Understanding Classroom Behaviors

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Understanding Classroom Behaviors

• Denise Jensen Marcia Welsh

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Agenda

• Classroom behaviors that get in the way of
  learning.
• Why students may behave the way they do.
• Strategies to use in the classroom.

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Activity

• Discuss with a partner and write down student
  behaviors that interfere with learning.

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Purpose of Behavior

• All behavior is telling us something. Every
  behavior has a purpose, it is goal directed,
  attempts to meet their needs.
• Identifying the goal of behavior
• - To understand the purpose
• - To reduce possible misinterpretation
  of a behavior
• - To teach alternative behaviors

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Why Do They Misbehave?

• Dreikurs Kids misbehave and seek mistaken
  goals when they do not have a sense of belonging
  or being valued.

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Goals of Behavior(Dreikers)

1. Attention Seeking
2. Avoidance/Inadequacy
3. Power/Control
4. Revenge

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Attention Seeking

• Purpose an attempt to get the recognition they
  feel they deserve.
• Behaviors
• Blurting Out
• Refuse to work unless teacher hovers
• Ask irrelevant questions or comments

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Seeking Power or Control

• Argue
• Contradict
• Lie
• Refuse to work or follow directions

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Seeking Revenge

• Treat others cruelly/bullying
• Set themselves up to be punished
• Engage in pranks

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Displaying inadequacy

• Passively refuse to participate
• Sit silently and dont engage in instruction
• Request to be left alone

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How to identify the mistaken goal

• If students Possible Goal
• Stop behavior, but then Attention
• repeat it
• Refuse to cooperate, Avoidance/
• participate, or interact Inadequacy
• Refuse to stop and Power/Control
• increase misbehavior
• Become hostile/violent Revenge

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How to identify the mistaken goal

• If you feel
• Annoyed
• Threatened
• Hurt
• Powerless

• The student is probably seeking
• Attention
• Power
• Revenge
• Inadequacy

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Other Goals of Behavior

• Tangible
• Food
• Object
• Activity
• Sensory
• Stimulation
• Sensory Input
• Habit

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ABCs of BehaviorAntecedent Behavior -
Consequence
Classroom Task Students Response Possible Contributing Factors Possible Solutions

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Activity

• Discuss in small groups what you believe to be
  your role and purpose in the classroom?
• What goals do you have for yourself and your
  students?
• What barriers are getting in the way of achieving
  these goals.

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Strategies
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Manipulate the learning environmentnot the
behavior

• This is where you have the greatest control and
  will see inappropriate behaviors diminishand
  maybe be extinguished!
• We can only control our behaviors, we cannot
  force anyone to do anything.

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Set students up for success

• Establish routines
• Discuss behavior expectations before an activity
• Use student input
• Use proactive cooperation. Get them in a
  cooperative mood
• Help them respond correctly. Give hints/cues so
  they are successful in front of their peers

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So What Do We Do?

• Help develop a sense of belonging
• Create a feeling that they are valued
• Develop a supportive team spirit

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Relationship is Key

• Work to establish a genuine relationship
• Provide genuine affirmation
• Preserve a students dignity, allow them to save
  face
• Dont take a students behavior personally Its
  not about you!
• Strive to be patient, fair, firm, and consistent
• Accept that you cannot force anyone to do
  something (you may win the battle, but lose the
  war)
• Keep your sense of humor
• Show and expect respect

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Strategies To Try

• Attention
• Provide acceptable ways of gaining attention.
  This may need to be taught!
• Make an action plan in which student receives
  positive attention (greet student, praise
  student)
• Provide academic supports (peer help,
  modifications)

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• Power
• Avoid power struggles. Stay out of the conflict
  cycle. Seek solutions, not blame
• Involve student in making decisions, choices
• Give responsibilities
• Use an I message followed by a question (Im
  hearing you use language that is not school
  appropriate. Could you restate your opinion in a
  way that is appropriate?)

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Examples of I messages

• You werent listening. Youre gonna end up on
  welfare or flipping burgers!
• I want my students to listen closely so they can
  learn important things that will help them
  succeed in life. (Spell out the specific
  behaviors that will demonstrate that they are
  listening. E.g. eyes on the teacher, book open to
  the correct page, hands free on their desk, etc.)

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• If you use garbage mouth one more time, youre
  losing recess.
• I need to hear only school appropriate words.
  Please try your statement again.

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• Youre a rude, inconsiderate student.
• I feel bad when students behave in a mean way
  when I know that there are better ways to express
  things. How about saying it in a polite way so
  I wont be distracted from what you truly want.

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• What is wrong with this class? Why does it take
  you forever to open your notebooks? How do you
  expect to learn anything if you take up half the
  morning fooling around?
• I get impatient when we dont get to work
  promptly. Im excited about teaching you things
  that will help you. I like to see all your
  notebooks opened and everyone ready to begin when
  the bell rings.

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ActivityLets Give it a try!

• Youre out of your chair again!
• Whats wrong with you?
• You dont have your assignment done again!
• You better start paying attention
• Youre late again
• What are you doing in the hall again? Youre
  always trying to find a way to get out of class.
• Youre doing it all wrong. Werent you paying
  attention?

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• Revenge Seeking
• Provide activities that help students view each
  other positively
• Build a relationship outside the classroom
• Expect resistance due to trust issues. Be
  persistent.

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• Displaying Inadequacy
• Offer encouragement and support
• Blame the lack of success on curriculum,
  materials, even the way the lesson was presented,
  but do not blame the student
• Set the student up for success and recognize
  his/her effortnot grades
• Never show frustrationthis may reinforce the
  sense of worthlessness

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How do we guide students into appropriate
behavior?

• Rephrase Our Comments When addressing
  misbehavior, delete from our commentary
• Why questions (e.g. Why did you do that?)
• The word you (e.g. You better stop that.)
• The words No and Dont
• Lecturing/Nagging/Berating

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Need a reason for deleting?

• All of these place blame rather than seek
  solutions. They make matters worse rather than
  better!

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The Why Questions

• Asking why really translates into
• I gotcha!
• Promotes finding a defenselying which now gives
  a new behavior to deal with
• Use why only when you really can produce
  concern/caring

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You

• Attacks, hurts, is condescending, controlling
• Fails to solve the problem
• Puts them on stage
• Often leads to more power struggles

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Remember the Goal!

• Examples
• You ask a student to open his book and read.
  He pushes his desk, swears, walks to the other
  side of the room and yells, Im not opening that
  book.

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His Goal

• Avoidance/Failure
• Why??? He gets bossed around a lot at home.
  He had a problem before class and hes upset
  about something else.He cant read

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• Activity
• A student finishes his part of the activity ahead
  of his classmates. He starts drumming his hands
  on the desk. You ask him to stop, but he
  continues.
• (Identify the students possible goal, how you
  are feeling, and a strategy to address the
  behavior.)

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• Activity
• You ask a disruptive student to leave the room.
  He does, but on his way out he turns off the
  lights.
• (Identify the students possible goal, how you
  are feeling, and a strategy to address the
  behavior.)

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• Activity
• A student arrives in class wearing his hat. You
  remind him of the rules but he continues to wear
  it.
• (Identify the students possible goal, how you
  are feeling, and a strategy to address the
  behavior.)

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Remembering the Goal!

• What is the goal for the classroom
• Consider the students motivation for the
  behavior
• Will traditional interventions (warnings,
  punishments, exclusion, and orders work or make
  the situation worse?)

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• What can I do to adjust my behavior right now to
  meet the goal of the classroom? (offer help,
  planned ignore, involve the student)
• What type of follow-up is needed to teach the
  student new skills so he/she can learn socially
  appropriate ways to express himself/herself in
  the future?

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Avoiding No and Dont

• Doesnt tell kids what behavior you want to
  seeso it wont happen
• If you want a student to display a behavior,
  teach it like academic material
• Kids hear action words so
• Dont run Run
• Stop yelling Yell

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Lecturing About Behavior

• Lecturing is nagging and comes across as blah,
  blah, blah, blah..
• Naggingcauses embarrassment, negative self
  image, and retaliation

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Positive Strategies

• Give clear directions
• Use a neutral, calm voice
• Give yourself and the student time
• Use enforceable statements
• Use few words
• Offer choices
• Discipline in private
• Tag team
• Follow through with consequences

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A Final Word Respect!

• How do we get respect? How do we show respect?
• Listen to the student
• Show concern for their welfare
• Pay attention to them Outside the classroom
• Use humorbut avoid sarcasm

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• Recognize effort, not correctness
• Point out progress made no matter how small
• Believe in their potential

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Resources

• Web sites
• www.mcspecialeducation.com
• www.schoolbehavior.com
• www.interventioncentral.org
• www.choiceskills.com
• www.webehave.com
• www.raisingsmallsouls.com
• www.bpchildren.com
• http//.pbskids.org
• www.firelightbooks.com
• www.wihd.org/