Improving Classroom Behavior and Social Skills

1. Improving Classroom Behavior and Social Skills Chapter 7

2. Student Behavior • Often a response to the environment (including teachers, peers, other personnel, and even the physical environment) • Controlling negative behaviors lies in establishing positive relationships with students • Implementing and consistently enforcing effective rules • Helping students learn to make positive choices that increase their level of success

3. Operationally Define Behavior • “he has a bad attitude,” “she never gets anything done” • Terms like this are hard for others to understand or for you to change • Define behavior so it can be easily observed and recorded • Instead say: “it takes him 10 minutes to start independent work everyday,” “she doesn’t bring her homework in 4 out of 5 days a week” • Try one yourself

4. Operationalized Behavioral Objectives • When you use operationalized behaviors, it is easier to create a behavioral objective specifying: • Content of the objective • Conditions student’s performance will be assessed • Criteria for acceptable performance • “John will initiate conversations during free time 4 out of 5 days” • Create an operational behavioral objective

5. ABC’s of Behavior • Antecedent • What happened immediately before the behavior? • Will suggest environmental changes that set student up for success or failure • Behavior • Target to be observed • Consequence • What happened following the behavior • Will identify those environmental contingencies that reinforce both desired and undesired behaviors

6. A-B-C Recording

7. Observation and Recording Systems • Event Recording • Number of times a particular behavior occurs • Duration Recording • How long the behavior occurs • Interval • Set an interval (i.e., 1 minute) and document whether the behavior occurred during that time • Time Sampling • At specific point of time, observer records whether behavior is occurring • Describe a behavior you would use each of the recording systems.

8. Behavior Intervention Plans • A written, individualized behavior support plan that is based on a functional assessment of a student’s behavior • If behavior is a significant concern, the IEPT must develop strategies that include positive behavior interventions and support

9. Effective Classroom Management Strategies • Establish a positive classroom atmosphere • Project a feeling, caring persona • Use interesting and motivational activities • Establish positive relationships with students • Post & discuss classroom rules • Praise positive behavior & ignore others • Use proximity control • What other simple things can you do to help students feel welcome in your class?

10. Questionable practices of behavior management • Corporal punishment • Isolation • Imposition of school tasks (writing assignments as punishment) • Forced apologies • Sarcasm • Confiscating goods • Cheap shots

11. Reprimands • Better to be proactive than reactive • Reprimands are best viewed as direct feedback that the student’s behavior is inappropriate • Less effective when viewed as punishment or criticism of the student • Link reprimands directly to class rules • Validate student’s feelings

12. Formal Classroom Management • Systematically reinforce positive behavior • Many different ways to provide reinforcers • Snacks, drinks, stickers, free time, activities, social time, prizes • Some students, particularly those with disabilities, will need more tangible rewards in order to succeed

13. Token Systems or Token Economies • Can be used with individuals, small groups, or entire classrooms • Students who follow class rules are awarded points at prescribed times • Once certain number of tokens are attained they can be redeemed for reward • Typically, tokens earned should not be taken away. The “punishment” or “consequence” for inappropriate behavior is that no additional tokens are earned

14. Negative Attributions • Students with problem behaviors often attribute what happens to them to forces outside their own control • Teachers need to help students attribute social consequences to behavior they control • Negative attributions can be resistant to change for two reasons: • Serve both to excuse the individual from blame or criticism • Justify inappropriate behavior • Retraining takes time and frequent review

15. Discipline Hierarchy • Consequences for rule infractions from: • Warning • Brief amounts of time away from the group • Calling parents • Sending student to principal • Suspensions should be used infrequently • Many states limit the number of days a student with a disability may be suspended before it’s considered a change of placement

16. Timeout • Refers to some type of separation of the student from the routine classroom environment LEAST INTRUSIVE • Planned ignoring of student behavior • Object timeout • Withdraw of academic materials student is using • Contingent observation • No look timeout in classroom • Hallway timeout • Timeout in another classroom • Timeout room • In school suspension MOST

17. Behavior Contracting • Written agreement formalizing the behaviors a student agrees to exhibit and the positive consequences that will result • Include: • Targeted, measurable behavior • Way to track behavior • Date agreement begins, ends, or is renegotiated (no less than 1, no more than 3 weeks) • Amount/kind of reward or reinforcer to be used • Schedule for reinforcer delivery • Schedule for review of progress • Signatures

18. Self-Monitoring • Teach students to monitor and evaluate their own classroom behavior • Some students may not be able to do this • Need to meet with student individually first and discuss purpose, importance, and goals • Also teach students self-instruction strategies • Train for generalization • Help students learn to use appropriate behavior in a variety of settings

19. Teaching Social Skills • Behaviors we use to work and socialize with other people • Comprised of three elements • Social responses and skills that: • Allow one to initiate and maintain positive relationships with others • Contribute to peer acceptance and to a successful classroom adjustment • Allow one to cope effectively and adaptively with the social environment

20. Social Skills Training • Often begins with a definition and discussion of the target social skill • Common characteristics of training procedures • Modeling – demonstrating appropriate social behavior and allowing students to observe • Shaping – the use of positive reinforcement to promote the use of a social skill • Coaching – requires the use of verbal cues to improve target behaviors • Modeling/reinforcement – employs a combination of observation and shaping techniques