Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Behavior Management & Common Core Standards

I'm in the process of looking into what behavior management strategies may be required as educators begin to implement the common core standards.  How will you instruct differently?  What types of activities will you use to implement the standards? What instructional strategies/activities will you stop doing?  What type of behaviors might your students need to have as you instruct differently?  Let me know what you think and/or anticipate as the common core moves forward.

IMPACT On Behaivor: TEACH EXPECTATIONS


Within the IMPACT approach, there are six broad variables to implement and manipulate to prevent inappropriate behavior and promote positive, proactive behavior:

Interact positively with students
Monitor behavior
Prepare effective instruction
Arrange the environment
Correct effectively
Teach expectations (like a great coach!)
T    Teach Clear Behavioral Expectations
Identify most commonly used activities and transitions within your classroom such as teacher-directed instruction, independent seatwork, and cooperative groups, arriving at the classroom, beginning class/routines, getting out necessary materials
changes in location, putting things away, cleaning up, leaving the classroom,
school-wide settings (halls, cafeteria, playground, bus waiting areas, assemblies, and so on)

Articulate and clarify for each a activity and transition how students will:

Conversation (talk)
Help (asking for assistance)
Activity (accomplish the assigned task)
Movement (can I leave my area to do…?)
Participation (what does it look like?)
= Success

Explore the following resources for teaching behavioral expectations:
CHAMPS: A Proactive and Positive Approach to Classroom Management, 2nd ed. 
(Sprick, 2009)

Discipline in the Secondary Classroom: A Positive Approach to Behavior Management for Grades 9–12, 2nd ed. (Sprick, 2006).

Prepare lessons on your behavioral expectations for each major activity and transition.

Explicitly teach these lessons routinely and when new students enter your room.  Continue to monitor, reinforce, and re-teach if necessary throughout the school year.

Resources and References

Dr. Anita Archer www.ExplicitInstruction.org
Dr. Laura Riffel www.BehaviorDoctor.org
Dr. Randy Sprick www.SafeAndCivilSchools.com

IMPACT On Behavior: CORRECT MISBEHAVIOR EFFECTIVELY


Within the IMPACT approach, there are six broad variables to implement and manipulate to prevent inappropriate behavior and promote positive, proactive behavior:

Interact positively with students
Monitor behavior
Prepare effective instruction
Arrange the environment
Correct effectively
Teach expectations (like a great coach!)
C   Correct Misbehavior Effectively
Remind student(s) about expectations
·      For example, “Joey, the expectation in this class is to be safe. That means keeping your hands and feet to yourself.”
Offer a Choice.  Use choice when there is a display of non-compliance and when behaviors are disruptive or involve more than one student.
·      Instead of using threats and anger, stay calm and neutral when talking to students. Take some deep breaths.
·      Maintain the flow of instruction

·      Try not to draw attention to the students who are being disruptive.
·      If students continue to engage in the disruptive behavior, offer them a choice. For example, “Joey, you have a choice. You can keep your hands and feet to yourself or you can sit in a seat that I choose for you.”
·      Use a mild but irritating consequence. 

·      After offering a choice, give students time to consider the options. For example, “I’ll give you both a moment to decide what you want to do.”
·      If students comply, give positive reinforcement
·      If students decide to get back to work, praise them for their good choice.
·      If not, deliver the consequences in a calm, neutral way
·      If students continue the misbehavior, deliver the consequence
Establish consequences that fit the nature of the problem, but are as mild as   possible.  

Pre-discuss consequences with students.

·      Delivering the correction in a business like fashion.
(e.g., “Mary, when you talk out, you lose a point. Now, back to what we were reading…”)

Sample Consequences: 
What if?  Chart (Taken form the Tough Kid Book)
Gentle verbal reprimand
Keep a record of the behavior
Behavior Improvement Form
Parental contacts
Restitution
Time owed
Timeout — Four possible levels include:
-Removal from small group instruction
-Isolation area in class
-Sent to another class
-Sent to the office
Reduction of points earned
Lunch/after-school detention
Student is required to devise a plan for own behavior
Restriction from privileges
·      Correct consistently, calmly, immediately, briefly and respectfully

·      Collect data…Are rules being followed? If not, Who is making errors? Where are the errors occurring? What kind of errors are being made?

Resources and References

Dr. Anita Archer www.ExplicitInstruction.org
Dr. Laura Riffel www.BehaviorDoctor.org
Dr. Randy Sprick www.SafeAndCivilSchools.com

IMPACT On Behavior: ARRANGE & ORGANIZE ENVIRONMENT


       Within the IMPACT approach, there are six broad variables to implement and manipulate to prevent inappropriate behavior and promote positive, proactive behavior:

Interact positively with students
Monitor behavior
Prepare effective instruction
Arrange the environment
Correct effectively
Teach expectations (like a great coach!)

   A   Arrange and Organize Learning Environment 
     Design classroom rules that communicate your most important expectations

·      3-6 is length so they are easy to learn and remember
·      Specific and observable behaviors
·      Positively stated to prompt the teacher to catch kids doing the right thing, not just the wrong thing.
·      Posted is a prominent place as a reminder to keep us accountable
·      Not to be confused with classroom procedures or expectations

If you wish to work these out with the students, predetermine whether there are any rules that you need to establish in order to effectively teach.

Sample Rules:
Follow directions immediately
Work during all work times
Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself
Arrive on time with all materials (pencil, notebook, textbook, paper)

Develop and post Guidelines for Success (traits that are important to you and your students)

·      Design the Guidelines to be hierarchical, with the first describing the most important trait you want all students to learn to exhibit.

Sample Guidelines:
Be responsible.
Always try.
Do your best.
Cooperate.
Treat everyone with respect, including yourself.

·      Use the Guidelines as the basis for positive feedback, corrections,
class-wide discussions, monthly themes, assignments, celebrations of
progress, guest speakers, and so on.

Develop an Attention Signal

·      The most effective signals can be given in any location and has a visual and auditory component (e.g., “if you can hear me, clap like this” “May I have you attention please” (as I raise my hand in the air)).  Decide on a reasonable length of time between giving the signal and gaining all students’ attention.

Structured Daily Schedule
·      A daily outline of classroom/period activities designed to maximize student learning
·      First, list school activities that you have no control (gym, art, lunch)
·      Next, identify non academic but necessary activities (announcements, taking attendance, recess)
·      Next, schedule your instructional activities (language arts, math, history, science)
·      Determine if schedule maximizes student learning (academics should comprise 70% of school day or more!)
·      Determine if you should streamline non-academic activities and/or decrease transitions times)
·      Post schedule prominently with pictures cues by the clock.  Students can have own copy
·      Note schedule changes
·      Stick to the schedule and review routinely

Establish and teach routines and policies that create a calm, orderly, efficient classroom climate
a.  Reflect

·      Reflect on the typical routines that take place each day.

·      Think about how you want the students to perform those routines.
·      Teach routines like any academic subject.
·      Encourage student input.
·      Break the routine into small steps.
·      Use symbols, words, or pictures to help students remember the routine.
b.  Model.  Show the students what you want them to do. 

c.  Practice. After modeling, have students practice the routine.  Give positive reinforcement.  Correct mistakes with clear directions. 

d.  Review. 
Review and re-teach routines so that students become familiar with them.

Sample Routines:
Beginning routines
Procedures for assigning work
Procedures for collecting work
Homework routines
Ending routines


Resources and References

Dr. Anita Archer www.ExplicitInstruction.org
Dr. Laura Riffel www.BehaviorDoctor.org
Dr. Randy Sprick www.SafeAndCivilSchools.com

IMPACT On Behaivor: PREPARE EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION


Within the IMPACT approach, there are six broad variables to implement and manipulate to prevent inappropriate behavior and promote positive, proactive behavior:

Interact positively with students
Monitor behavior
Prepare effective instruction
Arrange the environment
Correct effectively
Teach expectations (like a great coach!)

P   Prepare and Deliver Effective Instruction
Instruction begins with organized and focused lessons, established learning goals, review (pre-skills & knowledge), introducing new knowledge, practicing, developing strategies for monitoring progress and, application.

Effective Instruction is engaging

·      I do it, we do it, you do it
·      Connect with students during instruction
·      Provide ample opportunities to respond (OTR’s) throughout lessons (e.g., orally, written (response cards/slates) and/or through action (touch, act out, gestures, facial expressions, hand signals)
·      Choral, partner and individual responses
·      Teach and instruct among students as much as possible
·      Maximize student engagement (e.g., avoid down time, routinely start and end on time)
·      Gain collective attention of students at beginning and end of class
·      Teach with a “Perky Pace” (e.g., teach with enthusiasm and passion)
·      Monitor through walk around, look around and talk around
·      Feedback is immediate, specific and informative, focused on correct vs. incorrect, delivered with appropriate tone and ended with student giving correct response
·      How well you teach = how well they learn  -Anita Archer

Resources and References

Dr. Anita Archer www.ExplicitInstruction.org
Dr. Laura Riffel www.BehaviorDoctor.org
Dr. Randy Sprick www.SafeAndCivilSchools.com