About Success Is A Thinking Skill

What is SIATS?

Success is a Thinking Skill (SIATS) teaches effective thinking skills for social behavior. More than 3000 schools in 43 states use SIATS for In-school suspension, alternative education, life skills, special education, advisory periods, counseling sessions, etc. SIATS was developed from late research in corrections that revealed successful programs impacted thinking skills. SIATS targets the thinking skills lacking in offenders. The skills include self-evaluation, connecting behavior and results, regard for others, and thinking ahead.

SIATS has 5 units – Learning, Work, Integrity, Common Sense, and Making Decisions. Students learn to control impulses and to think ahead. They define strengths and decide what is most important. At the end of each unit, students complete plans of action. They apply what they learn to everyday life.

SIATS is published in three manuals – an Exercise Manual, a Leadership Manual and an Activity Handouts Manual. The Exercise Manual has 83 exercises that are used in sequence or separately. The Leadership Manual details 55 activity sessions that utilize the exercises. Simple instructions guide teachers; WHAT TO DO, HOW TO DO IT, WHAT TO SAY. No training is necessary. The Activity Handouts Manual provides student handouts. A letter of duplication rights per site is provided for student materials in the Exercise Manual and the Activity Hand Outs Manual.

SIATS is easy to use. Questions prompt students to respond with solutions and examples of positive results. The classroom climate is friendly. Students soon learn expectations of success.. Most teachers use the exercises orally.

Why did the author write SIATS?

Probation department directors repeatedly said that thinking skills training should be in public schools . Mary Jo Armstrong adapted Behavior is a Choice, a publication for probation officers, to Success is a Thinking Skill for schools.

What did SIATS accomplish?

SIATS facilitated thought processes for age-appropriate behavior.

What is the length of SIATS?

SIATS has three volumes in D-ring binders. Each volume has five tabs. The Exercise Manual has 88 exercises. The book has 96 single impressions on 96 pages. The paper is cardstock. The Leadership Manual has 55 full-period activity sessions. The book has 417 impressions on double-sided pages and 2 impressions on one-sided pages. The Activity Handouts Manual has handout sheets for activities. The book has 50 impressions on 50 one-sided pages. The paper is cardstock.

From The Author

Success is a Thinking Skill [SIATS] teaches thinking skills with a social skills content and with positive teaching strategies.

The objective of SIATS is to develop thinking skills that are vital for learning and behavior. For example, students learn to consider consequences with the thinking skill to connect behavior and results. SIATS has many questions that ask students to describe experiences and results. The students learn the fundamental skill to consider consequences. SIATS deals with basics.

The outcome of effective instruction is in daily living. In SIATS, the students make applications to everyday life. They define strengths and use them. They make plans with strengths and interests. In the process the students think ahead. They list roadblocks and think of problems before they happen. They devise solutions and think creatively. They connect behavior and results and list results. They evaluate present success and record progress-to-date.

The SIATS teaching strategy is positive. Students are asked to describe themselves constructively. SIATS is designed with the premise that many students think in terms of images. The approach of SIATS says, "Hold the glass with both hands" rather than, "Don't spill the milk." For example, when students answer questions about temper, they think about what they do when they are in control. They describe themselves enacting a solution.

SIATS gives teachers a creative tool. The exercises and activities stand alone. They can use them in a sequence for a full course or separately for discussions or independent study. In addition, selected exercises are excellent for conference guides. Is a student in trouble with authority relationships? Use an exercise question, "When is it OK for someone to tell you what to do?" to structure a solution-oriented session (Learning Unit p. A9).

SIATS develops student-teacher relationships. The teachers ask SIATS questions and verbalize expectations of success. Students respond positively to teachers who put them in positions of success.

Be encouraging!