My school consists of over 400 students, all different from one
another, requiring different levels of social and academic support
This year, due to budget cuts, we have less aides, less special education faculty, and our school psychologist and social worker positions have been split between schools (part time)
Individualized Education Plans consist of hours that seem near impossible to meet; This year, we have some students under the ED (Emotionally Disturbed) label, without enough strategies put in place for them
Due to the shortage of staff and pressure for students to score well on tests, most of the focus is on students struggling academically. Students who are performing well, but lacking in other areas, such as motivation, ability to maintain relationships, etc. are missing out on some support
I strongly believe there needs to be a clearer process to follow to meet the needs of our students who need social support. New Behavioral Interventions should be put in place.
What are Behavioral Interventions? The Crisis Prevention Institute (2012) defines Behavioral Intervention as a dynamic, problem-solving process involving goal identification, information gathering, hypothesis development, support plan design, implementation, and monitoring.
Part of effective behavioral interventions is that students are provided with a continuum of support
A range of intervention strategies are developed Simple behavior charts and rewards are not enough
Teaching is proactive with the goal being to improve social behaviors, or prevent hazardous social behaviors
Providing Behavioral Intervention Support means working hard to teach socially appropriate behaviors More data We know there is a problem. We need to have data that shows if a child is trying to gain something (control, attention), or escape something. This data will DRIVE our instruction.
More opportunities for Professional Development on Behavioral Interventions
Clearer rules, and more modeling of appropriate behaviors
To teach logical consequences and provide more repercussions for students acting out
Consequently, we need to provide incentives to students showing positive behaviors
More In Class support and social lessons, not only pull out hours
More focus on variables
Clearer communication with parents being consistent
More willingness to change our ways to help students offer more choice, create smoother transitions, help students to learn the appropriate ways to act during unstructured times
Collect data. Approaches must be data-driven. As soon as a classroom teacher feels that a student needs social support, they should keep a log of observable behaviors and social concerns. Baseline data is important. In the end, we want to see how far a student has come and if there is improved quality of life for them. If a student is acting out or becoming defiant during math time every day, then maybe math is an area of weakness and an anxiety builder. Just figuring this out is the first of many steps to take to lesson anxiety and promote motivation and positive attitudes.
I feel there are sometimes discrepancies between teachers and what they feel are at risk behaviors. Professional Development and baseline forms created together by our teachers could help keep everyone on the same page and following correct protocol. Better behavior contracts, charts, forms need to be created. One form does not fit each child.
We cant teach students socially appropriate behaviors without clear rules, expectations, and modeling. We need to make sure we have common language and common rules used throughout the school. If we tell students to be respectful, we need evidence that they understand what that word means, and how to adhere to it. We have to teach, re- teach, and reinforce behaviors.
We need to utilize our support staff, even if theyre not in the building each day of the week. We do not always have all the answers ourselves. Scheduling OBAs (Observational Assessments) and collaborating with other professionals helps ensure data is valid and support is necessary.
Explain logical consequences to students. They need to understand that consequences arent punishments. We need to spend more time on the why, eliminate empty apologies and make students more accountable.
We need to provide meaningful incentives, not only consequences. I feel that we use stickers and rewards very often. I feel we need to come up with less tangible rewards for students. For example, earning attention, creating more lunch bunch groups, letting a student be a buddy or helper to a younger student, etc. could provide much more and enhance student feelings of self-worth.
Students often leave the classroom to work with the psychologist and social worker. Perhaps these professionals could spend some time IN the classrooms teaching whole group social skills lessons, to all students. This makes every child equal. The messages are clear to all. Its also a great opportunity to seek out positive peer role models to interact in small groups with at-risk students. Teachers are not the only models. Other students are, too.
To provide support, we have to pay more attention to variables. What triggers certain behaviors? Keeping track as to when a child is demonstrating a behavior could be helpful. This helps teachers to redirect and decrease undesirable behaviors.
Parental Contact is of utmost importance and unfortunately, parents often feel surprised to hear that their child is not socially growing to the best of their ability. Children model adults. The adults in their home and the adults in their school need to communicate and use similar strategies to keep rules and routines consistent for children. We must work harder to document home-school communication, meetings, etc. so that parents are informed and working with us for the best interest of their child.
We need to be willing to change and be flexible enough where students are getting what they need. Coming up with signals, songs, chants, etc. to help students better handle transition times would be effective. Providing more choice can be helpful. According to CPI (2012), staff members are encouraged to really listen to students, and believe that behaviors are a way of communicating? Staff should pay attention to not only facts, but what it is the student is trying to relay. What lies beneath their social struggles?
Teachers sometime forget to look at ALL the factors that may influence behavior. Is a classroom too noisy? Are students being challenged enough? Is the work too challenging for students? Are many new teachers coming in and out of a room? Are students on medications? When an at-risk child is identified, the factors influencing their behavior must also be identified. Being proactive is part of this. What small changes might make a large difference? Is there too much choice in a classroom, resulting in chaos? Is the classroom too structured, preventing creativity? As teachers, we also must assess ourselves and our strategies. A presentation by the Partners Resource Network (2004) compared 2 attitudes that adults have in viewing student behavior:
The child IS a problem. The child HAS a problem.
What is your view? Lets change our attitudes, remain proactive, positive, and reach as many students as we can. We need to put in the effort if we want to see results. Positive Behavior Support and the Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Training Program, http://www.crisisprevention.com/Resources/Kno wledge-Base/Positive-Behavior-Support, retrieved on October 14, 2012
Postive Behavior Interventions & IDEA 2004, http://www.partnerstx.org/PDF/Positive_Behavi oral_Interventions.pdf, retrieved on October 16, 2012