Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) starts with the premise that kids do well if they can, meaning that if our expectations are clear and developmentally appropriate, the students will meet them if they can. Consequently, if a student is struggling in school the assumption is that there is something getting in their way such as a lagging social, emotional or thinking skill. If a student is struggling it is therefore our job to identify the lagging skill or skills, to help develop them and, with the student, to devise more adaptive solutions. This is analogous in some ways to helping someone with a lagging reading skill for example.

               

CPS has not only been effective at pursuing our educational goals, but it is a good fit philosophically with Park Slope Collegiate. We believe that education in a school is a communal activity and that building relationships with our students and including all of them in the community fosters engagement, keeps them safe and increases their chances of success. We believe that students are intrinsically motivated by a sense of mastery, autonomy and accomplishment much more than they are by threats, punishments or even external rewards. And so CPS is an excellent tool for us. It builds relationships and students’ skills, allowing them to stay more connected to the community and to grow. 

 

Additional resources:

ThinkKids.org and Stuart Ablon

Livesinthebalance.org

Lost at School by Ross Greene

The Explosive Child by Ross Greene

 

Contact us for more information about our CPS program.