Elevating student voice through student-led CICO.
-by Dr. Tim Grivois, Executive Director
One of the most significant differences between how I work with schools to implement Check-in/Check-out (CICO) (and how most schools are taught) is our emphasis on student-led conversations. Too often, schools implement behavior interventions like CICO that intend to support students, yet begin with adult-driven goals.
Centralizing adult goals is a mistake for many reasons, mainly because adults choose the wrong goals. Thankfully, fixing this is easy. We can just ask students what they want to achieve and how they want to do it. In the context if a CICO conversation, this might sound like this:
Coach: Good morning! You wanted to work on being responsible today by starting work right away. Is that right?
Student: Yep.
Coach: Excellent! Well, this might sound silly, but let’s practice that a bit before you head to class. I’m going to hand you your math bellwork, and you’ll put your name on it right away. Sound good?
Student: Sure.
Coach: [Gives the student the bellwork.]
Student: [Writes their name on the bellwork.]
Coach: Excellent! That’s precisely it! Now, sometimes, this has been tricky for you. What might happen that could make getting started right away difficult?
(In the perfect, ideal, most amazing version of this conversation)
Student: Honestly, sometimes I turn and talk to my friends before I start my work, and then I forget what I’m supposed to do. I think I’ll ask to sit closer to the teacher today.
(Most students in real life)
Student: I don’t know.
If you’re a CICO coach, “I don’t know” can be frustrating. You know it’s better if students develop goals and strategies from the inside out. However, if this student knew how to get started on work right away, they wouldn’t need a behavior plan. “I don’t know” is probably the most honest answer a student should have…at least at first.
If you’re implementing Student-Led CICO, it’s essential to have some strategies ready to help students move from “I don’t know” to “I got this.” Here are my favorites:
Talk about a fake kid/youth.
Sometimes, talking about a fake kid/youth you know and how they solved the same problem can help students move from “I don’t know” to “I know exactly.” For example:
Coach: Well, I think you’re right. It is hard to know how to get started right away. But one time, I met a student who had the same goal, and they figured out that sitting close to the teacher made it easier to focus. Could we try that today?
Offer a menu
Personally, I like to see a menu before I order food at a restaurant. (Unless it’s Portillo’s…then I’m going to get a hot dog, extra-spicy peppers, fries, and cheese sauce, but that’s because I know what is best for me when I’m at a Portillo’s drive-through.)
Providing students with a menu of options for strategies that match their goals can make it easier for children and youth to choose the best one for them. We can describe the “menu” out loud if youth have sufficient verbal communication skills. Usually, though, a written list or a visual choice board works better. Click here for my favorite resource for designing menus.
Keep It 1,000% Real
Sometimes, normalizing challenges can reduce the pressure to find the “perfect” strategy on the spot.
Coach: What might happen that could make getting started right away difficult?
Student: Uh….I don’t know.
Coach: You know, everyone has something that might make it hard to get started right away, like being tired or wanting to talk to friends. What’s something that might get in the way for you?
It Takes Time
Remember, asking any human being to think about their goals for the day and reflect on the best strategies for attaining them is a high-order thinking exercise. While children/youth absolutely can set goals and choose strategies, they’ll need help doing this for the first time (and maybe for the first week or two). What matters most is that we are relentlessly consistent in our belief that the children and youth we serve through CICO can learn how to set and achieve the goals that matter to them.