Today’s Topic - Interventions Class 1

1. Today’s Topic - Interventions Class 1 EDUC 4454 – Class 4

2. In order to Be Proactive …… • Plan ahead (behaviour plan, classroom environment….) • Know your preferred power base • Behaviour Plan: • Non-verbal • Verbal • Consequences * establish a bottom-line – when you involve the office

3. Step One: In August Have an Entry Plan An Entry Plan is an Action Plan. In August think ahead of all the ‘little’ things you need to know and do and set about meeting these needs. It is called an Entry Plan because it aids you in entering the school, classroom, your teaching assignment, and the community.

4. The Environment (Part of an Entry Plan) • Conditions – heating, light, noise, ventilation • Use of space • Seating Arrangements – teacher proximity to all students; reflects primary teaching strategy; all students can see; not interfere with high usage areas • Bulletin boards and Displays – recognize students • Classroom Guidelines: Procedures & Rules

5. - The rest of an Entry Plan • Get a Class List …. Medications? • Previous year’s teachers • Location of necessities (i.e., paper towels, fire exits, procedures….) • Other necessities (What do you do if a child gets sick?) • Emergency Codes? • School Handbook? • School Rules • Morning Announcements • School-wide routines? • Mentor • The Community • First Newsletter • Siblings • Yard duty, Entrance and Exit procedures • Buses? • OSR – Allergies, Medical, IEP, Custody …. • Anything else? Be Proactive!

6. Step 2: Proactive Intervention Skills(Once school has begun) Give cues for expected behaviours Non-punitive time-out Remove temptations Changing the pace of classroom activities Redirect off-task behaviours Encouraging the appropriate behaviours of other students Boost a student’s interest when he or she shows signs of off-task behaviours Fact: • Students more readily accept responsibilities when it is clear that the teacher is fulfilling his or her responsibilities • When the teacher is enthusiastic, is prepared and has bonded with students (shows that he / she cares) the teacher has less discipline problems

7. Our Responsibility: • When the teacher is enthusiastic, is prepared and has bonded with students (shows that he / she cares) the teacher has less discipline problems • Students more readily accept responsibilities when it is clear that the teacher is fulfilling his or her responsibilities What we have to Remember: • Surface behaviours usually are not the result of any deep-seated problem but rather are normal developmental behaviours of children

8. Guidelines for designing interventions A problem occurs! How do you handle it? When the teacher handles a problem the ‘tool’ they use is called an Intervention.

9. Guidelines for designing interventions • The intervention provides the student with opportunities for self-control of the disruptive behaviours. • The intervention does not cause more disruption to the teaching and learning environment than the disruptive behaviour itself. • The intervention lessens the probability that the student will become more disruptive or confrontational • The intervention protects students from physical and psychological harm and does not cause physical or psychological harm. • The choice of the specific intervention maximizes the number of alternatives left for the teacher to use if it becomes necessary. Identifying your Interventions is Step 3 (and the part a principal may want to see)

10. Intervention Order I usually don’t happen at all, though when I do I almost always come last I come after the verbal in most cases. I am handling the problem in the classroom. Office (last resort) If the steps could talk, they would say… I almost always come second. I can happen twice but never three times. I almost always come first The Law of Least Intervention

11. Non-Verbal Interventions • Four Benefits of using Non-Verbal Interventions: • Disruption to the learning process is less likely to occur • Hostile confrontation is less likely to happen • The student is given the opportunity to correct his / her own behaviour, before more public intervention needs to be employed • A maximum number of remaining alternative interventions is preserved Step One

12. Four Frequently Used Non-Verbal Remedial Intervention Skills for Surface Behaviours Planned ignoring Proximity interference Signal interference Touch interference

13. Verbal Interventions When misbehaviour is potentially harmful, or disruptive to a large number of students, it needs to be stopped quickly and Verbal interventions are the quickest way to do so. Step Two Step One Nonverbal is not always possible Overusing a Verbal intervention, decreases the effect of the intervention.

14. Rules for Verbal Interventions • Whenever possible use non-verbal first • Keep as private as possible • Keep as brief as possible • Speak to the situation, not the person • Set limits on behaviour, not on feelings • Avoid sarcasm or anything that belittles • Fit the student, situation, and is closer to a student-control then a teacher-influence • When considering where to start on the hierarchy, teacher-centered works better with younger, developmentally immature children while student-centered works better with older, more mature students • If the first verbal control does not work, then use a different control which is closer to the teacher-influence end of hierarchy • If more then one, or on occasion two, verbal intervention(s) has been unsuccessful, move to Logical Consequences

15. Verbal Intervention Hierarchy Page 179 Hints Adjacent (Peer) Reinforcement Calling on Student / Name Dropping Humour Questions Questioning Awareness of Effect Requests/Demands “I Message” Direct Appeal Positive Phrasing “Are Not Fors” Reminder of the Rules Glasser’s Triplets Explicit Redirection Canter’s “Broken Record” (Student-Centered) (Less Confrontational) (Less Disruptive) (More Disruptive) (More Confrontational) (Teacher-Centered) See Levin, Nolan, Kerr & Elliot (2004) pp. 184 – 190 for descriptions

16. Application • Each table will be assigned a task. • If your table is Centre 6 through 10, you are to prepare to role play a group of students. The scenario you will enact will be on the card. • If your table is Centre 1 through 5, you need to pick one person to role play the teacher. As a group you will be assigned an intervention technique. Using your notes, the text, and my website prepare to enact this intervention.

17. Homework • Read Chapter 8, Chapter 9, and pp. 144-152 of Chapter 6. • Read Chapter 10 if you have time. You will want to read it sometime before next year. See you after Christmas / December/ Yule / Winter Break! Laugh a lot Be Safe Be Happy