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Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation

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Healthy Choices, Healthy Children | Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation

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The Playbook for Healthy Kids Helping at-risk youth realize their potential is not a one-and-done lesson. Our Healthy Choices, Healthy Children curriculum guides offer plenty of fresh ways to discuss how smart decisions today lead to bright, promising tomorrows.

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Positive Behavioral Supports

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Including other helpful websites

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UDL

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CAST: About Universal Design for Learning

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Universal design for learning (UDL) is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn.

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Accessibility for all levels

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The National Center on Universal Design for Learning at CAST.

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lschwarz@nyeschools.org

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Low motivation in adolescents

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adolescents; parent participation; academic achievement; children; parent child relationship;

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Motivation -- Helping Your Child Through Early Adolescence

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Helping Your Child Through Early Adolescence is a booklet based on the latest research in adolescent development and learning, and addresses questions, provides suggestions and tackles issues that parents of young teens generally find most challenging.

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Behavior

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Tier 1 interventions

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PBISWorld.com Tier 1 Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports For Anxiety

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PBISWorld.com Tier 1 Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports specifically to target and address anxiety.

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Video instruction

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Tools for managing difficult life situations

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Tools for managing difficult life situations

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Recovery International

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ww.pbisworld.com

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PBIS World | A Complete Tier 1 Through Tier 3 Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports System

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PBIS World is in no way affiliated, associated, or connected with any other website, entity, organization, or federal, state, local, or other government agency, department, program, policy, organization, or initiative.

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Lessons

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Lesson in brief: Working in small groups, students will categorize coping strategies as positive, negative, neutral and time-out behaviors.

Vocabulary: Positive, Negative, Neutral, Time-out

Materials: Coping Strategies handout (below), chart paper and markers for each group

Introduction and Vocabulary

Write the word cope on the board, and ask the students to define it. Arrive at a definition along these lines: to handle something successfully. When strong feelings come up, we all have ways we try to cope with them. Some of our approaches, or strategies, are successful; others are not.

Have the following terms written out on a piece of chart paper:

positive coping strategy

negative coping strategy

neutral coping strategy

time-out strategy

Explain the meanings of these terms, as described below:

Positive coping strategy. This is a strategy that enables you to restore emotional balance; feel better about yourself; is respectful of you, others, and property; and helps you to solve the problem.

Negative coping strategy. This is a strategy that does not restore emotional balance; may be harmful to yourself, others, or property; does not solve the problem, and may create additional problems.

Neutral coping strategy. This is a strategy that is neither positive nor negative, but used to excess, could be harmful.

Time-out strategy. This is a strategy that helps you to calm down and restore emotional balance. It is only temporary and must be used with another positive strategy in order to solve the problem.

Eliciting Student Responses

Choose a strong feeling (for example, anger) and ask the students to share things they do or have seen others do when they experience that feeling. Record their responses on chart paper.
Examining Coping Strategies, Part 1
After the students have generated a list of a dozen or so items, go down the list, asking the class to comment on whether each action is a positive coping strategy, negative, neutral, or time-out. (In some cases, an action may be either positive or negative depending on the circumstances.)

Examining Coping Strategies, Part 2

1. Divide the class into four groups.
2. Distribute the Coping Strategies handout (below) and instruct each group to examine it. (You might want to use the list drawn up in the brainstorm if it is comprehensive enough.)
3. Assign each group the task of identifying which of the coping strategies on the list fit into a particular category.

Group A: positive coping strategies

Group B: negative coping strategies

Group C: neutral coping strategies

Group D: time-out strategies

4. Have each group discuss the overall list, select strategies fitting their category, and prepare a chart listing their strategies. (Circulate among the groups, guiding them to use the working definitions when deciding whether or not a strategy belongs on their group's list.)

Group Sharing and Discussion

1. Have each group share the chart they have developed. Some items may appear on more than one list. Point this out and invite the class to discuss the strategy further. (For example: Is watching TV negative, positive, neutral or time out? Why?)
2. Discussion questions:

Which strategies do you see people using most often? What is the effect of this?

Which positive coping strategies have you tried when you experienced strong emotions? How have they helped?

What happened when you used some of the negative strategies on the list?

Are tehre times when some of the negative strategies might be appropriate?

Which time-out behaviors are helpful for you?

Evaluation

Ask the class, What's something you learned from today's lesson? Are you taking away anything that may be useful in your life?

Follow-up Suggestions

1. Provide a "time-out" space in your room where students can go to cool down.

2. Encourage journal-writing using the following:

Write about a strong emotion that you experienced, how you coped with it, and what you can do differently next time

Some positive strategies I'd like to try are

I could use time out strategies when

COPING STRATEGIES:
What do you do when you experience a strong emotion?
Stamp my feet

Think / reflect

Threaten someone

Drink water

Throw a tantrum

Sleep

Telephone a friend

Throw things

Count to 10

Count to 100

Watch TV

Tell my parent

Break things

Take deep breaths

Talk to a counselor

Scream/yell

Walk away

Play sports

Listen to music

Run

Write in my journal

Try to hurt someone

Tell jokes

Exercise

Punch pillows

Hide

Shop

Take a walk

Shop

Draw / paint

Hug a teddy bear

Read a book

Eat

Gossip

Sit down and think

Help someone

Drink

Play a game

Talk to trusted adult

Ride a bike

Be with friends

Go see a movie

Talk to myself

Clean my room

Curse

Skateboard

Feel sorry for myself

Try mediation

Sing

Beat up my brother or sister

Cry

Stare at people

Become silent

Develop an attitude

Take a shower or a bath

Meditate

Talk with the person involved

Have fun

Go to a peaceful place

Relax

Get a massage

Hurt myself

Hit someone

Play

Visit grandparent, etc.

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Lesson in brief: Working in small groups, students will categorize coping strategies as positive, negative, neutral and time-out behaviors. Vocabulary: Positive, Negative, Neutral, Time-out Materials: Coping Strategies handout (below), chart paper and markers for each group Write the word cope on the board, and ask the students to define it.

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Replacement behaviors

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Author: Lynne Namka, Ed. D.

It is okay to be mad. Anger is an appropriate feeling to have when others hurt you.

Angry feelings are part of being a human being. Be firm, fair and friendly to speak your mads.

People are not to be hurt. Use your words instead of your fists.

Work out your mads with your words.

It is important that we be gentle with people. Be a people friendly person.

People, animals and plants are not to be hurt. Treat all living things with respect.

Make a good choice. Stop and think before you act.

You can make a good choice when you are mad. Use your words!

Know what sets you off. Know your hot spots and trigger points!

Own your feelings! You are responsible for how you feel and act.

Separate the Big Deals from the Little Deals. Problem solve Big Deals. Let go of Little Deals.

You can't have your own way all the time. Don't sweat the small stuff.

Chill out. You don't have to get mad over every little thing. Be a cool dude!

You can let go of your mads by talking about them and working them out.

Tell someone when you are hurt. Find someone safe to talk to when you are upset.

Let your anger go in safe ways. Use your words! You can work out your mads.

Breathe when your mads come up. Blow those mads out!

Don't store anger in your body. Let it go. Talk it out. Tell someone about your mads.

Let the mads go. Shake them out. You choose to feel good when you use your words.

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Cues to Teach a Child to Express Angry Feelings - Lynne Namka

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Author: Lynne Namka, Ed. D. It is okay to be mad. Anger is an appropriate feeling to have when others hurt you. Angry feelings are part of being a human being. Be firm, fair and friendly to speak your mads. People are not to be hurt. Use your words instead of your fists.

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Anger management

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Techniques for Teachers and Therapists - Lynne Namka

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Anger Management Techniques for Teachers and Therapists Author: Lynne Namka, Ed. D. Anger Management Techniques for Teachers and Therapists Turning It Aroun

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Positive Behavior Support at the Tertiary Level: Red Zone Strategies

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Positive Behavior Support at the Tertiary Level: Red Zone Strategies

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Laura A. Riffel

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positive behavior support at the tertiary level: red zone strategies

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behavior disorders in children - treatment

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problem children - behavior modification

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classroom management; behavior management; discipline; behavioral intervention; special education; pbis

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teaching of students with emotional & behavioural difficulties

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teaching of students with emotional & behavioural difficulties

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Positive Behavior Support at the Tertiary Level: Red Zone Strategies

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Help students move from the "red zone" to the success zone! How would you respond to a student who has tantrums or hits other students? These and other extremely challenging behaviors are identified as tertiary level or "red zone" by the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) model...

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Difficult students

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If you are already registered on our website, you can sign in by selecting your partner organization below, then entering your email address and password on the next screen.

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Practical and compassionate

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Back Off Cool Down, Try Again: Teaching Students How to Control Aggressive Behavior 

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Back Off Cool Down, Try Again: Teaching Students How to Control Aggressive Behavior 

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Sylvia Rockwell

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try again: teaching students how to control aggressive behavior

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social skills;study and teaching;united states.

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education / teaching methods & materials / general

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education of students with behavioral disabilities

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Back Off Cool Down, Try Again: Teaching Students How to Control Aggressive Behavior

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Back Off Cool Down, Try Again: Teaching Students How to Control Aggressive Behavior [Sylvia Rockwell] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Provides teachers with very practical ideas. The author combined theory and research with personal experiences that teachers can relate to in dealing with students with behavioral disorders.

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Tracking data and creating behavior contracts

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Use these printable charts, forms, and contracts to monitor your students' behavior. Evaluate their ability to work as a team with forms on student productivity in group settings. In addition to student-teacher contracts that establish behavior expectations, you'll find a variety of behavior management forms to document discipline issues in your classroom.

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From behavioral observation to conflict resolution, the printables and articles below will help you manage classroom discipline. Read veteran teachers' tips and advice on establishing rules and incorporating effective behavior management strategies in your classroom. You'll find advice for handling disruptive behavior and environmental interventions for minimizing its effect on other students. Our forms and charts are excellent tools for documenting and tracking your students' behavior. They are particularly helpful references for parent-teacher conferences.

Essential Behavior Management Forms

Behavior Management Tips & Advice

Classroom Discipline

Behavior Techniques

Positive Student Behavior

Positive Classroom Behavior
Read ideas and find resources on establishing and maintaining acceptable behavior in your students. New teachers, who are determining the most effective teaching methods for their classrooms, will find this behavior management resource particularly valuable.

Positive Descriptions of Student Behavior
An extensive list of verbs and phrases that will help you to prepare positive, descriptive statements about a student's behavior. New teachers will find this resource particularly valuable when they're writing their first report cards and progress reports.

Putting a Positive Spin on Peer Pressure
Peer pressure has the potential to be a powerfully positive force. By leading students through self-awareness activities, you can create a group of peers who value individualism, practice it in their own lives, and encourage it in others.

Awards, Certificates, and Notes for the Classroom
Reward your students with an award, a note, or a certificate for outstanding work or behavior.

Conflict Resolution

Classroom Organization

Behavior Forms & Charts

Blank Behavior Contract
After completing this behavior contract with a teacher, students are bound to following it. This behavior management printable is customizable. Tailor the PDF to your needs by typing in the highlighted fields before printing.

Charting and Reinforcing Behaviors
This behavior management article includes two handy charts to track student behavior as well as a list of possible positive reinforcers.

Incident Report
Use this report for quick documentation when a behavior incident occurs in your classroom. This behavior management printable is customizable. Tailor the PDF to your teaching needs by typing in the highlighted fields before printing.

More Behavior Management Forms

Additional Resources

Recommended Behavior Management Resources

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Use these behavior management strategies to establish discipline and mutual respect in the classroom. Learn how to handle disruptive student behavior and minimize its effect on others with these articles and printables.

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Compassion and Choices

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Classroom Solutions & Management Techniques | Love & Logic®

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Practical classroom solutions and positive management techniques for teachers, educators and administrators using research-based principles.

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Classroom Success

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One of the qualities that will get you hired faster than anything else is the ability to manage a classroom full of students. Administrators shy away from hiring new teachers that have a difficult time managing students. The amount of time an administrator must put into teaching and training a new teacher to manage student behavior can be time consuming, thus, not a hiring possibility. Administrators may hire a new teacher as a "project" if they are still developing in this area. Again, the amount of time administrators have to train new teachers has been minimized with duties and responsibilities. If they have a new teacher that can manage a classroom versus one that cannot, these decisions are no-brainers in the hiring process.

There are some qualities that set proficient classroom managers apart from those that are developing. As you dig into learning more about these proficient teachers, you will find the exemplary classroom managers transfer the management back to their students. Management of students is the primary component to a prosperous academic environment.

Here are seven questions you can tackle in order to go from being a proficient teacher to one that is exemplary!

1 - What Types of Classroom Rules Have You Created That Support Student Learning?

Clear and succinct rules can be easy to write and post in your classroom. Teaching them and re-teaching them is the difficult task. Every student is different and a teacher must find the best instructional strategies in order to teach them. Students must buy into the rules and follow them. Students should participate in upholding them, offering revisions, and supporting other students in the learning environment.

There are multitude of philosophies that have given educators guidance in creating a productive and academic classroom. To adhere to one philosophy over another is an impossible solution. The ability to combine and mix philosophies, as well as tips, tricks, techniques, and strategies set exemplary teachers apart from others.

Depending on the time period, what has been socially acceptable has changed. We must understand, also, that what is socially acceptable in one region of the country may not be in another. For example, as of April 2017, 15 states allow corporal punishment (according to an online article from North Carolina Public Radio). In addition, seven states also allow school districts to make this decision on their own, but do not delineate this in their state administrative rules or laws. Altogether, 22 states allow corporal punishment as a means of classroom and school management. Students in one school in North Carolina, with parent permission, can chose paddling by the principal instead of in-school suspension or out-of-school suspension. You fill find a majority of these states are located in the southeast portion of the United States. That leaves 28 states that prohibit this strategy; this number has been decreasing in the last decade.

According to Charlotte Danielson's Framework for Teaching Evaluation Instrument (2013©) the following qualities are found in the best classrooms:

Orderly, business-like, and productive; not authoritarian atmosphere

Clear standards of conduct

Respectful and dignity is upheld

Positive student behavior is modeled and celebrated;

Proactive behavior approaches

Discipline in private and teacher subtly and silently monitors student behavior

Here are a few discipline philosophies and strategies that meet most of these qualities and will give you a solid background in classroom management:

1. Positive Discipline - Dr. Jane Nelson

2. CHAMPS: Safe and Civil Schools - Randy Sprick

3. Love and Logic - Jim Fay and Dr. Foster Cline

4. High Trust - Denny McLaughlin

5. Precision Commands - Utah Students at Risk

6. Classroom Management that Works - Robert Marzano

7. Kagan Cooperative Learning - Dr. Spencer Kagan

When developing a clear set of rules a strong classroom management plan takes bits and pieces from research, and other teachers and mentors. You must also take in account what works best for your personality, and what works with the students in front of you. Developing a set of rules is vital to your success. Rules are different then procedures and routines. Rules are the spirit of the classroom, while routines and procedures support students getting what they need on a daily basis. Rules have a consequence, while routines and procedures, when not followed, require more practice.

Best practice is to have a few rules that students know and they can recite. When students break a rule, the behavior is labeled, and it is connected back to one of the devised classroom rules. If a teacher has too many rules, it may be hard to incorporate and implement. Understand that you should not mix procedures and routines with your classroom rules. Keep these separate so students understand the differences; confusion and a breakdown of positive classroom culture can occur when consequences and punishments are given when procedures and routines are not followed.

Exemplary teachers create solid rules that carry out the spirit of the classroom. Students support these rules. They are even encouraged and given the words to support others in the classroom when they are not followed. The teacher specifically models words, phrases, and even non-verbal signals in order for students to support with the optimal learning environment. When this breaks down, teachers reteach, model, and practice empowering the students. A sense of agency is created where students are empowered to take on their own learning, as well as supporting the students around them, too.

2 - Is Your Student Behavior Entirely Appropriate?

The culture and behavior of your students in your classroom is in direct correlation...what you permit, you allow. Some teachers may allow different levels of conversations while learning is going on, while some teachers incorporate many conversations into the learning through structures. The best class managers build in the opportunities for students to talk, move, and express themselves as they interact with the content. An exemplary teacher understands that the behaviors the classroom exudes at that moment may need to be changed, adapted, or enhanced.

A classroom that is chatty one day may need more talk time in the learning structures. For example, a teacher may include more Kagan Learning structures that gets students up and talking to each other. Harnessing their talkativeness is an art that exemplary teachers benefit upon when changing instructional decisions.

Exemplary teachers understand that they should take ownership of a student's behavior outside of the walls of their classroom. They are the main influencers in making sure each student is doing their job in other places: library, hallway, lunchroom, and even recess. They work with students in all areas and know that they need to team with other staff members in order for their students to be successful. These exemplary teachers share ideas, strategies, and team around students who have behavior difficulties. Teachers at the developmental or basic level only worry about the behaviors in their classroom. This can be difficult in order to cause true change in unwanted behavior.

Behavior Intervention Plans (BIP), a tool of a tiered behavior system or Response to Intervention (RtI), can be developed and implemented. Setting a goal that includes positive and negative rewards is a great place to start with students. The classroom teacher should start a Tier I plan before a Tier II plan is developed. A Tier II plan may include other professionals in the building supporting the classroom teacher and the student. After data is collected and interventions have been implemented for a set time, a student that is not successful may be referred back to the school's behavior team for Tier III support plan. Special education testing, working with the school's psychologist, or even mental health professionals may the next step for a Tier III BIP.

I found South Bend Community School Corporation Special Education Services illustrates the basic components to a Tier II or III behavior intervention plan:

Description of Targeted Behaviors

Hypothesis of Observed Behaviors

Setting Measurable Goals

Creating Objectives to Meet Goals

Environmental Strategies

School Setting

Routines

Curriculum and Instruction Modifications and Accommodations

Positive Behavior Interventions

Socio/Emotional Strategies

Self-regulatory Strategies

Coping Skills

Communication Skills

Negative Behavior Interventions

Redirection and De-escalation

Consequences

Crisis Management

Evaluation of Data

Determination of Intervention Success

Changing Frequency, Duration, or Intensity of Behaviors

Making Next Step Decisions

3 - Do Students Play a Part in the Creation and Revision of the Classroom Rules?

Authoritarian classrooms have teachers that demand respect instead of earning it. Understandably, power and control are difficult to give up in a classroom. Exemplary teachers understand that empowering students to lead includes having them take an active role in classroom management. Yes, the teacher is the only adult in the classroom that will hand out immediate consequences when rules are broken. These teachers understand that students can help themselves and their peers in the learning process where the learning environment is safe. Classroom environments like this should be the expectation, not an acceptation.

The ultimate goal for educators should be creating a classroom that is full of students who understand the concept of agency. They are willing to do whatever it takes to learn. They take responsibility in their learning and the learning of others in their classroom. They understand that negative and unwanted behaviors can affect their learning. Exemplary teachers empower these students to be the first intervention in making sure they are getting their needs met in learning.

For example, if a student is talking while a peer is trying to read, that reading student may show the non-verbal quiet sign to the offending student. The offending student then understands and quickly corrects their own behavior. The classroom teacher may not even know that this occurs, but can be proud that it was handled in a respectful and kind manner. This transfer of responsibility to the students is difficult to attain, but teachers should be empowering students to be independent with the gradual release of responsibility.

4 - What Verbal and Nonverbal Cues Do You Use to Curb Small Behavioral Problems?

The use of cueing is the number one proactive classroom management tool a student can use in the classroom. What teachers say and do ultimately determines how students react. Exemplary teachers understand they may not be able to stop all behaviors, but know that if it is predictable, they can put strategies and techniques into action to prevent many of them from occurring.

Verbal cueing is the most recognized behavior strategy for teachers. Picking and choosing the correct words to use when there is misbehavior or unwanted behavior is an art form. Not only does the teacher have to think about using respectful language that keeps a student's dignity intact, they must also think about how they will continue teaching. The teacher has to take into account many factors: the student who is being corrected, if this is common or uncommon behavior for this student, what has worked in the past for this student, and whether it is something that can be ignored and handled at later time. At any one time, a master teacher makes roughly 1,500 educational decisions daily. A teacher's philosophy of classroom management plays a role in the words they choose to correct behavior.

Here are some verbal cue sentence starters that teachers can use when working with students:

Non-verbal cues can be just as powerful as verbal cues. For example, the exemplary teacher can move towards a talkative student and the mere presence changes the student's behavior. The teacher can keep teaching, and the students understand the teacher is giving them a nonverbal cue to quiet down. There are many non-verbal cues that can be taught to students, and can be used by both students and teachers. Here are a few:

Finger Over the Lips - used to quiet someone in order to hear

Pushing Your Hand Palm Down - used to have someone sit down or get lower for visibility

Two Hands Down - used to slow someone down for safety

Twirling Your Two Fingers - used to make someone turn around to focus better

Shaking Wrist - used to access the bathroom by a student

"W" in Sign Language - used to access the water fountain by a student

Raising Your Hand Palm Up - used to have students stand up or get higher

Lowering Your Hand Palm Down - used to have students sit down or get lower

Eye Contact or Stare With Eyebrow Raised - used to extinguish an unwanted behavior

Touch to The Shoulder - used to quiet or stop an unwanted behavior

Proximity - used to quiet or stop an unwanted behavior

High 5, Hand Shake, Fist Bump - used to celebrate a student

5 - Do Students Support Each Other with Classroom Management?

The key difference in a well-managed classroom is how well students support each other with learning, and more specifically, with classroom management. Creating a culture where students will take care of most of the classroom behavior themselves may seem impossible to imagine. Exemplary teachers can do just that. They have taught verbal and nonverbal cues so well that students are expected to help stop any unwanted behaviors first.

Can a student in your classroom turn to another student, give them a non-verbal cue (putting a finger over their lips), and be able to quiet another student? The offending student then thinks about their job, quiets down, and the classroom teacher may not even know that this was done! Students can also use their words to be the first line of defense before they go to the teacher for support. Teachers model words and actions that students can use to support their learning.

Many times when a student tries to address someone else's behavior, the offending student makes a comment or continues to do the behavior. In an exemplary teacher's classroom, students feel safe and comfortable enough to discuss or stop another student's unwanted behavior with words or non-verbal cues. In a proficient classroom, the teacher is the primary person who solves these types of behavior problems.

6 - What Proactive Actions Can a Teacher Take to Prevent Behavior Problems?

There are many strategies, techniques, tips, and tricks that teachers can use to prevent behavior problems. Remember, if a behavior is predictable, it can be prevented in some fashion. The following are my top five strategies that will give you some ideas to use in unwanted behavior prevention:

1. Build Relationships - Students have a hard time causing a behavior problem for a teacher or staff member they like. Spend time getting to your know your students, their likes, and what makes them tick. Treat your relationships like a proverbial bank account...before you can withdraw, you must have something deposited. Research Jim Fay's philosophy called, Love and Logic!

2. Front Loading - Letting students know ahead of time of everything they are going to be doing helps them in a myriad of ways: all transitions, subject changes, answering a question, working with a partner, etc... By front loading expectations, students have time to adjust to a change.

3. Active Participation, Learning Structures, and Other Engagement Strategies - The best preventative behavior strategy is powerful engaging instruction. By adding in active participation techniques (research Pérsida Himmele and William Himmele's, Total Participation Techniques), multiple learning structures (research Kagan Cooperative Learning), and adding in engagement strategies (research Dave Burgess's, Teach Like a Pirate, or Robert Marzano's, The Highly Engaged Classroom, or Marcia Tate's, Worksheets Don't Grow Dendrites), you can infuse movement and total classroom participation techniques that keep students engaged and lessen classroom behaviors.

4. Teach Routines, Procedures, and Rules Differently - If students know and understand the rules of the classroom, as well as knowing the routines and procedures learning is more likely to occur by a majority of the students. Students seek a clear set of boundaries that continually defined and refined. When they are clearly established and celebrated by both students and teachers, behaviors lessen.

5. Keep a Growth Mindset and Find Mentors - If you think you know everything, you will have a student that changes that! We must be learners and understand that we must ask for support from others. No matter how many years of experience you have, finding someone else to give advice, ideas, and support is invaluable to our growth mindset (research Carol Dweck's, Mindset).

7 - How Extensive Is Your Proverbial "Toolbox" of Classroom Management Techniques and Strategies?

Experience plays a role in determining the size of your classroom management "toolbox." A new teacher can read and watch videos of classroom management techniques, but nothing is as valuable as in-class experiences. There are many factors in classroom management. If a teacher works with a high number of behaviorally challenged students, one intense explosive student, or several smaller behaviors in a large classroom, the tools you use determine your success as well as the rest of the students in the classroom. As every teacher will find out, one student can affect the learning of the 30 other students in the classroom. Exemplary teachers are constantly expanding their knowledge by reading, watching videos, working with mentors and colleagues to better themselves. They understand that one strategy is not going to work for all students. They also understand that trauma and anxiety play a role in what strategies they chose to use with individual students. Exemplary teachers offer grace when it is needed, as well as knowing when they need to push a student further or harder to reach their potential.

When a teacher works in a tiered behavior system (see response to question #2 above), they use different levels of behavior strategies and plans. Tier I students should consist of 80% or more of the students in the classroom. The classroom established rules with reinforcement are enough to manage these students. The next 10-15% of students, Tier II, need more support from the classroom teacher. The teacher may implement a classroom behavior plan, and they may even involve another specialist or behavior team to support them. The behavior team may build a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP). Lastly, a Tier III student needs extensive support through this behavior team, and possibly an Individual Education Plan (IEP) that addresses behavior goals.

Trauma crosses all cultures as well as all economic levels. Exemplary teachers continue to research about the best practices that support students with trauma. They understand that every student is unique and the plan they devise together with the student and family addresses the needs for the student's success. A great resource is Kristin Souers and Pete Hall's book, Fostering Resilient Learners: Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Sensitive Classroom.

Exemplary teachers continue to implement strategies and techniques. They let their students in on these strategies and never keep their moves secret. They get buy-in from students and transfer the power of their best and most effective tools to their students. The true test is when a guest teacher comes into the classroom. Will the classroom continue in much of the same manner with a guest teacher? When observed, students are supporting each other and taking care of their learning. Agency is visible in the classroom of an exempt teacher. Students even celebrate each other when things go well.

MORE ROCK MY EVALUATION RELATED READINGS:

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One of the qualities that will get you hired faster than anything else is the ability to manage a classroom full of students. Administrators shy away from hiring new teachers that have a difficult time managing students.

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Christopher Margolin

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Prior to the first bell on the first day of my teaching career, I was given a few words of advice from a veteran colleague:

1. Find the biggest, meanest kid in the classroom

2. Ask him to stand up

3. Embarrass him in whatever way possible.

This was supposed to be the "magic bullet," and at just 22-years-old, I was searching for any way to control my students - because at that time, I thought discipline was about keeping all students in line. Period. So, it sounded like a good idea to me. Here I was fresh off the bar stool, and ready to save the world.

I believe the initial interaction with my first class went like this:
Teacher: "Good morning, everyone. Let's get this year started. My name is ..."
Student: "I'm gonna go piss."
Teacher: "I haven't even said my name yet. You're not going anywhere until I'm done."
Student: "I'm gonna do it either way."
Teacher: "You're going to do exactly what I tell you, and right now, you're going to stay in that chair, and be quiet."
Student: "Whatever you say."
The student then proceeded to stand up, walk behind my desk, pull down his zipper, and pee on the floor in the corner of my classroom. The class, a room full of senior Credit Recovery students, burst into hysterics. He finished, zipped up his pants, and walked out of the room. I had no words. The "Magic Bullet" had failed, my floor was soiled, my mouth left agape, and it took everything I had to hold back the tears building up behind my eyes.

Worst of all, I had lost the class on day one.

Now, fourteen years later, I find myself out of the classroom, and into the district office as a Curriculum Specialist. I'm responsible for observing and coaching teachers-both new and veteran-in my district, and working with them not only on content and curriculum, but also on how to better engage with their students, and partner with their content in order to plan their classroom experience. While it's not the major focus of my position, one of my jobs is to help find that one avenue to make Bobby Bully and Tommy Teacher find something in common that might help them to work together throughout the year, and to make teachers understand that we are far beyond the world where heavy-handed discipline can be used to force anyone to pay attention; most importantly, to help teachers find a way for students to relate to the material enough for them to want to learn rather than simply be a warm body in a seat.

Students deserve to be recognized daily. Even if it's a simple threshold greeting, it's still an act of recognition for a student who may not receive much elsewhere. If poverty is a leading factor in behavior issues, then we must reach out to those students who are house-insecure, or food-insecure, or clothing-insecure. One must find a way to positively engage with them and reassure them that they are in a safe environment. School should be their sanctuary - their weekday vacation from whatever awaits them at the sound of the final bell.

I've told newer teachers to remember what they went through as students. To remember that not every day was a good one, and that in those moments of frustration, the last thing we wanted was to feel picked on by a teacher. I tell them to let all students know that bad days happen, and if it's a real doozy, that Joe Student can give a quick signal, and you'll know to either let them breathe through it, or crouch down next to them and let them know that if they need an ear, you'll be there. It's not rocket science; it's compassion, it's teaching, and it's the understanding that sometimes we have to be real people, and not just the sage on the stage (if you are a "sage on the stage," please try to figure out why there's so much obvious distance - metaphorical or not - between yourself and your students).

What's learned in the classroom should be much more than curriculum; it should be about life, and about finding oneself in the crowd, and choosing the best path, and knowing when to ask questions, or when to just listen. Classroom management works best when students feel like they are a part of the process of learning. In the world of education, there is no "Magic Bullet," and to the teacher who thinks otherwise, all you've done is shot down a student who probably deals with a few too many bullets - metaphorical or not - of his or her own. Creating a comfortable environment allows for students to build a respect for their teacher, and be willing to share their own thoughts and ideas. You know, like a real class is supposed to work.
Chris Margolin is the Vancouver Public Schools' Curriculum Specialist for Secondary English Language Arts, Advanced Placement, College in the High Schools, and Running Start. He spent 12 years as a high school English teacher, working not only with students, but also as a member of the district curriculum design team, developing the district's Creative Writing course. He currently resides in Vancouver, Washington with his wife and daughter.

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Prior to the first bell on the first day of my teaching career, I was given a few words of advice from a veteran colleague: Find the biggest, meanest kid in the classroom Ask him to stand up Embarrass him in whatever way possible.

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Eight Recommendations

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Asking an English teacher to pick a favorite book is almost impossible! But that's exactly what we did during our January #NCTEchat, New Year/New Ideas. During the chat, we asked educators to share one text (poem, book, novel) that they would recommend every teacher (or student) read in 2018. As you might expect, we received HUNDREDS of wonderful recommendations!

Get ready to add a lot of books to your To Be Read pile, because over the next few weeks we'll be sharing all of the recommendations we received. We'll kick off the series this week with educators' favorite professional development books.

If we missed one of your favorites, be sure to let us know on Twitter! All recommendations were pulled from January's #NCTEchat archive, which you can find here.
Book descriptions are taken from the Goodreads website.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

Why do some people succeed and others fail? Sharing new insights from her landmark research on grit, Angela Duckworth explains why talent is hardly a guarantor of success. Rather, other factors can be even more crucial, such as identifying our passions and following through on our commitments.

Why you should read this book: We need to start developing the character of our students if we want them to achieve greatness. We need to help develop intrinsic motivation for our students. That starts with helping them discover their "why."

Disrupting Thinking: Why How We Read Matters by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst

Beers and Probst discuss an ongoing problem: lack of engagement with reading. The problem, they suggest, is that we have misrepresented to students why we read and how we ought to approach any text-fiction or nonfiction.

Enticing Hard-to-Reach Writers by Ruth Ayers

Enticing Hard-to-Reach Writers invites you on a journey to become a teacher who refuses to give up on any student, who helps children believe that they can have a positive impact on the world, and who-in some cases-becomes the last hope for a child to heal.

A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas by Warren Berger

A More Beautiful Question outlines a practical Why / What If / How system of inquiry that can guide you through the process of innovative questioning-helping you find imaginative, powerful answers to your own "beautiful questions."

Why you should read this book: Great art, books included, promote questions not only answers. This book helps think about the importance of questions.

Pose, Wobble, Flow: A Culturally Proactive Approach to Literacy Instruction by Antero Garcia and Cindy O'Donnell-Allen

This book proposes a pedagogical model called Pose, Wobble, Flow to encapsulate the challenge of teaching and the process of growing as an educator who questions existing inequities in schooling and society and frames teaching around a commitment to changing them.

How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough

Drawing on groundbreaking research in neuroscience, economics, and psychology, Tough shows that the qualities that matter most have less to do with IQ and more to do with character: skills like grit, curiosity, conscientiousness, and optimism.

Notice and Note: Strategies for Close Reading by Kylene Beers and Robert E. Probst

Beers and Probst offer insights into how to create text-dependent questioning in assisting students to develop greater reading comprehension skills.

Embarrassment: And the Emotional Underlife of Learning by Thomas Newkirk

In this groundbreaking exploration, Newkirk offers practices and strategies that help kids and teachers alike develop a more resilient approach to embarrassment.

Why you should read this book: It helps teachers and students to move outside their comfort zones.

Building Powerful Learning Environments: From Schools to Communities by Arina Bokas

A learning environment has traditionally been viewed as something that educators created and sustained inside their schools. Building Powerful Learning Environments expands this understanding to embrace families, communities, other learning institutions, and businesses not as helpers, but as co-builders of a powerful learning environment.

Culturize: Every Student. Every Day. Whatever It Takes. by Jimmy Casas

In Culturize, Jimmy Casas shares insights into what it takes to cultivate a community of learners who embody the innately human traits our world desperately needs, such as kindness, honesty, and compassion.

Change Over Time in Children's Development by Marie M. Clay

How do children's simple literacy responses become controlled, accurate, and coordinated? Clay answers with a rich and readable account of literacy learning drawn from research and theory in developmental psychology, neuropsychology, information-processing theory, and linguistics.

Literacy Essentials: Engagement, Excellence, and Equity for ALL Learners by Regie Routman

Based on her ongoing teaching, leading, and coaching in diverse schools and districts, Routman offers K-12 teachers and leaders practical, easy-to-implement tools to help students develop as self-determining readers, writers, and learners.

Helping Children Succeed: What Works and Why by Paul Tough

Mining the latest research in psychology and neuroscience, Tough provides us with insights and strategies for a new approach to childhood adversity, one designed to help many more children succeed.

Shifting the Monkey: The Art of Protecting Good People from Liars, Criers, and Other Slackers by Todd Whitaker

Poor employees get a disproportionate amount of attention. Why? Because they complain the loudest, create the greatest disruptions, and rely on others to assume the responsibilities that they shirk. Learn how to focus on your good employees first and help them shift these "monkeys" back to the underperformers.

Teach Like a Pirate: Increase Student Engagement, Boost Your Creativity, and Transform Your Life as an Educator by Dave Burgess

Based on Dave Burgess's popular "Outrageous Teaching" and "Teach Like a PIRATE" seminars, this book offers inspiration, practical techniques, and innovative ideas.

World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students by Yong Zhao

Researcher and professor Yong Zhao unlocks the secrets to cultivating independent thinkers who are willing and able to create jobs and contribute positively to the globalized society.

Teach Like Finland: 33 Simple Strategies for Joyful Classrooms by Timothy D. Walker

From incorporating brain breaks to offering a peaceful learning environment, this book pulls back the curtain on the joyful teaching practices of the world's most lauded school system.

The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity by George Couros

George Couros encourages teachers and administrators to empower their learners to wonder, to explore-and to become forward-thinking leaders.

For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood . . . and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education by Christopher Emdin

With this fresh and engaging new pedagogical vision, Emdin demonstrates the importance of creating a family structure and building communities within the classroom, using culturally relevant strategies like hip-hop music and call-and-response, and connecting the experiences of urban youth to indigenous populations globally.

The Wild Card: 7 Steps to an Educator's Creative Breakthrough by Wade and Hope King

In this book, Wade and Hope King show you how to draw on your authentic self-your past experiences, personality quirks, interests, hobbies, and strengths-to deliver your content creatively.

Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It by Kelly Gallagher

Reading is dying in our schools. Educators are familiar with many of the factors that have contributed to the decline-poverty, second-language issues, and the ever-expanding choices of electronic entertainment. In this provocative new book, Kelly Gallagher suggests, however, that it is time to recognize a new and significant contributor to the death of reading: our schools.

The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child by Donalyn Miller

Miller dispenses with the more traditional reading instruction of book reports and comprehension worksheets in favor of embracing students' choices in books and independent reading.

Book Love: Developing Depth, Stamina, and Passion in Adolescent Readers by Penny Kittle

In Book Love Kittle takes student apathy head on, first by recognizing why students don't read and then showing us that when we give kids books that are right for them, along with time to read and regular response to their thinking, we can create a pathway to satisfying reading that leads to more challenging literature and ultimately, a love of reading.

Reading Ladders: Leading Students from Where They Are to Where We'd Like Them to Be by Teri Lesesne

With reading ladders, you start with the authors, genres, or subjects your readers like and then connect them to book after book-each a little more complex or challenging than the last.

Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom by bell hooks

bell hooks-writer, teacher, and insurgent black intellectual-writes about a new kind of education, education as the practice of freedom. Teaching students to "transgress" against racial, sexual, and class boundaries in order to achieve the gift of freedom is, for hooks, the teacher's most important goal.

Looking for even more books to add to your collection?

Be sure to check out NCTE's store for hundreds of books and journals that can help you develop your teacher toolkit! Some recent favorites have included:

Continuing the Journey: Becoming a Better Teacher of Literature and Informational Texts by Leila Christenbury and Ken Lindblom

In Continuing the Journey, Leila Christenbury and Ken Lindblom are joined by almost two dozen classroom teachers and researchers to offer practical advice, encouragement, and cutting-edge ideas that you can implement in your classroom, with a focus on literature and informational texts.

Strategic Writing: The Writing Process and Beyond in the Secondary English Classroom, 2nd edition by Deborah Dean
For this revised edition, Dean worked with high school teachers to refine, reorganize, and update the material to better support classroom teachers dedicated to teaching not just the process of writing but also the strategies that help students learn to write effectively throughout their lives.

Deep Reading: Teaching Reading in the Writing Classroom, edited by Patrick Sullivan, Howard Tinberg, and Sheridan Blau
Contributors to this collection argue that college-level reading must be theorized as foundationally linked to any understanding of college-level writing.

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2018 Reading Recommendations: Professional Development - NCTE

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Asking an English teacher to pick a favorite book is almost impossible! But that's exactly what we did during our January #NCTEchat, New Year/New Ideas. During the chat, we asked educators to share one text (poem, book, novel) that they would recommend every teacher (or student) read in 2018.

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Books to read as a class

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What type of books help kids learn to take on challenges? Ones that promote a " growth mindset," says Ellen Galinsky, best-selling author of Mind in the Making. These 11 growth mindset books, chosen by Galinsky for the nonprofit First Book, can help kids with learning and attention issues feel like they can grow and succeed despite their challenges.
Understood does not endorse or receive financial compensation for the sale of any of these products.

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11 Books to Help Kids Build a Growth Mindset

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What type of books help kids learn to take on challenges? Ones that promote a " growth mindset," says Ellen Galinsky, best-selling author of Mind in the Making. These 11 growth mindset books, chosen by Galinsky for the nonprofit First Book, can help kids with learning and attention issues feel like they can grow and succeed despite their challenges.

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Limits and benefits

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I played the video game Fortnite the other day with my teen grandson. As an educator, I've worked with thousands of kids with ADHD, social skills issues and similar challenges. And I wanted to know more about how Fortnite might affect them.

Fortnite is an online, multiplayer shooter video game. It's free and can be played on a computer, on a gaming system like the Xbox, or on a mobile device. The most popular game mode is Battle Royale, where 100 players drop onto an island, try to find construction materials and weapons, and fight each other to be the last person (or team of people) standing. Players can talk to one another, and each game lasts 20 minutes. To get a sense of what it's like, imagine an arcade version of the film The Hunger Games.

Fortnite has taken the world by storm. An estimated 50 million people play. There are news reports of kids playing at all hours of the day, late at night, and even under their desks at school. And many experts have weighed in on whether the game is good for kids.

What hasn't been addressed is the impact on kids with learning and attention issues. After playing Fortnite, I have some specific things for parents of kids with ADHD and social skills issues to keep in mind.
1. The age recommendation for Fortnite is 13 and up, but each child is different.
The Entertainment Software Ratings Board rates Fortnite "T" for teen, which means ages 13 and up. Common Sense Media, an Understood founding partner, also recommends the game for kids 13 and up, because of its action violence and open chat. This is a good starting point.

However, you know your child best. Some "tweens" can handle the action. But other kids with ADHD or who struggle with social interaction may not be mature enough. Or they may need more supervision. You'll need to make a personal decision regarding your child.
2. Kids with ADHD can get absorbed by Fortnite and need limits.
Kids with ADHD can get hyperfocused on things that interest them. That can happen with any video game, and Fortnite is no exception.

If you allow video game screen time (with Fortnite or any other game), it's important to have clear rules and set limits about when and where. How much time each day? How will your child transition to other activities when needed? Fortnite, like many other video games, also allows players to spend real money on in-app purchases. If your child is impulsive, you'll need to address this too.
3. Your child needs explicit guidance on Fortnite (and screen time).
Kids with ADHD or social skills issues need rules spelled out clearly. After you decide on screen time rules, I encourage you to talk to your child as directly as possible about them.

At the same time, be willing to listen. A lot of kids want to play Fortnite because it's a hot topic among their peers in middle and high school. That's not a reason to let your child play if you feel it's not appropriate. But it's important to be open to your child's feelings.
4. If you don't allow Fortnite, your child may find a way to play anyway.
If you don't allow Fortnite at home or elsewhere, your child may be tempted to play behind your back. The game is present at school, summer camp and friends' houses, where you can't monitor your child's use.

Again, that's not a reason to allow Fortnite, but it is something to consider when you set rules. If you don't allow it, there are videos of people playing the game on YouTube, and you may want to watch one of those videos with your child. That will at least give your child enough background to talk about the game with friends.
5. Fortnite may encourage kids to practice planning, collaboration and teamwork.
After I played Fortnite with my grandson, I realized that the game requires a lot of skill. Players need to gather equipment, build forts and fight battles. These tasks require executive functioning skills like flexible thinking and planning. Team play is also a big part of Fortnite. Playing in a duo team or four-person squad requires teamwork and collaboration.

All players must learn to escape potential danger, think on their feet, and be alert to external threats and changes. These are the same skills that can trip up many kids with ADHD in their daily lives. Some practice developing these skills in a game format could actually help kids when they're not playing.
6. Player communication in Fortnite can be good for social skills development.
In Fortnite, players chat with their partners or squads as they try to win. This can have positives for kids who struggle to connect with other kids. It gives a reason to talk about strategy and find common ground with peers.

At the same time, players can also communicate with strangers in Fortnite. This can be risky, especially for younger players. It's important to be aware of this and take precautions. On some devices-the Xbox, for instance-you can turn off voice chat in the parental control settings.
7. The violence in Fortnite is less than other games, but keep a close eye on your child.
While playing Fortnite, I noticed very little blood and gore. There's less graphic violence compared with other shooting games, like Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto. Still, violence is part of the game. In Battle Royale, for example, players try to eliminate enemies in combat using weapons.

Research hasn't established a clear link between playing violent video games and engaging in physical or criminal violence. However, there is evidence that video games can lead to aggressive thoughts and behavior, as well as leading to less empathy in kids. This is a hotly debated area in which experts don't always agree.

My advice is to keep a close eye on your child's video game play. If your child has ADHD or social skills issues and is playing excessively, it's time to reinforce screen time limits in clear terms.

Allowing your child to play a video game like Fortnite is a personal family decision-and it's OK to say no. Keep in mind, however, that video games and screens are here to stay. Whatever you decide, make sure you have a plan when your child asks for a chance to play.

For more information about Fortnite, check out Common Sense Media's guide to the game. Watch as an expert explains the pros and cons of video games for kids with ADHD. And read an expert's take on the popular game Minecraft.
Any opinions, views, information and other content contained in blogs on Understood.org are the sole responsibility of the writer of the blog, and do not necessarily reflect the views, values, opinions or beliefs of, and are not endorsed by, Understood.

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Fortnite and Kids With ADHD or Social Skills Issues: 7 Things I Tell Parents

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I played the video game Fortnite the other day with my teen grandson. As an educator, I've worked with thousands of kids with ADHD, social skills issues and similar challenges. And I wanted to know more about how Fortnite might affect them. Fortnite is an online, multiplayer shooter video game.

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Need a safe place

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Many people think the words "tantrum" and "meltdown" mean the same thing. And they can look very similar when you see a child in the middle of having one. But for kids who have sensory processing issues or who lack self-control, a meltdown is very different from a tantrum. Knowing the differences can help you learn how to respond in a way that better supports your child.

What a Tantrum Is

A tantrum is an outburst that happens when a child is trying to get something he wants or needs. Some kids with learning and attention issues are more prone to tantrums. For instance, some can be impulsive and have trouble keeping their emotions in check. They may get angry or frustrated quickly.

A child may have a tantrum if he didn't get to go first in a game of kickball. Or he might get upset when you pay attention to his sister and he wants your attention. Yelling, crying or lashing out isn't an appropriate way for him to express his feelings, but he's doing it for a reason. And he has some control over his behavior.

Your child may even stop in the middle of a tantrum to make sure you're looking at him. When he sees that you're watching him, he may pick up where he left off. His tantrum is likely to stop when he gets what he wants-or when he realizes he won't get what he wants by acting out.

What a Sensory Meltdown Is

A meltdown is a reaction to feeling overwhelmed.

For some kids, it happens when there's too much sensory information to process. The commotion of an amusement park might set them off, for instance. For other kids, it can be a reaction to having too many things to think about. A back-to-school shopping trip could cause a tantrum that triggers a meltdown.

Here's one way to think about too much sensory input. Imagine filling a small water pitcher. Most of the time, you can control the flow of water and fill the pitcher a little at a time. But sometimes the water flow is too strong and the pitcher overflows before you can turn the water off.

That's how a sensory meltdown works. The noise at the amusement park or the stack of clothes to try on in the dressing room at the mall is sensory input that floods your child's brain. Once that happens, some experts think your child's fight-or-flight response kicks in. That excess input overflows in the form of yelling, crying, lashing out or running away.

Different Strategies for Tantrums and Meltdowns

The causes of tantrums and meltdowns are different, and so are the strategies that can help stop them. It's important to remember that the key difference between the two types of outbursts is that tantrums usually have a purpose. Kids are looking for a certain response. Meltdowns are a reaction to something and are usually beyond a child's control.

A child can often stop a tantrum if he gets what he wants. Or if he's rewarded for using a more appropriate behavior. But a meltdown isn't likely to stop when a child gets what he wants. In fact, he may not even know what he wants.

Meltdowns tend to end in one of two ways. One is fatigue-kids wear themselves out. The other way a change in the amount of sensory input. This can help kids feel less overwhelmed. For example, your child may start to feel calmer when you step outside the store and leave the mall.

So how can you handle tantrums and meltdowns differently?

To tame tantrums, acknowledge what your child needs without giving in. Make it clear that you understand what he's after. "I see that you want my attention. When your sister is done talking, it'll be your turn." Then help him see there's a more appropriate behavior that will work. "When you're done yelling, tell me calmly that you're ready for my time."

To manage a meltdown, help your child find a safe, quiet place to de-escalate. "Let's leave the mall and sit in the car for a few minutes." Then provide a calm, reassuring presence without talking too much to your child. The goal is to reduce the input coming at him.

Knowing the difference between tantrums and meltdowns is the key to helping your child through them. It may also help to get a better idea of the kinds of situations that can be challenging for your child. You can also explore tips on how to deal with noise and other sensitivities.

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The Difference Between Tantrums and Sensory Meltdowns

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Many people think the words "tantrum" and "meltdown" mean the same thing. And they can look very similar when you see a child in the middle of having one. But for kids who have sensory processing issues or who lack self-control, a meltdown is very different from a tantrum.

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Behavior Intervention Plans

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Does your child have trouble behaving in the classroom? If so, that problem behavior could satisfy an unidentified need for your child.

A functional behavior assessment (FBA) can help figure out the cause of problem behaviors. A behavior intervention plan (BIP) is a plan that's based on the FBA. A BIP can help to replace problem behaviors with more positive ones. Here's what you need to know about behavior interventions and the BIP.

What Are Behavior Interventions?

Behavior interventions are steps teachers take to stop problem behaviors at school. First, the problem behavior must be identified. For example, your child may be:

Disrupting the class

Showing aggression toward the teacher or other children

Acting unresponsive or withdrawn

Refusing to do classroom work

Using inappropriate or harassing language

Your child's teacher or IEP team can work to determine what purpose the problem behavior serves for your child. For example, there are many possible reasons why he throws a book in class. Maybe he can't understand what's being taught.

What does your child gain or avoid by misbehaving? Maybe he's seeking attention from the teacher or other students. Kids often don't know why they do what they do. By doing a functional behavior assessment (FBA), the IEP team or teachers and staff can determine the cause of the behavior. Then they can plan appropriate ways for your child to seek attention.

The FBA may involve interviewing your child, the teacher or other school staff. The teacher and other staff may also observe your child to pinpoint what triggers the problem behavior. Once the IEP team understands what function the behavior serves for your child, they can create a behavior intervention plan.

What Is a Behavior Intervention Plan?

A behavior intervention plan (BIP) is a plan that's designed to teach and reward positive behaviors. This can help prevent or stop problem behaviors in school. The BIP is based on the results of the FBA.

The BIP describes the problem behavior, the reasons the behavior occurs and the intervention strategies that will address the problem behavior.

The IEP team might realize that your child lacks the skills needed to handle certain situations. For example, if your child has attention and impulsivity issues, he may not know how to respond appropriately when another child confronts him. Instead, he might become physically aggressive.

A BIP can help your child learn problem-solving skills and better ways to respond in that type of situation. The plan also explains who is responsible for helping with each aspect of the BIP. Here's how that might read in a BIP:

The student will ask for breaks when needed.

The counselor will teach student self-calming activities.

The student will be removed from a group after one warning until he can show self-control.

The student will be rewarded with computer time if the teacher notices him working well in a group.

The teacher will de-emphasize competition in classroom.

What to Watch Out For

A child's BIP should be monitored and adjusted as needed. A BIP doesn't always work as planned. Two of the most common reasons are:

A mismatch between the intervention and the targeted behavior. Sometimes the IEP team assumes the misbehavior happens for one reason, but the real reason is something else completely.

A failure to monitor and adjust the rewards or reinforcement for appropriate behavior over time. What works at first might soon become "old hat" and need to be switched up.

Problem behavior can be triggered by things that are unrelated to children's learning and attention issues. It can be caused by frustration with school, family issues or social pressure. Even the size of a classroom or nearby distractions can set off inappropriate behavior.

Don't hesitate to speak up for your child and work with the school to develop a BIP. If your child has an IEP or 504 plan, these supports should be part of the plan.

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Behavior Intervention Plans: What You Need to Know

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Does your child have trouble behaving in the classroom? If so, that problem behavior could satisfy an unidentified need for your child. A functional behavior assessment (FBA) can help figure out the cause of problem behaviors. A behavior intervention plan (BIP) is a plan that's based on the FBA.

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Know your students

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Thought starters

1. How does the 1 to 5 rating system encourage self-reflection and provide important feedback?

2. How does Ms. Sinclair reinforce desired behaviors through positive feedback?

3. What strategies does Ms. Sinclair use to consistently communicate expectations to her students?

School Details

Woodlawn Elementary School
508 Elm St
Lawrence KS 66044

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Teachers

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Caring and Control Create a Safe, Positive Classroom

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Third grade teacher Lori Sinclair seeks the advice of instructional expert Jim Knight in an effort to improve classroom management and maximize student engagement.Lori and Jim analyze her daily procedures and routines and uncover three important takeaways that contribute to the positive culture of her classroom.

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Revitalize learning and the classroom environment

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Reimagining Classrooms: Teachers as Learners and Students as Leaders | Kayla Delzer | TEDxFargo

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Emotional Disturbance means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance:

An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.

An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.

Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances

A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression

A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.

Emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance.

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Webinars

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Modeling Prompts

Modeling prompts “consist of demonstrating part or all of the desired behavior to the student who imitates or repeats the action immediately” (Snell & Zirpoli, 1987, p. 126). As with gestural prompts, modeling should be paired with an appropriate verbal prompt or verbal discriminative stimulus that the child will be expected to respond to after the modeling prompt is phased out. For example, when instructing a group of students on expected behavior during story time, the teacher may model where and how the children should sit quietly, with their hands to themselves and without disturbing others. Then, following the verbal discriminative stimulus “Children, it is time to read a story,” the teacher may ask the children to imitate or practice this behavior while a story is being read to them. Appropriate behaviors are then reinforced (“Mario, I like the way you are listening!”). Sometimes the teacher may ask another student to model a particular behavior for the other students. Regardless of who is providing the model, Bandura (1971) recommends that

the children’s attention . . . be gained prior to the presentation of the model,

the children readily imitate the model, and

the modeled behavior be kept short and simple, especially for young children.

Kazdin (1989, p. 21) states that the imitation of a model by an observer is more likely when

the model (child) is similar to the observer,

the model is more prestigious than the observer, and

several models perform the same behavior.

(Zirpoli 17-18)

Zirpoli, Thomas J. Behavior Management, 7th Edition. Pearson, 20150216. VitalBook file.

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Children learn behaviors through modeling

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The Brain: A Secret History - Emotions; Bandura Bobo Doll Experiment

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I had a great time going through the resources for this assignment. I loved the Smith System furnishings. There are lots of fun ideas on Pinterest as well.

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"Okay so, here's my classroom (jk), except I don't like the current popular colors. I can't take all the lime green, yellow, and orange that is so popular."

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Classroom Furniture's Active Role in Learning Environments.

The classroom has evolved from a static physical space into a dynamic learning environment. What made this evolution possible is the combination of a better understanding of the way students learn and the ability to apply that understanding through more effective teaching methods. Naturally, as the teaching methods changed, so have the teacher's tools, including the classroom furniture.

Even advanced desks don't move themselves.

Mobility is a crucial feature for furniture in a collaborative learning classroom. So, always consider optional casters for desks and tables. Without them, moving desks is a struggle for small students, and reconfiguring classrooms disrupts progress on lessons and projects.

Consider management of project materials.

The educator needs more tools to facilitate group and project learning. One invaluable resource is a cabinet that allows project materials to be sorted and stored for each group, distributed to the group when needed, then put away when finished. This is a valuable space for storing manipulatives, also.

Consider different learning modalities.

The 21st Century Classroom supports passive and active learning lesson plans. It eases the transition from lecture style to learner-led and teacher-guided lessons. The classroom makes use of analog and digital visual presentation technology.

Connectivity is key.

Whether they're working with tablets or laptops, students need the ability to connect with data and other resources. It is crucial for 21st Century Classrooms to provide students with both power as well as WiFi for their devices.

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The classroom has evolved from a static physical space into a dynamic learning environment. What made this evolution possible is the combination of a better understanding of the way students learn and the ability to apply that understanding through more effective teaching methods.

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12 Ways to Upgrade Your Classroom Design | Cult of Pedagogy

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Money and space are not prerequisites for learning-friendly design. Try any one of these ideas to make your classroom a better place for students to learn.

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I was inspired by our assigned videos, especially, "Managing Flow in the Early Childhood Classroom"

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The checklist from "Back Off, Cool Down, Try Again" was very helpful with wall heights

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Teacher Vision

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I am not using padlet to create my floor plan because of the level of difficulty to control the outcome. This post illustrates the difficulty I am experiencing well.