Tornado Template: Backwards Thinking Design: Inductive Reasoning

This is a template to help solve behavior problems when a child or

student cannot identify why they made the choices that ended badly for
them. This not only helps the student (and teacher) identify what the root of
the behavior is, but it also helps identify the antecedent (what occurred right
before the behavior). Determining the antecedent in many cases is
imperative as you are often able to find a pattern. Also, Ive discovered
through this design, the core or the root of the behavior that has been
masking as physical aggression.
A follow up discussion is a must to determine what better choices
could be made next time in order to stop fueling the tornado before it
touches down (leading to the disaster behavior). The teacher can explain
that a tornado cant touch down without all the components that make it a
detrimental storm. This comparative can be used to the behavior. You cant
have a disaster behavior like this without something fueling your tornado so
lets work backwards. This is imperative to do while the student is calm and
not in an escalated state of mind. So, in the meantime, a time away may be
necessary before using this practice. Many times as a teacher we have
conversations that often appear like this:
Teacher: Why did you break your pencil and throw it across the
room?
Student: I dont know.
Teacher: Well you must have known, something made you angry,
what is it?
Student: Nothing.
Teacher: (By this point, some of us may be very frustrated and at a
loss for words send the student to a time away or to the principals
office depending on severity of the situation)

Tornado Template: Backwards Thinking Design: Inductive Reasoning

See the example on the following page of how this would work in
this particular example:

Tornado Template: Backwards Thinking Design: Inductive Reasoning

As you can see in this example, Billys behavior wasnt one of a conduct disorder which may
appear to others that way if the behavior is habitual. But by backwards design, the teacher is
able to identifier the root of the problem: His needs arent being met at home by a change in
his fathers work schedule. Now the behavior can be dealt with appropriately, and decreasing
the likelihood of further behaviors.

Tornado Template: Backwards Thinking Design: Inductive Reasoning

Ah, hah!

And just before

that etc. etc.

My dad was supposed to help me with this last

night, but he was working late again, and he is
never home to help me anymore!!

What were you

doing just before
that happened?

Teacher says: What

I got my worksheet out of my take-home folder.

I started at number 5.

was your disaster

behavior? Your
touchdown.

What was your disaster behavior? touchdown.

I was working on my math homework that I didnt get done last night.

Tornado Template: Backwards Thinking Design: Inductive Reasoning

5
4
3
2
1

What was the touch-down

behavior?

What will be my plan the next time I feel this way so that I can
diffuse the storm before it becomescatastrophe?

Tornado Template: Backwards Thinking Design: Inductive Reasoning

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While not all behaviors are this cut and dry, many behavioral problems
in my classroom over the last 5 years have been diminished by this visual.
Sometimes it takes a few times or a few months to really uncover the real
function of the behavior. It forces a child to identify the function of his/her
behavior by verbalizing or writing preceding events. This design reinforces
the idea that a behavior doesnt occur because nothing is wrong. just like a
tornado doesnt occur unless the atmosphere conditions are disrupted.
I want this process to be accurate, so often times I tell the student they
just talk while I write. Some kids may prefer to write it themselves, but Ive
yet to encounter that one! I also sometimes pair this with a feelings of anger
scale and students in younger grades draw the face that they are feeling at
each line of the tornado. This also helps gain insight to underlying issues if
words arent as descriptive. Students in the grades of 4-6 may choose to just
write or identify the corresponding number. Both templates are great, but
Ive had better success when pairing the feelings scale with the preceding
events.