Developing Individual Change Plans

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Developing Individual Change Plans

• ACED 4710/7900
• Classroom Management
• Chapter 10

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Topics

• Introduction
• Behavior Management in Perspective
• Conducting An Environmental Analysis/Functional
  Assessment
• Strategies for Helping Students Develop New
  Behavioral Skills
• A Team Approach to Developing a Positive Behavior
  Change Plan
• Conclusion

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Introduction

• Teachers are increasingly asked to successfully
  incorporate into their regular education
  classrooms students who have difficulty behaving
  in ways that facilitate their own learning and
  the learning of others.
• During the 1990s, there occurred a shift away
  from a simple focus on rewards and punishments
  towards an approach termed cognitive behaviorism
  in which educators emphasized helping students
  better understand their behavior and take greater
  responsibility for changing their behavior.
• Self monitoring
• Self instruction
• Social skill training

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Behavior Management in Perspective

• Basic assumptions
• Behaviorism is a scientific approach to changing
  behavior.
• Behavior is influenced by the consequences
  following the behavior.
• Behavior change programs must focus on specific,
  observable behavior.
• Data collection is necessary in order to alter
  behavior thoughtfully and systematically.

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Behavior Management in Perspective (continued)

• Advantages to Behavior Management
• Some students need special assistance in
  controlling their behavior.
• Reinforcers and response cost can assist students
  in developing more productive behaviors.
• Behavioristic intervention may have a positive
  effect on other students in the classroom,
  whereas reprimands often create a negative ripple
  effect.

• Disadvantages to Behavior management
• Causes the teacher to focus on students behavior
  rather than on his/her teaching methods.
• When too much external control (rewards) is used,
  it may have a negative effect on students
  ability to become competent and positive
  individuals.

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Conducting an Environmental Analysis/Functional
Assessment

• A Functional Assessment Involves 4 Components
• A functional assessment
• A positive behavior change plan
• The implementation of this plan
• The ongoing monitoring and adjustment of this
  plan

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Conducting an Environmental Analysis/Functional
Assessment (Continued)

• A Functional Behavioral Assessment Answers the
  Following Questions
• What are the antecedents and the consequences
  that cause the behavior to exist?
• What function(s) does the behavior serve for the
  student?
• What environmental changes can be made to change
  the students behavior?
• What behaviors can we teach the student to help
  him act more responsibly and meet his needs
  without using behaviors that violate the rights
  of others?

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Conducting an Environmental Analysis/Functional
Assessment (Continued)

• How is it conducted
• Can be completed by indirect methods, such as
  interviewing parents, counselors, administrators,
  and instructional assistants.
• Can be completed by direct methods, such as
  actual classroom observation by a peer teacher,
  an administrator, and the misbehaving student.
• Should be implemented by teams.
• Should be viewed as a proactive strategy rather
  than a reactive.
• See page 365 of our text for an example of an
  observation form.

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Strategies for Helping Students Develop New
Behavioral Skills

• Self-Management
• Help students count and record their own
  behavior.
• Teach students new social skills for meeting
  their needs.
• Develop an agreement or contract to help motivate
  students to use those new skills.

• Self-Monitoring
• Assist students in establishing a system for
  recording their own behavior.
• This creates an internalized locus of control.
• This approach carries over to other situations
  and other behaviors.

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A Team Approach to Developing a Positive Behavior
Change Plan

• An effective team should be comprised of two
  classroom teachers who work with the student, a
  counselor, an administrator, a parent, and the
  student.
• The team should focus on no more than two
  behaviors.
• The team should develop no more than three
  interventions for each behavior.
• See page 402 in our text for an example of a
  change plan.

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Contracts are sometimes used to alter students
behavior. These contracts

• May be for individuals or groups.
• Should have buy-in from all affected parties
  for maximum effect.
• Should specifically address expected behaviors
  and rewards/consequences.
• Work best when geared toward rewards (positive
  reinforcement) rather than punishment.
• Are explained beginning on page 389 in your text.

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Conclusion

• Teachers can dramatically influence student
  behavior.
• We increasingly are asked to document both
  student behavior problems and the interventions
  used to alter the misbehavior.

• The ability to help these students is
  professionally rewarding.

See Activity 4.2 for an assignment related to
this topic.