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Beginning of course focus on building student-teacher rapport.  Instead of giving a syllabus and hitting the ground running on the first day (or week) of school, teachers ought to focus on getting to know students and building a positive and happy
rapport.  Team building activities, interactive and open communication is the idea, not simple personal survey sheets.

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Pages 60-64 in linked PDF.

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April 5, 2016
As part of our focus on Autism Awareness Month throughout April, Lisa Carey, M.A. (LC) interviewed Dr. Jonathan Schmidt (JS) to help answer some questions about applied behavior analysis (ABA) as an evidence-based practice for teaching students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Dr. Jonathan Schmidt (JS) is the faculty director of the Principles of Behavior Change core at the Center for Innovation and Leadership in Special Education (CILSE), as well as a senior behavior analyst in the Neurobehavioral Unit Inpatient Program at the Kennedy Krieger Institute (NBU). At the NBU, he supervises the assessment and treatment of individuals who are admitted for severe problem behavior and consults with relevant caregivers to ensure effective service delivery. Dr. Schmidt is also an assistant professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
LC: Applied behavior analysis is often listed as an evidence-based practice for teaching students with autism spectrum disorder. Can you explain what ABA is and why it's been successful with students with ASD?
JS: ABA systematically uses behavioral methods to target socially significant behaviors for change and helps students learn by arranging the environment to promote success (Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968). After identifying socially important goals for an individual, the emphasis often moves to attempting to improve desired behaviors and/or decrease undesired behaviors.

It is critical that before attempting to decrease any undesired behaviors, you determine what behaviors you want to increase or see occur more frequently, because the ultimate goal should be to build skills. Instruction occurs by structuring the environment to understand the target behavior and engaging in repeated and consistent instruction to strengthen the contingencies for targeted behaviors/skills. Many educational professionals and parents alike prefer ABA strategies because they can offer predictability. ABA strategiesclearly delineate how to respond to students and how to help students understand the relationship between their behavior and consequences. From the outset of any instruction, ABA emphasizes planning for generalization so that the student can perform the behavior across environments, people, and time.

Overall, ABA has an extensive evidence-base of over 40 years supporting its use for teaching youth with an ASD. This means that a large number of peer-reviewed scientific studies that evaluated assessment and treatment strategies using ABA have been conducted and have been shown to have a positive impact on youth with an ASD.

Because students with an ASD will most likely have deficits in communication and social interactions and issues with restricted or repetitive behaviors, it can be difficult for them to navigate their environments effectively. This can restrict their opportunities for learning. ABA helps these students by explicitly teaching them the skills they need to function with more independence and to facilitate skill growth for development. This is accomplished by clearly defining targets or goals and the steps necessary to achieve them, developing operational definitions of behaviors, taking baseline data on the behaviors of interest, and then implementing interventions to see how behaviors are affected.

There is a variety of ABA strategies and treatment packages that have been shown to be effective for students with an ASD. Some of the basic behavioral principles that permeate these packages include:

Differential reinforcement (reinforcing desired behaviors);

Noncontingent reinforcement (providing free access to preferred items, activities, or attention);

Extinction (not responding to a behavior with a functionally related consequence); and

Punishment (implementing consequences to decrease the likelihood undesirable behavior will occur again in the future).

What common misconceptions do educators have about ABA?

The most common misconceptions I have heard from educators about ABA often stem from misunderstandings about what exactly ABA represents. Once they learn more about ABA, their misconceptions are often rectified. One common myth is that ABA is only for students with autism and that all students with autism need 40 hours of ABA delivered in a 1:1 format in order to be successful. ABA procedures are valuable for everyone, children and adults, regardless of whether or not they have a diagnosis of an ASD. Some students will need long-term comprehensive treatments, whereas others may only need more short-term focused treatments.

For all students with an ASD, it is important to first detail exactly what the goals will be for that specific student, and then determine the types and duration of therapy that will be needed to accomplish those goals. Many students will not need extended 1:1 instruction and will respond favorably after minimal instruction to the contingencies that are set up in their environment; however, for other students where their deficits or behaviors are more severe, more intensive services will be warranted.

Many people think that ABA is synonymous with discrete-trial training. In actuality, discrete-trial training is one strategy within ABA that is often used to teach students new skills, but is not wording that should be used interchangeably with ABA. Discrete-trial training was heavily emphasized within the original instruction of the famous Lovaas comprehensive treatment program (Lovaas, 1987), and has been shown to be beneficial for a number of individuals with an ASD. However, ABA emphasizes the use of behavioral and learning principles to emphasize how the environment affects behavior, and thus is encompassed within other instructional programs as well.

Another misconception that educators have about ABA is that it turns students into robots. With ABA, programming for skills should emphasize having the relevant behaviors occurring across caregivers, settings, and other similar situations. Focusing on certain areas, such as social skills, can be difficult for some individuals with ASD, and thus sometimes will need to occur in an initially more contrived format to try and enhance acquisition and fluency with the relevant skills. However, the end goal is always to increase the student's ability to function independently and generalize these skills.
LC: A lot of educators have concerns about addressing the behavioral needs of students with ASD. What are some things they should keep in mind when addressing disruptive behaviors?
JS: Students with an ASD are more likely to exhibit problem behavior than their undiagnosed peers. I think it is important to remember that the students are in school to learn and want to be successful.

Behaviors should be targeted for change just like academic skills are targeted for change. If a student is having trouble learning a new academic skill or being fluent with an academic skill, you would try to understand the reason for why the student is struggling, try teaching them the skill using new approaches to specifically target the reason for their difficulty or deficit, and potentially give them additional support until they are ready to operate with more independence. Just as you would tailor the academic interventions to the student, it is critical to do the same with disruptive behaviors.

The foundation for addressing disruptive behavior is to first try and understand why the behaviors are happening. When disruptive behavior occurs, the first step is to determine the "function" of a behavior, which means to figure out why the behavior is occurring or what the student is trying to communicate to you.

Behaviors are traditionally going to be classified as being maintained by attention, escape, tangible items (toys, activities, or food), or automatic or sensory reinforcement. After determining the function of the behavior, you are then able to focus on effective treatments to target a specific context where the disruptive behavior is likely to occur.

Common treatments involve antecedent (arranging the environment to reduce the likelihood of disruptive behavior occurring) or consequence-based (adjusting what happens after a behavior occurs) strategies. It is important to remember that sometimes you may be able to change the behavior of the student by teaching them new skills or setting up desirable contingencies, but another key approach involves changing the behavior of those who interact with the student, or changing the environment.
LC: Some educators have concerns that using ABA means you can't use other instructional approaches to address social and academic learning for students with ASD. What is your take on that?
JS: One of the key mechanisms of ABA involves using the scientific method and making changes systematically. Primary components of this are to develop clear definitions of the target behaviors you want to measure, implement your interventions one at a time when possible, and make data-based decisions to determine what is effective and what isn't working quite the way you had hoped. This approach allows you try out different instructional approaches as long as you are collecting data to evaluate the instructional method, and the potential benefits of using a specific type of intervention outweigh the costs. Ultimately, regardless of the approach you are using, you want to be sure it is evidence-based and has a high likelihood of achieving the goals for the student.
LC: Any closing words of advice for teachers working with students with ASD?
JS: Be patient and methodical, and realize that you can impact these students' lives greatly. Also, be a healthy skeptic of any approach, even behavioral interventions that you are implementing. Be willing, however, to adapt your views and philosophy so that you can continue to grow and develop effective practices. Because you are on the front line, and leading the way for making changes in these students' lives, it is critical to try and stay up to date with the latest peer-reviewed interventions, and when necessary, step outside of your comfort zone and be willing to change your approach.

Additionally, clear goals that everyone agrees on and a strong data collection system that guides decision-making, are key components for determining if assessment and treatment procedures are effective, because ultimately, your time and effort is invaluable.
References:

Baer, D., Wolf, M., & Risley, T. (1968). Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1, 91-97.

Lovaas, O. I. (1987). Behavioral treatment and normal educational and intellectual functioning in young autistic children. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 55(1), 3-9. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.55.1.3

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Faculty Interview: Jonathan Schmidt, Ph.D. | Kennedy Krieger Institute

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April 5, 2016 As part of our focus on Autism Awareness Month throughout April, Lisa Carey, M.A. (LC) interviewed Dr. Jonathan Schmidt (JS) to help answer some questions about applied behavior analysis (ABA) as an evidence-based practice for teaching students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

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Classroom rewards do not always have to be toys. Learn about a neat way to have students earn play money for rewards that include school supplies and lunch with a teacher.

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One day, in front 36 riotous sophomores, I clutched my chest and dropped to my knees like Sergeant Elias at the end of Platoon. Instantly, dead silence and open mouths replaced classroom Armageddon. Standing up like nothing had happened, I said, "Thanks for your attention -- let's talk about love poems."

I never used that stunt again. After all, should a real emergency occur, it would be better if students call 911 rather than post my motionless body on YouTube. I've thought this through.

Most teachers use silencing methods, such as flicking the lights, ringing a call bell (see Teacher Tipster's charming video on the subject), raising two fingers, saying "Attention, class," or using Harry Wong's Give Me 5 -- a command for students to:

1. Focus their eyes on the speaker

2. Be quiet

3. Be still

4. Empty their hands

5. Listen.

There is also the "three fingers" version, which stands for stop, look, and listen. Fortunately, none of these involve medical hoaxes.

Lesser known techniques are described below and categorized by grade bands:

How to Quiet Kindergarten and Early Elementary School Children

Novelty successfully captures young students' attention, such as the sound of a wind chime or rain stick. Beth O., in Cornerstone for Teachers, tells her students, "Pop a marshmallow in." Next she puffs up her cheeks, and the kids follow suit. It's hard to speak with an imaginary marshmallow filling your mouth.

An equally imaginative approach involves filling an empty Windex bottle with lavender mineral oil, then relabeling the bottle " Quiet Spray." Or you can blow magic "hush-bubbles" for a similar impact.

If you want to go electronic, check out Traffic Light by ICT Magic, which is simply a stoplight for talkers. Other digital methods include the Super Sound Box, Class Dojo, or the Too Noisy App -- an Apple and Android tool that determines noise level and produces an auditory signal when voices become too loud.

Late Elementary and Middle Grade Attention Getters

Back when I taught middle school students, I would announce, "Silent 20," as a way to conclude an activity. If students returned to their seats and were completely quiet in 20 seconds, I advanced them one space on a giant facsimile of Game of Life. When they reached the last square (which took approximately one month), we held a popcorn party.

One of the best ways to maintain a quiet classroom is to catch students at the door before they enter. During these encounters, behavior management expert Rob Plevin recommends using "non-confrontational statements" and "informal chit-chat" to socialize kids into productive behaviors, as modeled in Plevin's video.

Two approaches for securing "100 percent attention" are modeled in a short video narrated by Teach Like a Champion author Doug Lemov -- a minimally invasive hand gesture and countdown technique ("I need two people. You know who you are. I need one person . . . ").

Another idea is to use a content "word of the week" to signal that it's time for silence. Examples: integer, renaissance, or circuit.

Quieting High School Students

Sometimes, rambunctious high school classrooms need a little longer to comply. In An ELT Notebook article, Rob Johnson recommends that teachers write the following instructions in bold letters on the chalkboard:

If you wish to continue talking during my lesson, I will have to take time off you at break. By the time I've written the title on the board you need to be sitting in silence. Anyone who is still talking after that will be kept behind for five minutes.

The strategy always, always works, says Johnson, because it gives students adequate warning.

Another technique, playing classical music (Bach, not Mahler) on low volume when learners enter the room, sets a professional tone. I played music with positive subliminal messages to ninth graders until they complained that it gave them headaches.

Call and Response

Below is a collection of catchy sayings that work as cues to be quiet, the first ones appropriate for early and middle grade students, and the later ones field tested to work with high school kids.

The teacher says... Holy. The students respond with... Macaroni.

The teacher says... 1, 2, 3, eyes on me. The students respond with... 1, 2, eyes on you.

The teacher says... I'm incredible. The students respond with... like the Hulk. Grrrrrr. (Kids flex during the last sound.)

The teacher says... Ayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. The students respond with... macarena.

The teacher says... I get knocked down. The students respond with... but I get up again, you're never going to keep me down.

The teacher says... Oh Mickey, you're so fine. The students respond with... you're so fine, you blow my mind -- hey Mickey.

The teacher says... The only easy day. The students respond with... was yesterday. (A Navy Seals slogan)

Implementation Suggestions

For maximum effect, teach your quiet signal and procedure, as demonstrated in this elementary level classroom video. Next, have kids rehearse being noisy until you give the signal for silence. Don't accept anything less than 100 percent compliance. Then describe appropriate levels of noise for different contexts, such as when you're talking (zero noise) or during a writing workshop (quiet voices), etc.

If a rough class intimidates you (we've all been there), privately practice stating the following in an authoritative voice: "My words are important. Students will listen to me." Say it until you believe it. Finally, take comfort in the knowledge that, out of three million U.S. educators who taught today, two or three might have struggled to silence a rowdy class.

How do you get your students' attention?

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30 Techniques to Quiet a Noisy Class | Edutopia

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One day, in front 36 riotous sophomores, I clutched my chest and dropped to my knees like Sergeant Elias at the end of Platoon. Instantly, dead silence and open mouths replaced classroom Armageddon. Standing up like nothing had happened, I said, "Thanks for your attention -- let's talk about love poems." I never used that stunt again.

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Positive Reinforcement for Class Participation

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Looking for ideas to increase classroom participation from students? Learn some quick positive reinforcement techniques that have increased classroom participation in all grades.

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Raising our voice to get students' attention is not the best approach, and the stress it causes and the vibe it puts in the room just isn't worth it. The students will mirror your voice level, so avoid using that semi-shouting voice. If we want kids to talk at a normal, pleasant volume, we must do the same.

You want to also differentiate your tone. If you are asking students to put away their notebooks and get into their groups, be sure to use a declarative, matter-of-fact tone. If you are asking a question about a character in a short story, or about contributions made by the Roman Empire, use an inviting, conversational tone.
#2 Speak only when students are quiet and ready
This golden nugget was given to me by a 20-year veteran my first year. She told me that I should just wait and then wait some more until all students were quiet.

So I tried it; I fought the temptation to talk. Sometimes I'd wait much longer than I thought I could hold out for. Slowly but surely, the students would cue each other: "sshh, she's trying to tell us something," "come on, stop talking," and "hey guys, be quiet." (They did all the work for me!)

My patience paid off. Yours will too. And you'll get to keep your voice.
#3 Use hand signals and other non-verbal communication
Holding one hand in the air, and making eye contact with students is a great way to quiet the class and get their attention on you. It takes awhile for students to get used to this as a routine, but it works wonderfully. Have them raise their hand along with you until all are up. Then lower yours and talk.

Flicking the lights off and on once to get the attention is an oldie but goodie. It could also be something you do routinely to let them know they have three minutes to finish an assignment or clean up, etc.

With younger students, try clapping your hands three times and teaching the children to quickly clap back twice. This is a fun and active way to get their attention and all eyes on you.
#4 Address behavior issues quickly and wisely
Be sure to address an issue between you and a student or between two students as quickly as possible. Bad feelings -- on your part or the students -- can so quickly grow from molehills into mountains.

Now, for handling those conflicts wisely, you and the student should step away from the other students, just in the doorway of the classroom perhaps. Wait until after instruction if possible, avoiding interruption of the lesson. Ask naive questions such as, "How might I help you?" Don't accuse the child of anything. Act as if you do care, even if you have the opposite feeling at that moment. The student will usually become disarmed because she might be expecting you to be angry and confrontational.

And, if you must address bad behavior during your instruction, always take a positive approach. Say, "It looks like you have a question" rather than, "Why are you off task and talking?"

When students have conflicts with each other, arrange for the students to meet with you at lunch, after or before school. Use neutral language as you act as a mediator, helping them resolve the problem peacefully, or at least reach an agreeable truce.
#5 Always have a well-designed, engaging lesson
This tip is most important of all. Perhaps you've heard the saying, if you don't have a plan for them, they'll have one for you. Always overplan. It's better to run out of time than to run short on a lesson.

From my own first-hand experience and after many classrooms observations, something that I know for sure: Bored students equal trouble! If the lesson is poorly planned, there is often way too much talking and telling from the teacher and not enough hands-on learning and discovery by the students. We all know engaging lessons take both serious mind and time to plan. And they are certainly worth it -- for many reasons.
Share with us your classroom management experiences: What specific challenges are you having? What strategies have worked well for you and your students? Please share in the comment section below.

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5 Quick Classroom-Management Tips for Novice Teachers | Edutopia

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When it comes to managing a classroom, most of what we learn as new teachers is trial by fire. It's also smart to heed the advice of those who have walked -- and stumbled -- before you. If you are struggling with discipline, here are five tips that you can start using right away.

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EBP

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Bloom, Howard S., Carolyn Hill, Alison Rebeck Black, and Mark Lipsey, "Performance Trajectories and Performance Gaps as Achievement Effect-Size Benchmarks for Educational Interventions," MDRC Working Paper on Research Methodology, October 2008.

Bradshaw, Catherine P., Jessika H. Zmuda, Sheppard G. Kellam, and Nicholas S. Ialongo. "Longitudinal Impact of Two Universal Preventive Interventions in First Grade on Educational Outcomes in High School." Journal of Educational Psychology, 2009, vol. 101, no. 4, pp. 926-937.

Furr-Holden, C., Debra M., Nicholas S. Ialongo, James C. Anthony, Hanno Petras, and Sheppard G. Kellam. "Developmentally Inspired Drug Prevention: Middle School Outcomes in a School-Based Randomized Prevention Trial." Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2004, vol. 73, no. 2, pp. 149-158.

Ialongo, Nick, Jeanne Poduska, Lisa Werthamer, and Sheppard G. Kellam. "The Distal Impact of Two First-Grade Preventive Interventions on Conduct Problems and Disorder in Early Adolescence." Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 2001 vol.9, no. 2, pp. 146-160.

Ialongo, Nick, Lisa Werthamer, Sheppard G. Kellam, C. Hendricks Brown, Songbai Wang, and Yuhua Lin. "Proximal Impact of Two First-Grade Preventive Interventions on the Early Risk Behaviors for Later Substance Abuse, Depression, and Antisocial Behavior." American Journal of Community Psychology, October 1999, vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 599-638.

Storr, Carla L., Nicholas S. Ialongo, Sheppard G. Kellam, and James C. Anthony. "A Randomized Controlled Trial of Two Primary School Intervention Strategies to Prevent Early Onset Tobacco Smoking." Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2002, vol. 66, no. 1, pp 51-60.

Wang, Yan, Dorothy C. Browne, Hanno Petras, Elizabeth A. Stuart, Fernando A. Wagner, Sharon F. Lambert, Sheppard G. Kellam, and Nicholas S. Ialongo. "Depressed Mood and the Effect of Two Universal First Grade Preventive Interventions on Survival to the First Tobacco Cigarette Smoked Among Urban Youth." Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2009, vol. 100, no. 3, pp. 194-203.

Werthamer, Lisa, Jean E. Cooper, and Judith Lombardi. The Classroom Prevention Program Manual, 1993 - linked here.

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First-Grade Classroom Prevention Program - Social Programs that Work

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Bloom, Howard S., Carolyn Hill, Alison Rebeck Black, and Mark Lipsey, "Performance Trajectories and Performance Gaps as Achievement Effect-Size Benchmarks for Educational Interventions," MDRC Working Paper on Research Methodology, October 2008. Bradshaw, Catherine P., Jessika H. Zmuda, Sheppard G. Kellam, and Nicholas S. Ialongo.

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How-to Video

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For data collection and intervention

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Why use DBR? DBR involves rating of behavior following a specified observation period, and then sharing of that information to inform d...

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EBP

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The Good Behavior Game is an approach to the management of classrooms behaviors that rewards children for displaying appropriate on-task behaviors during instructional times. The class is divided into two teams and a point is given to a team for any inappropriate behavior displayed by one of its members. The team with the fewest number of points at the Game's conclusion each day wins a group reward. If both teams keep their points below a preset level, then both teams share in the reward. The program was first tested in 1969; several research articles have confirmed that the Game is an effective means of increasing the rate of on-task behaviors while reducing disruptions in the classroom (Barrish, Saunders, & Wolf, 1969; Harris & Sherman, 1973; Medland & Stachnik, 1972).

The process of introducing the Good Behavior Game into a classroom is a relatively simple procedure. There are five steps involved in putting the Game into practice.

Steps in Implementing This Intervention:

Step 1: Decide when to schedule the Game. The teacher first decides during what period(s) of the school day the Game will be played. As a rule of thumb, instructors should pick those times when the entire class is expected to show appropriate academic behaviors. Blocks of time devoted to reading, math, content instruction, and independent seatwork would be most appropriate for putting the Game into effect./p>

Step 2: Clearly define the negative behaviors that will be scored during the Game. Teachers who have used the Good behavior Game typically define three types of negative behavior that will be scored whenever they appear during the Game. Those behaviors are:/p>

leaving one's seat,

talking out, and

engaging in disruptive behavior.

Out-of-seat behavior is defined as any incident in which a student leaves his or her seat without first getting permission from the teacher. Related behaviors, such as "scootching" one's seat toward another desk are usually scored as out-of-seat. Instructors often build in certain exceptions to this rule. For example, in some classrooms, children can take a pass to the bathroom, approach the teacher's desk for additional help, or move from one work site to another in the room without permission as long as these movements are conducted quietly and are a part of the accepted classroom routine. Children who leave their seats intending to complete an allowed activity but find that they cannot (e.g., walking toward the teacher's desk and then noticing that another student is already there) are not scored as being out of their seat if they quickly and quietly return to their desk.

Talking-out behavior is defined as any incident of talking out loud without the permission of the instructor. Permission is gained by raising one's hand and first being recognized by the teacher before speaking. Any type of unauthorized vocalization within the hearing of the instructor is scored as talking out, including shouts, nonsense noises (e.g., growling, howling, whistling), whispers, and talking while one's hand is raised.

Disruptive behavior consists of any movement or act that is judged by the teacher to be disruptive of classroom instruction. For example, knocking on a table, looking around the room, tearing up paper, passing notes, or playing with toys at one's desk would all be scored as disruptive behaviors. A good rule of thumb would be to regard as disruptive behavior any action that does not fall under another category but is perceived by the teacher as annoying or distracting.
Step 3: Decide upon suitable daily and (perhaps) weekly rewards for teams winning the Game.
Teachers will need to choose rewards that they feel will effectively motivate students to take part in the Game. Most often, instructors use free time as a daily reward, since children often find it motivating. To cite a single example, one teacher's reward system included giving her daily 4th-grade Game winners the privilege of wearing a "victory tag," putting a star next to their names on a "Winner's Chart," lining up first for lunch, and getting 30 minutes of time at the end of the day to work on fun, educationally related topics.

When choosing rewards, instructors are advised to consider using reinforcers that fit naturally into the context and mission of a classroom. For example, allowing winners to play quietly together at the end of the school day may help to promote social skills, but dispensing material rewards (e.g., comic books) to winners would probably be less likely to contribute directly to educational and social goals. Of course, if both teams win on a given day or a given week, the members of those teams all receive the same rewards.
Step 4: Introduce the Game to the class
Once behaviors have been selected and clearly defined by the teacher, the next step is to introduce the Game to the class. Ideally, time should be set aside for an initial group discussion. The teacher mentions that the class will be playing a game and presents a schedule clearly setting forth the instructional times during which the game will be in effect.

The teacher next divides the classroom into two teams. For ease of recording, it is usually recommended that the instructor divide the class down the center of the room into roughly equal halves. Some teachers have used three teams successfully as well. To build a sense of team spirit, students may be encouraged to name their groups.

The children are informed that certain types of behavior (i.e., leaving one's seat or talking without permission, and engaging in disruptive behaviors) will earn points for the team to which they belong. Students are also told that both teams can win if they earn no more than a certain number of points (e.g., 4 points maximum per day). If both teams happen to exceed 4 points, then the team with the lowest total at the end of the day is the winner. In case of a tie, both teams earn the reward. The instructor is the final judge of whether a behavior is to be scored. (As an option, students can also be told that the team with the fewest number of points at the end of the week will win an additional reward.)

It is a good idea when introducing the Game to students to clearly review examples of acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. After all, it is important that all children know the rules before the Game begins. To more effectively illustrate those rules, children may be recruited to demonstrate acceptable and unacceptable behaviors, or the teacher may describe a number of behaviors and ask the class to decide with a show of hands whether such behaviors are to be scored or not.
Step 5: Put the Game into effect.
The instructor is now ready to start the Game. During those times that the game is in effect in the classroom, the teacher continues to carry out his or her usual instructional practices. The only alteration in the routine is that the instructor is also noting and publicly recording any negative points incurred by either team. Instructors might want to post scores on the blackboard or on a large piece of paper visible to everyone in the room. If working with children in a small group, the instructor can record negative behaviors on a small note pad and later transfer them to the blackboard. Teachers can also choose to publicly announce when another point has been earned as a reminder to the class about acceptable behavior. It is helpful to keep a weekly tally of points for each team, especially if teams are competing for weekly as well as daily rewards.

Care should be taken to be as consistent as possible in scoring negative behaviors. Winning teams should be praised as well as rewarded for their efforts, with that praise tied when possible to specifically observed behaviors. Instructors may want to alter the Game somewhat as necessary (e.g., changing rewards or more carefully defining acceptable and unacceptable behaviors with students). Obviously, any alteration of the Game, no matter how small, should be shared with the classroom before being put into effect.

Troubleshooting: How to Deal With Common Problems in Using the 'Good Behavior Game'

Q: What should I do if a small number of students try to sabotage the game for other children by deliberately acting out and earning penalty points for their team?

If a small number of students are earning a large number of points during the Game, consider forming them into a separate team. While not the norm, occasionally a single student or small group of children may be tempted to undermine the Game by deliberately incurring a large number of penalty points for their teams. (Such children may find the resulting negative social attention of other members of their team to be its own reward!) A simple remedy for this problem is to modify the Game by making those disruptive students into a separate team. The Game will continue unchanged, except that your room will now have three teams rather than two competing for rewards.

Q: I have used the Good Behavior Game for a while and have found it to be effective. But lately it doesn't seem to have the same impact on my students. What do you recommend?

If the Good Behavior Game appears to be losing effectiveness over time, be sure that you are consistently noting and assigning team points for inappropriate behaviors and that you are avoiding verbal arguments with students. It is very important that points be assigned consistently when you witness inappropriate behavior; otherwise, the Game may not bring about the expected behavioral improvement among your students. Teachers using the Game sometimes find it helpful to have another adult familiar with the Good Behavior Game observe them and offer feedback about their consistency in assigning points and success in avoiding negative verbal exchanges with students.

References

Barrish, H.H., Saunders, M, & Wold, M.M. (1969). Good behavior game: Effects of individual contingencies for group consequences on disruptive behavior in a classroom. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2, 119-124.

Harris, V.W. & Sherman, J.A. (1973). Use and analysis of the "Good Behavior Game" to reduce disruptive classroom behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 6, 405-417.

Medland, M. B. & Stachnik, T.J. (1972). Good-behavior Game: A replication and systematic analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 5, 45-51.

Jim's Hints

The Good Behavior Game is an effective strategy for managing a classroom-but don't overdo it! Allow breaks from the Game during the school day. A caution should be kept in mind when involving your students in the Good Behavior Game: Generally, the Game should be scheduled for a maximum of 1-2 hours per day in any classroom. After all, students will need some time to relax, socialize, and "be kids."

Of course, minimum standards of acceptable classroom conduct remain in place whether the Game is in effect or not.

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The Good Behavior Game is an approach to the management of classrooms behaviors that rewards children for displaying appropriate on-task behaviors during instructional times. The class is divided into two teams and a point is given to a team for any inappropriate behavior displayed by one of its members.