Responding to Student Behavior
In an ideal world, we would not experience behavior that undermines instruction and, thereby, negatively impacts student learning. However, the unfortunate reality is that a small number of our students exhibit disruptive behavior in classrooms, lab areas, offices, field sites and other educational settings, or via electronic means such as email, discussion boards, online meeting spaces, and audio video conferencing. This manual is intended to offer guidance and support should you need to respond to disruptive or threatening student behavior. (http://www.dos.vt.edu/documents/DisruptiveStudents-faculty.pdf)
PBIS:
PBIS is a team based, systematic approach in teaching behavioral expectations throughout the school. It is based on a proactive model which teaches the behaviors, reinforces and recognizes students who are able to model these behaviors and has systems in place to support students who have a difficult time or may present with more challenging behaviors. Implementation Plan:
- Behavioral Expectations are Defined. A small number of clearly defined behavioral expectations are simply stated in positive terms. Each building identifies their expectations. For example: Be Safe, Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Cooperative.
- Behavioral Expectations are Taught: Behavioral expectations are identified for various settings in each school. The behaviors are taught to all of the students in the school through direct teaching with the help of staff.
- Appropriate Behaviors are Acknowledged: Once appropriate behaviors have been defined and taught, they are acknowledged in various ways on a regular basis. Examples of reinforcements used are: Gold & Platinum Cards, Cheers for Peers, Kudos for Kids, Perfect Attendance Awards, Positive Office Referrals, Good Citizen Postcards, and Praise Hats.
- Data Collection: Office Discipline data is collected on school-wide behavior and a team reviews the data regularly to determine when and where the problems are occurring. The committee then brainstorms ways to proactively address the problems and to re-teach and reinforce positive behaviors. All staff and parents are represented on the team.
- Individual Support is Provided for Students not Responding to the School- Wide System: Each school has a system for developing plans for individual students who may have a difficult time and need more support in a school setting. Teams meet regularly and involve parents as active partners in helping students to succeed.
- Active Support by All Stakeholders: The entire school community is needed to be actively involved in order to make the system successful. PBIS is a district wide system for establishing a positive culture in each building.
Benefits of PBIS
- Increases attendance.
- Student self-reports of a more positive and calm environment.
- Teacher reports of a more positive and calm environment.
- Reduction in the proportion of students who engage in behavioral disruptions.
- Reduction in the number of behavioral disruptions.
- For more information about PBIS, please visit our individual school websites or go to
Rules for Learning-Based Environment Should
Be specific
Use positive wording
Be posted
Be discussed with students early in the year
Be rehearsed while students learn them
Be enforced consistently
Functional Behavior Assessment:
A Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is intended to be a document that guides educators into making data-based decisions about how to help a youngster become more socially and academically successful in school. However, too frequently the intent of a Functional Behavior Assessment and the reality of a Functional Behavior Assessment are miles apart. Way too often, an FBA consists of a paperwork formality and does not serve any real purpose when it comes to helping a child.
- Creating a clear description of the problem behaviors
- Identifying times, contexts, and situations that predict when a behavior problem will or will not occur
- Identifying what is gained or avoided when problem behaviors occur
- Developing functional hypotheses for behavior problems
- Creating a multi-element behavior intervention plan based upon the results of the Functional Behavior Assessment
A Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) takes the observations made in a Functional Behavioral Assessment and turns them into a concrete plan of action for managing a student's behavior. A BIP may include ways to change the environment to keep behavior from starting in the first place, provide positive reinforcement to promote good behavior, employ planned ignoring to avoid reinforcing bad behavior, and provide supports needed so that the student will not be driven to act out due to frustration or fatigue. When a behavior plan is agreed to, the school and staff are legally obligated to follow it, and consequences of not following it should not be inflicted on the student. However, as with so many provisions of IDEA, this may take a lot of vigilance, advocacy, and battling by parents to make sure that everyone who is to take these interventions into account does so in a complete and informed way.
Behavior Reduction Interventions
Choice statements
“When you_____________, then you can____________”
“If you________________, then I will/you can_____________”
Corrective Teaching
Approach student individually with an empathetic comment
Briefly describe this misbehavior
Briefly describe desired behavior
Deliver feedback, praise, or points.
Effective Communication in the Classroom
Communicate Respectfully
- Respect is the foundation of effective communication, especially in the classroom. Teachers and students demonstrate respectful communication in the following ways.Use a tone that is honest and tactful, choosing words that are appropriate to the situation and no inflammatory.
Repeat Your Message in Different Ways
Check for Understanding
Nonverbal Communication
In cognitive behavior management CBM students are taught to monitor their own behavior, make judgments about it appropriateness, and change it as needed.
Teaching Cognitive Behavior Management Strategies
Discuss the strategy with the student and present a rationale for its use.
Model for the students what you expect.
Provide practice and feedback.
Token Economy:
A token economy is a system of behavior modification based on the systematic positive reinforcement of target behavior. The reinforces are symbols or tokens that can be exchanged for other reinforces.
Websites
Excellent inclusion blog, Eric! Useful and informative resource!
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