It’s almost the beginning of the
school year. Teachers are busy planning
for the learning that will occur this year.
They are creating bulletin boards, designing the daily schedule, making
copies of get-to-know-you sheets for the first day of school, and imaging what
their class will be like. The school
atmosphere is filled with excitement and anticipation for the year to come.
In addition to preparing for learning and
decorating the classroom environment, this is also the time of year when
teachers should be thinking about how they will address behavior challenges
that arise in their classrooms. As is the
reality for teaching academic skills, behavior management should be designed
around the use of evidence-based practices.
One of the most effective practices for behavior management is the use
of Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports, also known as PBIS. PBIS includes three tiers as outlined in the
figure below.
When designing a classroom for the
upcoming school year, teachers should take the time to design effective Tier 1
Universal Support for all students in the classroom. These supports will include classroom rules
and routines, building relationships, and consistency in implementation. Tier 1 supports are used for all students in
the classroom and in all classroom activities and settings; the same general
expectations exist in the classroom during the math lesson and on the
playground during recess (Horner, Sugai, & Anderson, 2010).
Tier 1 supports involve the use of
classroom rules and expectations that are explicitly taught and consistently
reinforced. Ideally, your classroom
should have 3-5 overarching rules that encompass everything you expect from
students (Stormont, Lewis, Beckner, & Johnson, 2008). The rules should be stated in positive terms
and tell children exactly what you want them to do instead of what you don’t want
them to do. Many schools use an acronym
or create a saying to help students remember the rules. Before the school year begins, the rules should
be created and posted where students can see them. For younger children, it is beneficial to
include visual cues along with the words.
Personally, I like the rules “Bee Respectful, Bee Responsible, & Bee
Honest” and I use a buzzing bee as a visual.
When we practice the rules, we buzz like bees – this makes learning the rules
fun for the students and they are more likely to remember them because of the
fun activity associated with the rules.
Everything that I want my students to do falls into the three categories
that I have established in my rules, so after teaching my rules, I will teach
my students what it means to be respectful, responsible, and honest.
Once the school year begins, teachers
should dedicate time to teaching the rules to students. Classroom rules and expectations should be
taught in the same way that we teach academic skills; teaching behavior requires
explicit instruction (Evertson, Emmer, & Worsham, 2000). Teachers should design lesson plans to teach
behavior that include instruction (Sugai & Horner, 2006), modeling (Stormont,
2002), immediate practice (Carter & Ellis, 2016), continued review and practice
throughout the school year (Hester, Hendrickson, & Gable, 2009), and
immediate feedback (Sugai & Horner, 2006). When my students are not following
the rules, I might ask them if their actions show that they are “bee-ing”
responsible and buzz like a bee as I ask.
This will serve as a gentle reminder of the classroom rule and will show
students that I recognize that they are not following that rule.
When good quality Tier 1 universal
supports are in place, over 80% of students will behave as expected the
majority of the time (Horner & Sugai, 2015). This will leave teachers with more time for
academic instruction and more time to address the challenging behaviors from
just a few students. Ideally, PBIS
should be implemented school-wide and all adults in the school building should
have the same expectations for all students.
However, when this is not an option, classroom-wide implementation is a
viable alternative.
References
Carter,
M.A., & Ellis, C. (2016). Work ‘with’ me: Learning prosocial behaviors. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 41(4), 106-114.
Evertson,
C., Emmer, E.T., & Worsham, M.E. (2000).
Classroom management for
elementary teachers (5th ed.). Needham Heights,
MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Hester,
P.P., Hendrickson, J.M., & Gable, R.A. (2009). Forty years later- The value
of praise, ignoring, and rules for preschoolers at risk for
behavior disorders. Education and
Treatment of Children, 32(4), 513-535.
Horner, R.H., & Sugai,
G. (2015). School-wide PBIS: An example of applied behavior analysis implemented
at a scale of social importance. Behavior
Analysis in Practice, 8(1), 80-85.
Horner, R.H., Sugai, G.,
& Anderson, C.M. (2010). Examining the evidence base for school-wide
positive behavior
support. Focus on Exceptional Children,
42(8), 1-14.
Stormont,
M. (2002). Externalizing behavior problems in young children: Contributing
factors and early intervention. Psychology in the Schools, 39(2), 127-138.
Stormont,
M., Lewis, T.J., Beckner, R., & Johnson, N.W. (2008). Implementing positive behavior support systems in early
childhood and elementary settings.
Thousand Oaks, CA:
Corwin Press.
Sugai, G., & Horner,
R.H. (2006). A promising approach for expanding and sustaining school-wide positive
behavior support. School Psychology
Review, 35(2), 245-259.
Dr. Marla J. Lohmann is an Assistant Professor of Special
Education at Colorado Christian University, where she prepares future Special Education teachers and conducts research in the
areas of early childhood behavior management and the use of UDL in online
teacher preparation. She can be
contacted at MLohmann@ccu.edu.