Title:
1RTI Is For BehaviorToo! Research-Based
InterventionsFor Emotionally Unpredictable
Disruptive StudentsJim Wright,
www.interventioncentral.org
2Workshop Goals
- In this workshop, we will
- Examine the RTI framework as a way to identify
behavior disorders - Review ideas for working effectively with
disruptive and emotionally unpredictable
students - Review selected behavioral assessment tools
- Discuss ways to support teachers and schools to
implement the RTI process
3Positive Behavioral Interventions Definition
(OSEP Technical Assistance Center, n.d.)
- Positive Behavior Interventions are strategies
that teachers and schools can use to - define classroom expectations for student
behaviors - teach those behaviors to students
- give feedback and support to students when they
display appropriate behaviors - provide consistent disciplinary consequences for
misbehavior that are designed to TEACH the
student appropriate behaviors rather than PUNISH
the student for misbehavior
4Positive Behavioral Interventions Do Not
- Coddle students
- Take the place of already-existing disciplinary
guidelines or behavioral expectations - Tie a teachers hands in responding to
misbehavior in the classroom
5Big Ideas in Behavioral Interventions
6Big Ideas About Student Behavior Behavior as
an Interaction Between the Student and the
Learning Environment (Lentz Shapiro, 1986)
- A students classroom behavior is a product of
the interaction between that students personal
qualities, including his or her learning history,
and the many factors in that students current
instructional environment. For example, a
student may behave very differently depending on
the peers with whom he or she is sitting, the
type of work given, or even the specific adult
who happens to be running the classroom.The
good news is that by restructuring aspects of the
classroom environment, the teacher can often
positively change a students behavior.
7Big Ideas About Student Behavior Behaviors and
Their Connection to Root Causes or Drivers
(Martens Meller, 1990)
- A students behavior is not random but is
determined by one or more root causes or
behavioral drivers. - Similar behaviors may stem from different root
causes. Find the cause of the behavior (its
function) and you stand a much better chance of
designing an intervention that really works
8Big Ideas About Student Behavior Behaviors and
Their Connection to Root Causes or Drivers
(Martens Meller, 1990)
- The most common root causes or drivers for
behaviors include - Social attention (adult or peer). ExampleA
student may call out sarcastic comments in class
because she gets peer attention for doing so. - Escape or avoidance of tasks, settings, or
situations. Example A student who is a poor
reader may become defiant toward the teacher
whenever he is asked to read aloud in front of
the class. The student is then sent to the
principals office. By misbehaving, the student
avoids having to engage in reading. - Access to tangibles or rewards or privileges
(pay-offs). Example A young student may engage
in physical tantrums until she is allowed to play
with a particular toy. Her misbehavior gains her
access to the preferred object. - Inattention or impulsivity
9Showed disrespect towards me when she yelled
inappropriately regarding an instruction sheet.
I then asked her to leave the room. She also
showed disrespect when I called her twice earlier
in the class to see her report card grade.
Teacher Referral Example
101st ) During the beginning of English class, Z.
continued to drink her soda. I gave her a
warning and she answered me back. 2nd) She began
to talk to other students behind her during quiet
reading. When I told her to stop talking, she
began to get mouthy and nasty to me. She will do
anything to get sent out of the room or to
distract from my teaching.
Teacher Referral Example
11Big Ideas About Student Behavior
- It is much better to head off problem behaviors
than to have to deal with the classroom fallout
after those behaviors have occurred
12ABC Timeline
A
13C. and T. were horsing around in the classroom.
In the process, they knocked down an overhead
projector and crushed it.
Teacher Referral Example
14Common behavioral trouble points
- Loss of classroom control
- Non-compliance or outright defiance
- Impulsive behaviors (student fails to think
before acting) - Highly agitated or angry students
- Managing adult behaviors
15References
- Lentz, F.E., Shapiro, E. S. (1986). Functional
assessment of the academic environment. School
Psychology Review, 15, 346-357. - Martens, B.K., Meller, P.J. (1990). The
application of behavioral principles to
educational settings. In T.B. Gutkin
C.R.Reynolds (Eds.), The handbook of school
psychology (2nd ed.) (pp. 612-634). New York
John Wiley Sons. - McKee, W. T. Witt, J. C. (1990). Effective
teaching A review of instructional, and
environmental variables. In T. B. Gutkin C. R.
Reynolds (Eds.), The handbook of school
psychology (2nd ed., pp.821-846). New York John
Wiley Sons. - Mayer, G.R. (1995). Preventing antisocial
behavior in the schools. Journal of Applied
Behavior Analysis, 28, 467-492. - OSEP Technical Assistance Center on Positive
Behavioral Interventions Supports. (n.d.). What
is school-wide PBIS? Retrieved January 30, 2006,
from http//www.pbis.org/schoolwide.htm