ABC Project I

Name: Carley Rector

Date: November 10, 2014
How does this project contribute to your understanding of how
classroom instruction and classroom management might be a factor in
behavioral issues?

Before beginning this project, I always blamed behavior problems

on the student or their situation. Completing and analyzing an ABC
chart opened by eyes to the idea that behavior problems are often
influenced by the teacher. Classroom engagement, classroom
management, and student engagement all play an important roll in a
students behavior. As a teacher, being proactive instead of reactive,
and setting the atmosphere of your classroom, can cut back on a lot of
challenging behaviors. It just takes a little time and effort to analyze
the behaviors, antecedents, and consequences and you just may see a
predictable pattern that you could alter.

On my honor, as an Aggie, I have neither given nor received

unauthorized aid on this academic work.
Signature________________________________________________
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Chris is a ten-year-old fifth grade boy. He is easily frustrated with

teachers and peers and does not have many friends because of this.
Last week another student asked for clarification on an assignment and
Chris told them how stupid they are. He has alienated himself from
most of the fifth graders because they think he is mean. Chris does not
have the most stable home environment. He is being raised by a single
parent and he has an older brother.
Chris is successful in math, but has a more difficult time in
science and history. He responds well to the calm environments found
in his english and math classes. Even though he gets frustrated with
others, he loves working in groups and does well in this setting. During
group work, he typically sits back and lets the other people do the
majority of the work. When Chris does independent work and puts forth
effort, it is quality work. He typically will do his best work when
something interests him. For instance, in ELA class the other day, we
wrote scary stories for Halloween. Chris was engaged the entire time
and wrote a great paper. He then shared it with the class and everyone
loved it.
On the other hand, if things do not go his way he has a tendency
to shut down. Most of the time this involves him throwing his things
on the ground, pushing his seat back, and putting his head down.
When this happens, he does not respond verbally or non-verbally to
the teacher. Most of the time he gets upset because the teacher will

ask him to participate when he doesnt feel like it. If one of us asks him
to do something when his head is down, he will throw things or
completely ignore us. This behavior does not occur too often. The rest
of the time Chris is quiet and can go by unnoticed.
Behavior
Chris semi-frequently exhibits several behaviors we are working
to decrease. These behaviors include throwing his supplies on the
ground, putting his head on the desk, and ignoring the teacher. We
know Chris is capable of doing the correct behaviors of keeping
supplies on his desk, sitting up, and responding. We have observed him
engage in appropriate behaviors many times. More often than not,
Chris engages in the appropriate behaviors. The most common
inappropriate behavior I have observed is putting his head on his desk.
He will come into the room two or three days a week and put his head
down. About half the time he will sit up after a reminder. The other half
of the time, he will remain slumped over. Occasionally, his behavior will
escalate to throwing objects or ignoring the teacher. He ignores the
teacher about once a week and will throw his supplies about once
every other week. When Chris exhibits appropriate behavior, he is
usually quiet and participates the bare minimum.

Pattern of Antecedents

We have observed a pattern before Chris engages in

inappropriate behavior. The antecedents to these behaviors include
independent work, getting in trouble in a previous class, long bellwork
that requires thought and effort, if a teacher corrects Chris, and if there
is a change in routine. When the first six weeks ended we re-assigned
the students seats. Chris started throwing his papers when he was told
he needed to move. Since then, the teachers have avoided drastic
changes in the routine. The most common antecedent to inappropriate
behaviors is when he gets in trouble in a previous class. Chris has
science the period before he comes to our class and typically, he and
the science teacher butt heads. The adaptive behavior specialist
removes Chris several times a week from science class and by the time
he gets to us, he is not happy. We have also observed a pretty reliable
pattern for when Chris engages in appropriate behavior. These
antecedents include group work, when the students are encouraged to
talk, when there is high interest material or assignments, easy
bellwork, and when the atmosphere of the class is calm. Chris seems to
do really well when he can walk into a quiet room, get his stuff out, and
have a minute to decompress before we begin. If the bellwork is
simple, he has a couple minutes to himself where he can put his head
down or draw. If he has this time, he typically will participate in class
and engage in appropriate behaviors.

Pattern of Consequences
When Chris engages in inappropriate behavior, he is given
reminders, is threated to have the AB teacher come get him, is ignored
and excused from the work, and occasionally his mother is emailed.
Usually, these are empty threats. Most of the time, the teacher ignores
his behaviors and he avoids participation. When Chris engages in
appropriate behavior he is mostly ignored and left alone. The teachers
say this is behavior everyone should do, so he is not praised. If praise
is involved, it is directed to the whole class. When Chris raises his hand
to provide an answer, he is almost always called upon. Chris had
preferential seating in the first six weeks, but has been moved to the
back of the room since then. He seemed to have less frequent
inappropriate behaviors when he was seated in the front of the room.
Now, he is in the back corner, and he puts his head down more often.
Overall, the most common consequence for Chris behavior,
appropriate or inappropriate, is to be ignored.