Edutopia. (n.d.). Welcoming students with a smile [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/welcoming-students-smile

SeekTeachers. (n.d.). Teacher giving feedback to a student in class [Photograph]. Retrieved from https://www.seekteachers.com/blog/the-art-of-helpful-feedback-supporting-students-improvement/

Turnbull, A., Turnbull, R., Wehmeyer, M. L., & Shogren, K. A. (2024). Exceptional lives: Practice, progress, & dignity in today’s schools (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.  [Chapters 9, 10.]

Will, M., & Najarro, I. (2022, April 18). What is culturally responsive teaching? [Illustration]. Education Week. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/culturally-responsive-teaching-culturally-responsive-pedagogy/2022/04

Wood, C. L., Kisinger, K. W., Brosh, C. R., Fisher, L. B., & Muharib, R. (2018). Stopping behavior before it starts: Antecedent interventions for challenging behavior.TEACHING Exceptional Children, 50(6), 356-363.https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059918775052

Next, McLeskey et al. (2017) focus on High-Leverage Practices (HLPs) that promote emotional, behavioral, and social success for all students. They emphasize the importance of creating respectful, culturally responsive classrooms (HLP7) and providing students with positive, constructive feedback that guides their learning (HLP8).

In practice, these ideas can be applied by greeting students at the door, engaging them in short personal check-ins before lessons, and using visual tools such as the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) or speech-generating devices to help students communicate effectively. Teachers can also model and explicitly teach social skills while giving feedback that is timely, specific, and affirming.

Furthermore, these strategies foster inclusion by ensuring that every student—regardless of ability, language, or background—feels supported and valued in the classroom. By combining antecedent interventions from Wood et al. (2018) with the HLP framework from McLeskey et al. (2017), educators can create learning environments that are structured, caring, and equitable for all learners.

The authors identify four high-leverage practices (HLPs) that promote student success. For example, HLP7 focuses on creating structured, inclusive, and culturally aware classrooms where expectations are explicitly taught and reinforced (p. 1).

Precession attention involves providing attention to students before instruction to reduce attention-seeking disruptions (Wood et al., 2018, p.357-358). HPRS uses a sequence of easy requests to build student appropriate communication methods to replace b=problem behaviors, especially for those with limited verbal skills (Wood et al., 2018, p.359). FCT focuses on teaching students appropriate communication methods to replace problem behaviors, especially for those limited verbal skills (Wood et al., 2018, p.360-361). Wood et al. (2018) emphasizes the importance of consistent data collection, reinforcement and intervention directly to ensure success. Overall, Wood et al. (2018) highlights how a proactive, preventive approaches can create positive inclusive learning environments and reduce reliance on punitive discipline.

1. Presession Attention: Teachers can provide students with positive attention before a lesson begins to reduce the student’s attention span. This proactive approach lessens the motivation for students to act out to gain attention and has been shown to decrease disruptive behavior (Wood tel., 2018, p.358).

2. High-Probability Request Sequences (HPRS): This strategy involves giving students several easy-to-follow requests, reinforcing compliance with each, and introducing a more diffusing or less preferred task. The momentum created by repeated success increases compliance and reduces noncompliance (Wood et al., 2018, p. 359).

In reality, many classrooms still reply heavily on reactive discipline then antecedent-based strategies. Wood et al. (2018) argues that prompting prevention through under standing behavioral triggers and providing presession attention, high-probability request sequences, and functional communication training (pp. 358-361). McLeskey et al. (2017) aligns with Wood et al. (2018)‘s approach with strategies like: encouraging positive, structured environments and feedback that promote emotional regulation and engagement (pp. 1-2). While both highlight evidence-based strategies, finding the administrative staff, classroom size, and trained teachers can potentially make all of this implementation impossible. There need to be consistent support between the teacher, administrative staff, and even parents to build positive, structured environments students can feel safe and eager to learn in.

During my internship, I observed my mentor teacher talking to students at the start of class and during independent work time. My mentor teacher asked about their interests, wrote notes about the music they liked to listen to at home, and asked what kind of school were they were doing (if they were doing another class’s work). All of these interactions my mentor teacher has are a direct examples of presession attention (Wood et al., 2018, p. 358). My mentor teacher’s practice also mirror HLP7’s recommendation to build mutually respectful relationships and culturally responsive expectations (McLeskey et al., 2017, p. 1). Another thing I noticed that when mentor teacher gave positive feedback was consistent and specific, (which is on of HLP8’s practices that focus on constructive feedback to guide learning, p. 2), the students were more willing to follow directions and less likely to act out.

Both sources acknowledge the role inclusion begins with relations and respect. Wood et al. (2018) notes functional communication training (FCT) gives students with limited verbal abilities access to resources like visual supports like speech-generating devices on iPads to request help or express needs, instead of using problem behaviors (Wood et al., 2018, p.361). Teachers may also implant visual schedules, choice boards, or nonverbal sign cards to give students predictable routine while still giving students autonomy. In comparison, High-Levrage Practices (HLPs) emphasize instructional tools that encourage equity. McLeskey et al. (2017) recommend explicit teaching of social behaviors (HLP9) through role-playing, modeling, and guided practice, along with positive and constructive feedback (HlP8_ to reinforce culturally appropriate communication and cooperation (pp.2-3). These tools prevent challenging behavior, building an environment where all students of all backgrounds and disabilities can engage in meaningful, inclusive learning.

However, I understand this personal situation and reflection of a teacher in my life is idealistic. In many classrooms, behavior managements often focuses on enacting to misbehavior, such as using: time-outs warnings, or loss of privileges. Wood et al. (2018) contrasts this reactive approach by emphasizing antecedent interventions preventing issues before they occur. In practice this is quite hard to implement, due to time constraints, lack of training, and staff shortages. In a day care I have subsisted for, the classroom had almost 16 students with an eighth of them at least having some accommodations or an IEP. This made it exhausting for the staff, none of the staff wanted to work in the preschool room. There were simply too many behavior problems and instances of aggressive behaviors. As on of the substitutes at the daycare I wanted to investigate why the students reacted so negatively and aggressive when they did not get their way. The teachers and substitutes used reward systems, only used warnings to pressure students, time-outs, and the loss of privileges of going outside to tell students with behavior challenges to stop them from misbehaving. After reading Wood et al. (2018) antecedent interventions is extremely hard to do without consistent, trained teachers. The difference between theory and practice highlights the importance of professional development in the proactive classroom management.

Looking back at my internship experience the other day, many students in the 4th period class disrupted my mentor teacher as she tried to demo watercolor techniques. My mentor teacher unknowingly used a high-probability request sequence by asking the student first to face her, and asking the student politely to wait to talk until she is finished demonstrating her watercolor painting techniques (Wood el al., 2018, p.359). This approach built compliance momentum as my mentor teacher progressed and finished her demonstration. Students worked on their watercolor drawings following my mentor teacher, and then talked while she went around the room to check up on them.

After reading Wood et al. (2018). there are many ways inclusion and culturally responsive practices become the forefront of teaching. Wood et al. (2018) Uses antecedents interventions like functional communication training, allowing students with disabilities, especially students with limited verbal skills to communicate their needs in socially appropriate ways (p.361). This directly supports inclusion by ensuring all students have equitable access to communication and participation. Implementing these strategies in a culturally responsive manner builds trust and fosters a positive classroom culture all students can thrive in.

I can be more inclusive and culturally responsive by taking time to learn about my students as individuals. This includes asking paraprofessionals about students’ interests, observing how students interact in different classroom settings, and providing positive, specific feedback whenever possible. Greeting students by name and acknowledging them each day fosters belonging and trust. I also plan to continue learning about students’ cultural backgrounds so I can create a classroom environment that reflects respect, diversity, and empathy.

From these readings, I’ve learned that teachers play a central role in shaping safe, supportive, and socially healthy learning environments. Effective classroom management does not rely on confrontation or punishment but instead focuses on proactive strategies that minimize distractions and promote engagement. Allowing students to interact, play, and communicate is an essential part of developing empathy, cooperation, and inclusive classroom communities. Teachers have access to a wide range of tools and approaches that foster both academic success and emotional growth—and it begins with understanding, patience, and connection.

Edutopia )n.d.). Welcoming students with a smile