classroom management and positive behavior supports

Kate Nichols, PhD, BCBA-D Director, McDowell Institute Bloomsburg University of PA

May 22, 2013

▪ Preventing Behavior Problems

▪ Functions of Behavior ▪ Responding to Behavior Problems

▪  Focus on teaching appropriate behavior ▪  Create safe, consistent environment that allows all students to be successful

academically, behaviorally, and socially ▪  Associated with higher academic achievement ▪  Attributed to greater sense of efficacy by teachers

Positive Classroom Climate

▪ 3-5 Positively-Stated Expectations for Behavior – Describe what students SHOULD be doing

– Rules need to be taught throughout the school year

– Students need to be acknowledged when they are exhibiting expected behaviors

▪ Behavior Management Environment –  Post reminders of rules, procedures, and reinforcement systems, and be

consistent in implementing and enforcing all of these

–  Teach the consequences for rule violations and review as needed

–  Respond to rule violations consistently, following predetermined consequences

–  Refrain from arguing with students about rule violations

▪ Behavior Management Environment –  Ensure that students earn reinforcement regularly and consistently

–  Engage in systematic problem-solving process if students are not successfully earning reinforcers

–  Listen carefully to students and acknowledge student concerns and complaints

–  Ensure a safe, positive, learning climate

–  Learn early warning signs for behavioral problems and intervene early and quickly when problems arise to prevent escalation

▪ Provide a choice of how or when a task will be completed –  Explain 3 activities. Allow the student(s) to pick the activity they wish to start with;

student has to complete all 3 tasks, but in what ever order he/she chooses

–  Allow choice of the medium with which students work (e.g., paper/pencil vs. computer)

–  Let the group vote on which activity to do first

▪ Before a Task – When they will do a task

– What to do after assignment is completed

–  How long to work before taking a break

– Which materials to use (e.g., pencil or pen, paper or computer)

▪ During the Task – Order to complete multiple tasks

– Which peers to work with

–  How to get teacher’s attention while working

– Where to complete task (desk, floor, table)

– Manner in which to complete task (last question first, top to bottom)

▪ Chunking Instruction –  Provide shorter periods rather than one long period of instruction or assignments.

–  Students meet the expectations, just in a modified manner and experience more frequent success

▪ High Probability Requests –  Reduces the likelihood of noncompliance by generating behavioral momentum by

mixing easier, known, mastered, or shorter tasks amongst more difficult, unknown, or longer tasks

–  Start with 2-3 activities that students are 70% likely comply with and reinforce each instance of compliance

–  The difficult request should be delivered within 5 seconds of the last successful high probability request

–  Vary the high probability requests (i.e., develop a pool of requests)

Reinforcement

Reinforcement  ▪  Increases the likelihood of a

behavior occurring again ▪  Teaches students that they are

performing as desired ▪  Can result in long-term learning

and change

Punishment ▪  Used to stop a highly disruptive

behavior ▪  Does not teach students how to

exhibit desired behaviors ▪  Will not result in change in behavior

unless an acceptable behavior is taught and reinforced

▪  Prevent students from participating in learning activities

▪  May be actually reinforcing the misbehavior

▪ Praise (Catch Students Being “Good”) – We spend a lot of time responding to students’

inappropriate behaviors and not their appropriate behaviors. ▪ Even the “worst” students do something appropriate throughout the

day

– Constantly look for students’ appropriate behavior, then acknowledge their efforts by applying positive attention (e.g., Provide a description of the appropriate behaviors) ▪ 4 to 1 ratio, four positive statements for each redirection provided to a

student

• Privileges • Praise  needs  to  be  tied  with  some  sort  of  tangible  reinforcement  to  be  effective  for  most  students  •  Rather  than  handing  out  prizes,  identify  privileges  students  can  earn  

Functions of Behavior

▪  All behavior is a form of communication ▪  All behavior serves a purpose (function of the behavior) ▪  In order to change a behavior, a person must learn a new behavior that fulfills a similar purpose as the undesirable behavior ▪  Gain access to or escape from … –  Peer/Adult Attention (can be negative or positive) –  Activities/Tasks ▪  Student sits in hallway and does not have to read aloud ▪  Student goes to the office and principal lets her run errands

–  Tangibles ▪  Student gets his pencil back from another student ▪  Student does not have to eat her peas

–  Sensory ▪  Student sits in hallway & leaves the bright light in the classroom ▪  Student gets to sleep while in time-out

Gain Access ▪  Classmates laugh when student

makes noises ▪  Teacher talks to student when he

misbehaves ▪  Student says something negative to

another student to get a response ▪  Student constantly raising hand and

asking for help ▪  Student hits peer to get a reaction

Escape/Avoid ▪  Student plays by himself at recess ▪  Student screams when classmate sits

near her ▪  Student won’t make eye contact with

adult while being reprimanded

Gain Access ▪  Take markers off teacher’s desk ▪  Snatch a toy from classmate ▪  Cut in line ▪  Cry, beg, repeatedly ask for a

preferred item ▪  Student goes to the office and

principal lets her run errands

Escape/Avoid ▪  Student plays by himself at recess ▪  Student says she has a stomachache ▪  Student refuses to line up for Music

class ▪  Student sits in hallway and does not

have to read aloud

Gain Access ▪  Pencil Tapping ▪  Humming to self ▪  Biting nails/chewing pencil ▪  Repetitive movements (rocking,

flicking objects/fingers)

Escape/Avoid ▪  Covering ears ▪  Putting head down ▪  Squinting

Some behaviors do not depend on the action of others to provide an outcome because they produce their own reinforcement (automatic R+). In other words, it feels good.

▪  When a student is engaging in a chronic misbehavior, identify an appropriate replacement behavior that meets the same need (i.e., seeking attention, avoiding work)

▪  Create a plan to be implemented by all staff to increase demonstration of appropriate behavior rather than focusing on decreasing inappropriate behavior

Target Behavior: Tearing up assignment when frustrated

Replacement Behavior:

Request assistance by raising hand using “I need help signal” and wait appropriately until an adult can come over and help

Consequence for Replacement

Behavior:

Respond promptly to student employing “I need help signal.” Praise student for requesting help appropriately and waiting. Assist student with continuing with assignment and check on student periodically to ensure on-task behaviors

▪ Proximity – Use your presence as a signal to students to keep on task ▪ Become a wandering social reinforcer ▪ Research demonstrates that teacher proximity is inversely related to student

misbehavior

▪ Systematic Supervision – Actively supervise classroom and non-classroom settings

•  Scanning, moving, interacting with students

▪ Creating a Transition Routine – Problematic transition behaviors can take away valuable

instruction time

– The use of instructional visual cues is effective in increasing appropriate transition behavior

– Provide precorrection for common issues

▪ Providing Rule Reminders – Prior to students enter a setting or begin to engage in an activity that may

have an increase in problem behaviors

▪ Verbal prompts: rule reminders or descriptions of the desired behavior

▪ Nonverbal prompts: gestures or demonstrations of the appropriate behavior

▪ Verbal and visual reminders of rewards available

Be Non-emotional & Avoid Coercion • QTIP: Quit Taking It Personally

•  Coercion is when you try to restrain, repress, compel, or enforce someone. ▪  Questioning, Arguing ▪  Sarcasm/teasing, Force (verbal & physical) ▪  Threats, Criticism ▪  Despair, Logic ▪  Telling on them to others, One-ups-manship ▪  Silent treatment

Power Struggle

Student  Gets  Attention  for  Inappropriate  

Behavior  

Student  Tries  to  Avoid  Coercion  

Student  Tries  to  Get  Even  

Student  Tries  to  Escape  the  Situation  

▪ Pivoting Attention –  Carefully ignore the inappropriate behavior/junk behavior of one student while reinforcing

the appropriate behavior of another student ▪  Don’t say anything about the junk behavior (“Stop that now!” or “Quit that!”) or do anything differently

when the junk behavior happens (react, roll eyes, stomp out of room, cross your arms, stare, etc.).

–  Immediately reinforce or give a positive consequence for an appropriate behavior of student near misbehaving student(praise, touch, item/thing, privilege)

–  Teaches the first student what behaviors (appropriate) will get your attention

–  As soon as misbehaving student corrects behavior, give immediate praise for appropriate behavior

▪ Even if a student shows some junk behavior while acting appropriately, ignore the junk behavior and provide positive consequences for the appropriate behavior.

▪ Always focus on the positive. (“I really like the way you sit quietly.” versus “I’m glad you stopped making so much noise.”) –  If you state the junk behavior, they know you weren’t ignoring it.

▪ You do not have to continue giving positive consequences for the appropriate behavior of the second student while waiting for the junk behavior of the first student to stop.

▪ Extinction Burst –  Some  behavior  gets  worse  for  a  short  while,  before  it  gets  better    

–  Student  is  testing  your  commitment  to  not  responding  to  misbehavior  

–  If  you  simply  ignore  junk  behavior,  it  will  not  necessarily  go  away.    You  MUST  ignore  junk  and  give  a  positive  consequence  to  the  more  appropriate  behavior.  ▪  If  you  do  this,  then  the  extinction  burst  may  be  very  brief  or  not  happen  at  all.    The  key  to  this  is  providing  more  attention  for  appropriate  behaviors  than  you  did  before  you  started  ignoring.    

▪ De-escalation –  If you see a student’s behavior begin to escalate to a more serious and potentially dangerous

behavior ▪  Interrupt the behavior chain (warning signs that the student is going to “explode”) and intervene by redirecting

or helping the student complete the task

Example: Jaime gets frustrated when doing math work. He will begin to whine, mutter under his breath, then tear up the paper and finally begin throwing things in the room

▪  Intervene during the whining. Prompt him to request help, sit near him, initiate “I do, we do, you do.” Praise Jaime for beginning independent work, maintain proximity with him while supervising class and provide frequent positive feedback.

▪ Students are Off-task –  Precorrection: remind group about large group procedures

–  Call on student sitting near inattentive student(s) to draw their attention

– Walk around classroom while instructing (systematic supervision)

–  Proximity control: Stand near off task student without giving them attention

–  Ensure student(s) have the necessary pre-requisite skills

▪ Students are off task –  Reinforce on task students (pivot attention)

–  Preteach procedures for obtaining teacher assistance, what to do when task is completed, where to get additional materials, etc.

–  Ensure tasks are those that the students have already demonstrated 80% accuracy during initial instruction

▪ Students are loud working together –  Teach appropriate volume and movement while in small groups

–  Reinforce quiet working and on-task behavior

▪  Student refuses to work or interferes with other students’ learning –  Review independent work procedures –  Reinforce appropriate behaviors –  Schedule brief review session before beginning work –  Check student progress and accuracy

▪  Student rushes through work making mistakes –  Reinforce completing the task accurately –  Make sure the student has pre-requisite skills

▪  Student does not ask for help or asks for help too often –  Teach student when and how to ask for help –  Increase attention for on task behavior –  Reinforce students for appropriately asking for help

Presentation and materials are available at http://bloomu.edu/mcdowell-resources