School has been in session appropriately five (5)
weeks and students are adjusting to teachers, classmates, and building at-large
toward a successful year. Prior to the
start of school teachers met with parents (guardians) to gain better insight of
child’s behaviors. Also, the teacher has
written classroom rules with student’s input, shown them the proper way to use
materials through role-playing, but still noticing some students are exhibiting
challenging behaviors at a high level.
Here are some points to consider when dealing with challenging
behaviors.
1. If
the student is unable to articulate needs s/he may need to be assessed farther
for early intervention specialist(s),
2. Design
of classroom (get on kneels to review arrangement from child’s eye level),
3. Select
assessment tool (e.g., time sampling, anecdotal notes) to record incidents of
challenging behaviors acts (e.g., biting, hitting, name calling) to determine
specific times, classmates interacting with, list hierarchy action plans and
bring in specialist, as needed,
4. Reinforce
prosocial behaviors (e.g., sharing, taking turns) through role-plays and
interceding when possible as solution to situations,
5. Rotate
culturally developmentally age appropriate materials,
6. Plan
transitions activities that will cut down wait time,
7. Display
cards of daily schedule to show children sequential order of activities,
8. Give
one or two directives at one given time,
9. Use
positive praise statements
10. Encourage
children to use Five Steps in Problem Solving (a) What is the problem, (b) What
can I do? (c) What might happen if … (d) Choose an idea and use it and (e) Is
it working? If not, what can I do not?,
11. Make
eye contact on the child’s level using a stern verbal specify directive. Have the child repeat the directive to ensure
s/he has comprehended the directive,
12. Relax
techniques to calm down such as (a) Count to 10, (b) say the alphabet, (c) take
3 deep breaths, (d) redirect child to sand/water play and (e) pound play dough,
clay, etc.,
13. Periodically
remind children of classroom rules and remember to (a) written in positive
language, (b) accompany each rule with pictures and (c) have rules posted in
centers and circle time,
14. Use
I-Messages. An I-Message tells the child
how you feel about his/her unacceptable behavior demonstrated. An I-Message should include the following
parts: (a) the child’s behavior, (b)
your feelings about the behavior, and (c) the effects of the behavior,
15. Have
signals for children to “Stop” (hand held up), “Think” (pointer finger pointing
to head) and “Walk away” (pointer and middle fingers moving back and forth,
16. Verbally
say “Give Me Five.” The children will
stop where they are and (1) ears are open, (2) mouth is closed, (3) eyes on
teacher, (4) hands in lap or side, and (5) feet on the floor. The teacher will talk with the children about
what actions were done and consequences,
17. Set
a timer and explain to the child when the timer goes off s/he must have
completed the directive given. Or,
teacher will count to a set number for the child to complete the
directive. Then have the child explain
to the teacher why action happened,
18. Bailey
(2000) has created the mnemonic process S-T-A-R to assist teachers maintain
self-control. S = smile T = take a deep breath (inhale) A = and
R = relax (exhale),
19. Books
can be read and discussed to reinforce appropriate classroom/school behavior
such as (a) Just a Little Different by Gina and Mercer Mayer, (b) That Toad is
Mine! By Barbara Shook Hazen, (c) Will I have a Friend? By Mirian Cohen, (d) Two
Greedy Bears by Mirra Ginsburg, ( e) It wasn’t my Fault by Helen Lester and (f)
When Sophie gets angry – really, really, angry by Molly Bang,
20. Check
out the Center on the Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL)
at http://csefel.vanderbilt.edu
, and
21. Maintain
a regular, predictable lesson schedule so children know what to expect. If schedule is changing talk with children so
they are aware.
The above strategies can be used to guide student’s
behavior toward positive outcomes. It is
important to have an ongoing system which teachers help students learn to
manage their impulses, expression of feelings, solve problems and learn what
are acceptable or unacceptable behaviors to becoming productive citizens of
society. As you seek out best practices
keep in mind to maintain highly-qualified culturally developmentally age
appropriate practices.
References:
Bailey, B.
(2000). Conscious discipline:
Seven basic skills for brain smart classroom management. Oriedo, FL:
Loving Guidance.
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