available for learning.Motivating equipment for thesessions (nothing too loud).Set place for child to sit on the carpet,close to edge so easy to leave.ElenaTo feel confidentproviding activitiesthat are irresistible andincorporate studentinterests.Provide adequate time forthe tasks and don’t prompt orpush them to do it quickly.Wait and encourage childrento approach me if they needhelp or are finding it tricky.Choose materials that I know interestthe children.Continue using in-task schedule inthe sessions so children know startand finish.Offer repeated and varied learningopportunities to practise the sameskill.Modify the difficulty of the tasks toenhance learningKodiTo provide in-taskschedules in Maths andLiteracy so studentsknow the expectations ina task.Wait and don’t over prompt.Recognise signs ofdysregulation and offersupport as needed.Visual supports to show the start andfinish of a task.Visuals to break down a task intomanageable steps.Modify the environment to enhancelearning (so children can easily askfor help if they need to).Identifying transformational changeDuring the agreed 4 weeks, Anna and Elena were ableto put their Action Plans into place, while Kodi, dueto competing workload pressures, did not implementher goal in the allocated time and instead plannedto implement her goal in January after the project82had ended. For Anna and Elena, who did manage toimplement their Action Plans, change was much moreevident in their reviews than for Kodi, suggesting thatthe Appreciative Inquiry process of co-creating goalswith reference to Transactional Supports, can lead to achange in attitude and practice.GAP, 21,2, 2020

Transforming practice within a mainstream school setting using Appreciative Inquiry and Transactional Supports from the SCERTS modelTable 5:A summary of changes to attitudes and practiceTeacherWhat has changed for the teacher?DestinyTransactional Supports to be continued“How will we maintain the changes in lSupportsPositivesupport suchas readingbehaviouras serving apurpose andresponding,like letting themleave if theyneed to.Visuals to structurethe day and to makeadults aware of wherethey need to be.Weekly AttentionAutism maths sessionsand apply to othercurriculum areas suchas phonics.“There has been a shift in what I want children with autismto get out of each session. I don’t want them to just comply,but to achieve an aim in a way that fits them.”“My understanding of how to support children with autismhas changed and I now allow them to join in, or not if theydon’t want to, and not force them to come.”“I also feel better equipped to support other teachers withtheir classroom practice to benefit other autistic children.”“Previously, I would rely on the 1:1 adult to know the child morebut I feel happy to step in and support best practice now.”“It helped to boost my confidence with how I support andinteract with the autistic children.”ElenaKeep using activitiesthat incorporatespecific interests.“I have realised how much we expect our children to complythroughout the school day and how often we discouragechildren from voicing their disinterest in an activity.”Create opportunitiesfor independentlearning throughother interest-basedlearning opportunities.“I feel more confident planning activities my students willengage with. I thought I would get it wrong, but I haven’t.”Repeat but slightlychange activities sochildren can practisethe same skill, but itlooks different.KodiGAP,21,2, 2020Continue breakingtasks down into partsas much as possibleso students know andcan see all the stepsof a task, but alsomaking sure that it isas low maintenanceas possible so it isachievable.“I realised it was actually such little effort on my behalf.”“I have been empowered to support other members of stafftoo.”“Because of taking part in this project, I have watched achild who has always hated maths, open his maths bookand laugh like I have never heard him laugh before. Truly amoment I will never forget!”“I’m more confident supporting children with SEN in amainstream classroom.”“It has drawn on everything I know so far and shown how Ican develop it further.”83

Transforming practice within a mainstream school setting using Appreciative Inquiry and Transactional Supports from the SCERTS modelAverage self-rating 0 – 5Figure 2: Average self-rating scores for Interpersonal Supports pre and post naElenaKodiPostParticipantFigure 3: Average self-rating scores for Environmental Supports pre and post projectAverage self-rating 0 – naElenaPostParticipantKodiGAP, 21,2, 2020

Transforming practice within a mainstream school setting u

Transforming practice within a mainstream school setting using Appreciative Inquiry and Transactional Supports from the SCERTS model 78 GAP,21,2, 2020 routines. This study examined whether Appreciative Inquiry (Cooperider and Srivastva, 1987) was a valid coaching framework for the impleme

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