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Behavior Management

 

 

 

 

A pro-active approach is always the best approach with student behavior.  When your expectations are clearly communicated to students and well-defined routines are in place, you can prevent the majority of problems.  But there ARE additional challenges that will arise, and that's what this page is all about.  In addition to preventative measures and solid character education programs, you'll learn about tried and tested whole-class reward systems that serve as 'positive consequences' for appropriate behavior.  You'll also receive guidance for those challenging students who need individual behavior plans, including kids with special needs.  Finally, you'll discover multiple low-maintenence options for holding kids accountable for their behavior by keeping their parents informed (and you'll kill two birds with one stone as you document your interventions).  Student behavior doesn't have to leave you exhausted at the end of the day--learn how to foster self-regulation and personal responsibility in ALL your students so you can focus on teaching and learning.

 

 

 

PDFs

 

    

 

5 Pro-Active Strategies for Behavior Management*

 

 

 

 

Whole Class Behavior Management:

The Bead System*

 

 

 

Whole Class Behavior Management:

The World's Easiest Token System*

 

 

 

Individual Behavior Plans*

 

 

 

Daily/Weekly Reports* (coming soon)

 

 

 

Character Education

 

 

 

PDFs marked with an asterisk (*) cannot be printed, because they are adapted from The Cornerstone book.  If you'd like to view the complete text with all printing rights enabled, you may purchase the eBook.   PDFs that aren't marked with an asterisk are web-exclusive content or chapter overviews and CAN be printed for educational use.  Please note that the copy/paste function has been disabled on all PDFs to prevent unauthorized use.

 

 

 

Other On-Site Resources

 

Predictable Daily Routines

Teaching Work Habits

Student Responsibility and Organization

Planning for the First Weeks of School

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cornerstone Cross-Reference

 

 

 

Ch. 14: Strategies for Preventing Behavior Problems

 

*When you're not seeing results: how to determine which of 2 problems you've got and remedy it immediately 

 

 

Ch. 15: Teaching Children to Be Self-Reliant

 

*Setting teacher-student boundaries and training kids how to get your attention appropriately (i.e., without tapping you or following you around the room)

 

*The importance of the 3-Before-Me rule (and why the first person your kids should ask is themselves)

 

*How your response to attention-seeking behaviors is the sole determination of whether they'll continue: ways to choose encouragement over praise and replace evaluative responses with ones that foster self-reliance

 

*The difference between teacher control and self control

 

*How to construct effective questions to redirect behavior (instead of answering a child's redundant question yourself)

 

*One-liners to help you untangle yourself from petty issues during instruction: what works and what backfires

 

*Teaching kids to solve social problems independently: discussing physical confrontations and the claim "If someone hits me, my mom told me to hit them back!"; a sample discussion of the consequences of fighting (no sugar-coating or political-correctness here)

 

*An example of facilitation using active listening

 

*The hidden reason why children tattle: once this issue is addressed (and it may take a serious adaptation on your part), you'll see major break-throughs in self-sufficiency

 

 

Ch. 16: Whole Class Reinforcement Systems

 

*How to balance intrinsic motivators with rewards so that students behave because it's the right thing to do (not because they expect a prize)

 

*2 pages of ideas on extending the token system throgh incorporation with classroom jobs, letting kids nominate each other for tokens, and more

 

*More resources for the bead system: ways to incorporate other class rewards, handle potential problems such as stealing, trading, or losing beads (the solution is simple!), and involve special educators and other school staff in the bead system for greater student accountability

 

 

Ch. 17: Meeting Individual Needs

 

*Considering the 6 student positions (needs/motives): identify WHY the child is acting out so you can choose an appropriate response

 

*5 student responses to correction, and how the teacher should enforce consequences for each response type

 

*Being consistent while differentiating for students' needs: handling jealously by getting kids to recognize and accept that your job is to be equitable, NOT fair

 

*The secrets of low-key rule enforcement and the importance of revealing your reasoning

 

*2 critical strategies for dealing with violent, defiant, and emotionally unstable children

 

*How to avoid power struggles with a calm, unemotional demeanor and through replacing repeated demands with expectation reminders

 

*What to do in a stand-off with a defiant child: step by step directives on what to say and do in the most extreme and/or violent encounters

 

*4 examples of personal improvement (individual behavior modification) plans that work with real kids (read their before and after stories!)

 

 

Ch. 18: The Challenges of High-Poverty Schools

 

*The realities of teaching in low socio-economic areas--everything they didn't teach you in college!

 

*My own background and experiences living and working in the inner city, and why I have a special heart for the teachers and kids there

 

*Lessons learned from a teacher who didn't make it: 5 important mindsets that a former co-worker never developed...and was terminated for after only 2 months on the job

 

 

Ch. 25: Teaching Techniques That Minimize Off-Task Behavior

 

*How variety and creativity in lesson implementation make the difference: NINE pages of tips to help you keep your kids engaged WITHOUT spending hours designing perfect lessons and activities!

 

 

Ch. 31: Keeping Parents Informed

 

*Managing daily or weekly reports to hold kids accountable for their behavior and work habits

 

*How student-led conferences empower students to reflect on their actions and take the pressure of explaining misbehavior to parents off of the teacher

 

*When to hold conferences, how to prepare, and sample questions to involve students and their parents in meaningful discussions

 

 

Ch. 32:  The Importance of Documentation

 

*The definitive guide: what to document and when so that students get the servcies they need and you are protected from allegations of not meeting students' needs or not keeping parents informed

 

*4 situations in which you need to keep extra documentation (and how to do so with minimal time expenditure)

 

*Step-by-step guidelines on how to document and suggestions for utilizing your teacher's union in difficult situations

 

 

 

 

Free Downloads Referenced in the Book

 

 

A great way to provide info for parents about incidents in the classroom is to send home the child's own reflection on what happened.  Filling out problem-solving sheets not only documents misbehavior (important for conferences, office referrals, IEP meetings, etc.), but also helps students reflect on their choices and responsibilities.  Students can fill them out or can dictate to you if they are unable to write independently.  I have a very plain form I made up in 5 minutes that you can view here or use my older version.  You can fit problem solving sheets into any behavior modification system you are using (whole class or individual)--just make completing one part of the consequence for a certain level of misbehavior.

 

Bi-Weekly form

Parent contract-less detail

Parent contract-more detail

Phone documentation sheet

PIP Andre

PIP Claire

PIP Elijah

PIP Kylie (bonus)

Removal from class form

Weekly eval--emphasis on comments section

Weekly eval--emphasis on social skills section

Weekly eval--emphasis on work habits section

Work sample form

 

 

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Recommended Resources (More Coming This Week)

 

                                      

Pro-Active Behavior Management

 

You may want to read about a technique called Students Make the Classroom by Laura Candler.  This simple class discussion can teach students how the way they behave affects the way their teacher behaves, and consequently, how the classroom runs.  Here's an explanation of what to do and a graphic organizer you can use with students to help organize the brainstorming that takes place during the discussion.

 

"You CAN Handle Them All!" is a terrific resource if you really want to find out what makes individual kids tick and learn how to get to the root of the problem.  The discussions of how students try to meet their primary and secondary needs is research-based, yet still manages to weed out the psycho-babble and clearly explain what's going on in the minds of your students.  While you do have to purchase materials to find out ways to address the problems, just understanding where your students are coming from can be extraordinarily helpful.  Over 117 common misbehaviors are addressed- The Defier, the Destroyer, the Do-Nothing... and that's just the D's! 

 

 

Whole-Class Behavior Systems

 

Token economies/ class economies differ from a token system like mine in that they are much more elaborate, with students earning tokens (or play money, etc.) for classroom jobs and other tasks, and spend their earnings on items from the classroom store or privileges.  While I don't recommend them for teachers who are looking for something easy to maintain, and I've never used them myself, I know many excellent teachers who have successfully implemented them and wouldn't use any other system.  The biggest advantage to token economies is that they have cross-curricular academic tie-ins.  Students have a practical application for math skills and the principles of economics they learn in social studies (opportunity cost, credit/debit, etc.).  The older the students, the more in depth you can go.  The best example of a token economy that I have seen is that of Mrs. Newington's mini-economy: she includes photos, instructions for setting it up and utilizing it, downloads of related forms and activities, and ways to tie the system into classroom jobs. 

 

Incorporating tokens and a Fun Friday system.


More on token economies from Education World.

 

 

 

Keeping Parents Informed

 

Daily behavior report from Laura Candler.

 

 

High-Poverty Classrooms

 

Despite what some people might like to believe, teaching in urban schools DOES present a different set of challenges for educators, and those needs are not always addressed in colleges or by administration.  "Learning From Urban Schools" from ASCD is a collection of articles and resources about high-poverty schools that have achieved at levels often surpassing those of their wealthier counterparts.  Successful urban schools generally have specific traits in common; learn what these factors are and how you can apply them to your own teaching situation.

 

If you are a teacher in a high-poverty school and cannot afford to buy The Cornerstone book, please email me and I will send you a PDF of Chapter 18: "The Challenges of Teaching in High-Poverty Schools: Tools to Help You Succeed With Disadvantaged Children".  You are a tremendous blessing for our neediest students, and I want to encourage you in every way I can! 

 

 

    Framework for Understanding Poverty    

 

These two books are must-reads about cultural conflict in the classroom.  The version above of "Other People's Children" is an updated edition for 2006.  Dr. Ruby Payne's book is absolutely incredible--please check this out if you are struggling to understand the mindset of the impoverished community you teach in.  Dr. Tatum's book is a psychologist's perspective on race relations in school.

 

 

          

 

While Jonathan Kozol doesn't provide many practical strategies for helping students, he gives a critical look at what is happening to our nation's most impoverished students.  'Savage Inequalities' was written in the 80's and was the first book of it's kind to put the condition of inner city schools in the public view and trigger real change in the system. His books are so heartfelt and persona; that they read almost like a story and I find them almost impossible to put down.  I keep his books (there are several others, including "Amazing Grace") in my professional library because they legitimized my passion for working with children in poverty and always inspire me to keep going when I feel overwhelmed.

 

 

           

 

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