Improving Classroom Behavior and Social Skills

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Improving Classroom Behavior and Social Skills

• Inservice designed for
• The Lilly School of Newton, Massachusetts
• Presented by
• The Positive Behaviors and Social Skills
  Institute
• Jennifer Mark

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Classroom Management The 5 Basic Principles

• Understand the purpose of the behavior
• Look for the positive
• Establish minimal rules that are clear and that
  hold known expectations
• Reinforcement
• Help students change inappropriate behavior

3
Understanding the Purpose of the Behavior

• Why do students misbehave?
• It is said that students misbehaviors stem from
  the need for acceptance and recognition.
• Some students learn that they can receive
  attention through behaving appropriately.
• However, other students continually receive
  attention through the display of inappropriate
  behaviors, and thus continue doing so until
  taught otherwise.

4
Look For The Positive

• Make a conscious effort to not only focus on the
  positives of each student, but speak of positive
  behaviors as well.
• That feedback needs to be specific and immediate.

5
Classroom Rules

• You may want to elicit the help of your class to
  establish the class rules.
• Guide students in developing a few rules (3-6)
  that lead them to determine whether behavior is
  or is not acceptable.
• Establish clear rules for general conduct.
• Establish procedures/routines for carrying out
  specific tasks.
• Utilize much of your time the first few days of
  school teaching these rules and procedures.
• Continue reviewing periodically through out the
  school year.

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Reinforcement That Encourages Positive Behavior

• Tangible reinforcers- food, toys, prizes, etc.
• Activity reinforcers- extra recess, free choice
  time, computer time, helping in the office, etc.
• Social reinforcers- certificates, verbal
  congratulations, positive notes home, etc.
• Token reinforcers- stickers, stamps on chart, etc.

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A Note of Caution on Rewards

• Distinguish between rewarding appropriate
  behaviors and rewarding performance on academic
  activities.
• Save tangible rewards for activities that
  students find unattractive.
• Try to provide the reward unexpectedly, after the
  task has been performed. Be sure to make them
  contingent upon the completion of a task or
  achievement of a specific level of performance.
• Keep your program of rewards simple!

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Helping Students Change Inappropriate Behavior

• Ignoring on Purpose- This technique eliminates a
  students undesirable behavior that is being
  reinforced by attention.
• Simply ignoring a student can be an effective way
  to decrease undesirable behaviors.
• You may also try looking at the student in the
  eyes, while not saying anything to him/her.

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Helping Students Change Inappropriate Behavior
(cont.)

• Nonverbal Interventions- the following are
  strategies that are most useful with minor
  misbehaviors
• The teacher look
• Make eye contact
• Use hand signals (thumbs up, etc.)
• Place a hand on the students shoulder
• Move close to the misbehaving student

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Helping Students Change Inappropriate Behavior
(cont.)

• Time Out- This occurs when a student is removed
  from the situation where s/he is receiving
  reinforcement.
• This should be used as a last resort, but should
  be implemented immediately following the
  undesirable behavior.
• The environment that the student is removed to
  must not be more rewarding that the environment
  s/he was removed from.
• Have a plan set up at the beginning of the year
  in case this situation needs implementation (i.e.
  a buddy room or space in the classroom where
  the child cannot be seen by other students).

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Helping Students Change Inappropriate Behavior
(cont.)

• Punishment- Reduces the likelihood that the
  behavior will continue.
• This strategy should be used as a last resort.
• Punishments are only recommended to use when the
  behaviors are harmful to others in the
  environment.
• Examples of punishments loss of privileges,
  written reflection on the problem, visit to the
  principals office, detention, parent contact.
• Impose punishments privately and calmly.

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Your message must be Youre okay, but your
behavior is not acceptable.

• Ask yourself, Is this behavior disrupting the
  instruction of the lesson? Is it harmful to
  other students? Does it violate classroom or
  school rules?
• Children crave consistency, predictability and
  structure.
• Be sensitive to outside factors that may affect a
  childs behavior such as home situations.
• Discipline must preserve the students dignity.
• Avoid power struggles.
• Discipline strategies need to match the
  misbehavior that you are trying to eliminate.
• Remember A consequence that works for one child
  may not work for another.

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Effective Behavior Management Programs

• F.A.S.T.
• Freeze
• Alternative solutions
• Solution evaluation
• Try it!

• S.L.A.M.
• Stop
• Look at the person
• Ask questions to clarify
• Make an appropriate response

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Self-Monitoring

• The goal to help students gain a personal view
  of their own behavior and to take control of the
  reinforcers for their behavior.
• Students learn to observe and record their own
  behaviors during a designated period of time.
• Teach students to identify a few target behaviors
  to change. Do not overload the student with an
  abundance of negative behaviors to self monitor.

The First Approach The individual tallies each
time s/he engages in the targeted behavior.
The Second Approach Use a timer to cue the
individual to observe and record the targeted
behavior at regular intervals.
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Self-Monitoring (cont.)

• Collaborative steps between the teacher and
  student for developing a self monitoring plan
• Identify and agree on the behavior(s) to be
  changed.
• Identify when and where the behavior(s) most
  frequently occur.
• Establish realistic goals.
• Develop a time line for how long the plan will be
  in effect.
• Identify reinforcers and consequences.
• Self-evaluate the success of the program each day.

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Social Skills Intervention Program

• ASSET
• Helping adolescent students with special needs
  develop socials skills useful to their own social
  functioning.
• Emphasis on these eight fundamental skills
• Giving positive feedback
• Giving negative feedback
• Accepting negative feedback
• Resisting peer pressure
• Negotiation skills
• Personal problems solving
• Following directions
• Conducting conversations
• Videotapes provide eight instructional sessions
  for teachers. The program offers skills sheets,
  home notes and criterion checklists.

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Classroom ClimateFostering Acceptance of All
Students

• The attitudes and beliefs of the teacher are what
  drive the overall attitudes and beliefs of the
  entire classroom.
• Focus on the abilities of all students. Tap into
  their skills and utilize them!
• Celebrate diversity- behavioral, physical,
  linguistical, etc.
• Make use of mix-ability grouping. This not only
  is a proven benefit to learning, but students
  prefer it!
• Make sure all students are treated with respect.

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Classroom ClimateClass Meetings

• A class meeting is a great way to
• Prevent problems
• Identify potential problems
• Teach problem solving skills
• Teach life skills
• Foster classroom and individual responsibility
• It is important to form a circle when conducting
  a
• class meeting so that everyone can see each
• other.

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Classroom ClimateClass Meetings (cont.)

• A suggested agenda for class meetings
• Start with compliments and appreciations. You
  may also want to utilize a recognition box.
• Follow up on previous problems and their
  solutions. Discuss and evaluate.
• New problems- identify problems without allowing
  students to complain about particular students.
  Discuss solutions.
• Discuss future plans (i.e. field trips, projects,
  assemblies, etc.).

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Feedback from ProfessorI did not see a
discussion of Question 6--What are social skills
and how do they differ from behavioral skills? 
This is an important distinction--behaviors
follow classroom rules, whereas social skills
involve an understanding of how to communicate
and interact with others.  If this were a real
inservice, you might also want to provide the
participants opportunities for interactive
activities at a couple of different points in
your presentation, as well as some handouts (for
example a handout of the class meetings
intervention which you provide in the powerpoint
itself).  It would also be helpful to provide an
overview/introduction of the points you will
cover, and then end with a wrap-up or summary
slide.
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WORKS CITED

• Vaughn, Sharon, Candace Bos, and Jeanne Shay
  Schumm. Teaching Exceptional, Diverse, and
  At-Risk Students in the General Education
  Classroom. Boston Allyn and Bacon. 2006
• Weinstein, Carol and Andrew Mignano, Jr.
  Elementary Classroom Management. New York The
  McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 1997.