breaks Archives - Kevin Plummer, PhD

Stress Feedback – Getting Back to Calm and Settled

K. Plummer Site — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 18:45:09 +0000

This scale is a teaching tool, designed to provide the settling student with continuous and incremental feedback on their progress from a stressed state to a settled state. It’s a tool that can be used as part of a Restorative Breaks Program.

You may also see
Break Proficiency Articles
Settled Scales
Taking a Break Comprehension Guide
Calm & Settled Visual

Direct download: Stress Feedback – Getting Back to Calm & Settled

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Think Time Protocol and Guidelines

K. Plummer Site — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 15:01:22 +0000

Think time is a form of time out, where the primary objective is to have students engage in a self-control exercise while experiencing a “no reward condition” for a prescribed period of time, while thinking about their behavior and about options that would be better for them. Time out refers to the practice of excluding the student from reward for a brief period of time. Reward could be social, personal approval from adults, attention, and tangible/concrete reinforcement…

For more information also see:
Time Out Guidelines & Training
Think Time VisualExamples

Direct links: Think Time Think Time Visual

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Important Things to Remember About Restorative Breaks

K. Plummer Site — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 14:18:35 +0000

Structured breaks are used to restore a productive mood. They are used to restore diminished tolerance and to provide relief within difficult tasks. They are also used to interrupt a sudden or a sustained escalation that has not yet become unsafe.

Students with emotional challenges have frequent mood shifts and emotional attacks over the course of the day. In addition, their tolerance for schoolwork diminishes more rapidly than it does for the typical student. Some days it diminishes more quickly than other days. They get tired, frustrated, and overwhelmed by how much they have to do; they lose their patience and concentration, and then give up and stop working. A restorative break can be used to help children who are perseverating on or “stuck” on a particular problem and it can be used to cope with rising stress or frustration…

Important Things to Remember about Restorative Breaks

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Break Flow Chart

K. Plummer Site — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 13:55:06 +0000

Break, Think Time, Safe Room Flow Chart

This is a flow cart that supports teachers in determining how and when to use breaks.

Restorative break is a positive and constructive part of the student’s coping plan. Structured breaks are used to restore a productive mood, they are used to restore diminished tolerance, they are used to provide relief within difficult tasks, and they are used to interrupt a sudden or a sustained escalation that has not yet become unsafe.

Break Flow Chart

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Leisure Break

Kevin Plummer, PhD — Fri, 08 Jul 2016 14:31:58 +0000

Independent Down Time—Leisure Skill Development

Students need things to do when they are done with an activity but the schedule is not ready to change. Many problems occur while students are waiting, when they are not engaged in activity. All students need their own “independent leisure” bin with preferred activities that can be used independently while waiting for the next activity.

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