TPITOS TEACHING PYRAMID INFANT-TODDLER OBSERVATION SCALE: RELIABILITY TRAINING

TEACHING PYRAMID INFANT–TODDLER OBSERVATION SCALE

for INFANT–TODDLER CLASSROOMS

Using TPITOS™ to Support the Use of Social-Emotional Teaching Practices in Infant and Toddler Classrooms
Kathryn M Bigelow, PhD & Alana Schnitz, PhD BCBA

TPITOS: What is it?

Observation and interview measure of fidelity of implementation of universal Pyramid Model practices (Tier 1) for supporting social emotional competence
Used in center-based care settings for infants & toddlers (up to 36 months) – in Early Head Start, child care, early childhood special education classrooms
Classroom snapshot of adult use of practices and environment across routines

TPITOS Routines

Free play
Structured group
Care routines
Outdoors

TPITOS Items

Communication & building relationships
Warmth and responsivity
Peer interactions
Active engagement
Responsive and teaching about feelings
Feedback about expectations
Responsive to distress/challenging behavior
Strategies/modifications for disabilities/delays, dual-language learners
Schedule, routines, and transitions
Room environment
Collaboration
Engaging parents
Communication with families

TPITOS Red Flags

Children disengaged
Children generally unhappy
Teacher engagement
Distressed children unattended
Eye contact
Punitive practices
Schedule
Isolation
Affect
Lack of materials, toys, activities
Harsh talk

Coaching Based on the TPITOS

Use TPITOS scores to inform coaching and professional development
Help evaluate coaching and professional development efforts
Develop goals and action items
Set specific goals for individual teacher and/or a group of teachers (e.g., classroom, program)

Look, Think, Act

A process for teams to analyze the data, thinking about the factors that might affect interpretations of data.

Look:

Identify patterns and trends
Make comparisons
Identify commonalities and discrepancies
Look for unexpected results
Identify questions
Identify the need for additional data

Think:

Engage in thinking process or team discussion to make interpretations about the data.
Identify actions that can/will be implemented resulting from the conclusions from the data.

Act:

Provide or change training
Provide or change coaching
Improve leadership team functioning
Change environment or schedule

Decision-Making using Individual Teacher Graphs

Look: Identify lowest areas. Identify changes over time.
Think: What might be reasons? (Teacher professional development or coaching?)
Act: Improve amount and quality of coaching or professional development.

Multiple Teachers

Total # of Teachers	Lowest Score	Highest Score
Wave 1	3	37%
Wave 2	3	68%
Wave 3	3	77%

Action Plan: Responsive to Children’s Expression of Emotions

Goal	Action Steps	Materials or Resources Needed	Timeline	My goal is met when...
Teachers will label children’s feelings during real-life classroom situations	Get visuals for feelings words: happy, sad, angry, surprised	Coach will print and laminate	9/12	We labeled a child’s emotion in context 6x/day using each word at least 1 time for 3 weeks.

Action Plan: Promoting Positive Peer Interactions

Goal	Action Steps	Materials or Resources Needed	Timeline	My goal is met when...
Teachers will use a variety of developmentally appropriate strategies to encourage peer interactions.	Brainstorm strategies for peer interactions	A provide list of suggestions	3/23	We use 3 different strategies during each observation for 3-4 weeks.

Focused Observation Notes

Teacher: Jo
Coach: Sarah
Date: 4/5/18
Time spent in observation: 9:45-10:45
Time spent in meeting: 20 minutes
Observation focus: Increase peer interactions across routines in the classroom setting
What I observed:

Nice greetings
Helped child pour milk
Great modeling labeling friends

Certificates of Attendance

Certificates of attendance are available for download from the “Handouts” section of the webinar panel.