Practical Behavior Management Techniques Richard Van Acker, Ed. D. University of Illinois at Chicago 1040 W. Harrison Chicago, IL Like all of us children engage in behavior to meet their needs and desires. Some of this we call misbehavior. Schools are a rather unique setting Do we invite children to come to school? When they come to school, what do we ask them to do? Typically, you are the only one in your classroom who volunteered to be there. Why has classroom management become so difficult? Changes is societal norms. Most teachers are ill prepared for addressing challenging student behavior. Increased diversity in the students we serve ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and academic. Increase numbers of children and youth with mental health disorders (1 in 5) More children from lower income households. Greater demands being placed on educators. Effective instruction calls for a successful integration between Student Characteristics Curricular Demands Teacher Behavior A mismatch between any two or all three elements will likely result in the display of challenging behavior. Withdrawal Anger Frustration Fear Cheating Disruptive behavior Defiant behavior Teachers too, can engage in undesired behavior Anger and aggression Over reliance on punishment If punishment would have worked there wouldnt be a problem Punishment induced aggression Results in increased separation of student from school Federal regulations IDEA 1997 Ignoring the child curriculum of non instruction Most student behaviors are attempts to problem solve often the intent is reasonable; it is the means the student is using to solve the problem that is of concern. To gain Attention Peer affiliation Tangible reward Autonomy self-control To escape To feel safe To feel competent self-esteem To demonstrate autonomy Internal stimuli Sensory needs Thirst, hunger Hallucinations The Role of the Special Educator Has changed dramatically over the past two decades. Move towards inclusion removed the vast majority of students with disabilities out of our classrooms and into the general education setting. Special education certification changes expand the breadth of knowledge and decrease the depth of knowledge for the typical special education teacher. Current changes exacerbate this issue. The special educators role became one of collaborator and consultant rather than the one who provided the direct instruction to the students General educators not prepared to address the instructional and behavioral needs of many students with significant special education needs. Structure of the school day and demands on teacher time make effective collaboration difficult if not impossible. The Role of the Special Educator No Child Left Behind and AYP demands a significant challenge for students with disabilities. Dramatic cuts in educational funding result in larger class sizes. Many students with special needs ignored, delegated to paraprofessional as instructor, or placed back into a more restrictive setting (especially those with significant behavior problems). Special education teachers ill- prepared to address the needs of the new special education class population typically cross-categorical with respect to disability, increasingly diverse in their academic needs, and present significant behavioral, emotional and mental health needs. The Best way to Address Challenging Student Behavior is to prevent it! Nothing succeeds like success! Reading is essential There is a strong relationship between reading ability and behavior. Failure to read results in failure at school.In Washington DC and Houston, TX, on average, entering kindergarten children scored between the 5th and 17th percentiles on the PPVT. School-wide Effective Behavior Systems 100% of students Clear expectations Teach behaviors Rules, routines and physical arrangements Effective instruction Policy of consistent Administrator & Staff Implementation Targeted Interventions At risk behavior Increased cues and prompts Intensive instruction Intensive Chronic behavior FBA & BIP Clear classroom rules actively teach and review clear expectations examples and non-examples displayed during instruction and review. Quality differentiated instruction Systematic Interventions to address High rate, moderate to mild disruptive Behaviors (e.g. DRL Group Contingencies, Student/ Teacher Game, Good Behavior Game). Supplemental or Booster Instruction Significantly disruptive behavior Partner classroom, Contingent observation time out FBA/BIP Increasingly Intensive Assessment and Intervention Provide clear expectations for behaviors within the students demonstrated ability or zone of proximal development. Redirect to activities that student has mastered (sense of confidence) and move to more challenging behavior. Employ positive behavioral supports and natural consequences. Conduct a Simple FBA explore functions behavior serves through informal observation and informal interview. Provide positive supports and aids. Conduct a formal FBA and develop an individualized BIP. Monitor implementation and outcomes. Primary Supports for all students Clear Rules and Procedures Quality Differentiated Instruction Develop Lessons for the Students we Teach The academic diversity in our classes makes lesson planning a challenge. Student Reading Decoding Reading Comprehension Math Computation Ability to Attend Strengths - Interests Jeremy Adams min NASCAR, Sports Nicholas James min Ships, Guns Cheryl Jeffrey min Horses Diane McMurry min Sports Provide Technical Assistance or Universal Design Applications Babelfish Language translations ReadPlease cut and paste reader Cognitive Rescaling material summary using AutoSummary in Microsoft Word Kidspiration graphic organizers, outlines, visual learning toolsSparkNotes Literature support School personnel tend to reward excellence not improvement Does your school acknowledge a student who moves from a low F to a high F ? How about the student who moves from a B to an A ? It often takes more improvement to move from a low F to a high F . Many at-risk students may never excel - but all can improve Student Behavior can Signal When Instructional Level is Not Appropriate: Careful Observation to Identify Triggers Often as one of the people who spends the most time directly interacting with a student, you may quickly become aware of when a student moves away from his or her typical or baseline behavior. This may be signaled by an increase or a decrease in behavior. A critical skill in working with children is to be good at observing triggers that may serve to move a student into a potential crisis situation. Understanding the Crisis Trigger Escalation Crisis De-escalation Hangover/Recovery Agitation Adapted from: Managing the Cycle of Acting-Out Behavior in the Classroom By Dr. Geoff Colvin Understanding the Crisis Trigger Escalation Crisis De-escalation Hangover Student Cognition Agitation Understanding the Crisis Trigger Escalation Crisis De-escalation Hangover Staff Movement Away from Self Control Student Cognition Agitation Understanding the Crisis Trigger Escalation Crisis De-escalation Hangover Staff Movement Away from Self Control Student Cognition Staff Cognition Agitation Understanding the Crisis Trigger Escalation Crisis De-escalation Hangover Area of Greatest Influence Agitation Provide a Win-Win Opportunity When confronted with challenging or non- compliant behavior, quickly revert to a curriculum of control They forget what they were attempting to accomplish with the student and switch to the goal of getting the student to do what he was told! Often they give situational control to the student and simply follow their challenging behavior attempting to gain the upper hand. Lets Think About a Student Randy is a freshman Randy and his family have recently moved into the school district from another urban school district (Dade County Florida Miami). Randy is a very reluctant learner. At times, Randy can become disruptive to the classroom setting. Randy seldom completes the assigned work and almost never does homework The classroom teacher has assigned the class to read the next 6 pages in the Social Studies text and to answer the questions at the end of the chapter. Randy starts to try and do the lesson. He begins to look upset. He is displaying increased movement and he is starting to look around the room and to divert his attention from the task. He mumbles to himself and starts to actively protest that, This shit is stupid. Nobody cares about this crap. The teacher moves towards Randy and asks if everything is okay? Randy says, I dont know why we cant do this as a class or with partners. This is really boring! The teacher says, I know you can do this if you try just do your best Randy says, I hate this shit! The teacher says. Randy you need to watch your language. You can not cuss in this classroom. Randy says, Dont tell me what I can and can not do. You arent my boss! The teacher says, Randy, we have to all get along and do what is asked of us otherwise the classroom just wont work. In a loud voice, Randy says, Im tired of this bullshit. I hate this f___king class. Randy starts to get up to exit the classroom. The teacher steps in his way (to block his exit) and says, Sit down right now and do what I have asked you to do! Stop swearing! Randy says, F__k you! I am out of here! The teacher moves towards Randy and grabs his arm attempting to move him back to his seat. Randy shakes her hand off of his arm and pushes past her exiting the classroom. Additional Information Randy is a student with both learning and emotional disorders (Anxiety Disorders). He can become overwhelmed very easily and often becomes frustrated and will either simply shut down or he will become argumentative (loud protests and threats to hurt others or to leave the instructional area). The text is written at the 9.4 grade level. Randy has 4.3 grade level decoding skills and even lower levels of reading comprehension. Debriefing Student Behavior Staff BehaviorEscalate Neutral Reduce Options Debriefing Student Behavior Staff BehaviorEscalate Neutral Reduce Options Teacher assigns 6 pages to read Starts to look agitated This shits stupid Is everything ok? Why not do this as a class, partners This stuff is boring. Try Do your best I hate this shit.Watch your language cant cuss Dont tell me what to do you are not my boss We have to get along or school wont work Tired of this bullsh_t, I hate this f_cking class Stop swearing Sit down right now Blocks exit F_ck you! I am out of here starts to exit Teacher grabs his arm and attempts to guide him to seat Shakes her arm off - He pushes past teacher - exits Even with Strong Academic Planning Behavior Problems are Inevitable He knows what he should do. Knowledge is necessary but not sufficient. Behavior = The Development of Neural Pathways Immature neuron few dendrites and/or axon endings As we engage in repeated behavior the neurons thicken and make many more connections (dendrites and axon endings) with other neurons. Takes less energy to fire the neural pathway. Anyone Learn to Drive with a Stick Shift? What were they thinking? Three pedals when we only have two legs??? School personnel seem to forget everything they know about learning when we address behavior We often fail to clearly identify expected behavior We seldom teach expected behavior We employ vastly different, and typically ineffective, intervention strategies How did you learn this? 4 + 4 We know what we should do to address behavior we simply dont do it When a student makes a mistake reading.we teach When a student makes a math error . we teach When a student makes a behavioral error we punish. Clear Expectations Far too often, the expectations for desired behavior are implied rather than clearly stated for everyone to understand. This is especially true for students with disabilities these students do not always grasp the hidden curriculum of the school setting. Often stress what a student should not do, with no clear indication of what they should do. Respect for adult authority What situations are likely to result in a student becoming disrespectful? How could a student in your class/school indicate his/her concern in a way that all of the teachers would accept as appropriate? I dont care if you do think Im dissing you, I want you in that reading corner right now! How will this be taught to the students? Direct instruction related to the expected behavior. Examples Non-examples (close and far approximations) Opportunities to practice the desired behavior with feedback. Learning is a process there will be errors. Establishing and Teaching Rules and Procedures Rules: Reasonable (developmentally appropriate) Understandable (clearly stated and predictable) Enforceable (you know when there is a violation AND you provide consequences for BOTH desired and undesired responses) Procedures: Common issues and situations that require responses from students that must taught. Lets Look at your classroom rules and procedures Activity or ConcernMy Procedure How monitored and reinforced Notes: Entering the classroom Warm-up activity (bell ringer) task students begin as soon as they walk into the room Student movement within the classroom (to get paper, books, etc.) The Bear That Did Not Know What To Do Once upon a time there was a bear who did not know what to do. He had never been to school. So when he got on the bus, the first thing he did was to sit on the bus drivers lap. What should he have done? Create stories to address common procedures for lower grade students. Student Storybook Blank Book -Draw pictures and add age appropriate words to depict the situation. James was playing with the blocks. It was time to clean up. James didnt want to clean up. James became angry and threw the blocks. End with appropriate desired action PreCorrection (Colvin, Sugai, & Patching, 1993) Pre-correction statements should be provided prior to the students involvement in particularly problematic behavior or prior to unstructured activities. This will help facilitate the development of self-regulation skills. Pre-Correction typically involves seven steps): Identify the context and the predictable behavior(s) of concern. Specify expected behaviors (this should be done in a calm informative manner not as a warning), Modify the context (as needed). Conduct behavioral rehearsals (provide opportunities for student to practice), Provide strong reinforcement for the display of expected behaviors (attend to desired behavior), Prompt expected behaviors prior to performance, and Monitor the plan Student Expectations For Active Engagement in Learning What specific behaviors should students display to demonstrate active engagement in a lesson? Students will sit with their butt on the seat, and feet flat on the floor. Students will wait for teacher signal to speak and will raise their hand to seek assistance or to make a task related comment. Students will display eye contact with the teacher of direct their attention to the focus of instruction (e.g., book, blackboard, screen, etc.) Student/Teacher Game StudentsTeacher ///// ///// ///// ///// ///// ///// ///// Students win 4/5 times its a set-up! Even older students can get into this competition mode if they win 5 minutes free time. Primary Supports for all students Clear Rules and Procedures Quality Differentiated Instruction Secondary Supports for students who display Common High-Rate Behaviors Talk-Outs, Out of Seat This is the level missing in most classrooms Some Students will need extra support to assist in the prevention of academic failure and problem behavior. Peer tutoring Homework club Structured play and increased structure in free time activities Adult mentors Leadership opportunities Choices in work assigned Instructional Consequences Aggression Disrespect/ Insubordination Truancy Intensive anger management curriculum. Lessons on dealing with authority and an adult mentor Service learning activity DRL Group Contingency or Hero System Start with greater # than average display of target behavior. Group Contingency Number of marks or stars (somewhat larger number than baseline level of target behavior) One mark is removed each time a target behavior is observed. Group reinforced if any marks remain at end of specified interval. Reduce the number of marks provided as behavior improves or increase the length of the interval for the number of marks provided. Hero System if the system is set up to address the behavior of one student but the reinforcer is provided to the entire class. Library Envelope System Make one library pocket card for each student Joe Mary Scott SarahAaron Number of cards based on baseline data student need. Lashika RandyLashonda Anita Free ticket2-3 minute delay to recess or passing Detention - loss of recess 5 min delay Reset the cards 3 or 4 times a day. Learning = opportunities to succeed INTENT Honest and Caring Communication and Feedback BEHAVIOR IMPACT What did you observe? How did it make you feel? Was that the intention of the individual? Problem Behavior in the Cafeteria Simple and efficient consequences that allow multiple opportunities to learn contingencies. RULES: Be Safe Always walk in the cafeteria Keep hands, feet, and objects to self No trading or sharing food Be Responsible Once seated ask before leaving the table Clean up your area Be Prepared to Learn Keep track of your belongings Rule violation = 3 minutes at quiet table then return to regular table. Verbal Reprimand vs. Group Contingency Van Acker & Grant, 1996 Primary Supports for all students Clear Rules and Procedures Quality Differentiated Instruction Secondary Supports for students who display Common High-Rate Behaviors Talk-Outs, Out of Seat Tertiary Supports for the most Challenging Students How might we typically address the following behavior? Brian is a third grade student. He has a mild learning disability. He lives with his mother and three brothers - father has died. Mother works a minimum wage job. Brian loves pens and pencils When the bell rings for lunch- Brian races out of the room. The Functional Assessment of Behavior The identification of the target behavior An informed hypothesis as to function of the behavior Data collection Indirect data collection Direct data collection Verification - Triangulation of data Functional analysis of behavior Developing the behavior intervention plan Program to decrease undesired behavior Program to increase desired alternative behavior Monitoring the implementation and evaluation Selecting an Appropriate Consequence (Function vs. Form) The nature of the surface behavior has little to do with the selection of an appropriate consequence. The function of the behavior should serve to direct the selection of the consequence. Be Careful with Escape Escape and Avoidance is often a function of undesired behavior. Is Escape and Avoidance a basic human need? Typically, Escape and Avoidance result from the need for safety, competence/self-esteem, and/or autonomy. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Two Aspects to Most BIPs Increase Reasonable Alternative Behavior that Addresses the Function of the Target Behavior Decrease the Display of the Target Behavior Make it Less Effective in Meeting the Identified Function Give it to me! Can I play with the dinosaur when you are finished? Expected Behavior: Student Displays the Desired Behavior YesNo Response: Promotion of Success: (This includes efforts to bring level of instruction and opportunities to respond to the students level) Prevention Efforts: (This includes efforts to alter the environment, change in teacher behavior, etc.) Current Undesired Behavior: Direct Behavior Intervention Plan Student Recommended for CICO CICO Implemented Parent Feedback Regular Teacher Feedback Afternoon Check-out Morning Check-in CICO Coordinator Summarizes Data For Decision Making Bi-weekly Meeting to Assess Student Progress Graduate Program Revise Program Student: ___________________ Teacher: ________________ Date:________ Subject Area BehaviorScoring Rubric Soc Stud Math ScienceReading BE SAFE Uses Kind words and actions Displays kind and welcoming behavior towards others Teases, taunts or displays rude or disrespectful behavior towards others Threatens harm or displays verbal/physical aggression towards others Stays in the Assigned AreaExits the classroom without permission (any time during interval) Out of seat or assigned area and fails to comply with initial request to return Remains in the seat or assigned area throughout the interval Out of seat or instructional area but returns the first time asked BE PREPARED TO LEARN Active Task Engagement On-task more than 85% of the interval On task more than 50% but less than 85% of the interval On-task more than 10% but less than 50% of the interval On-task less than 10% of the interval Work CompletionWork completed with reasonable level of effort (Not concerned with accuracy or neatness at this time) Effort expended at a reasonable level but work not completed Little or no work attempted Bonus Points Comments: Blueprints for Intervention Identify common behavior problems in your school. Identify possible alternative behaviors that should be taught. Explore the various functions for these behaviors and identify: Ways teachers can teach desired behaviors and provide necessary practice and feedback. Teacher behaviors and interventions to avoid. Potentially effective ways to reinforce desired behavior. Potentially appropriate ways to address undesired behavior. To effectively impact student behavior, we must openly address teacher behavior For the most part student behavior works and there is little incentive for students to change. Teachers are not receiving the support and guidance they require to be successful with an increasingly diverse student population. Students pay the price!!! Consider Peer Triads for Teacher Support and Feedback Three teachers volunteer and self-select triad partners. Each week one teacher is the host teacher. At different times each partner observes for about 20 minutes. Provide feedback two things they did well and two things that could be improved. Host teacher can direct observation if desired. Teacher behavior impacts student behavior 1 = Verbal Reprimand 2 = Planned Ignoring/No Response 3 = Positive response to talk-out (response desired by student) Classroom Layout Teacher Attention and Feedback Opportunity to Respond Verbal Reprimand for Behavior Verbal Praise for Academics Verbal Praise for Behavior Academic Correction ///// //// (14) // (2) ///// /// (8) /// (3) // (2) /// (3) ///// ///// // (12) // (2) Developing systems of teacher support Teacher collaborators Technological supports Audio and video recording Timers and other cues Peer Triads/Peer Monitoring Automatic triggers for support of teachers and students Third student referral Fifth teacher referral Programs for change and support - in-service staff development Change is Like Going to Heaven; Everyone Thinks Its a Good Idea, but No One Wants to Go First.