Behavior Basics & Behavior Challenges

1. Behavior Basics & Behavior Challenges Rona Novick, PhD

2. “If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach.” “If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.” “If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach.” “If a child doesn’t know how to drive, we teach.” “If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we… …teach? …punish?” “Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically as we do the others?” Tom Herner (NASDSE - National Assoc of State Directors of Special Ed, President ) Counterpoint 1998, p.2

3. Some Considerations • The best way to change student behavior is to change adult behavior • Prevention is worth several tons of cure • Discipline as education NOT punishment • The more structure, pre-taught routines, etc in place, the less reactive responses necessary • The more tools everyone has, the more likely they will succeed (students, teachers, administrators)

4. Traditional Strategies for Addressing Problems

5. Why Aversive Techniques Do Not Work • Not aligned with function of behavior, student may escape what they want to avoid or may obtain desired attention/activity/item • Student is not being taught replacement skill/desired behavior • May agitate student • More use = less effect • May embarrass the student • Student/Teacher Relationship affected • Can not always be immediate

6. An Introduction to Behavior science

7. What Is Behavioral Science? • The scientific study of the laws and principles that impact behavior • Behavioral science has been used to explore why animals and people behave as they do • Behavioral science draws its evidence both from laboratory and real life studies

8. What Does Behavioral Science Teach Us About Learning, Classrooms, Teaching • Behavior can change – it can increase or decrease • How teachers behave can impact student behavior • Understanding what helps behavior grow, or what suppresses behavior can help teachers understand children, structure their classroom, and support children’s growth.

9. Behavior =Learning • Just as it takes time, effort, and a partnership between teacher, student and family to support the development of a reader, it takes time to support the development of appropriate behavior • A teacher’s knowledge of his/her students, and of sound pedagogical practices, means teachers are in an ideal position to support behavioral growth.

10. Behavior science principles

11. Operant Conditioning • We do what provides us with rewards or satisfaction and don’t do those things that do not provide rewards or satisfaction • Jenny is a fluent reader and loves stories. She reads every free moment. Jacob is struggling with his phonics, both teacher and parents report that he never reads unless pressured, or offered a chance to sit in Dad’s recliner while reading

12. Shaping • Shaping/successive approximation – you can help develop new behavior by providing reward/satisfaction for small steps towards the goal behavior • Moshe’s teacher provided a thumbs-up each time he left his coat near his cubby. After a week, the thumbs up sign was delivered when the coat was in front of the cubby. A week later, thumbs up was given when the coat was in the cubby.

13. Extinction • When a behavior that was previously satisfying or rewarding no longer provides satisfaction or reward. There may be an initial “burst” of behavior (an increase in frequency) – but it will decrease or extinguish over time • Shani’s classmates used to laugh at her silliness. They have now begun ignoring her. She initially became even sillier, walking to their desks and standing on chairs. When they ignored her she returned to her work.

14. PremackPrinciple • Grandma’s rule – you can have a cookie AFTER you eat your broccoli – Less preferred tasks will be completed if followed by preferred tasks • Mrs. Cohen promises the class that once everyone cleans up their art project and puts the supplies away, the class can listen to the music they enjoy

15. Generalization • Generalization – what is learned in one setting will transfer to some extent to another setting. The more similar the two settings are – the greater the transfer • Joey follows class rules well, but his gym teacher complains that he does not follow instructions. Joey’s teacher and gym teacher met with him to problem solve and explain that gym is a class too.

16. Modeling/Vicarious Learning • Learning and behaving based on imitating others • More likely to imitate models who are not perfect • More likely to imitate models we see reinforced • Dani sees Josh, not usually the best player, knock a classmate down on the way to first base. His team cheers him on. When it is Josh’s turn, Josh knocks someone down on his way to base.

17. Habituation • Over time, and with familiarity, becoming less sensitive or less responsive to a stimulus • Mr. Gold has been yelling at the class for weeks about lining up quickly. At first, students responded by racing to the door. Lately, lining up has become a problem, even when Mr. Gold loudly reminds students.

18. LearnedHelplessness • When put in a negative situation, and feeling that no action you could take would result in improvement or escape from the negative situation. As a result, no effort is put forth and listless, “depressed” behavior occurs • Hannah struggles with math calculations. Her teacher gives timed power tests every week which she does very poorly on. She has had resource room help, assistance from the teacher, tutoring at home, but usually gets a zero. She no longer writes anything on her paper for the test.

19. Add Take Away

20. The Reinforcement Debate

21. If behavior management systems work so well, why aren’t they used more often? • Misinformation that using external rewards is detrimental and will undermine innate student motivation (Kohn, 1993) • Students do not have the “right” to be rewarded for what they should be doing in the first place.

22. Emotional Responses • Behavior management isn’t used more often because teachers are ignorant. • If external rewards are so bad . . . Why don’t teachers volunteer their services. • If people should not be receive consequences for doing what they should – try highways with no enforced speed limits!

23. Empirical Response – Deci Research • Question: Does the use of reinforcement for engaging in a task decrease interest in or performance on the task? • Question: If reinforcement does increase interest or performance, what happens when that reinforcement is terminated?

24. Classic Anti-Reinforcement Study • University setting • Students required to participate in studies to receive academic credit • 2 groups – 12 students each • All students given puzzle task – matching patterns • Subjects left unsupervised in room with puzzle task and magazines • Motivation measured by minutes spent in puzzle task

25. Session 1: Work on whatever you want – I need to do something Session 2: Free to choose what you want to do Session 3: Work on whatever you want Session 1: Work on whatever you want – I need to do something Session 2: You will be given $1 for each correct puzzle Session 3: Work on whatever you want Control Experimental

26. Hypotheses • If extrinsic motivation negatively impacts performance, the third session should show lower rates of puzzle completion for the experimental group.

27. The Data

28. An Important Finding • The experimental group clearly demonstrates increased performance when reinforcement was present • The experimental group with reinforcement outperforms the control group in any session

29. Verbal vs. Monetary Reward • 24 additional subjects • Same experimental design • In place of dollars for correct responses, subjects were told “that is very good”.

30. The Data – Verbal Reinforcement

31. Discussion of Results • Experimental group showed less increase in performance, but less decay as well – effects of verbal reinforcement is less dramatic • Enormous decrement in control group -

32. Positive behavior support

33. Critical Steps in Positive Behavior Support

34. Expectations

35. What Do You Expect? • What are the expectations in your school? In your class? • How were they developed? • How are they communicated? • How are they TAUGHT? • How are students acknowledged when they meet expectations?

36. Classroom Expectations

37. Expecting is Never Enough Once you have developed school, class or individually based expectations . . . You MUST share them with all involved AND YOU MUST TEACH THEM!

38. The Critical Role of Feedback • What happens to students when they meet expectations? • What happens to students when they do not meet expectations? • Do staff and students demonstrate clear acknowledgement of and appreciation for students’ demonstration that they have learned to fulfill expectations? • EVERY ACTION BY STAFF PROVIDES FEEDBACK – EVEN INACTION

39. Understanding AND “Teaching” Behavior

40. Why Do Some Children Misbehave?

41. The ABC’s of Behavior • Understanding the function of behavior can be important for changing the behavior • Understanding comes from repeated observation of: A– Antecedent (stimulus/trigger before the behavior) B – Behavior (the observable and measurable act) C – Consequence (occurrence after the behavior that serves to maintain or increase frequency of behavior)

42. Antecendents - Slow Triggers • May happen in or out of the classroom • Conditions that increase the likelihood that behavior will occur • Oversleeping • Medication or lack of medication • No breakfast • Conflict with…

43. Antecedents - Fast Triggers • Examples: • Changes to regularly scheduled events due to holiday programs, fire drills etc… • Teasing/sarcasm/threats • Challenged by other • May be consistent • Special Assembly Days • May be unique to one situation • Field trip to the zoo

44. What is the Consequenceof the Behavior? • What is the benefit/cost? • What does the student get? • What does the student avoid?

45. Teaching to T-E-A-C-H • To support positive behavior change in students follow these 5 steps • Tell what the problem is – describe behavior • Explain the function, what does student get or get away from • A ppropriate, alternative – what do you want to see • C ultivate the appropriate – how will you grow the new behavior • How did your plan work? What adjustments are necessary?

46. In the Moment . . . • Remind students of their choices in a calm, positive manner prior to escalation in behavior • Give prompts and allow wait time • How adults react can escalate student’s behavior - power struggles should be avoided • Acknowledge all efforts of student, even within the context of poor behavior choices

47. Whatever You Do . . . Do it in the context of caring relationship • Humor • Let the student “save face” • Re-direction/distraction • Prompt & cue both verbal & non-verbal • Reward alternate positive behavior • Failure to earn a privilege • Restitution/Apology

48. What You Can Do • Make your unspoken/unwritten curriculum clear • Start on the right foot with “lessons” to teach students to succeed with the behavioral curriculum (families can be included!) • Use the TEACH strategy – can you discover the function of behavior, can you cultivate new behavior? • Every teacher will be offered endless teachable moments to congratulate, shape, and partner with students to grow healthy behavior.

49. A Resource • www.pbis.org • extensive practical resources for schools and links to state-based websites for pbs. The Florida state site is excellent.