Behavior Management Methods
Behavior management is a fundamental element in a classroom. For students with and without behavior or emotional disorders, applying a strong behavior management program helps foster a productive work environment, ensures student safety, and promotes positive relationships on both a classroom and a school level. Traditionally, schools focused on punishment to try and control misbehavior. Punishment based management styles do not achieve the goals of long-term reduction in negative behavior, school safety, or teach students pro-social behaviors. (Heward, 2009) An effective method of monitoring and gathering evidence on specific behaviors is by using the “Five Measurable Dimensions of Behavior.” By first monitoring behavior, a teacher or a team of specialists can make individualized modifications. Additionally, by using a “Functional Behavior Assessment” a specialist can determine the motivations behind a student’s behavior. On a broader scale of addressing behavior, there are several useful strategies that that not only help promote positive behavior with students of all abilities, but helps develop student achievement academically and socially. One strategy is a proactive, positive classroom management model for a single classroom application; the second strategy is a “School-Wide Positive Behavior Support” to implement on all levels of a school’s intervention.
Measuring Behavior
One of the first steps in identifying a student’s trouble behavior is by finding a means to measure it. The five measurable dimensions of behavior compares a student’s behaviors to a generalized population’s behavior. It is important to use criteria that are in alignment with age, cultural, and ethnic norms because behaviors vary depending on a student’s age and background. The majority of students of an age and culture will have an average range for frequency, duration, latency, topography, and magnitude. (Heward, 2009) Using this measure as a guide an instructor can note behaviors that fall outside the norm. Behaviors become quantifiable and used for evidence when addressing a student’s behavior. The “advantages of assessing and describing emotional and behavioral in terms of these dimensions is that identification, design of interaction strategies, and evaluation of treatment effects can all revolve around direct and objective measurement. The approach leads to a direct focus on the child’s problem- the behavior that is adversely affecting his life and the ways of dealing with it-.” (Heward, 2009) The following measures are adapted from Heward:
1) Frequency or Rate: How often the behavior occurs? Count incidence per time period. The prime indicator that a child has a behavior problem is the frequency these behaviors occur. They may not do things outside of the ordinary age or culture, but they do the behavior with increased frequency or use adaptive behavior infrequently.
2) Duration: How long the child can engage in a given activity? The behavior is usually marked as short or long by comparison to the general population of other students. A student may work on a math assignment for a short period or have a tantrum for an extended period beyond that of other students their age.
3) Latency: The time between opportunity to respond and beginning a behavior. The student may refuse to begin a task for a long period of time after prompting or they may begin a tantrum immediately after without consideration of other behavior options.
4) Topography: The physical shape or form of a behavior. The behaviors may be far removed from the regular behavior of other students like setting fires or cruelty to animals. The behaviors can be maladaptive, bizarre, or dangerous.
5) Magnitude: The force or intensity of the behavior. The student may respond near to silence, far too loud, or for too long like whispering answers, shouting out, or slamming a door. (Heward, 2009)
A teacher, counselor, special education instructor, or a team of specialists can use the data gathered about a student’s behavior and develop a plan to suit the need of a student. Aside from monitoring a student’s behavior by measuring the difference between the behavior and the cultural average, a student behavior can be monitored by assessing the behavior on an individual basis.
Functional Behavior Assessment
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is a systematic process of gathering information to understand why a student is engaging in challenging behaviors. (Heward, 2009) Analyzing the behavior can use the information to generate a hypothesis about what the behavior’s function, or purpose, is for the student. There are two major types of behavior functions of problem behaviors: positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is when a wanted object, event, or stimuli happens as a result of a behavior. If a student acts out and gains attention from the teacher this could be considered a form of positive reinforcement. (Heward, 2009) Negative reinforcement is meant to remove an unwanted object, event, or stimuli. When a student acts out and is removed from a classroom or assignment that could be considered a form of negative reinforcement. (Heward, 2009) The purpose of a functional behavior assessment is to identify the motivation behind a behavior. A specialist would observe the behavior, determine if the behavior was positive or negative reinforcement driven, and then make an individualized plan meant to manage a student’s behavior.
Proactive, Positive Classroom Management
One of the most effective means of addressing behavior from a management perspective is through proactive, positive classroom management. “The majority of classroom behavior problems can be prevented by the use of proactive behavior management. Proactive strategies are pre-planned interventions that anticipate behavior problems and stop them before they occur.” (Heward, 2009) The proactive strategies are:
1) Structure the physical environment of the classroom. This could be placing students with attention or behavioral problems near the teacher, or providing a space where students can walk if they need to release energy.
2) Establish clear expectations for appropriate behaviors. By providing clear expectations students and the teacher are on the same page. Having class norms also assist in establishing a social level to the classroom’s standards.
3) Schedule a sequenced lesson to minimize downtime. Staying too long on a topic or having too much down-time can adversely affect student attention. Giving students regular, structured activities reduced disconnection and promotes engagement.
4) Structure lessons for compliance. Not giving students too much choice, but allowing them to positively engage with the material under their own autonomy is a positive way of giving students power, but ensuring that work gets done.
5) Keep students engaged throughout instruction. Breaking up instruction into different activities, plan for student involvement, repeatedly use student examples and input during lessons, and providing feedback about student engagement are all ways to keep students engaged.
6) Use praise to positively reinforce and motivate positive behavior. Giving student positive rewards rather than removing perceived negative influences motivate students to engage with material.
7) Anticipate and address problem behaviors before they occur. By knowing students, activities, and their own instructional methods, a teacher can anticipate where troubles may arise and plan new, alternative, or modified methods of engaging with instruction. (Heward, 2009)
It is important to note that remaining focused on a student’s positive characteristics rather than the negative aspects of a student’s disability greatly impacts how a student sees their learning, the classroom, and themselves. Making a student or their disability the problem is not the solution to management. (Lovitt, 2007; Heward, 2009) Giving students a structured and positive environment to engage with, one that is individualized for their needs, can make all the difference in how a student sees education and social interactions.
School-Wide System Of Positive Behavior Support
“A school-wide system of positive behavior support (SWPBS) is a system of support designed as a school-wide, team-centered to proactively treating and reinforcing behavior. The system comes in three tiers and has a set of guidelines to help students understand and learn about their behavior. A successful SWPBS is characterized by:
“1) Behavioral expectation are stated; 2) behavioral expectations are defined and taught; 3) appropriate behaviors are acknowledged, 4) behavioral errors are corrected proactively; 5) program evaluations and adaptations are data driven and made by a team; 6) individual student supports are integrated with school-wide discipline systems.” (Center for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support, 2007; Heward, 2009)
A SWPBS system is tiered into three levels of prevention that are associated with the guidelines above. The first step is primary intervention where the school establishes and teaches expectations, acknowledges positive behaviors, and reacts to negative behaviors. This is a universal intervention applied to all students in the school or classroom; this prevention works for about 80-90% students, the students without serious behavior problems. Secondary intervention is specialized interventions applied to the 5-15% of at-risk students where evidence is taken by the school’s team and the positive and negative behaviors are addresses. Tertiary intervention is specialized intensive interventions applied to 1-7% of students on an individual level. These students have chronic and intense behavioral problems and a team works on specialized interventions for the student.” (Heward, 2009)
This system of behavior management and support gives student the individualized systems they need. Many students with behavioral disorders need intervention, individualization, and systems in place to help them limit the impact their disability has on their daily life. There is a controversy surrounding a student with a behavioral or emotional disorder and their capacity to engage with academic material. This controversy exists because of generalized achievement for students with behavioral disorders. Students with behavior disabilities tend to have more difficulties in a general education setting: ⅔ are not grade level competency, lower average grades, achievement deficits get worse with age, high absenteeism, ⅓ leave high school with diploma, 60% dropout rate. The IQ of individuals with learning disabilities is, on average, lower than general population. (Heward, 2009) Whether it is the causation or correlation of one or the other, students can have behavioral or emotional troubles because they are conscious of their disabilities, leading to less learning and achievement or they learn and achieve less because of their behavioral or emotional disorder. (Cullinan & Sabornie, 2004; Heward, 2009) Because we see a general trend of underachievement among students with emotional or behavioral disorders, there is an association that all students are the same. Prejudice about ability/intelligence can be closely (and unfairly) connected to behavior. By addressing behavior and working with students on an individual level, behavior problems can lessen and lead to a more positive and meaningful classroom experience. With less focus on the disability, and more focus on the individual’s abilities and achievements, student can engage with materials, their classmates, and have success as academic and social individuals.
Measuring Behavior
One of the first steps in identifying a student’s trouble behavior is by finding a means to measure it. The five measurable dimensions of behavior compares a student’s behaviors to a generalized population’s behavior. It is important to use criteria that are in alignment with age, cultural, and ethnic norms because behaviors vary depending on a student’s age and background. The majority of students of an age and culture will have an average range for frequency, duration, latency, topography, and magnitude. (Heward, 2009) Using this measure as a guide an instructor can note behaviors that fall outside the norm. Behaviors become quantifiable and used for evidence when addressing a student’s behavior. The “advantages of assessing and describing emotional and behavioral in terms of these dimensions is that identification, design of interaction strategies, and evaluation of treatment effects can all revolve around direct and objective measurement. The approach leads to a direct focus on the child’s problem- the behavior that is adversely affecting his life and the ways of dealing with it-.” (Heward, 2009) The following measures are adapted from Heward:
1) Frequency or Rate: How often the behavior occurs? Count incidence per time period. The prime indicator that a child has a behavior problem is the frequency these behaviors occur. They may not do things outside of the ordinary age or culture, but they do the behavior with increased frequency or use adaptive behavior infrequently.
2) Duration: How long the child can engage in a given activity? The behavior is usually marked as short or long by comparison to the general population of other students. A student may work on a math assignment for a short period or have a tantrum for an extended period beyond that of other students their age.
3) Latency: The time between opportunity to respond and beginning a behavior. The student may refuse to begin a task for a long period of time after prompting or they may begin a tantrum immediately after without consideration of other behavior options.
4) Topography: The physical shape or form of a behavior. The behaviors may be far removed from the regular behavior of other students like setting fires or cruelty to animals. The behaviors can be maladaptive, bizarre, or dangerous.
5) Magnitude: The force or intensity of the behavior. The student may respond near to silence, far too loud, or for too long like whispering answers, shouting out, or slamming a door. (Heward, 2009)
A teacher, counselor, special education instructor, or a team of specialists can use the data gathered about a student’s behavior and develop a plan to suit the need of a student. Aside from monitoring a student’s behavior by measuring the difference between the behavior and the cultural average, a student behavior can be monitored by assessing the behavior on an individual basis.
Functional Behavior Assessment
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) is a systematic process of gathering information to understand why a student is engaging in challenging behaviors. (Heward, 2009) Analyzing the behavior can use the information to generate a hypothesis about what the behavior’s function, or purpose, is for the student. There are two major types of behavior functions of problem behaviors: positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement is when a wanted object, event, or stimuli happens as a result of a behavior. If a student acts out and gains attention from the teacher this could be considered a form of positive reinforcement. (Heward, 2009) Negative reinforcement is meant to remove an unwanted object, event, or stimuli. When a student acts out and is removed from a classroom or assignment that could be considered a form of negative reinforcement. (Heward, 2009) The purpose of a functional behavior assessment is to identify the motivation behind a behavior. A specialist would observe the behavior, determine if the behavior was positive or negative reinforcement driven, and then make an individualized plan meant to manage a student’s behavior.
Proactive, Positive Classroom Management
One of the most effective means of addressing behavior from a management perspective is through proactive, positive classroom management. “The majority of classroom behavior problems can be prevented by the use of proactive behavior management. Proactive strategies are pre-planned interventions that anticipate behavior problems and stop them before they occur.” (Heward, 2009) The proactive strategies are:
1) Structure the physical environment of the classroom. This could be placing students with attention or behavioral problems near the teacher, or providing a space where students can walk if they need to release energy.
2) Establish clear expectations for appropriate behaviors. By providing clear expectations students and the teacher are on the same page. Having class norms also assist in establishing a social level to the classroom’s standards.
3) Schedule a sequenced lesson to minimize downtime. Staying too long on a topic or having too much down-time can adversely affect student attention. Giving students regular, structured activities reduced disconnection and promotes engagement.
4) Structure lessons for compliance. Not giving students too much choice, but allowing them to positively engage with the material under their own autonomy is a positive way of giving students power, but ensuring that work gets done.
5) Keep students engaged throughout instruction. Breaking up instruction into different activities, plan for student involvement, repeatedly use student examples and input during lessons, and providing feedback about student engagement are all ways to keep students engaged.
6) Use praise to positively reinforce and motivate positive behavior. Giving student positive rewards rather than removing perceived negative influences motivate students to engage with material.
7) Anticipate and address problem behaviors before they occur. By knowing students, activities, and their own instructional methods, a teacher can anticipate where troubles may arise and plan new, alternative, or modified methods of engaging with instruction. (Heward, 2009)
It is important to note that remaining focused on a student’s positive characteristics rather than the negative aspects of a student’s disability greatly impacts how a student sees their learning, the classroom, and themselves. Making a student or their disability the problem is not the solution to management. (Lovitt, 2007; Heward, 2009) Giving students a structured and positive environment to engage with, one that is individualized for their needs, can make all the difference in how a student sees education and social interactions.
School-Wide System Of Positive Behavior Support
“A school-wide system of positive behavior support (SWPBS) is a system of support designed as a school-wide, team-centered to proactively treating and reinforcing behavior. The system comes in three tiers and has a set of guidelines to help students understand and learn about their behavior. A successful SWPBS is characterized by:
“1) Behavioral expectation are stated; 2) behavioral expectations are defined and taught; 3) appropriate behaviors are acknowledged, 4) behavioral errors are corrected proactively; 5) program evaluations and adaptations are data driven and made by a team; 6) individual student supports are integrated with school-wide discipline systems.” (Center for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support, 2007; Heward, 2009)
A SWPBS system is tiered into three levels of prevention that are associated with the guidelines above. The first step is primary intervention where the school establishes and teaches expectations, acknowledges positive behaviors, and reacts to negative behaviors. This is a universal intervention applied to all students in the school or classroom; this prevention works for about 80-90% students, the students without serious behavior problems. Secondary intervention is specialized interventions applied to the 5-15% of at-risk students where evidence is taken by the school’s team and the positive and negative behaviors are addresses. Tertiary intervention is specialized intensive interventions applied to 1-7% of students on an individual level. These students have chronic and intense behavioral problems and a team works on specialized interventions for the student.” (Heward, 2009)
This system of behavior management and support gives student the individualized systems they need. Many students with behavioral disorders need intervention, individualization, and systems in place to help them limit the impact their disability has on their daily life. There is a controversy surrounding a student with a behavioral or emotional disorder and their capacity to engage with academic material. This controversy exists because of generalized achievement for students with behavioral disorders. Students with behavior disabilities tend to have more difficulties in a general education setting: ⅔ are not grade level competency, lower average grades, achievement deficits get worse with age, high absenteeism, ⅓ leave high school with diploma, 60% dropout rate. The IQ of individuals with learning disabilities is, on average, lower than general population. (Heward, 2009) Whether it is the causation or correlation of one or the other, students can have behavioral or emotional troubles because they are conscious of their disabilities, leading to less learning and achievement or they learn and achieve less because of their behavioral or emotional disorder. (Cullinan & Sabornie, 2004; Heward, 2009) Because we see a general trend of underachievement among students with emotional or behavioral disorders, there is an association that all students are the same. Prejudice about ability/intelligence can be closely (and unfairly) connected to behavior. By addressing behavior and working with students on an individual level, behavior problems can lessen and lead to a more positive and meaningful classroom experience. With less focus on the disability, and more focus on the individual’s abilities and achievements, student can engage with materials, their classmates, and have success as academic and social individuals.