Program Goals/Target Population
Take CHARGE! is a social problem-solving curriculum that targets students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). The program seeks to improve students’ knowledge and development of social problem-solving skills (Van Loan et al. 2019). The program is a classroom-based intervention targeting middle/junior high school students with EBD, defined as “a disability in the capacity to adapt” (Farmer 2013, p. 36), who exhibit social deficits and behavior problems. The inability to adapt to the social environment often results in youth with EBD experiencing isolation and rejection, both of which hinder their ability to form prosocial networks and successful academic and behavioral outcomes (Van Loan et al. 2019).
Program Theory
The Take CHARGE! curriculum is based on a social information-processing model (Dodge 1993; Van Loan et al. 2019). The social information-processing model suggests that an individual’s behavior is the result of their thoughts as they experience stimuli, what they focus on as they interpret the experience, and how they act (Crick and Dodge 1994). One approach to address how students with EBD experience stimuli and their resulting actions is through the use of cognitive–behavioral interventions, particularly social problem-solving. Cognitively based instruction in social problem-solving is founded on the premise that not only is an individual’s behavior a product of their thoughts, but also that by addressing their cognitive processes, the individual’s behavior will generalize to different situations. However, individuals must be taught to recognize the problem, define the problem, generate solutions, evaluate outcomes from solutions, act on a solution, and assess the outcome. By teaching youth to use a cognitive–behavioral approach, they learn about self-regulation of aggressive thoughts, which can ultimately reduce impulsive responses while increasing prosocial responses (Van Loan et al. 2019).
Program Components
Take CHARGE! is a 26-lesson curriculum based on Tools for Getting Along: Teaching Students to Problem Solve (Daunic et al. 2011; Smith et al. 2016). There are 20 core lessons and six booster lessons. The 20 core lessons last from 30 to 40 minutes each. During the core lessons, individuals are introduced to problem-solving and its six key steps: 1) Check (focusing on checking if you are angry), 2) Hold on (focusing on calming down and thinking), 3) Analyze (determining the cause), 4) Reflect (thinking about possible solutions), 5) Go for it (choosing a solution), and 6) Evaluate (determining what happened). In total, these six steps are taught over 15 lessons, and the other 5 lessons are devoted to role-playing the six steps. The core lessons are conducted three times a week for 7 weeks. Following the core lessons, individuals participate in six booster lessons, which provide the opportunity for review. Booster lessons are conducted twice a week for 3 weeks. Overall, the intervention lasts 10 weeks.
Lessons include a review of previous material, new material, and activities for both guided and self-practice. The curriculum also includes the teacher exhibiting overt self-talk, teachable moments, and on-the-spot assessments. Overt self-talk involves teachers revealing their inner thoughts and the processes they use to solve social problems. This allows students to learn a model they can adopt to solve social problems. On-the-spot assessments give the teacher and student an opportunity to assess the student’s use of social problem-solving skills.
