The evidence suggests that the implementation of BSEM develops a learning culture, the integration of trauma-informed practices into instructional practice; including a non-punitive system of behavioural management; creation of an orderly environment for learning; and an increase in positive student attitudes to school both for learning and wellbeing.
FAQ's
Berry Street Education Model aligns to the principles of trauma-informed practice and the applications of positive psychology in school and classroom settings.
We view behaviour through a biopsychosocial model, and we are informed by a range of other models and perspectives including CPS, the work of Mona Delahooke, Paul Dix and other theorists and practitioners. We support schools with trauma-informed tools and strategies that are adaptable to each school’s context, policy and procedures.
Our Berry Street Education Model four-day course is the foundational training you need to bring the model into your classroom and to your whole school.
The foundation course is suitable for all educators – teachers, early years practitioners, leaders and support staff.
Our expert team delivers training to individuals or whole schools, online or in-person.
Public course
Attend one of our Four Day Courses offered in various cities and online. Visit our event calendar to find a training course in your area.
Whole school training
Contact us about hosting a training course at your site for your school community. Call (03) 9421 7538, email bsem@berrystreet.org.au or complete our online enquiry form to discuss your tailored program.
BSEM values and deeply respects the work of every educator working in every role across schools. While our teaching and learning approach centres on academic development, we know that successful implementation of BSEM strategies relies on the support of every adult in the school.
When all staff, including non-teaching roles share a common vision and language to support students and each other, the impact of our daily work is multiplied.
Education support staff, who work closely with students who benefit from targeted support are often experts in key BSEM concepts such as co-regulation and unconditional positive regard.
BSEM strategies are strategies for life, not just for the classroom. The most common feedback we receive from those who have engaged with BSEM over long periods of time is around the positive impact in all aspects of life: their relationships with friends and family and colleagues, and an improved capacity to understand and manage stress more effectively for themselves and for their students.
BSEM is a how to not an add-on.
Every initiative a school wants to implement can be integrated into the Berry Street Education Model because our model offers a framework for teaching and learning that is reflective of, and inclusive of, any evidence-informed practice.
BSEM is intentionally designed to make educators lives easier, not harder. We know how busy and demanding our work is, and we also know that when we feel effective and capable as educators, we are more likely to feel that our work is rewarding and our efforts worthwhile.
Watch our video to hear from educators around the benefits they have seen for their schools through sustain implementation of the Berry Street Education Model.
At BSEM, we share our helpful teaching sequence that can be used for all of our strategies. The steps are as follows:
Explicitly teach students the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. This concept is just as true for social and emotional learning curriculum as it is for literacy and numeracy.
Review and reinforce. Just like any other subject, we don’t teach foundational concepts once and consider it done. We consistently reinforce and review your social and emotional learning curriculum, through your timetabled lessons, use of language, visual supports, and perhaps most importantly, thorough the behaviours that adults in your school model for your students. We recommend you regularly check in with each other and ask, what are our positive expectations for student behaviour and how are we teaching and reinforcing the key messages about those behaviours?
Reflection/Restorative practices to repair and restore in times of rupture. Let’s say we have an issue with a student who has a meltdown and causes a big drama. We can use the BSEM triage/repair conversation formula to help that student and others, but we can also talk as a team about what we can do to proactively prevent this conflict. Is there a need to review this student’s Ready to Learn Plan, or perhaps your students would benefit from some explicit teaching about the stress response, or a refresher on your school values.
When we look at the BSEM teaching sequence we see multiple ways in which every adult can support the implementation of BSEM. Teachers usually take the lead on the explicit teaching, but every adult will undertake the critical work of reinforcing BSEM content and will offer important perspectives as part of your reflective processes.
It’s a great place to start when teachers enact BSEM in their own classroom. While whole school implementation is our collective aim, much of our work has been initiated and championed by determined educators working on their own to improve their daily practices of teaching and learning. While we acknowledge that this can present some challenges at times, we have also seen great practices from individuals that have had profoundly beneficial impacts on their classrooms and children. Great practice inspires other staff. When you have evidence of impact growing in your own unique community and cultural contexts, others can see the positive impacts that you are having and may be curious enough to learn from you or do the training themselves.
Everything starts somewhere, so remember dream big, start small.
Implementation of consistent teaching and learning approaches across whole school environments are among the necessary steps a school can embark on and sustain. We know that staff feel energised when BSEM implementation is introduced one goal at a time.
The first step in successful implementation of any initiative is to ensure that the proposed change is aligned to goals and values for each school’s annual strategic planning cycle. Often, schools will integrate BSEM strategies as supporting actions towards academic learning progression goals. The second step is intentional planning for the change. In our experience, implementation is most likely to falter when schools do not devote planning time to intentional and staged implementation.
Our advice around implementation centres on four key ideas:
Leadership team makes a plan for BSEM implementation. Ensure that planning is deliberate, staged and embedded in your strategic planning documentation.
Develop or refine a statement of practice/vision statement that outlines the why of the change. Knowing the purpose of implementation significantly increases the buy-in from the school community.
Start small, dream big. Develop small, achievable goals to get some quick wins on the board and build momentum and self-efficacy across your team. Clearly link these goals to your biggest dreams for your school. Look to the horizon and then plan your journey step by step.
Build a team of educators in your campus, who work towards your strategic direction and goals for change. Your implementation team will ideally have representatives from across your school community. Include executive leadership and learning area and wellbeing leaders and identify other staff who you might act as ‘champions’ - teachers and support staff who adopt BSEM early and are keen to explore the model in their daily classroom environments.
See our stories of impact for examples of how schools have achieved sustainable change using the Berry Street Education Model.
The key difference between the two courses is that BSEM Early Years is specifically targeting educators in the early years sector with strategies that can be used for a whole-of-service approach. Of course, the strategies that we explore in Early Years are more about introducing them in a play-based way as the explicit teaching is very different in the two environments.
The key modules we cover in the 2-day BSEM Early Years course are: Trauma and stress and the young brain, Managing impulses through healthy play, Relationships and attachment, Educator stress and environments, and Family engagement. Please reach out to our Manager of BSEM Early Years, Michele Sampson, msampson@berrystreet.org.au if you would like any further clarification.