UNIVERSAL STRATEGIES IN THE CLASSROOM

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UNIVERSAL STRATEGIES IN THE CLASSROOM
North Carolina Department of Public
Instruction Exceptional Children Division
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Universal Strategies in the Classroom

• Teach Attention Signal
• Establish Behavioral Expectations/Rules
• Develop Schedule
• Teach Routines
• Give Precorrects
• Encourage Expected Behavior
• Correct Student Behavior Errors

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Teach Attention Signal

• Always use a simple portable cue to prompt
  students to listen.
• Avoid starting instruction until all students are
  attending
• Reinforce students who attend immediately
• Provide specific verbal praise to peers to
  redirect students
• Consistency, consistency, consistency!

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Establish Behavioral Expectations Rules

• Use School-wide Expectations as Basis for
  Classroom Rules
• Clearly and Positively Stated
• State in Observable Terms
• Posted and Referred to Frequently
• Teach Explicitly to FLUENCY
• Reinforce Consistently

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Teaching Effective Rules

• Tell-Show-Practice
• Give Positive Reinforcement for Appropriate
  Student Use
• Consider Consequences for Errors
• re-teach
• redirect
• time to Cool Down
• Reflect! Are the Rules Working? Why or Why Not?

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Teaching Lessons on Expectations
Teach your expectations before the activity
or transition begins.
Monitor student behavior by circulating and
visually scanning.
Provide feedback during the activity and at the
conclusion of the activity.
Begin the cycle again for the next activity.
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Develop Classroom Schedule

• Establish predictable schedules
• illustrate with icons, time, etc.
• Schedule non-instruction time
• administration time
• personal time
• Evaluate the variety and time for each activity.

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Develop A Schedule...Down Time Causes Problems

• Time unscheduled in a classroom is an open
  invitation to disruptive behavior.
• Scheduled time is one of the basic proactive
  variables that is under teacher control.
• 70 of the school day should be scheduled for
  academic activity.

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Sample Schedule

• 5 Min Teacher Directed Review of Previous
  Concepts
• 10 Min Teacher Directed New Concepts
• 10 Min Teacher Directed Guided Practice
• 25 Min Independent Work
• 10 Min Teacher Directed Guided Practice and
  Review
• 5 Min Homework Review

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Effective Routines - Rationale

• The number one problem in the classroom is not
  discipline it is the lack of procedures and
  routines. A vast majority of the behavior
  problems in the classroom are caused by the
  failure of students to follow procedures and
  routines.
• -Harry Wong

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Effective Routines-Why They Help Manage Behavior

• Support for transition times and basic activities
  that happen on a regular basis
• Establish predictability
• Clear Expectations for Student Behavior
• Clear Expectations for Adult Behavior

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Teach Routines

• Think through and establish procedures
• for transition times and basic regularly
• scheduled activities
• Establish clear expectations for student behavior
  and clear expectations for adult behavior
• Plan, Post and Teach!
• Tell-Show-Practice-Feedback loop
• Consistently teach all day, every day
• Reflect Are routines working? Why or why not?

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Effective Routines

• Oh, the Possibilities are Endless!
• Use Think-Pair-Share to brainstorm a list of
  routines teachers need to teach
• You have 2 minutes
• Share your list!

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Give Precorrects

• Precorrects function as reminders
• Opportunities to practice
• Prompt for expected behavior
• Especially helpful before teacher anticipates
  behavior learning errors

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Precorrect Examples

• Remember, before you leave class, collect all
  your materials, put your papers in the bin, and
  quietly walk out of the room.
• Sam, show us how to be respectful and line up
  quietly for gym.

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Precorrect Brainstorm

• Pair-up again
• Brainstorm a list of examples of precorrects
• You have two minutes
• Share your list!

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Encourage Expected Behaviors

• Providing praise for correct academic
• responses and appropriate social behavior
• leads to
• Increases in student correct responses
• Increases in on task behavior
• Decreases in disruptive behaviors
• -Sutherland, 2000

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Positive Feedback

• Feedback should be
• Accurate
• Specific and descriptive
• Contingent
• Age-appropriate
• Given in a manner that fits your style

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Ratio of Interactions

• Teachers should strive to keep a 41 ratio of
  positive-to-negative statements
• Each time you have a negative interaction with a
  student, tell yourself you owe that student 4
  positive interactions
• Identify specific times during the day you will
  give positive feedback
• Schedule individual conference time
• Scan the room searching for appropriate behaviors
• Engage in frequent positive interactions with all
  students

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Encourage Expected BehaviorVerbal Feedback

• Timely and Accurate
• Specific and Descriptive
• (Tie to school-wide expectations)
• Contingent
• Age-appropriate
• Given in a Manner that Fits Your Style

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Examples of Non-Verbal Feedback

• Wink
• Nod
• Thumbs-up
• Pat on the back
• High-five
• Hug (when and where appropriate)

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Effective Reinforcement Strategies

• Behavior(s) are determined and taught
• Reinforcement is contingent upon appropriate
  behavior
• Be generous with reinforcers at the beginning
• Reward class when
• Students who have not exhibited behavior in the
  past are exhibiting the behavior now.
• Students who have exhibited behaviors in the past
  continue to exhibit them.

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Effective Teaching Plans

• Are for all teachers
• Support struggling teachers
• Boost teachers in a rut
• Become fluid, living, breathing documents
• Support reflective, thoughtful, well-planned
  teaching
• Provide direction for needed PBS system supports

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Components of An Effective Teaching Plan

• Define classroom rules based on school-wide
  expectations
• Outline routines (attention signal, etc)
• Establish schedule for teaching routines and
  procedures
• Decide strategies for encouraging appropriate
  student behavior and discouraging problem
  behavior
• Plan a variety of instructional strategies
• Establish effective classroom environment

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Correct Student Behavior Errors

• Emotion Free response
• More effective if students have been taught
  expected behaviors
• Minimize attention other than signal of error
• Praise for appropriate behavior

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Correct Student Behavior Errors

• Steps to Take
• 1. Signal that an error has occurred
• Refer to rules "We respect others in this room
  and that means not using put downs.
• 2. Ask for an alternative appropriate response
  "How can you show respect and still get your
  point across?"
• 3. Provide an opportunity to practice the skill
  and provide verbal feedback
• "That's much better, thank you for showing
  respect toward others.

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Correct Student Behavior Errors

• What Can Be Done if Errors Occur Frequently?

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Correct Student Behavior Errors

• Emotion free response
• More effective if students have been taught
  expected behaviors
• Minimize attention other than signal of error
• Praise for appropriate behavior

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Team Time 10

• How can our team help all teachers in our
  building use these
• Universal Classroom Strategies?

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Classroom Management Strategies

• Physical arrangement of classroom
• Positive teacher-student interactions
• More reinforcement strategies
• Techniques to improve compliance
• Active participation

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Physical Arrangement

• Reduce congestion in high-traffic areas.
• Ensure the teacher can easily see all students.
• Make teaching materials and student supplies
  easily accessible.
• Make sure students can easily observe whole class
  presentations.
• Devote some display space to student work.

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Classroom Arrangement Considerations

• What type of activities will students typically
  be doing?
• What type of student interaction does the teacher
  want?
• What arrangements will foster these activities
  and interactions?
• Give Hand-out

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Think, Pair Share

• Think about how you have arranged your classroom
  to enhance student behavior
• Pair up with another person
• One person shares
• Listen for signal
• The second person shares

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Increasing Positive Interactions

• Focus on teaching students to get attention
  through responsible behavior rather than
  misbehavior.
• Require adults to change the ratio of adult to
  student interactions from primarily negative to
  primarily positive

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• Increasing Positive Interactions
• Based on the concept that most students want and
  need adult attention.
• Leads students to feel like valued members of the
  learning community

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Positive Interactions It sounds so easy!

• But it can be so difficult!

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Do Problem Students Deserve Positive Attention?

• Students are not equal.
• Some have received a lot of attention from
  infancy.
• Some have received very little attention.
• Many have only received negative attention.

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When I Change Interactions, Am I Giving a
Misbehaving Student Her/His Way?

• The teacher begins to take control by initiating
  interactions while the student is being
  responsible.

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Is it Appropriate to Give Even More Time and
Attention to Students Who Misbehave?

• Reducing the amount of attention the student gets
  for misbehavior and increasing attention for
  appropriate behavior is not changing the time It
  is simply restructuring your time.

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Wont the Students Know The Positive Attention is
Phony?

• Over time, positive interactions become normal
  and the student is likely to invite more natural
  positive interactions.

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What Do You Do When You Just Dont Like the
Student?

• Be professional!

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Whos In Charge of the Mood of the Classroom?
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More Reinforcement Strategies

• Group contingencies or individual systems
• Yes/no bag
• Compliance matrix
• Lottery tickets

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The Yes and No Bag

• Things needed to implement include
• - 50 or so yes and no cards
• - A container, box or bag
• - A reward (mystery motivator!)

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Steps to Implement Yes No

• Decide on the behavior(s) to be reinforced.
• Teach the desired behavior(s).
• Catch the students doing the desired behavior.
• Describe the behavior and put a Yes ticket in
  the bag.
• If you see an inappropriate behavior, state the
  desired behavior and put a No ticket in the bag.

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Yes No

• At the designated time, draw a ticket out of the
  bag.

If it is a Yes ticket, the students receive
the reinforcer.

• If it is a No ticket, there is no reinforcer
  that day.

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Compliance Matrix
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Lottery Tickets

• Determine the behavior(s) you want to reinforce
• Teach the behavior to the students
• Give the student a ticket when you see the
  behavior.
• Have student write his/her name on ticket
• and put ticket in box/bin.
• At a designated time, draw a ticket out of the
  bin and present a reinforcer to the student whose
  name is on the ticket.

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Think, Pair Share

• Think about what you need to do to increase your
  positive interactions with students
• Pair up with another person
• One person shares
• Listen for signal
• The second person shares

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Techniques to Improve Compliance

• Do not use a question format
• Get up close
• Use a quiet voice
• Look em in the eyes
• Give them time
• Dont give multiple requests
• Make more start requests
• Verbally reinforce compliance
• Get up and move

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Sure I Will

• The Sure I will method is based on the idea
  that if a student verbally responds to a request,
  he/she is less likely to be noncompliant.
• When first implementing Sure I will the teacher
  should be liberal in recording marks for the
  team.
• Jenson, W.R., Rhode, G. Reaves, H.K.
  (1994-1995) The tough kids tool box. Longmont,
  CO Sopris West.

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Steps to Implement Sure I Will

• The class is divided into teams.
• Each team selects their response (e.g. Sure I
  will).
• The teacher selects a secret number and writes it
  down on a piece of paper.
• The time and date the secret number will be
  revealed is decided and posted.
• The teams names are posted.

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The Reward for Sure I Will

• On the predetermined day and time, the secret
  number is revealed. If the number of the teams
  marks is the same or bigger than the secret
  number, the team opens the mystery motivator.
• If the teams number of marks is less than the
  secret number, the students continue with what
  was normally scheduled that day.

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Alternative Responses to Sure I Will

• Okee Dokee
• Glad You Asked
• Right Away
• OK, Mrs. Craig
• Sure, Any Time
• No Problem
• Yes, Ma'am
• Ill Get Right On It

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What Techniques Have You Used to Increase
Compliance?
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Expanding Our List to Increase Compliance

• One member of your pair stand up.
• Strategies are shared one at a time.
• Seated member of the team records the ideas.
• When all strategies have been stated, members sit
  down.
• When everyone is seated, all ideas have been
  shared.
• Pairs share their new expanded list.

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Increasing Opportunities to Respond Active
Participation

• Encourages everyone to become involved in
  learning
• Increases rate of responses of all learners
• Increases attainment of material presented
• Allows reluctant learners a secure environment to
  practice
• Decreases inappropriate or off task behavior

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Whole Group Oral Response

• Strategy for reviewing or memorizing information
• Students repeat information in unison when
  teacher prompts

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Practice Time!

• Students should be reinforced at a rate of _____
  to ______.
• Everyone.
• Universal strategies used in classroom management
  are to teach rules and _________.
• Everyone.
• PBS stands for_________________.
• Everyone.

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Whole Group Action Responses

• Students are asked to do something during the
  lesson
• Example
• Put your finger on the title of the story
• Point to the hour hand on the clock
• Touch the action word in the sentence

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Whole Group Written Response

• Plan for short written responses (not more than
  one item)
• Give a verbal signal to indicate completion (e.g.
  put your pencils down and look up when you are
  finished)
• Have individual materials available paper,
  slates, chalkboards or white boards

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Small Groups / Partners

• Used to give everyone a chance to
• Express thoughts
• Answer a question
• Verbally participate when there could be a
  variety of answers
• Answers can be shared with other groups or whole
  group
• Answers can be written on overhead by the teacher
  and presented to group

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Sustaining and Maintaining Effective Classroom
Practices

• Ongoing staff development
• Effective teaching plan
• Peer coaching
• Mentoring
• Supportive environment
• Team based problem solving
• Positive parent contact

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Effective Instruction
Effective instruction increases the likelihood of
correct student responses
Correct responding is correlated with positive
teacher interactions
Leading to increased academic achievement of
students and positive behavioral
exchanges between students and teachers
Gunter, Hummel, Venn, 1998